Wikipedia trail: From Cupid and Psyche to the Nemean Games

Psyche and Amor, also known as Psyche Receiving
Cupid's First Kiss (1798) by François Gérard.
Source: Wikipedia

I started my Wikipedia trail with Cupid and Psyche, because I had been doing research on them for my next storybook story. After a long time of miscommunication and being apart, Cupid and Psyche are finally reunited and able to marry. In order to let them be married as equals, Zeus gives Psyche ambrosia, a drink that will make her immortal.

That led me to click on ambrosia, which is a drink brought to the Greek gods in Olympus by doves. Ambrosia is similar to nectar, which is another sustenance of the gods. Some writings depict ambrosia as a food and nectar as a drink, while others depict the opposite. The article mentions that Tydeus was denied ambrosia because the goddess Athena saw him eating human brains.

So, obviously, Tydeus was my next click. Tydeus was an Aeolian hero, of the generation before that of the Trojan War. Surprisingly, there is no mention of him eating human brains, but it does talk about him winning boxing matches at the Nemean Games.

The Nemean Games were one of four Panhellenic Games held in Greece. There is dispute over how it was founded, but regardless, it was always held in honor of Zeus. Perhaps the most interesting detail is that the gymnic competitions — foot races, boxing, wrestling, and pentathlons — were all held in the nude.