![]() The description of the "wall of unbroken bronze," a Homeric attribute reflecting popular beliefs about the dwellings of supernatural entities, is redolent of the wall of Tartarus in the Theogony and Atlantis' concentric walls, each covered in a different metal: "they covered with brass, as though with plaster, all the circumference of the wall which surrounded the outermost circle and that of the inner one they coated with tin and that which encompassed the acropolis itself with orichalcum which sparkled like fire". However, whilst Odysseus sleeps, the curiosity of his followers gets the better of them and, opening the bag, they are driven back, where they are refused any further help as a result of their stupidity. ![]() Odysseus makes two visits to the island of Aeolus, god of the winds, where he is initially given a bag of winds, with the aid of which his ships manage to hove into sight of the crew's homeland of Ithaca. Frame regards the episode as complementary to that on Thrinacia covered below, which, like the encounter with Polyphemus, results in a catastrophic loss of personnel. Polyphemus and his fellow Cyclopes, with their one central eye, may represent the fearsome setting aspect of the sun, argues Douglas Frame. It is also worth noting that Polyphemus, like the lords of Atlantis, was a son of Poseidon - indeed, Odysseus' injuring of the Cyclops led to the invocation and subsequent wrath of the god on behalf of his son, which would dog Odysseus' endeavours for a decade afterwards. This islet, with its population of goats, also brings to mind the etymology of the names Eumelus and Gadeirus, given to the second twin son of Poseidon. Atlantis, though dissimilar from the Cyclops' island in many respects, is described in similar terms, as "highly fertile". ![]() Significantly, a stream runs from flows from a cave, bringing to mind Ogygia and the sources of Oceanus. Initially, Odysseus & his crew land on an island guarding the entrance to the harbour on the main island, the description of which presents an image of an earthly paradise, abounding in edible vegetation, calling to mind Plato's myth of the age of Cronus in the Statesman, with the primordial anarchism of Cronus' subjects similar to the lack of centralisation prevalent among the Cyclopes, who live by transhumance and have no specific law codes. įrom there, the crew sail to the idyllic home of the Cyclopes (which is probably the "broad Hypereia" mentioned as the Phaeacians' former abode at 6.4-8), where they have a terrifying encounter with Polyphemus, losing several men, before Odysseus' cunning engineers an escape. Now, at the head of the harbour a stream of bright water flows out from a cave ringed by poplars. And there's a safe harbour where there's no need for moorings, neither anchor stones nor hawsers: you can beach your ship and wait till the wind is fair and the spirit moves you to sail. There is level land for the plough with soil so rich they could reap a dense harvest in season. There are rich well-watered meadows there, along the shore of the grey sea, where vines would never fail. There are no flocks, and no ploughed fields: but always unsown, and untilled it is free of mankind and nurtures only bleating goats.įor this island is by no means poor, but would carry any crop in due season. ![]() Countless wild goats inhabit it, since there is nothing to stop them, no hunters to suffer the hardship of beating a path through its woods, or to roam its mountaintops. Wheat, barley, and vines with their richly clustered grapes, grow there without ploughing or sowing, and rain from Zeus makes them flourish.Ī fertile island lies slantwise outside the Cyclopes' harbour, well wooded and neither close to nor far from shore. From there we sailed with heavy hearts, and came to the land of the Cyclopes, a lawless, aggressive people, who never lift their hands to plant or plough, but rely on the immortal gods.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |