109-750: Lutte , meaning 'struggle' or 'fight' in French, is also used to refer to the sport of wrestling . Lutte or La Lutte may also refer to: Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves different grappling-type techniques, such as clinch fighting , throws and takedowns , joint locks , pins , and other grappling holds . Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts , combat sports , and military systems . Wrestling comes in different competitive forms,
218-643: A branch in Thebes, and his reference to 'my ancestors' in Pythian 5 could have been spoken on behalf of both Arcesilas and himself – he may have used this ambivalence to establish a personal link with his patrons. He was possibly the Theban proxenos or consul for Aegina and/or Molossia , as indicated in another of his odes, Nemean 7, in which he glorifies Neoptolemus , a national hero of Aegina and Molossia. According to tradition, Neoptolemus died disgracefully in
327-450: A campaign of smears against him – possibly the poets Simonides and his nephew Bacchylides . Pindar's original treatment of narrative myth, often relating events in reverse chronological order, is said to have been a favourite target for criticism. Simonides was known to charge high fees for his work and Pindar is said to have alluded to this in Isthmian 2 , where he refers to
436-549: A competitor can partake in. For example, some junior varsity and freshman competitors are not allowed in tournament competition due to the amount of mat time a wrestler would accrue in a short time period. Women's college wrestling in the U.S. uses freestyle wrestling rules in the NCAA and standard collegiate rules in the NCWA . There are currently several organizations which oversee collegiate wrestling competition: Divisions I, II, and III of
545-503: A culture or geographic region of the world that UWW does not administer rules for. Examples of the many styles of folk wrestling, include Cornish wrestling , backhold wrestling (from Europe), Cumberland Wrestling and Catch-as-catch-can (from England), kurash from Uzbekistan, gushteengiri from Tajikistan, khuresh from Siberia, Lotta Campidanese from Italy, naban from Myanmar, pehlwani from India, penjang gulat from Indonesia, schwingen from Switzerland, tigel from Ethiopia, kene of
654-402: A demeaning role. He seems indifferent to the intellectual reforms that were shaping the theology of the times. Thus an eclipse is not a mere physical effect, as contemplated by early thinkers such as Thales , Anaximander and Heraclitus , nor was it even a subject for bold wonder, as it was for an earlier poet, Archilochus ; instead Pindar treated an eclipse as a portent of evil. Gods are
763-447: A festival at Argos . His ashes were taken back home to Thebes by his musically gifted daughters, Eumetis and Protomache. One of Pindar's female relatives claimed that he dictated some verses to her in honour of Persephone after he had been dead for several days. Some of Pindar's verses were inscribed in letters of gold on a temple wall in Lindos , Rhodes. At Delphi, where he had been elected
872-525: A fight with priests at the temple in Delphi over their share of some sacrificial meat. Pindar diplomatically glosses over this and concludes mysteriously with an earnest protestation of innocence – "But shall my heart never admit that I with words none can redeem dishonoured Neoptolemus". Possibly he was responding to anger among Aeginetans and/or Molossians over his portrayal of Neoptolemus in an earlier poem, Paean 6 , which had been commissioned by
981-500: A huge risk, hazarded not in right"), telling the audience that he will not talk of it ("silence is a man's wisest counsel"). The Theban hero Heracles was a favourite subject but in one poem he is depicted as small in order to be compared with a small Theban patron who had won the pankration at the Isthmian Games: a unique example of Pindar's readiness to shape traditional myths to fit the occasion, even if not always flattering to
1090-407: A life well-lived. He presents no theory of history apart from the view that Fortune is variable even for the best men, an outlook suited to moderation in success, courage in adversity. Notions of 'good' and 'bad' in human nature were not analysed by him in any depth nor did he arrive at anything like the compassionate ethics of his near contemporary, Simonides of Ceos. His poems are indifferent to
1199-512: A maiden song does seem to be different in tone, due however to the fact that it is spoken in the character of a girl: ἐμὲ δὲ πρέπει παρθενήια μὲν φρονεῖν γλώσσᾳ τε λέγεσθαι. emè dè prépei parthenḗia mèn phroneîn glṓssāi te légesthai. I must think maidenly thoughts And utter them with my tongue. Enough of his dithyrambic poetry survives for comparison with that of Bacchylides, who used it for narrative. Pindar's dithyrambs are an exuberant display of religious feeling, capturing
SECTION 10
#17328695094121308-547: A personal dilemma. Nemean 7 in fact is the most controversial and obscure of Pindar's victory odes, and scholars ancient and modern have been ingenious and imaginative in their attempts to explain it, so far with no agreed success. In his first Pythian ode, composed in 470 BC in honour of the Sicilian tyrant Hieron , Pindar celebrated a series of victories by Greeks against foreign invaders: Athenian and Spartan-led victories against Persia at Salamis and Plataea , and victories by
1417-579: A priest of Apollo, the priests exhibited an iron chair on which he used to sit during the festival of the Theoxenia . Every night, while closing the temple doors, they intoned: "Let Pindar the poet go unto the supper of the gods!" Pindar's house in Thebes became one of the city's landmarks. When Alexander the Great demolished Thebes in 335 BC, as punishment for its resistance to Macedonian expansionism, he ordered
1526-404: A prophet, and lesser poets are to him as ravens are to an eagle; the art of such men is as hackneyed as garland-making; his is magical: εἴρειν στεφάνους ἐλαφρόν: ἀναβάλεο: Μοῖσά τοι κολλᾷ χρυσὸν ἔν τε λευκὸν ἐλέφανθ᾽ ἁμᾷ καὶ λείριον ἄνθεμον ποντίας ὑφελοῖσ᾽ ἐέρσας. To plait garlands is easy. Strike up! The Muse Welds together gold and white ivory And the lily-flower snatched from
1635-513: A recent defeat of Athens by Thebes at the Battle of Coronea (447 BC). The poem ends with a prayer for Aegina's freedom, long threatened by Athenian ambitions. Covert criticism of Athens (traditionally located in odes such as Pythian 8, Nemean 8 and Isthmian 7) is now dismissed as highly unlikely, even by scholars who allow some biographical and historical interpretations of the poems. One of his last odes ( Pythian 8 ) indicates that he lived near
1744-541: A request by Pindar for payment of fees owed to himself. His defeats by Corinna were probably invented by ancient commentators to account for the Boeotian sow remark, a phrase moreover that was completely misunderstood by scholiasts, since Pindar was scoffing at a reputation that all Boeotians had for stupidity. His fame as a poet drew Pindar into Greek politics. Athens, the most important city in Greece throughout his poetic career,
1853-485: A shrine to the oracle Alcmaeon and that he stored some of his wealth there. In the same ode he says that he had recently received a prophecy from Alcmaeon during a journey to Delphi ("...he met me and proved the skills of prophecy that all his race inherit") but he does not reveal what the long-dead prophet said to him nor in what form he appeared. The ode was written to commemorate a victory by an athlete from Aegina . Pindar doesn't necessarily mean himself when he uses
1962-513: A type of hand-stitched lederhosen called a kispetler , which are traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently have been made of calfskin. Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet . Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kisbet . To win by this move is called paça kazık . Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two days, until one man
2071-411: Is a short biography discovered in 1961 on an Egyptian papyrus dating from at least 200 AD ( P.Oxy .2438). The other four are collections that were not finalized until some 1600 years after his death: Although these sources are based on a much older literary tradition, going as far back as Chamaeleon of Heraclea in the 4th century BC, they are generally viewed with scepticism today: much of the material
2180-482: Is a world heritage martial art which was introduced to the Ancient Olympic Games in 648 BC. Modern amateur pankration is a form of mixed martial arts (MMA) that incorporates techniques from multiple systems. Matches are fought with both grappling and striking techniques. Alysh is a Turkic term for a Central Asian folk wrestling style which involves the wearing of jackets, trousers and thick belts. Throughout
2289-537: Is also treated more as a sport than the entertainment style of wrestling common in North America . As with British/European wrestling, there are fewer and less contrived storylines and angles and there is a similar atmosphere of realistic sporting competition. Much of this direction can be attributed to the influence of two European catch wrestlers/coaches Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson whose matches in Japan early in
SECTION 20
#17328695094122398-479: Is by no means certain that they were all sung by choirs – the use of choirs is testified only by the generally unreliable scholiasts. Scholars at the Library of Alexandria collected his compositions in seventeen books organized according to genre: Of this vast and varied corpus, only the epinikia – odes written to commemorate athletic victories – survive in complete form;
2507-566: Is clearly fanciful. Scholars both ancient and modern have turned to Pindar's own work – his victory odes in particular – as a source of biographical information: some of the poems touch on historic events and can be accurately dated. The 1962 publication of Elroy Bundy's ground-breaking work Studia Pindarica led to a change in scholarly opinion: the Odes were no longer seen as expressions of Pindar's personal thoughts and feelings, but rather as public statements "dedicated to
2616-454: Is divided into two styles: no-gi and gi. In no-gi (GNG), athletes wear shorts and a compression shirt called a rashguard. In gi grappling (GWG), athletes wear a kimono or gi . The goal of the sport is to take down and control the opponent on the ground and potentially win a submission using chokes and joint locks. Pankration (PK), from the Greek words pan and kratos and meaning "all of power",
2725-509: Is largely unread among the general public. Pindar was the first Greek poet to reflect on the nature of poetry and on the poet's role. His poetry illustrates the beliefs and values of Archaic Greece at the dawn of the Classical period . Like other poets of the Archaic Age, he has a profound sense of the vicissitudes of life, but he also articulates a passionate faith in what men can achieve by
2834-413: Is not known how commissions were arranged, nor if the poet travelled widely: even when poems include statements like "I have come" it is not certain that this was meant literally. Uncomplimentary references to Bacchylides and Simonides were found by scholiasts but there is no reason to accept their interpretation of the odes. In fact, some scholars have interpreted the allusions to fees in Isthmian 2 as
2943-428: Is often concluded in a raised ring; akin to boxing. Although advertised as contests , bouts are actually exhibitions with winners generally pre-determined to increase entertainment value. Legitimate wrestling skill remained a valuable bargaining chip in the wrestling industry until the late 20th century however, with occasional shoot matches (often to settle some backstage personal or business dispute) taking place in
3052-430: Is recognized by UNESCO as among the world's longest-running forms of sport. The best wrestlers earn the title of pahlevan (hero). It is similar to freestyle wrestling, however wrestlers wear pants which extend from the waist to below the knees and a belt. They are allowed to use or grab pants or belt as a grip, use legs, waist, clinch, leg trips and lift or throw, with the goal being to touch their opponent's shoulders to
3161-820: Is retrospectively considered a precursor to mixed martial arts . Mexican professional wrestling, also known as lucha libre , is a style of wrestling using special holds. Most performers, known as luchadores (singular luchador ), begin their careers wearing masks, but most will lose their masks during their careers. Traditionally a match involves the best of three rounds, with no time limit. Each luchador uses his own special wrestling style or "estilo de lucha" consisting of aerial attack moves, strikes and complex submission holds. Popular luchadores in Mexico and Puerto Rico are El Santo , Blue Demon , Mil Máscaras , Perro Aguayo , Carlos Colón , Konnan , L. A. Park and Místico . Several wrestlers who performed in Mexico also had success in
3270-497: Is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich exuberance of his language and matter, and his rolling flood of eloquence, characteristics which, as Horace rightly held, make him inimitable." His poems can also, however, seem difficult and even peculiar. The Athenian comic playwright Eupolis once remarked that they "are already reduced to silence by
3379-537: Is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world. In recent years this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries. Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the commonly used name of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States . This style, with modifications , is also practiced at the high school and middle school levels, and also for younger participants. The term
Lutte - Misplaced Pages Continue
3488-479: Is too sketchy to allow us to understand the full nature of this innovation). Although he probably spoke Boeotian Greek , he composed in a literary language that tended to rely more on the Doric dialect than his rival Bacchylides , but less insistently than Alcman . There is an admixture of other dialects, especially Aeolic and epic forms, and an occasional use of some Boeotian words. He composed 'choral' songs yet it
3597-476: Is used to distinguish the style from other styles of wrestling used in other parts of the world, and from those of the Olympic Games : Greco-Roman wrestling , and freestyle wrestling . Some high schools in the U.S. have developed junior varsity and freshman teams alongside varsity teams. Junior varsity and freshman wrestling teams restrict competitors not only by weight, but also by age and the amount of wrestling
3706-536: Is variously given as Daiphantus, Pagondas or Scopelinus, and his mother's name was Cleodice. It is told that in his youth, or possibly infancy, bees built a honeycomb in his mouth and this was the reason he became a poet of honey-like verses. (An identical fate has been ascribed to other poets of the archaic period.) Pindar was about twenty years old in 498 BC when he was commissioned by the ruling family in Thessaly to compose his first victory ode ( Pythian 10 ). He studied
3815-592: The Book of Genesis , the Patriarch Jacob is said to have wrestled with God or an angel. The Iliad , in which Homer recounts the Trojan War of the 13th or 12th century BC, also contains mentions of wrestling. Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata contain references to martial arts including wrestling. The Yellow Emperor fought the rebel Chi You using Shuai Jiao at the Battle of Zhoulu . This early style of combat
3924-588: The Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 through to the modern era with regular events since 1928. Oil wrestling ( Turkish : yağlı güreş ), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbek kurash , Tuvan khuresh and Tatar and Bashkir көрәш ( köräş ). The wrestlers, known as pehlivanlar meaning "champion" wear
4033-451: The Muses inspired Homer with relevant information and with the language to express it, Pindar seems to receive only their inspiration: his role is to shape that inspiration with his own wisdom and skill. Like his patrons, whom he immortalizes in verse, he owes his success to hard work as well as to innate gifts; though he hires himself out, he has a vocation. The Muses are to him as an oracle is to
4142-479: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Wrestling has produced significantly more UFC champions than any other martial art. Wrestlers such as Dan Severn , Don Frye , Mark Coleman , Randy Couture , Mark Kerr , Kazushi Sakuraba , Pat Miletich , and Dan Henderson won many of the early UFC tournaments along with other accolades. Ken Shamrock won the first UFC Superfight Championship and
4251-691: The 1940s before the sport grew more theatrical. Wrestlers from the period were known as hookers or shooters due to their legitimate skills – a dwindling number have remained in the business until modern times. Popular wrestlers from this era include Martin "Farmer" Burns , Frank Gotch , Tom Jenkins , Charles Cutler , Joe Stecher , Earl Caddock , Stanislaus Zbyszko , Ed "Strangler" Lewis , Ad Santel , John Pesek , Jim Londos , Ray Steele , Dick Shikat , and transitional figure Lou Thesz . Sometimes referred as "American-style" professional wrestling, companies such as WWE , AEW , Impact Wrestling and ROH run touring professional wrestling events throughout
4360-492: The 1970s inspired considerable interest in the more purist grappling element of professional wrestling. Popular Japanese wrestlers include Rikidozan , Giant Baba , Antonio Inoki , Mitsuharu Misawa , Kenta Kobashi , Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Mutoh . Shoot style wrestling evolved from traditional puroresu in an attempt to create a combat -based style. Shoot style featured a mix of amateur and catch wrestling , kickboxing and submission grappling . Shoot style wrestling
4469-530: The 1980s/1990s and early satellite sports channels during the same period as well as extensive home video releases in 1980s Germany/Austria) – but later declined and was supplanted both on television and in wider culture by imported American wrestling. Some promoters in the UK (and to a lesser extent France and Germany ) still produce live shows in this style but face stiff competition from more American-styled rivals. Japanese professional wrestling, also known as puroresu ,
Lutte - Misplaced Pages Continue
4578-851: The Cornish Wrestling Association is affiliated to the British Wrestling Association which is linked to the UWW. The International Federation of Celtic Wrestling (FILC) organises international competitions between wrestlers from these styles. Folk styles have been international in nature. For example, there have been regular Cornish wrestling tournaments and matches in the US, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England and Cornwall, with irregular tournaments and matches in Japan, Canada and Mexico. There have also been Inter-Celtic tournaments between Cornwall and Brittany dating back to
4687-474: The Muse as "a hireling journeyman". He appeared in many poetry competitions and was defeated five times by his compatriot, the poet Corinna , in revenge of which he called her Boeotian sow in one of his odes ( Olympian 6. 89f.). It was assumed by ancient sources that Pindar's odes were performed by a chorus, but this has been challenged by some modern scholars, who argue that the odes were in fact performed solo. It
4796-811: The NCAA, the NAIA , the NJCAA , and the NCWA. NCAA Division I wrestling is considered the most prestigious and challenging level of competition. A school chooses which athletic organization to join, although it may compete against teams from other levels and organizations during regular-season competition. The collegiate season starts in October or November and culminates with the National Championship tournament held in March. Professional wrestling
4905-471: The Nagas from India, shuai jiao from China, and ssireum from Korea. Folk wrestling styles are not recognized as international styles of wrestling by UWW . Celtic wrestling styles (e.g., Cornish wrestling , Scottish Backhold , Cumberland Wrestling , Gouren and Collar-and-elbow ) are a subset of folk wrestling and have their own regulatory bodies and some are affiliated to other organisations. For example,
5014-504: The Olympian Games. The establishment of these athletic and musical festivals was among the greatest achievements of the Greek aristocracies. Even in the 5th century BC, when there was an increased tendency towards professionalism, they were predominantly aristocratic assemblies, reflecting the expense and leisure needed to attend such events either as a competitor or spectator. Attendance was an opportunity for display and self-promotion, and
5123-467: The Olympic Games, for both men and women. This style allows the use of the wrestler's or his opponent's legs in offense and defense. Freestyle wrestling has its origins in catch-as-catch-can wrestling and awards points on the basis of throw amplitude, exposure of an opponent's back to the mat and opponent passivity. A freestyle wrestler may instantly win a match by holding both of an opponent's scapula to
5232-412: The Sicilian prince, Thrasybulus, nephew of Theron of Acragas . Thrasybulus had driven the winning chariot; and he and Pindar were to form a lasting friendship, paving the way for his subsequent visit to Sicily. Pindar seems to have used his odes to advance his, and his friends', personal interests. In 462 BC he composed two odes in honour of Arcesilas, king of Cyrene , ( Pythians 4 and 5 ), pleading for
5341-463: The Soviet Union, while not allowing chokeholds . I personally think that the very best skill for MMA is wrestling, I think that's the number one base to come from because those guys just flat out dictate where the fight takes place [standing or on the ground]." "There is no better base for entering into mixed martial arts than the highly successful competitor as a wrestler. The competitive wrestlers,
5450-455: The Soviet armed forces. Its influences are varied, with techniques borrowed from sports ranging from the two international wrestling styles of Greco-Roman and freestyle to judo, jujitsu, European styles of folk wrestling , and even fencing . The rules for sport sambo are similar to those in competitive judo, with a variety of leg locks and defense holds from the various national wrestling styles in
5559-678: The United States, including Eddie Guerrero , Rey Mysterio (Jr.) , and Dos Caras Jr./Alberto Del Rio . In France in the 19th century, early professional wrestling shows in the Greco-Roman style were often performed at the circus by the resident strongmen . This style later spread to circuses in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia where it was a staple part of circuses in the Soviet era, where it
SECTION 50
#17328695094125668-570: The art of lyric poetry in Athens, where his tutor was Lasos of Hermione , and he is also said to have received some helpful criticism from Corinna . The early to middle years of Pindar's career coincided with the Greco-Persian Wars during the reigns of Darius and Xerxes . This period included the first Persian invasion of Greece , which ended at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, and the second Persian invasion of Greece (480-479 BC). During
5777-457: The authorities in Thebes to fine him 5,000 drachmae, to which the Athenians are said to have responded with a gift of 10,000 drachmae. According to another account, the Athenians even made him their proxenus or consul in Thebes. His association with the fabulously rich Hieron was another source of annoyance at home. It was probably in response to Theban sensitivities over this issue that he denounced
5886-507: The chamber of the scarlet-clothed Hours is opened And the nectareous flowers usher in the fragrant spring, Then are scattered, then, on the immortal ground The lovely petals of violets; roses are wound in our hair; Loudly echo the voices of songs to the flutes, And choirs step in procession to dark-ribboned Semele . Almost all Pindar's victory odes are celebrations of triumphs gained by competitors in Panhellenic festivals such as
5995-418: The clan important enough to deserve mention ( Histories IV.147). Membership of this clan possibly contributed to Pindar's success as a poet, and it informed his political views, which are marked by a conservative preference for oligarchic governments of the Doric kind. Pindar might not actually claim to be an Aegeid since his 'I' statements do not necessarily refer to himself. The Aegeid clan did however have
6104-426: The contest the wrestlers must retain their hold on each other's belt. For this reason it is also referred to as ' belt wrestling alysh' or 'alysh belt wrestling' (BWUWW). The origin of pahlavani wrestling goes back to ancient Persia and is said to have been practiced by mythological Iranian heroes. It combines martial arts, calisthenics , strength training , and music, and was originally used to train warriors.. It
6213-439: The current rules allowing wrestlers to score points via takedowns, pushing their opponent out of bounds, or bringing the opponent down to their back. In addition to the annual World Beach Wrestling Championships , beach wrestling has been contested at Youth Olympic Games , Asian Games , Down Under Games, Mediterranean Games and at the 2019 World Beach Games . Folk wrestling describes a traditional form of wrestling unique to
6322-425: The disinclination of the multitude for elegant learning". Some scholars in the modern age also found his poetry perplexing, at least until the 1896 discovery of some poems by his rival Bacchylides ; comparisons of their work showed that many of Pindar's idiosyncrasies are typical of archaic genres rather than of only the poet himself. His poetry, while admired by critics, still challenges the casual reader and his work
6431-511: The early days of the business and still occurring well into the 1930s and 1940s and the threat to use legitimate skill to have one's way in the ring still potent decades later. The roots of professional wrestling lay in the catch-as-catch-can contests of the late 19th century. Whereas the Europeans favored the more controlled and classical Greco-Roman style, the Americans from the 1880s preferred
6540-563: The early years of the North American colonies and would later serve as a popular activity at country fairs, holiday celebrations, and in military exercises. The first organized national wrestling tournament in the United States took place in New York City in 1888. Wrestling has also been an event at every modern Olympic Games since the 1904 games in St. Louis, Missouri ; Greco-Roman wrestling
6649-401: The embodiment of power, uncompromisingly proud of their nature and violent in defense of their privileges. There is some rationalization of religious belief, but it is within a tradition at least as old as Hesiod , where abstractions are personified, such as "Truth the daughter of Zeus". Sometimes the wording suggests a belief in 'God' rather than 'a god' (e.g. "What is God? Everything"), but
SECTION 60
#17328695094126758-412: The finest breeds of men resulted from divine passions: "For Pindar a mortal woman who is loved by a god is an outstanding lesson in divine favours handsomely bestowed". Being descendants of divine unions with privileged mortals, mythical heroes are an intermediate group between gods and men, and they are sympathetic to human ambitions. Thus, for example, Pindar not only invokes Zeus for help on behalf of
6867-455: The first King of Pancrase Openweight Championship in Japan. Other notable MMA fighters with foundations in various forms of wrestling include: Pindar Pindar ( / ˈ p ɪ n d ər / ; Ancient Greek : Πίνδαρος Pindaros [píndaros] ; Latin : Pindarus ; c. 518 BC – c. 438 BC ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes . Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work
6976-448: The first person singular. Many of his 'I' statements are generic, indicating somebody engaged in the role of a singer i.e. a 'bardic' I. Other 'I' statements articulate values typical of the audience, and some are spoken on behalf of the subjects celebrated in the poems. The 'I' that received the prophecy in Pythian 8 therefore might have been the athlete from Aegina, not Pindar. In that case
7085-436: The grace of the gods, most famously expressed in the conclusion to one of his Victory Odes : Creatures of a day! What is anyone? What is anyone not? A dream of a shadow Is our mortal being. But when there comes to men A gleam of splendour given of heaven, Then rests on them a light of glory And blessed are their days. ( Pythian 8 ) Five ancient sources contain all the recorded details of Pindar's life. One of them
7194-496: The highly successful amateur wrestlers have such tremendous mental toughness. If you can just get through the room, the wrestling room practices at like really high level universities, NCAA division one teams; those guys are savages. The stuff they go through, just the overtraining, just the mental toughness that you have to develop. The rapid rise in the popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) has increased interest in wrestling due to its effectiveness against other martial arts since
7303-408: The house be left intact out of gratitude for verses praising his ancestor, Alexander I of Macedon . Pindar's values and beliefs have been inferred from his poetry. No other ancient Greek poet has left so many comments about the nature of his art. He justified and exalted choral poetry at a time when society was turning away from it. It "... had for two centuries reflected and shaped the sentiments,
7412-469: The implications are not given full expression and the poems are not examples of monotheism . Nor do they vocalize a belief in Fate as the background to the gods, unlike the plays of Aeschylus for example. Pindar subjects both fortune and fate to divine will (e.g. "child of Zeus ... Fortune"). He selects and revises traditional myths so as not to diminish the dignity and majesty of the gods. Such revisionism
7521-590: The infancy of MMA, and several wrestling techniques have been specifically adapted for MMA, leading to many martial arts gyms holding MMA wrestling classes. It is considered one of the primary disciplines in MMA along with Brazilian jiu-jitsu , boxing , kickboxing / muay Thai , and judo . Shoot wrestling , a relative of catch and freestyle wrestling, is the foundation of Shooto , a combat sport and pioneer MMA organization founded in 1985. Pancrase , another influential MMA organization based on shoot wrestling, also predates
7630-404: The island of Aegina but also its national heroes Aeacus , Peleus and Telamon . Unlike the gods, however, heroes can be judged according to ordinary human standards and they are sometimes shown in the poems to demean themselves. Even in that case, they receive special consideration. Thus Pindar refers obliquely to the murder of Phocus by his brothers Peleus and Telamon ("I am shy of speaking of
7739-522: The late Old English term wræstlunge . Wrestling represents one of the oldest forms of combat sport. The origins of wrestling go back around 15,000 to 17,000 years ago through cave drawings in France. Babylonian and Egyptian reliefs show wrestlers using various holds known in the present-day sport. Literary references to wrestling occur as early as the Old Testament and the ancient Indian Vedas . In
7848-434: The legs). Points are allotted on the basis of throw amplitude, exposure of an opponent's back to the mat and opponent passivity. A Greco-Roman wrestler may instantly win a match by holding both of an opponent's scapula to the mat (known as a "fall"). A well known Greco-Roman wrestler is Alexander Karelin from Russia . Freestyle wrestling (FS, WW) is an international discipline and one of two wrestling disciplines featured in
7957-406: The mat (known as a "fall"). This form of wrestling is similar to American scholastic and collegiate wrestling with freestyle wrestling having a greater emphasis on throw amplitude. Collegiate women's wrestling uses two rulesets, freestyle in the NCAA and standard collegiate in the NCWA . Submission Wrestling incorporates techniques and holds from a variety of wrestling disciplines. Grappling
8066-603: The mat. UWW, then known as FILA, codified the form of beach wrestling in 2004. Beach wrestling (BW) is standing wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-filled circle measuring 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. The style originally mirrored the rules used before the use of wrestling mats, and beach wrestling has been regarded as the oldest version of international competitive wrestling. The wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling uniforms. Wrestlers may also wear spandex or athletic shorts. The international rules have been modified in 2015 by UWW, with
8175-525: The matches which, for the most part, had the atmosphere of real wrestling competition. In many countries this form of professional wrestling achieved mainstream popularity – particularly in the United Kingdom and France where in both countries from the 1950s to the late 1980s, national television coverage made household names of its stars (it was also regularly screened on Welsh language television in Wales in
8284-612: The men and youths who had enjoyed victories in wrestling, boxing , pankration and other athletic contests. During the Middle Ages from the fifth to fifteenth century , wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the patronage of many royal families, including those of England , France , and Japan . Early British settlers in America brought a strong wrestling tradition with them. The settlers also found wrestling to be popular among Native Americans . Amateur wrestling flourished throughout
8393-424: The more wide-open style of wrestling that later became known as freestyle . When the best American catch wrestlers discovered they could earn money with their skills, the professional counterpart was born. Initially, the contests were similar to amateur matches, except there were no time limits, and submission and choke holds were allowed. Amateur wrestling coexisted with its professional counterpart until around
8502-570: The most popular being professional wrestling , which is a form of athletic theatre. Others include Greco-Roman , freestyle , judo , sambo , folkstyle , catch , shoot , luta livre , submission , sumo , pehlwani , shuai jiao , and more. Wrestling first appeared in the ancient Olympic Games as an event during the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules, with both traditional historic and modern styles. The term "wrestling" in Modern English originated from
8611-431: The mythical hero. A hero's status is not diminished by an occasional blemish but rests on a summary view of his heroic exploits. Some of his patrons claimed divine descent, such as Diagoras of Rhodes , but Pindar makes all men akin to gods if they realize their full potential: their innate gifts are divinely bestowed, and even then success still depends on the gods' active favour. In honouring such men, therefore, Pindar
8720-437: The nymph from a third party, in this case the centaur Chiron . Chiron however affirms the god's omniscience with an elegant compliment, as if Apollo had only pretended to be ignorant: "You, Sire, who know the appointed end of all, and all paths..." Apollo's abduction of the nymph is not presented as a shameful act. Pindar's gods are above such ethical issues and it is not for men to judge them by ordinary human standards. Indeed,
8829-523: The opponent in order to throw or choke them. Judo also allows some chokes and joint locks, although they are typically banned for children. Judo is a popular sport in Japan as well as in France, Russia, and eastern Europe. Sambo is a martial art that originated in the Soviet Union (specifically Russia ) in the 20th century. It is an acronym for "self-defence without weapons" in Russian and had its origins in
8938-483: The ordinary mass of people. They are dismissed with phrases such as "the brute multitude" ( Pythian Ode 2.87). Nor are the poems concerned with the fate of rich and powerful men once they lose their wealth and social status (compared for example with the bitter and disillusioned poems of Theognis of Megara ). They are more interested in what successful men do with their good fortune: success brings obligations, and religious and artistic activities need patrons. Whereas
9047-401: The outlook, and the convictions of the Greek aristocracies ... and Pindar spoke up for it with passionate assurance". His poetry is a meeting ground for gods, heroes and men – even the dead are spoken of as participants: "Deep in the earth their heart listens". His view of the gods is traditional but more self-consistent than Homer 's and more reverent. He never depicts gods in
9156-517: The poems for some biographical purposes is considered acceptable once more. πολλὰ γὰρ πολλᾷ λέλεκται: νεαρὰ δ᾽ ἐξευ- ρόντα δόμεν βασάνῳ ἐς ἔλεγχον, ἅπας κίνδυνος. Story is vast in range: new ways to find and test upon the touchstone, Here danger lies. Pindar was born circa 518 BC (the 65th Olympiad ) in Cynoscephalae , a village in Boeotia , not far from Thebes . His father's name
9265-427: The priests at Delphi and which depicted the hero's death in traditional terms, as divine retribution for his crimes. Some doubt this biographical interpretation of Nemean 7 since it is largely based on marginal comments by scholiasts and Pindaric scholiasts are often unreliable. The fact that Pindar gave different versions of the myth may simply reflect the needs of different genres, and does not necessarily indicate
9374-589: The prophecy must have been about his performance at the Pythian Games, and the property stored at the shrine was just a votive offering. Nothing is recorded about Pindar's wife and son except their names, Megacleia and Daiphantus. About ten days before he died, the goddess Persephone appeared to him and complained that she was the only divinity to whom he had never composed a hymn. She said he would come to her soon and compose one then. Pindar lived to about eighty years of age. He died around 438 BC while attending
9483-489: The rest survive only by quotations in other ancient authors or from papyrus scraps unearthed in Egypt . Even in fragmentary form however, they reveal the same complexity of thought and language that are found in the victory odes. Dionysius of Halicarnassus singled out Pindar's work as an outstanding example of austere style ( αὐστηρὰ ἁρμονία ) but he noted its absence in the maiden songs or parthenia . One surviving fragment of
9592-506: The return from exile of a friend, Demophilus. In the latter ode Pindar proudly mentions his own ancestry, which he shared with the king, as an Aegeid or descendant of Aegeus , the legendary king of Athens. The clan was influential in many parts of the Greek world, having intermarried with ruling families in Thebes, in Lacedaemonia , and in cities that claimed Lacedaemonian descent, such as Cyrene and Thera . The historian Herodotus considered
9701-408: The rule of tyrants (i.e. rulers like Hieron) in an ode composed shortly after a visit to Hieron's sumptuous court in 476–75 BC ( Pythian 11 ). Pindar's actual phrasing in Pythian 11 was "I deplore the lot of tyrants" and though this was traditionally interpreted as an apology for his dealings with Sicilian tyrants like Hieron, an alternative date for the ode has led some scholars to conclude that it
9810-466: The sea's dew. Pindar's strongly individual genius is apparent in all his extant compositions but, unlike Simonides and Stesichorus for example, he created no new lyrical genres. He was however innovative in his use of the genres he inherited – for example, in one of his victory odes ( Olympian 3), he announces his invention of a new type of musical accompaniment, combining lyre, flute and human voice (though our knowledge of Greek music
9919-530: The seaboard of Asia Minor, north to Macedonia and Abdera ( Paean 2 ) and south to Cyrene on the African coast. Other poets at the same venues vied with him for the favours of patrons. His poetry sometimes reflects this rivalry. For example, Olympian 2 and Pythian 2 , composed in honour of the Sicilian tyrants Theron and Hieron following his visit to their courts in 476–75 BC, refer respectively to ravens and an ape , apparently signifying rivals who were engaged in
10028-472: The second invasion, when Pindar was almost forty years old, Thebes was occupied by Xerxes' general, Mardonius , who with many Theban aristocrats subsequently perished at the Battle of Plataea . It is possible that Pindar spent much of this time at Aegina . His choice of residence during the earlier invasion in 490 BC is not known, but he was able to attend the Pythian Games of that year, where he first met
10137-404: The single purpose of eulogizing men and communities." It has been claimed that biographical interpretations of the poems are due to a "fatal conjunction" of historicism and Romanticism. In other words, we know almost nothing about Pindar's life based on either traditional sources or his own poems. However, the pendulum of intellectual fashion has begun to change direction again, and cautious use of
10246-616: The sport frequently in their works, most notably Plato , Socrates , Aristotle , Xenophon , Epictetus , Seneca , Plutarch , and Marcus Aurelius . Dicaearchus wrote that Plato wrestled at the Isthmian games . Many of Plato's dialogues are set in wrestling schools . Ancient Greek lyric poet Pindar wrote victory odes, grouped into four books named after the Olympian , Pythian , Isthmian , and Nemean Games – Panhellenic festivals held respectively at Olympia , Delphi , Corinth , and Nemea . These odes were composed to honor
10355-557: The western Greeks led by Theron of Acragas and Hieron against the Carthaginians and Etruscans at the battles of Himera and Cumae . Such celebrations were not appreciated by his fellow Thebans: they had sided with the Persians and had incurred many losses and privations as a result of their defeat. His praise of Athens with such epithets as bulwark of Hellas ( fragment 76 ) and city of noble name and sunlit splendour (Nemean 5) induced
10464-802: The wild spirit of Dionysus and pointing forward to the ecstatic songs of Euripides ' Bacchae . In one of these, dedicated to the Athenians and written to be sung in Spring, he depicts the divine energy of the revitalized world. φοινικοεάνων ὁπότ' οἰχθέντος Ὡρᾶν θαλάμου εὔοδμον ἐπάγοισιν ἔαρ φυτὰ νεκτάρεα. τότε βάλλεται, τότ' ἐπ' ἀμβρόταν χθόν' ἐραταί ἴων φόβαι, ῥόδα τε κόμαισι μείγνυται, ἀχεῖ τ' ὀμφαὶ μελέων σὺν αὐλοῖς οἰχνεῖ τε Σεμέλαν ἑλικάμπυκα χοροί. phoinikoeánōn hopót' oikhthéntos Hōrân thalámou eúodmon epágoisin eár phutà nektárea. tóte bálletai, tót' ep' ambrótan khthón' erataí íōn phóbai, rhóda te kómaisi meígnutai, akheî t' omphaì meléōn sùn auloîs oikhneî te Semélan helikámpuka khoroí. When
10573-485: The world. Matches are highly theatrical, with dramatic stories such as feuds between the athletes developed and performed as part of build-up and promotion for matches. Before its increase in popularity in the mid-1980s, professional wrestling in the United States was organised as a cartel of regional monopolies, known as "territories." Wrestling in some of these areas (particularly the Southern and Midwestern United States )
10682-421: Was a rival of his home city, Thebes , and also of the island state Aegina , whose leading citizens commissioned about a quarter of his Victory Odes. There is no open condemnation of the Athenians in any of his poems but criticism is implied. For example, the victory ode mentioned above ( Pythian 8 ) describes the downfall of the giants Porphyrion and Typhon and this might be Pindar's way of covertly celebrating
10791-504: Was able to establish superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes for the başpehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If no winner is determined, another 15 minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category—of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor. The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362,
10900-640: Was contested at the first modern Olympics in 1896 , but not at the 1900 games . The international governing body for the sport, United World Wrestling (UWW), was established in 1912 in Antwerp , Belgium as the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA). The first annual NCAA Wrestling Championships were held in 1928 in Ames, Iowa . USA Wrestling , located in Colorado Springs, Colorado ,
11009-504: Was conventionally accompanied by music and dance, and Pindar himself wrote the music and choreographed the dances for his victory odes. Sometimes he trained the performers at his home in Thebes, and sometimes he trained them at the venue where they performed. Commissions took him to all parts of the Greek world – to the Panhellenic festivals in mainland Greece (Olympia, Delphi, Corinth and Nemea), westwards to Sicily, eastwards to
11118-603: Was established as the national governing body of U.S. amateur wrestling in 1983. Some of the earliest references to wrestling can be found in wrestling mythology . Wrestling disciplines, as defined by UWW, are broken down into two categories: international wrestling disciplines and folk wrestling disciplines. Three are Olympic disciplines: Greco-Roman wrestling , men's freestyle wrestling and women's freestyle wrestling. UWW also sanctions associated styles: grappling , amateur pankration, belt wrestling alysh , pahlavani wrestling , beach wrestling , and African wrestling. Sambo
11227-526: Was first called jiao di (butting with horns). In Ancient Greece wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend, literature, and philosophy. Wrestling competition, brutal in many aspects, served as the focal sport of the ancient Olympic Games . Ancient Romans borrowed heavily from Greek wrestling, but eliminated much of its brutality through implementing different rules. Wrestling is referenced throughout both Ancient Greek and Roman literature. Many philosophers and leaders practiced wrestling and/or referenced
11336-486: Was given status as an international style in 1966 by FILA, UWW's predecessor. Greco-Roman (GR) is an international discipline and one of two wrestling disciplines featured in the Olympic Games. This form of wrestling prioritizes upper body attacks, with an emphasis on explosive "high amplitude" throws. Under the Greco-Roman ruleset, it is forbidden to attack the opponent below the belt in the execution of any action (restricting holds, trips, and active but not passive usage of
11445-492: Was honouring the gods too. His statements about life after death were not self-consistent but that was typical for the times. Traditional ambivalence, as expressed by Homer, had been complicated by a growth of religious sects, such as the Eleusinian mysteries and Pythagoreanism , representing various schemes of rewards and punishments in the next life. However, for the poet, glory and lasting fame were men's greatest assurance of
11554-419: Was in fact a covert reference to the tyrannical behaviour of the Athenians, although this interpretation is ruled out if we accept the earlier note about covert references. According to yet another interpretation Pindar is simply delivering a formulaic warning to the successful athlete to avoid hubris . It is highly unlikely that Pindar ever acted for Athenians as their proxenus or consul in Thebes. Lyric verse
11663-581: Was not unique. Xenophanes had castigated Homer and Hesiod for the misdeeds they ascribed to gods, such as theft, adultery and deception, and Pythagoras had envisioned those two poets being punished in Hades for blasphemy. A subtle example of Pindar's approach can be found in his treatment of the myth of Apollo's rape of the nymph Cyrene . As the god of the Delphic oracle , Apollo is all-knowing, yet in keeping with his anthropomorphic nature he seeks information about
11772-400: Was often advertised as "French wrestling." Ivan Poddubny achieved major stardom in his homeland and beyond during the interwar period . Judo is a style of wrestling which is derived from jujitsu , a Japanese martial art. As a wrestling style, judo is distinctive in that practitioners, called judoka, wear a heavy jacket and trousers, called a gi , along with a belt. The gi is used to grip
11881-447: Was performed in a relatively less theatrical more serious style, which could vary from realistically sporting to darkly violent, depending on local preference. A different style of professional wrestling evolved in the United Kingdom and spread across Western Europe (where it was known as "Catch" in the non-English speaking countries of mainland Europe). Traditionally in this style, there was less use of storylines and angles to promote
#411588