Odysseus by the Sea (Arnold Böcklin, 1869) We know that Odysseus is an unhappy man, but at this point in the story we are still in the dark as to how unhappy he really is. There have been huge hints and one very unpleasant sea storm, and of course we are aware of the odious suitors back home - but then again, he doesn't know about them. Odysseus actually utters this sentence about himself in Book 7, which seems to sum up his life experience and his identity: 'I am an unhappy stranger' (xeinos talapeirios, l. 24). After being washed up on the shore, he is now wearing somebody else's clothes. Still, Athene assures him that there is no humiliation in being a stranger and a beggar: 'The bold man proves the better for every action / in the end, even though he be a stranger coming from elsewhere' (ll. 51-2). Clearly this is the lowest point, and Athene again sounds like Odysseus' own cautious and mistrustul voice in the head when she advises Odysseus not to look anyone in the eye while approaching the king's palace. Exit Nausikaa - she enters her rooms, where her old nurse, Eurymedousa of Apeire (another servant figure in the Odyssey mentioned by name) lights a fire for her. But will there be a comforting fire for Odysseus? Athene makes Odysseus invisble just to be on the safe side (there is a rather over-cautious streak in Athene), because she doesn't want passers-by to "sneer" at him. Odysseus admires the beautiful city and well-built walls of the Phaiakians, the public squares, the ships and the harbours. Athene prepares him for the royal audience: she gives him a brief history (meaning: genealogy) of the Phaiakian royal house (they are, interestingly, the descendants of Poseidon, but it's probably only because they are skilled seafarers). King Alkinoös has married his own niece, apparently, and Queen Arete (Aretē) is widely respected - so much, in fact, that Athene suggests Odysseus should supplicate her first. After the pep talk, Athene goes to Athens, to the house of Erechtheus (ll. 80-1). There follows a detailed description of the palace Odysseus is entering, which is really a description of Phaiakian "civilization". As we shall see, Scheria is a very special place.
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Venus emerging from the sea famously captured the imagination of painters Botticelli and Titian, but I wondered how popular this theme was in classical antiquity and before. When the ancients thought of Aphrodite, did they think of shells, dolphins and sea foam surrounding her? To what extent were these attributes fixed or of primary importance? Mythology abounds with sea creatures and divinities emerging from or residing in the sea. The Cretan bull is an example for the former, while the Nereids, who lead a mermaid-like existence (but look fully human), for the latter. Was Aphrodite something of a sea nymph herself?
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AuthorHave studied A219 Exploring the Classical World and A275 Reading Classical Greek at the Open University. Currently studying for a Psychology degree. ImagesPlease click on any image to be taken to its source.
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