Triads of Antinous #2: Three Miracles of Antinous

As there were several requests for this to be the next triad covered, it is now given.

The Three Miracles of Antinous are something that has tended not to be over-emphasized in modern treatments of the god, both historically and in spiritual practice, and yet they are there. What smacks of the miraculous and the supernatural in religion is often debunked and disregarded today, either downplayed as mere metaphor, dismissed as sheer coincidence, or scorned as the worst type of literalism depending on the circumstances in which it is discussed. The simple existence of life and the hair-thin threads of contingency that allow it to continue existing is miraculous enough, much less the wonder of beauty in other people and in nature, the boundlessness of the cosmos, the advances of modern medicine, and the heights of technological advancement–including the internet and all of the electronics that allow this discussion to be taking place at present!–are miraculous enough without having to bring in supernatural ideas and superstitious beliefs, many would argue. Fair enough. And yet, if miracles are understood properly, and not over-read or emphasized to the exclusion of all else as proofs for universal applicability or the veracity of one’s beliefs–if, in other words, one does not “over-stand” (quite literally, superstitio) them, but instead “understands” them–they can be an interesting phenomenon to consider within a religious context.

Antinous was associated with three miracles that, to some extent, “confirmed” his deification for many people in the ancient world. While one of these is entirely mythological, it contributed to his overall symbolism and cultic associations in important ways in the aftermath of his death. The second was thought to have been wholly invented and erroneous, and it is often presented in such a manner in ancient sources, but recent studies have indicated there may be far more literal truth to it than had previously been thought. The final one most certainly occurred, and was practically a direct answer to the prayers of the emperor and the wider empire, and no doubt contributed greatly to the initial acceptance and spread of Antinous’ cultus in 131 and afterwards.

#2. Three Miracles of Antinous: the Red Nile Lotus; the Star of Antinous; the Inundation of the Nile.

The Red Nile Lotus
As mentioned in previous entries on this matter, both in terms of our festival of the Red Lotus on August 22, and in entries on Flower Heroes and the Lion Hunt, one of the things which became most closely associated with Antinous was the miracle of the red Nile lotus. This story is attributed at very least to Pancrates via Athenaeus, but is also found in the text from the Tebtynis Papyrus and the Oxyrhynchus Papyri 63. The lion which Hadrian and Antinous hunted west of Alexandria in the months or year before Antinous’ death was said to have resulted in the blood of the lion becoming the red Nile lotus, which was thereafter named for Antinous. Garlands of the red Nile lotus were made as victory crowns for the winners of the sacred games of Antinous in Egypt, at very least (if not further afield). As a kind of kataphytosis (a person becoming a plant after death), this is a very interesting example, since it is not Antinous himself who becomes the flower, but instead the blood of the lion he hunted, which almost killed him. As a rule, humans and animals don’t become flowers, and no doubt this idea came about through some intriguing mythological and theological constructions on the part of Pancrates that were deeply rooted in Egyptian culture, which I will expand upon at a future date. But, this miraculous occurrence became a mainstay of Antinous’ symbolism and his wider associations, and thus it is the first of the Three Miracles.

The Star of Antinous
Hadrian: What are stars?
Epictetus: The destiny of humans.
Hadrian: What are the stars?
Epictetus: The omens of navigators.
–Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti Philosophi

On coin reverses of Antinous, a star or a number of stars are often depicted amongst the other figures. It was said that after Antinous’ death, his soul became a star in the sky which was pointed out to Hadrian, and that the new star formed part of a new constellation under Aquila, named for Antinous (or sometimes Ganymede). Many scholars have thought this was mere myth-making, despite the constellation of Antinous appearing in the works of Claudius Ptolemy soon after the beginning of Antinous’ cultus, and remaining there until prudish Victorian astronomers erased it and combined it in with Aquila. The ancient historian Dio Cassius includes the tale of the star with much derision in his account of Antinous’ death. Lukian of Samosata, in one of his Dialogues of the Gods featuring Zeus and Ganymede, and which may allude to Antinous, mention is made of Ganymede becoming a star in the heavens at Zeus’ command. The Suda lexicon, in its articles on both Hadrian and on the term paidiká (“boyfriend”), also derisively mentions the tale of Antinous’ star. Tatian the Assyrian writes that Antinous was said to have been the face in the moon, but before this, he speaks of the danger of wandering stars, and he includes the story of the lock of Berenike II (wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes) in doing so. The poetry of Montague Summers on Antinous, and John Addington Symonds’ writings on him, also speak of the star.

The enterprising work of J. R. Rea, in editing the P. Oxy. 63 text that mentions that Antinous was placed among the stars by Selene turned up something rather intriguing. He consulted Chinese astrological records for the period in which Antinous’ cultus began, and finds that in late January of 131, about three months after Antinous’ death, there was a series of major celestial events recorded over several days. The “guest star” that seems to have appeared may have been a nova, or a comet–it is not clear from the records themselves; but nonetheless, some celestial occurrence does seem to have happened and to have been witnessed which may have been visible to Hadrian and his associates in Alexandria. The derisive tone of the various later historians, satirists, and Christian writers, therefore, was perhaps not at all warranted based on what can be determined from astronomical records. Further, the Second Jewish War under Simon bar Kosiba was often called the Bar-Kochba Rebellion, with Bar Kochba meaning “son of the star.” This revolt began in 132, and it was believed that by signs in the sky, Simon bar Kosiba was indicated as the new messiah. These two celestial-associated events of religious significance, I think, are not disconnected, and in fact are probably one and the same occurrence. So, whether it was coincidence or not, the celestial events of early 131 had a profound impact on the subsequent cultus of Antinous, and have remained significant into modern practice in terms of monitoring the constellation of Aquila/Ganymede/Antinous for nova activity, which has often occurred on significant dates in modern practice (particularly in mid-July of 2003).

The text quoted above, the Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti Philosohpi, which I translated in full in The Phillupic Hymns, is not about the well-known Stoic philosopher Epictetus, nor does it record an actual conversation between Hadrian and a philosopher of that name; but, it is agreed by scholars that it probably was first written in the second century, at some point after Hadrian’s death. Not only do the two question of the emperor on the stars have a poetic quality on their own, but the answers given seem to allude to Antinous somewhat…or at least in my reading they do!…and to the image mentioned earlier in the first Triad on Antinous the Navigator.

The Inundation of the Nile
In the years leading up to the death of Antinous, the yearly inundation of the Nile in Egypt that was so essential to the successful agricultural cycle in the country was not sufficient enough to provide a good harvest. This was not only disastrous on a local level within Egypt, but it was a disaster for the entire empire, considering that Egypt was in many respects the “bread-basket” of the Mediterranean. The heroic sacrificial death of Antinous on behalf of Hadrian which some historical sources suggest, therefore, may not have been so much simply on the emperor’s behalf, but on the behalf of the entire empire and its future prosperity. Royston Lambert details several instances in more recent times of a “sacrifice” of a drowned youth in the Nile resulting in improved inundations and agricultural conditions. The Obelisk of Antinous includes lines about “arranging the inundation in its time” in the prayer expressed by Antinous on behalf of Hadrian to promote agricultural plenty and fertility in fields and amongst cattle. Antinous’ syncretism to Osiris, as well as to the Apis Bull, both give further connections to the Nile and its cyclical inundation within Egyptian religious reckoning, which occurred around the time of the dog-days and the rising of Sirius yearly.

But, direct historical sources (i.e. not the gutter press historians of the ancient world, but actual records of everyday citizens and edicts of the emperor himself) also record that in 131, and for four years afterwards, the inundation of the Nile was not only restored to what it had been before, it was excessive to an even unprecedented degree, damaging property and truly being an “inundation” that the Egyptians were not prepared for. This immediate restoration in the year following Antinous’ death no doubt would have fed Antinous’ cultic expressions in Egypt to a great extent, and there did seem to be a flowering of devotional activity to him in those years.

While we often say in the modern world “correlation is not causality,” and certainly this is true, nonetheless the coincidences of the excessive inundation of the Nile following a period of deprivation, and the appearance of a new star in the sky heralding apotheosis for some and the messiah’s liberation (failed though it ended up being) for others, are miracles connected not only to particular times, places, and religious contexts that are intriguing, but they were observed and experienced by millions. These were not private miracles of water becoming wine amongst a wedding party, or a few cripples and blind people becoming healed, these were celestial extravaganzas and truly life-giving, salvific events that benefited countless people regardless of their belief in the god’s existence or validity. Though modern rationality would be quick to dismiss these appearances of stars and restorations of agricultural plenty as sheer and mere coincidence, they no doubt fed the acceptance and perceived effectiveness of Antinous’ death and deification in the eyes of many people, Hadrian included. The red Nile lotus, additionally, provided a myth that seated Antinous within both Greek and Egyptian religious contexts, and provided a visible sign of his enduring presence in the lives of his cultists thereafter.

All of this can be indicated by reference to brief mention of the Three Miracles of Antinous–the Red Nile Lotus, the Star of Antinous, and the Inundation of the Nile.