Pindar’s Olympian 3: The Olive Branch as a Symbol of the Cohesion of the Human Community

Abstract

In Pindar’s Olympian 3 Theron is glorified all the more because his victory isconnected to the ancient tradition of the olive branch and its concomitant symbolism; it ispresented as a link in a chain which ultimately originates from the supreme god, Zeus, andreaches through Heracles and the Dioscuri to the present. On the one hand, the olive branch issuggestively presented as conflating the opposites; it is destined both for every man and for thefew, because all are inspired by it to strive for excellence, pursuing therefore, happiness; thus,it ensures the cohesion of mankind. On the other hand, the laudandus, Theron, is also implicitlydepicted as fusing the opposites; he has changed by becoming an Olympic victor and he hasremained the same, since he continues worshiping the Dioscuri who have granted him thisvictory; thus, his victory, which has as its recipients not only himself but also his compatriots,secures the coherence of his community. This latent correlation between the implications of theOlympic symbol of victory and those of its present awardee is elicited by Pindar through anintricate network of verbal repetitions, subtle mythological allusions and innuendos.