On this day we remember the well-known shadow actor and painter Evgenios Spatharis, who was born in Kfissia, Athens in 1924. Shadow acting involves cut-out figures being made into puppets and projected on a screen.

Evgenios Spatharis is the son of Sotiris Spatharis who was a famous puppeteer. He was heavily interested in his father’s works, despite the unwillingness from his father, who wanted his son to be an architect. Spatharis’ first public performances were during the German occupation of Greece and would use heroic figures to spark confidence and strength in the population. The Germans found out about this performance and arrested and interrogated him. However, he managed to perform to the German soldiers, through an old connection. The Germans were so thrilled with the performance that instead of imprisoning him, they sent him to Germany to perform.

Spatharis was also famous for the creation of the Karagiozis performance. The puppet lived during the Ottoman Empire, was a hunchback, and due to being poor found obscure and cheeky ways to make money.

Spatharis eventually delved into painting and he has over 50 of his works in exhibitions, also collaborating with the likes of Manos Hadjidakis, Rallou Manou and Melina Merkouri.

Spatharis was a member of the Chamber of Artists of Greece, as well as the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. In 1962, he was awarded the Rome Prize, and in 1978 the Toscanini award. These accolades are two of many that he received over his lustrous career. In 2007, he was attributed to the ‘Grand Master’ by the Greek Culture ministry due to his extensive contribution to art.

Spatharis was invited to an event at the Goethe Institut in Athens on the 6^th of May, where he was intending to give a lecture. He fell down the stairs and obtained a serious head injury on the way to the lecture room. He was transported to KAT hospital and unfortunately passed away 3 days later on the 9^th of May.

His legacy lives on through his art gallery, which he opened up in 1991 and named the ‘Spathario Museum’. It displays some of his finest works and he is acclaimed to be a crucial figure of the Greek shadow acting industry and of cultural life as a whole.

Had it not been for the beauty of Helen, Hermione’s mother, there would have been no Trojan War. Had it not been for their mothers, Jocasta and Clytemnestra, the heroes Oedipus and Orestes would have remained obscure.

To mark Mother’s Day this year, The Greek Herald takes a look back at six legendary Greek mothers you should know about.

1. Niobe:

Niobe thought herself so blessed in the abundance of her 14 children that she dared to compare herself with a goddess. This was not a smart thing to do as she lost all of her children by most accounts and others believe she was turned to stone that eternally weeps.

2. Helen of Troy:

Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, was so beautiful that she attracted attention even from a young age when Theseus carried her off and according to some accounts sired a daughter named Iphigenia with her.

But it was Helen’s marriage to Menelaus (through whom she became the mother of Hermione) and her abduction by Paris that led to the events of the Trojan War renowned in the Homeric epic.

3. Jocasta:

The mother of Oedipus, Jocasta (Iocaste), was married to Laius. An oracle warned the parents that their son would murder his father, so they ordered him killed. Oedipus survived, however, and returned to Thebes, where he unknowingly killed his father.

He then married his mother, who bore him Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone, and Ismene. When they learned of their incest, Jocasta hanged herself and Oedipus blinded himself.

4. Andromache:

Andromache, the wife of Hector, one of the major figures in the Iliad. She gave birth to Scamander or Astyanax, but when she and the child are captured by one of the sons of Achilles, she throws the baby from the top of the walls at Troy, because he is the heir apparent to Sparta.

After Troy fell, Andromache was given as a war prize to Neoptolemus, with whom she gave birth to Pergamus.

5. Penelope:

Penelope was the wanderer Odysseus’ wife and mother to his son Telemachus, whose tale is told in the Odyssey. She waited for her husband’s return for 20 years, fending off her many suitors by tricks. After 20 years, he returns, wins a challenge and slays all the suitors with the help of their son. 

6. Alcmene:

Alcmene’s story is unlike those of the other mothers. There was no particular great sorrow for her. She was simply the mother of twin boys, born to different fathers. The one born to her husband, Amphytrion, was named Iphicles. The one born to what looked like Amphitryon, but was actually Zeus in disguise, was Hercules.

Source: ThoughtCo.

By Ilektra Takuridu

Mother’s Day is a holiday that honours the mothers of the community, it reminds everyone of the sacrifice and love mothers give to their children, and is a day to celebrate a mothers’ presence in society. It is observed on different days around the world, most notably in the months of March and May. In Australia and Greece, mothers day is celebrated on the 9th of May. Every year, a special day is set aside to show mothers how much they are loved and respected. It’s a day for people all over the world to remember and honour the special women in their lives. But what do we know about the history and roots of Mother’s day? How it can be traced back to ancient Greece?

The modern-day mothers day was established in the United States of America. Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped establish “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” in the years leading up to the Civil War to teach local women how to better care for their children. These clubs went on to become a unifying power in a part of the world that was already separated by the Civil War. Jarvis founded “Mothers’ Friendship Day” in 1868 when mothers met with retired Union and Confederate soldiers to encourage peace.

The celebration of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who arranged festivals in honour of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele.

The first references to Mother’s Day and motherhood come from ancient Greece. According to Greek mythology, the Mother Earth (Gaia) wife of Uranus is the personification of nature, who gives birth to the whole world and is worshipped as the supreme Goddess. The adoration and admiration that is shown to Gaia is then passed on to her daughter, Rhea, Saturn’s wife and sister. Rhea is worshipped as the “Mother of the Gods”, as she seems to be the first to give birth and raise her children with breast milk. The ancient Greeks worshipped Rhea every spring, as she was also the Goddess of the earth and fertility. As well as in mythology, secular life in ancient Greece also shares the theme of worshipping motherhood.

Archeological findings shows how important was the role of motherhood, fertility and the female body. From the first Greek civilisation findings we can see female figures with big hips and breasts that emphasise the fertility attributes of a women’s body.

Despite it is not a public holiday, it is usually scheduled on a Sunday so that it may be celebrated with the whole family. Each country and culture celebrates differently, as does every family, but the most common gift of appreciation given on this day are flowers. The amount of gifts has increased over the years, and Mothers day has been criticised as being a materialistic holiday designed for people to spend.

Despite some negativity and debate about the intent of the day, there is no dispute that mothers should be honoured. All mothers deserve to be spoilt, appreciated and loved, not just for one day of the year but for every day.