Introduction to The Main Characters of Handel’s Semele

by Gemma Baek

JUPITER

Jupiter is the god of the sky and is considered to have been the protecting deity of his followers as well as a bringer of light. Jupiter overthrew his own father and took control of the universe alongside his siblings. Jupiter is not usually wrapped in an elaborate narrative in history and mythology, but his name is usually explained through his position through the lives of the Romans. He is often seen to have been an overseer rather than a man of action and is notorious for his many affairs with immortal/mortal women which resulted in many deaths of the parties involved in these affairs. Jupiter was also considered to be the highest entity and was seen to be a priority over worshiping the other gods to gain security of winning their wars and dominance over competing states. He is seen with his sacred animal, the eagle, due to the animal’s duty as a messenger to relay omens to the Romans. The eagle was depicted as an honorable and strong bird who flew high in the sky and watched over those below with their keen eye, and these esteeming values the Romans associated with this bird are thought to have what influenced his connected symbolism to Jupiter.

JUNO

Juno is the queen of all the gods and is married to her twin brother Jupiter. Juno is considered to be one of the three initial gods of Rome alongside Jupiter and Minerva. Juno is often depicted to be watching over and preserving the people of Rome and is often found to be interacting with other immortal/mortal women in ancient Greek/Roman mythology. She is considered to be a goddess of childbirth and marriage, but powers seemed to have protected childbirth, fertility, wealth, and purification. Aside from her theological depictions, she is also known to be the mother of Mars and Vulcan and is often depicted as a very loyal wife to Jupiter. However, her jealousy blares through her interactions with Jupiter and his other children/affairs. She is often depicted militaristic usually with a crown, scepter, and the peacock. The peacock was Juno’s sacred animal, and they were a symbol of vision, protection, and immortality in Roman mythology.

SEMELE

Semele is the lover of Jupiter, the youngest daughter to Cadmus and Harmonia, princess of Thebes, and most importantly the mother of Dionysus. In the original mythology, she is thought to have caught Jupiter’s eye when Semele sacrificed a bull at Jupiter’s alter. Jupiter’s affair with Semele resulted in Juno becoming enraged with Jupiter’s lack of loyalty and set out to punish Semele. As a mortal, Semele was in a vulnerable position and wanted to be immortal, but she perished when Jupiter appeared in his true form to Semele, upon Juno’s request. However, Semele and Jupiter’s child, Dionysus, was saved in Zeus’s thigh. Later, Dionysus saves Semele from the Underworld, and finally granted immortality when she was brought to Mount Olympus and Semele is later recognized as the goddess Thyone.

SOMNUS

Somnus is the god of sleep, and the son of night. He is often known to be living in the island of Lemnos, the underworld, or in a dark cave that carried the waters of Lethe. In Greek mythology, he is referred to Hypnos, and is often seen to be near his twin brother, Death. Somnus is known to have many sons, but his most famous three sons are named Morpheus, Icelus, and Phantasus, and all of them had a unique power over dreams. Some of his attributes are a branch that touched the water of the river Lethe, a horn of opium, and a poppy stem, and he is also often depicted with wings. He is famously in the story of the Iliad by Homer, from putting Zeus (Jupiter) under a sleeping spell by Hera (Juno) to gain progress in her efforts in the war against Troy.

APOLLO

Apollo was the son of Jupiter and Leto, and is characterized as bisexual, youthful, and full of lust. He is depicted as the god of the arts, peace, and reason, and usually holding either a laurel wreath, lyre, bow and arrow, python, or a raven. Apollo was thought to have been revered yet loved by most of the Gods. He had a wide range of influence from afar, and made sure justice found its way to every guilty man.

INO

Ino is a queen of Boetia, the 2nd wife of Athamas, a sister to Semele, a nurse to Dionysus, and a mortal. Before raising Dionysus, Ino is known for attempting to inflict death upon Athamas’s son with his first wife, due to her jealousy and overall despise for Athamas’s other children. Ino and Athamas later had two sons themselves, which also resulted in tragedy. This tragedy resulted from Ino raising her sister’s son, Dionysus. Dionysus is the son Semele, who had an affair with Jupiter, and this Dionysus’s existence drew Juno mad. Therefore, Juno made her face the consequences for upbringing a child of Jupiter’s affair with Semele. Juno threw her wrath onto Athamas, which led him to go mad and kill Learchus (one of his children with Ino). Ino, being afraid and filled with madness from Juno’s rage, later jumped to her death into the sea with her.

ATHAMAS

Athamas was a Boetian king, and a son to of Aeolus and Enarte, who had three wives. His wife’s names were Nephele, Ino, and Themisto. Athamas began to fall in love with Ino, Cadmus’s daughter, when he was still married to Nephele with two sons, and later left Nephele to marry Ino. His relations to Nephele perished, and it caused the cloud nymph to cause ruin upon his family. Later, when Ino and Athamas was married. Juno casted her wrath upon Athamas to punish Ino for nursing Dionysus. Juno’s wrath drove Athamas mad and resulted in him killing his own son Learchus (also a child of Ino) fleeing to a new land and calling it Athamsania, where he later married Themisto’s son, Melicertes. However, it is thought that Jupiter respectively transformed Ino and Melicertes into the deities, Leucothea and Palaemon.

IRIS

Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and Electra and is known to be a messenger to the gods and the rainbow goddess. She is often depicted with wings, a vase, and the herald’s staff. Though Iris is not mentioned as often in comparison to her male equivalent (Hermes), she is thought to have been the messenger who relays more important messages for the gods. For instance, in the Iliad by Homer, Iris is seen to be given the task to relay Jupiter’s mercy towards the dead body of Priam’s son, being an informant of Helen’s abduction, and accepting Achilles’ prayers. In later theologies, it is also thought that Iris became a loyal envoy of Hera.

CADMUS

Cadmus was a father to Cadmus and Semele, and the founding king of Thebes in Greek mythology who slayed beasts. As a boy, it was said that he was sent to search for Europa, his sister, who was abducted by Jupiter. In his search, he met his wife Harmonia at Thasos, and the oracle of Delphi. While hearing the words of Delphi, he ended his search of his sister and a built the city of Thebes by building a shrine to Selene (moon goddess) with the Delphi’s guidance. Upon building this city, Cadmus managed to slay a water-dragon that endangered his city. He later then built Thebes with the 5 fierce me that came out of the dragon’s teeth he planted in the soil, which was done under Athena’s guidance. Later in his wedding with Harmonia, Hephaestus cursed Cadmus’s family with the Necklace of Harmonia, which brought misfortune to anyone who owned it. He later grew tired from the unfortunate events that were brought from the necklace, and he requested to be transformed into the serpent (like the water-dragon he killed) to escape his fate.