April 13: Spring Month

From very early on, the crowing of a rooster has been associated with ominous warnings. In the bible, it has to do with the betrayal of trust and with cowardness, but the Greeks had a more frivolous explanation. The Greek word for rooster is “alektyron”, which used to be the name of a young soldier. He had been appointed by war god Ares to stand guard during his secret encounters with beautiful Aphrodite, goddess of love. The boy should warn the pair when sun god Helios started his voyage through the day. Helios had been keeping an eye on them on the behalf of Aphrodite’s husband, divine smith Hephaistos, who had promised Helios a new set of wheels in exchange for proof of Aphrodite’s infidelity. As could be expected, one night, Alektryon fell asleep, and their adultery was exposed. Hephaistos threw a net over the two lovers, and made them the laughing stock of the Olympos. Helios got a brand new golden chariot, and Aletryon was turned into a rooster by a furious Ares. He still crows every morning when the sun comes out. Too little, too late.

rooster, drachm from Himera, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA

Youth Riding a Rooster, Epiktetos, Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York, USA