Mythology of the Iliad and the Odyssey by Karen Bornemann Spies Page A
Authors: Karen Bornemann Spies
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his options.
A key theme of the
Odyssey
is that of a fantastic journey. Still, the epic portrays more than just exciting adventures. Odysseus faced challenges throughout his journey. Women that he met tempted him to stay with them and abandon his wife, Penelope. Also, Odysseus had to fight against the lure of staying where life was easy and luxurious. If he had given in to the lure of luxury, he never would have completed his journey home to his wife and family. Thus, his odyssey became a journey of personal growth.
In this epic, Homer drew a parallel between the
Odyssey
and all of life. Humans face challenges throughout their lifetimes. Evil and good exist alongside of each other. People can make mistakes and yet be forgiven. They can learn from their errors. Hence, the Odyssey is not just a myth of entertainment. It is an epic for education.
The
Odyssey
particularly influenced Irish writer James Joyce (1882–1941). In several handwritten notebooks, Joyce patterned his novel
Ulysses
after the
Odyssey
. He created several characters who parallel those of Homer’s epic. He also used similar themes, such as a son’s search for his father and the interference of the gods in the lives of the characters. His novel, however, is set in Ireland in the early 1900s.
In the
Odyssey
, Odysseus retold his adventures at a banquet at the court of King Alcinoüs, ruler of the kindly Phaeacians. Odysseus had washed ashore on their island. One of the first tales Odysseus told the Phaeacians was about the Lotus-Eaters.
The Lotus-Eaters
After the Greeks won the Trojan War, they celebrated wildly. Unfortunately, they forgot that the gods expected honor and praise for their part in the victory. As the Greeks celebrated, they dragged Cassandra, a priestess of Athena, out of her temple. Athena was furious at the disrespect the Greeks showed to her priestess. She convinced Poseidon to cause terrible storms to destroy the Greek ships as they sailed for home. Agamemnon lost almost all of his ships, while storms forced Menelaus all the way to Egypt.
Odysseus did not die, but his voyage was long and dangerous. Before he left for Troy, Odysseus had known that it would be twenty years before he would return home to the island of Ithaca. The war would last ten years, while his return voyage would take another ten years. At times, Odysseus wondered whether he would ever see his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, again.
Odysseus and the crewmen of his twelve ships started their voyage home, but they hoped to capture more treasure on the way. Then without warning, Zeus, who commanded the storm clouds, hit the ships with a howling gale that tore the sails to rags. Mightily, the sailors rowed to the nearest shoreline, where they rested for two days and two nights. But when the ships set out anew, the raging winds blew again for nine more days. The winds drove the ships far off course to an unknown, foreign land. The sailors beached the ships and charged ashore, desperate for food and water.
“Eat and drink now, men, for we do not know what we shall face in this land,” said Odysseus. Always curious, Odysseus sent three men ahead to scout out their surroundings. “Search out this land and find out who might live here. When you have learned any helpful information, one of you should come back and report to me.”
The scouts soon came to a small hut where they found several men lounging around a basket of fragrant fruit. “Greetings, sailors, welcome to the land of the Lotus-Eaters. Try some of our lotus,” said one of the men, with a friendly, dreamy smile.
“I have never seen fruit like this,” said one of the sailors. “What does it taste like?”
“It is sweet like honey,” answered the Lotus-Eaters. “There is nothing like it anywhere.”
At first, the sailors took small bites, but they were hungry after sailing for so many days in stormy weather. Soon, they snatched at every lotus fruit they could reach. Honey-sweet juices
A key theme of the
Odyssey
is that of a fantastic journey. Still, the epic portrays more than just exciting adventures. Odysseus faced challenges throughout his journey. Women that he met tempted him to stay with them and abandon his wife, Penelope. Also, Odysseus had to fight against the lure of staying where life was easy and luxurious. If he had given in to the lure of luxury, he never would have completed his journey home to his wife and family. Thus, his odyssey became a journey of personal growth.
In this epic, Homer drew a parallel between the
Odyssey
and all of life. Humans face challenges throughout their lifetimes. Evil and good exist alongside of each other. People can make mistakes and yet be forgiven. They can learn from their errors. Hence, the Odyssey is not just a myth of entertainment. It is an epic for education.
The
Odyssey
particularly influenced Irish writer James Joyce (1882–1941). In several handwritten notebooks, Joyce patterned his novel
Ulysses
after the
Odyssey
. He created several characters who parallel those of Homer’s epic. He also used similar themes, such as a son’s search for his father and the interference of the gods in the lives of the characters. His novel, however, is set in Ireland in the early 1900s.
In the
Odyssey
, Odysseus retold his adventures at a banquet at the court of King Alcinoüs, ruler of the kindly Phaeacians. Odysseus had washed ashore on their island. One of the first tales Odysseus told the Phaeacians was about the Lotus-Eaters.
The Lotus-Eaters
After the Greeks won the Trojan War, they celebrated wildly. Unfortunately, they forgot that the gods expected honor and praise for their part in the victory. As the Greeks celebrated, they dragged Cassandra, a priestess of Athena, out of her temple. Athena was furious at the disrespect the Greeks showed to her priestess. She convinced Poseidon to cause terrible storms to destroy the Greek ships as they sailed for home. Agamemnon lost almost all of his ships, while storms forced Menelaus all the way to Egypt.
Odysseus did not die, but his voyage was long and dangerous. Before he left for Troy, Odysseus had known that it would be twenty years before he would return home to the island of Ithaca. The war would last ten years, while his return voyage would take another ten years. At times, Odysseus wondered whether he would ever see his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, again.
Odysseus and the crewmen of his twelve ships started their voyage home, but they hoped to capture more treasure on the way. Then without warning, Zeus, who commanded the storm clouds, hit the ships with a howling gale that tore the sails to rags. Mightily, the sailors rowed to the nearest shoreline, where they rested for two days and two nights. But when the ships set out anew, the raging winds blew again for nine more days. The winds drove the ships far off course to an unknown, foreign land. The sailors beached the ships and charged ashore, desperate for food and water.
“Eat and drink now, men, for we do not know what we shall face in this land,” said Odysseus. Always curious, Odysseus sent three men ahead to scout out their surroundings. “Search out this land and find out who might live here. When you have learned any helpful information, one of you should come back and report to me.”
The scouts soon came to a small hut where they found several men lounging around a basket of fragrant fruit. “Greetings, sailors, welcome to the land of the Lotus-Eaters. Try some of our lotus,” said one of the men, with a friendly, dreamy smile.
“I have never seen fruit like this,” said one of the sailors. “What does it taste like?”
“It is sweet like honey,” answered the Lotus-Eaters. “There is nothing like it anywhere.”
At first, the sailors took small bites, but they were hungry after sailing for so many days in stormy weather. Soon, they snatched at every lotus fruit they could reach. Honey-sweet juices
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