Dionysus myth a clue to ancient neonatal care?

[Aurelia]

Interesting theory but perhaps a little far-fetched...?

 

http://www.hri.org/news/greek/apeen/2009/0...2.apeen.html#03

[Nephele]

Interesting theory but perhaps a little far-fetched...?

 

http://www.hri.org/news/greek/apeen/2009/0...2.apeen.html#03

 

According to some versions of the myth, Dionysus was born prematurely in the eighth month of pregnancy and had a low birth weight. He was carried by the god Hermes to Mount Nysa and delivered into the care of the Hyades, the nymphs of warm rain, that placed him in a cave having all the requirements of an incubator - an air filter, double lining and protection from draughts.

 

The ancient myth-makers did not, of course, describe technological appliances or fixtures but rather natural items that appear to serve an equivalent purpose. The 'air filter' is a stand of pines planted by the Hyades at the entrance of the cave, the 'double lining' is formed by the branches of a virgin vine and the small god is protected from draughts by a covering of thick-leaved ivy. Combined, these served to maintain a warm and slightly moist - in other words thermically neutral - environment for the newborn.

 

And I suppose droppings from the bats in the cave provided moisturizer for baby's sensitive skin.

 

Yah, I agree: "a little far-fetched" pretty much sums it up.

 

-- Nephele

[Maty]

And of course, the Spartans leaving their newborns halfway up Mt Tagetus to see if they made it through the night gives us a non-mythological example of ancient Greek post-natal care.

 

Perhaps we could also have the young Dionysus being torn apart by giants and rebuilt by Athena as an example of previously unsuspected sophistication in classical Greek reconstructive surgery?

 

And now we know. Ovid's Metamorphoses are actually an allegory based on ancient gene-replacement techniques.

 

In short, I'm not buying this story either.