Introduzione. Mater lacrimosa. Costruzione dei modelli femminili del dolore in Grecia antica

Ezio Pellizer

Abstract:

In this brief Introduction an attempt is made to explain the scope of interest of the conference held in honor of Nicole Loraux at the University of Trieste (sponsored by the G.R.I.M.M. and featuring scholars from Spain, Slovenia, France and Italy). It highlights the importance of female 'maternal' patterns in generating mythical paradigms of suffering and ritual mourning during the funeral of a son fallen in battle – victim of the hero's 'beautiful death', studied by J.-P. Vernant, N. Loraux and others. By following the diffusion of these paradigms, we perceive the importance of mythopoietic activity ('myth-making', mythourgie) that has been handled down from ancient Greece to the art and poetry of European cultures.