Interpretation Essay

Alpheus and Arethusa

Syracuse, on the island of Ortygia, contains a sparkling spring of crisp, cool water issuing from an unseen source. The bubbling emergence, known as the Fountain of Arethusa, originates deep within the Mediterranean, and may even share a path with the Greek river, Alpheus. Long before the modern day, however, ancients told a story of how the two waters mixed. This myth told of the transformation of a woman, Arethusa, into the spring that bears her name, while under the pursuit by the river god, Alpheus. The legend can be scrutinized and evaluated on a number of different levels, including its natural realm, social realm, and psychological realm. These three branches each refer to a different scale on which to view the myth. The first level views the myth in terms of its affect on or dealings with the earth as a whole. The second level analyzes the myth based on what it tells of humanity, while the third level analyzes the myth’s views of each individual person and their psyche.

The natural realm refers to the myth on a broad scale, for instance, its purpose of describing the reasoning for the spring at Ortygia. The myth describes how the water arrives from distant Greece in bubbles of cleanliness and life. Largely, though, the function of the myth operates on more acute levels.

The social capacity of the myth stems from its watery origin. Water brings life; civilizations have grown around water sources for millennia because of its life-giving abilities. It also promotes cleanliness and washes away impurities. Thus, it fits that Arethusa, the bearer of such a spotless spring, is a chaste follower of the virgin goddess, Artemis. Her purity and innocence are translated into clear, clean water when Artemis transforms her. Therefore, the myth produces two yields from the social realm. The spring serves as both an integral part of society and an important symbol of chastity.

Not only does the myth touch on the life-giving qualities of the spring, and its symbolic nature, but it also reaches deep within, to a psychological level. If Arethusa is the symbol of purity, then the fact that Alpheus pursues her endangers that purity. Her personal honor is on the line, her self-worth, and her self-esteem. Her choice to remain chaste lies in jeopardy, and she finds herself in a world where personal safety and liberty are not valued. Personal freedoms, such as the right to abstain from sex, fall under this psychological umbrella, and this myth deals with this concept at great length, though in a covert manner. It is interesting to note, for instance, that Arethusa does not actually outrun her pursuer. In this story, she cannot hide, even as a fluid spring miles away in Sicily. The river god returned to his liquid state, followed her, and “now his water mingles with hers in the fountain.”

Perhaps this simply contrasts from the modern age of nearly infinite freedom to the time of the Greeks, when realpolitik was not only accepted, but also expected. The Greeks emphasized not Arethusa’s personal freedoms, but the power of Alpheus in overcoming her even in the bitter end. In other words, the myth’s moral purpose pushes the idea that the strong do what they wish, while the weak suffer what they must, an idea that Western civilizations have attempted to avoid in their governments and public policies. For this reason, people in the Western modern age might find this myth’s bottom line to be somewhat disconcerting, because they are so used to having the freedom that Alpheus denied Arethusa. Beyond our personal reactions, however, this myth certainly tells us a great deal about Greek ideals, allowing us to distinguish them from our own.

As is now evident, the story of Alpheus and Arethusa transcends the obvious water fable. Beyond the spurting spring and bubbling brine, the myth paints a portrait of moral ambiguity and loss. Even after her valiant efforts, Arethusa fails to escape the pursuit of Alpheus, as if to say her choice of purity and chastity does not matter when compared with his rugged power and desire. The many levels of analysis allow one to peel back the layers of the myth like an onion, helping one to gather a better understanding of what the tale says, both in the outer, physical sphere, and the social and psychological spheres.