Ekecheiria
In Greek mythology, Ekecheiria, Ekekheiria, or Ecechiria (/ɛsɪˈkaɪri.ə/;[1] Ancient Greek: Ἐκεχειρία means 'armistice, truce') was the spirit and personification of truce, armistice, and cessation of hostilities. The term is also used to refer to the Olympic truce. The ancient Greeks hosted Olympiads for almost 600 years, and whenever the games were announced, Truce Heralds from Olympia went to all participating nations and city states to call for the laying down of arms. The truce was considered sacred, and only two violations are found in the records: Soldiers of Philip of Macedon were convicted of robbing travellers on their way to the games, leading to the Macedonian king being fined, and a King of Sparta was subject to a similar fine. Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, tried to invoke Ekecheiria during World War I in order to continue with the 1916 Games in Berlin. However, he was unsuccessful, and the games were cancelled.[2]
Note
[edit]- ^ Gardner, Dorsey; Porter, Noah, eds. (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co. p. 552.
- ^ Stanton, Richard (2000). The forgotten Olympic art competitions: the story of the Olympic art competitions of the 20th century. Victoria: Trafford. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-55212-606-6.
References
[edit]- Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. ISBN 0-674-99328-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
- Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
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