The House of Asterion
Encyclopedia
"The House of Asterion" is a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges
, first published in Los Anales de Buenos Aires in May 1947. It was reprinted in the short-story collection El Aleph
in 1949.
. He begins by suggesting that certain defamatory claims — that he is arrogant, or misanthropic, or mad — are untrue. Asterion describes his house in detail: that it has no locked doors; that it has many corridors and rooms, pools and courtyards. He explains his hermitic ways by recounting how once, when he left his house, the commoners were so agitated that he now does not go out, believing that his royal blood sets him apart (after all he is the child of a queen). Asterion explains how he spends his days in solitude: running through the corridors; pretending to sleep; and sometimes pretending that "the other Asterion" has come to visit, and giving him a tour of the house.
Asterion goes into detail about the infinitude of his house, comparing it to the universe. He also suggests that perhaps he created the world and has forgotten about it. Finally he makes mention of other people, nine men, who come every nine years "so that I may deliver them from evil
", and whose bodies he leaves in the empty rooms to distinguish one from another. Asterion speculates about his own death, and eagerly awaits the coming of his "redeemer", who will take him away from his infinite house.
The story ends with a line from Theseus
— "Would you believe it, Ariadne
? The Minotaur scarcely defended himself." — revealing with those words to the reader that Asterion is indeed the Cretan Minotaur
.
As in many of his stories, Borges looks at a popular story through a different lens, shedding light on other possible interpretations of the events. In the vein of Edgar Allan Poe
he starts with the monologue of a socially unusual character and at the end adds an unexpected twist to the story.
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, first published in Los Anales de Buenos Aires in May 1947. It was reprinted in the short-story collection El Aleph
El Aleph (book)
The Aleph and Other Stories is a book of short stories by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. The title work, "The Aleph", describes an artifact that can reveal the entire universe at once. The work also presents the idea of infinite time...
in 1949.
Plot summary
The story takes the form of a monologue by AsterionAsterion
In Greek mythology, Asterion denotes two sacred kings of Crete. The first Asterion or Asterius , the son of Tectamus or son of Neleus and Chloris by the Greeks called "king" of Crete, was the consort of Europa and stepfather of her sons by Zeus, who had to assume the form of the Cretan bull of...
. He begins by suggesting that certain defamatory claims — that he is arrogant, or misanthropic, or mad — are untrue. Asterion describes his house in detail: that it has no locked doors; that it has many corridors and rooms, pools and courtyards. He explains his hermitic ways by recounting how once, when he left his house, the commoners were so agitated that he now does not go out, believing that his royal blood sets him apart (after all he is the child of a queen). Asterion explains how he spends his days in solitude: running through the corridors; pretending to sleep; and sometimes pretending that "the other Asterion" has come to visit, and giving him a tour of the house.
Asterion goes into detail about the infinitude of his house, comparing it to the universe. He also suggests that perhaps he created the world and has forgotten about it. Finally he makes mention of other people, nine men, who come every nine years "so that I may deliver them from evil
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
", and whose bodies he leaves in the empty rooms to distinguish one from another. Asterion speculates about his own death, and eagerly awaits the coming of his "redeemer", who will take him away from his infinite house.
The story ends with a line from Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
— "Would you believe it, Ariadne
Ariadne
Ariadne , in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and was the bride of the god Dionysus.-Minos and Theseus:...
? The Minotaur scarcely defended himself." — revealing with those words to the reader that Asterion is indeed the Cretan Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
.
As in many of his stories, Borges looks at a popular story through a different lens, shedding light on other possible interpretations of the events. In the vein of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
he starts with the monologue of a socially unusual character and at the end adds an unexpected twist to the story.
External links
- CHEESECAKE/457066/Biblioteka.html?i=381075&entry=457066&commentsPage=6 Dom Asteriona (Polish translation)
- The House of Asterion (English Reading in MP3 format)
- The House of Asterion and La casa de Asterión, an English translation and the Spanish original