ABSTRACT

Lussa and paneia were the two contrasting extremes of the warrior's behaviour on the battlefield. Lyssa and Ares are among the Greek gods who caused mania that could be both a curse and a blessing. Warriors' mania, expressed in intrepid courage and a blatant disregard of pain, as well as bestial cruelty to the enemy, was known in Archaic Greece, valued as a praised social asset, and feared because of its destructive force. Battlefield madness had to be harnessed and channelled in the desirable direction, outside the community. Unlimited fearlessness and a propensity to slaughter aroused awe, and had to be controlled. Martial frenzy was instilled by various methods, and music was prominent as a primer to violence. Heroic figures were often endowed with poetic inspiration: mania could be mercurial. During the Classical period, rabid fury of individual soldiers gave way to extreme violence displayed by entire units, but the phenomenon of the raging warrior did not disappear.