January 30: Wedding Month

In Greek mythology, Hippodamia is a popular name, because the prefix “hippo” refers to horses, which were quite a status symbol. One Hippodamia was a princess in Elis, and her beauty attracted lots of suitors. Her father, king Oinomaos, liked none of them, so he unalived them one by one. But when Pelops came along, protégé of seagod Poseidon, it was a different matter. Oinomaos didn’t want to upset the god (who was also his great-uncle), and decided for a different approach. His father, war god Ares, had gifted him an exquisite chariot, and the horsepower to go with it. So, he challenged Pelops to a race. Pelops had learned to ride from Poseidon himself, but he wouldn’t take any chances. He replaced the lynchpins from Oinomaos’chariot with examples made of wax. As they melted during the race, Oinomaos suffered a terrible accident, and Pelops got Hippodamia. Since the myths don’t grant her even one line in the whole drama, we have no idea how she felt. But it seems to me she just switched from a bully of a father to a bully of a husband.