I could have mentioned this earlier but somehow it slipped my mind: the Ancient Egyptian Tale of The Shipwrecked Sailor (c. 2000 BC, predating the Odyssey by about 1200 years) contains some important elements of the Odyssey. A sailor, having suffered a shipwreck and having lost all of his companions, is washed ashore on an island, in a 'thicket', just like Odysseus on Scheria. Eventually, he manages to return home and tells his story to his 'master'. According to his tale, the island was full of riches and exotic things (perfumes, ivory and baboons, to mention but a few), but there was also a huge speaking serpent on this island, which was a bit scary. The serpent dragged the sailor to his lair, but otherwise treated him very politely. He promised the sailor that he would be rescued in four months' time, so no need to worry. To kill time until then, the serpent suggested having a conversation. After telling the sailor about his serpent family living on the island with him (seventy-five of them altogether, brothers and children), he reassured him: "[I]f your heart waits patiently, you shall press your infants to your bosom and embrace your wife again. You shall return to your house which is full of all good things. You shall see your land, where you shall dwell in the midst of your kindred". The story ended happily as the sailor was indeed rescued and was given many gifts by the serpent. At the end, there is a hint that his adventure has made the sailor a wiser man. In Book 9, things will not go this smoothly. There will be an island, a monster of some sort and a lair, but instead of many gifts, a near escape for Odysseus and his men. Also, this bit will be full of violence. Similarly to the Shipwrecked Sailor, Odysseus tells his own tale and starts by revealing his name (in contrast to the Egyptian story, where there are no names mentioned): "I am Odysseus son of Laertes, known before all men / for the study of crafty designs, and my fame goes up to the heavens" (ll. 19-20). This is important as the theme of identity will come up in Odysseus' own tale when he 'introduces' himself to the cyclops Polyphemos. Odysseus describes his homeland as part of a group of islands, Ithaka being the westernmost of them. Odysseus is basically sailing into the sunset: he is headed west, the direction of death. Odysseus wants to arrive home in another sense too, in the sense of dying, returning to his ancestors: "So it is / that nothing is more sweet in the end" (ll. 33-4), he says of "country and parents", but these lines are tinged with the quiet allusion to death. Odysseus contrasts Ithaka with the offer of Kalypso and Circe, both "desiring [him] for [their] husband" (l. 30 and l. 32), and a little bit before he says of Ithaka that it is a "good nurse of men" (kourotrophos, 'nursing mother', 'nourisher of youth', l. 27) - Ithaka is the beginning and the end, and his severing ties with female figures, the givers and sustainers of life, also points to the fact that Odysseus is near the end of his journey in a figurative sense too and he is preparing to die. We have come across images of birth before (leaving Kalypso's island and severing the umbilical cord) and references to other life transitions (the encounter with the young bride, Nausikaa), and there have been death references (Peisistratos talking about mourning the dead in Book 4), but that was the other side of the coin, the young remaining to continue life and not the old hero dying. Odysseus begins to tell the story of his adventures, and now in chronological order: what happened from the moment they set out from Troy. Disturbingly, no sooner have they burnt Ilion to the ground, Odysseus and his men sack another city, this time Ismaros (a random place where the wind has happened to blow them). Force of habit, perhaps. But the Kikonians defend Ismaros and kill quite a few of Odysseus' party, which is of course another hardship the gods inflict on poor Oddy, not to mention a storm that rips the sails of their ships into pieces. They actually have to row, poor things, after the tiring business of slaughtering people. After the storm Odysseus has every hope to start sailing towards Ithaka, when the current and the North Wind beat him off course at the Cape of Maleia. He is swept past Kythera and ends up in the land of the Lotus-Eaters (see map here, or a bit more complicated map of the whole journey of Odysseus here). Odysseus sends three men ahead to see what sort of people live in this land. They turn out to be no "eaters of bread", but peaceful eaters of flower, to be more specific, eaters of "the honey-sweet fruit of lotus" (l. 94). Similarly to Helen's 'heartsease' potion (4.221), this fruit seems to have a relaxing, numbing even, effect on those who taste it as they forget all their troubles, goals in life, dreams, friends and foes, and shockingly, their home. The lotus seems to wipe their brains completely clean of any memory and the only thing they want to do is sit around and eat lotus. Odysseus is not taken in and doesn't partake of the dangerous plant; instead, he forces his men back to the ships and sails away at once before more crew members could try it.
4 Comments
I am studying Homer for my MA (I have just written an essay on Poseidon's role, i.e. not what people assume!) and I really like your blog - lovely choice of images, too. I am going to search out that Egyptian folk tale - fascinating! But I can't find anything later than Book 9 of the Odyssey - did you stop there?!
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Olga
7/4/2014 02:13:45 pm
Hi Helen, good to hear from you! Glad you liked the site. Poseidon is intriguing,being such a 'flat' character, he's only got an angry face, never gets invited to any of the get-togethers on Olympus - a loner, who is nevertheless connected to (related to) really nasty characters. I do intend to continue with Odysseus' story, but sometimes there's no inspiration. I've never really liked the Cyclops episode (amazingly, the most popular in its day or at least the most frequently portrayed) and that is the next one. So I'm waiting for the right moment, please bear with me. In the meantime, I'd be interested in your take on Poseidon's role.
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Helen
7/5/2014 03:09:25 am
I'm not particularly keen on the episode myself, but it does have an interesting place in the narrative, even if my proposals are correct. When I have the mark back for my essay I'll post it and send you the link - unless it bombs! The more I study the Odyssey the more I think that the poet was incredibly adept at piecing together existing myths and fables with his own material to suit and create his storyline. Fascinating stuff and worth persevering with - good luck!
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I'm not particularly keen on the episode myself, but it does have an interesting place in the narrative, even if my proposals are correct. When I have the mark back for my essay I'll post it and send you the link - unless it bombs! The more I study the Odyssey, the more I think that the poet was incredibly adept at piecing together existing myths and fables with his own material to suit and create his storyline. Fascinating stuff and worth persevering with - good luck!
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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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