Chapter 9. Genealogy and Poetic Imagery of a Homeric Formula The process of crystallization of the dictional material in oral epic poetry is realized in three different levels: reenactment, [1] theme, [2] and traditional referentiality. [3] In this chapter, I will focus my attention on the term traditional referentiality, which refers to… Read more
Bibliography AHS = Allen, T. W., W. R. Halliday and E. E. Sykes, eds. 1936. The Homeric Hymns. Oxford. Alberti, L. B. 1988. On the Art of Building. Translated by J. Rykwert, N. Leach, and R. Tavernor. Cambridge, Mass. Alexiou, M. 1974. The Ritual Lament in Greek Tradition. Cambridge. Allen, D. C. 1970. Mysteriously… Read more
Preface Western literature begins with the Iliad and Odyssey, the monumental epics that already in antiquity had given rise to an extensive body of analysis and interpretation, from word studies and line-by-line commentaries to textual and literary criticism. Byzantine scholars preserved the texts and a portion of the ancient critical tradition through the Middle Ages, and reintroduced them to Renaissance Europe; Enlightenment- and Romantic-era scholars transformed the… Read more
Introduction The plan of Zeus In some ancient Greek epics, a Dios boulē ‘plan of Zeus’ helps to motivate and explain the plot. This theme is best known from its appearance at the beginning of the Iliad: μῆνιν ἄειδε θεά, Πηληιάδεω Ἀχιλῆος,οὐλομένην ἣ μυρί’ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε’ ἔθηκεν,πολλὰς δ’ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς ᾌδι προίαψενἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσινοἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δ’ ἐτελείετο… Read more
Oresteia and Odyssey Throughout the Odyssey, the story of Agamemnon, Klytaimnestre, and Orestes is paradigmatic for that of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachos. The Odyssean “Oresteia,” as the story will be referred to here, provides examples of the kinds of perils that could await Odysseus, and of the resources on which he can rely. A number of characters describe or refer to the death of Agamemnon, the treachery… Read more
Ogygie to Ithake When Odysseus himself enters the main narrative of the Odyssey in Book 5, he is, as at the beginning, trapped on Kalypso’s island in the middle of the sea. This is the world of the hero’s divine antagonist Poseidon, from which he will escape in accordance with the plan that Athene puts forward in the first divine council scene in Book 1. As… Read more
The End(s) of the Odyssey Regarding the Odyssey’s three main narrative sequences, then, I have argued that Zeus provides a kind of blueprint for the Telemachia and Mnesterophonia with his Oresteia, and that he orchestrates the Nostos overtly. The latter sequence, as discussed in the previous chapter, comes under Zeus’ control in Book 5, when Athene appears unable to implement the plan she has formulated for Odysseus’… Read more
After the Odyssey Zeus’ settlement at the end of the Odyssey is meant to be permanent: Odysseus will “be ruler forever” (βασιλευέτω αἰεί, 24.483). Of course, this cannot come to pass literally; even the divinely favored Menelaos must cede Sparta and retire to Elysion (Odyssey 4.561-564). The clear implication is that Odysseus will rule Ithake until his death, at which point his heir will assume power. Read more
Nestor’s Nostoi Like Odysseus, the mortal character Nestor focalizes a significant portion of the Odyssey. His narrative helps to establish further the poem’s relationship to the Nostos-tradition, which, as discussed in previous chapters, forms the part of the Odyssey’s backstory that extends from the fall of Troy to the death of Agamemnon. In a speech that extends over more than a quarter of Odyssey 3 (130-200, 262-312),… Read more
Divine plan and narrative plan Thus far I have argued that the Dios boulē theme serves two interconnected functions in the Odyssey: it lends shape and coherence to the narrative, and it mediates the Odyssey’s relationship to other Odysseus-traditions. The attraction of Zeus to the interface between the Homeric and non-Homeric accounts I have explained in terms of the Panhellenic orientation of the former: the Odyssey was… Read more
