The Legend Of Teucer: The Mythical Founder Of Pontevedra
It is quite common for nations, to justify their position in history, to resort to mythical heroes who, after fleeing from war or a disaster, travel to the ends of the world and found cities that, in the future, will be the germ of the later nation. This is especially common during Romanticism and the rise of nationalism in the 19th century, but we should not think that the phenomenon is limited only to this period.
In the past, for example, during the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, we find clear examples of this “mythification” of cities and towns. Very often, “historians” turned their sights to classical antiquity, which enjoyed traditional authority, to justify the birth of their country. The founding of Pontevedra, in the ancient Gallaecia Roman, was no exception, as we will see, and It is closely linked to the hero of the Iliad, the fabulous archer Teucer Let’s get to know his story below.
The historian, doctor and mayor of the Galician city, Claudio García de Zúñiga (1784-1857), recorded in his work History of Pontevedra, that is, ancient Helenes, founded by Teucer (more than explicit title) that the founder of the city had been the Greek hero of the Iliad.
Long before him, other authors, such as Pedro de Medina (royal cartographer and author of one of the first world maps reliable of history), he also spoke, in the 16th century, of the Hellenic archer as an exile who left the land of his ancestors, ruled by Telamon, his father, since he blamed him for the death of Ajax, his brother, who had died. in Troy. In his exile, Teucer traveled westward, towards the land of the dead, and seems to have settled in the Finis Terrae the place where the sun sets: Galicia.
As with most of these narratives, historical facts, there are few. The legend of Teucer and the founding of Pontevedra is as legendary as the Trojan War itself. And, although there may be something true in all this (remember that Heinrich Schliemann discovered, in the 19th century, the remains of the supposed ancient Ilion), the bulk of the narrative is the fruit of the imagination of bards and poets
As stated by the prestigious historian Pierre Grimal (1912-1996) in his work Dictionary of Greek and Roman mythology (see bibliography), Teucer is, according to some classical sources, the son of Telamon, king of Salamis, in Attica, and his wife Heroine, who is the sister of King Priam of Troy. Therefore, and even though the young man went to fight in the war on the side of the Greeks, on his mother’s side he belongs to none other than the royal house of Troy, and is consequently related to Hector and Paris.
The Iliad speaks of Teucer as the best archer in the Hellenic army He also mentions him as one of the soldiers who penetrate the walls of Troy hidden in the belly of the enormous wooden horse, and he is also the author of Hector’s wounds, caused by a stone. He is often compared in courage and courage with Achilles, his relative, although his figure is overshadowed by the importance that his brother, the “Great Ajax”, acquires after his death.
In any case, Ajax also dies in the fight. There are several versions of his death; Pierre Grimal collects two of them, in which the character does not come out well or enjoy a heroic death. For this reason, ashamed and afflicted, King Telamon blames Teucer, whom he accuses of not having known how to defend his brother or preserve him from an undignified death. Teucer is forced to exile himself from his homeland and leave for the unknown.
Towards the Finis Terrae
He would not be the only hero heading to the western lands. The western part of the world was a source of curiosity for the Greeks, since, according to their mythology, it was there where the access doors to the underworld were located. The West, the place where the sun sets, was the “end of the earth,” the Finis Terrae, since, beyond, was the wide ocean that surrounded the world and guarded the gates of Hades. Heading there, in fact, was a true path of initiation; It meant leaving, perhaps, towards death.
We have, therefore, a plethora of heroes who direct their steps to the place where the sun sets. Heracles also heads west; His presence is “endorsed” by the so-called Pillars of Hercules which mark the end of the earth (Non terrae plus ultra, there is no land beyond), as well as the chain of the Pyrenees, named after Pirene, the young woman raped by Heracles who found her tomb in these mountains. On the other hand, Ulysses, the Greek Odysseus, also arrives on his journey to the Strait of Gibraltar.
In the case of Teucer, legend wants his first stop to be Syria; specifically, the domains of King Belo. Later, on the island of Cyprus, the hero founds Salamis of Cyprus, inspired by his lost homeland. There, as Pierre Grimal tells us, Teucer marries Eune, the daughter of King Cypro (who, by the way, gives his name to the island), with whom he has a daughter, Asteria, and a son, Ajax the Young. A clear tribute to his brother, of course.
Nostalgia for the homeland is a constant in the stories of heroes who wander the world And, although in some cases the pilgrimage is not well understood (as is the case of Odysseus, who delays his return for no less than twenty years), in others, the myth conscientiously describes the reason for the absence.
After settling in Cyprus, Teucer longs to return to Salamis in Attica, where his father still reigns. According to some versions, the hero begins his return after learning of his death, but, upon his arrival, Eurysaces, his nephew, denies him entry. It is then that Teucer is forced to continue on his way to Hispania, although it is not clear why he did not return to Cyprus, where, in fact, his new home was located.
Be that as it may, in Hispania he founded, according to legend, the city of Pontevedra, which he called Helenes (precisely to which García de Zúñiga refers); Some sources even link it with the foundations of Cádiz and Cartagena. It seems, therefore, that the Greek presence in Hispania is abundant, especially in Galicia, a fact that is justified by one of the supposed etymologies of the name: Gallo-Grecia, Roman Gallaecia. Although this, like many other things, is still confusing.
