I don't like Greek death. There's no hope in it, and it's super tormented and terrible. I'm glad of our own hope in salvation and heaven and Jesus. That pretty much covers most of what I wrote about this book. "I JUST CAN'T GET OVER THE GREEK AFTERLIFE."
Also, literary license is great. Really, Tiresias? He just knows all this stuff to make Odysseus' life easier (11.100-157)? That's so convenient. Foreshadowing alert.
It's pretty sad that Odysseus didn't even know his mother died (11.173-256). I suppose with the vague, shadowy afterlife business, he can talk to her one more time. As long as she drinks blood. bummer. Also, because he's telling a story, I think I might have made him skip the dead women part. When I read it, I was confused and bored, because I didn't understand the lineage business and how important it was. Now I do, so it's nice to know that these women are proclaiming the kleos of their uteri.
11.439... onward. It is also sad that all these great men come over and talk to Odysseus, because they were friends, and they all died. It's probably good that he has closure with them, but they'll all just get to hang out and be miserable together once Odysseus dies. That's why... Christianity is better. Duh.
11.693: lithe, alluring ankles. get some.
The greek afterlife)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's bogus and without hope. They're all just... standing there, doing nothing. At least they have smartphones. Although, the really awesome people (with lots of arete and maybe kleos) get to go to the Elysian fields, where things are maybe a little better. But not much. Most dead folks go to Hades, remember? Yeah. Bad news bears.
The ritual is significant for a couple reasons. a) drinking blood = able to speak. Blood brings life... blood IS life. The dead folks don't have blood, so they don't really have life at all. b) The gods don't really have blood either. They have better: something called Ichor, which supposedly gave you immortality and happiness and lots and lots of arete.
Notice how a lot of the dead guys are happy to hear that people still remember them. In the ancient world, up until Christianity, most people saw "eternal life" as "being remembered forever." So your body might die, but your kleos lives on. You earned your eternal life by being really boss while you were alive. So a warrior could die happy if he died epically, because someone would remember his name in story or song.
If you were really boss as an author, your work would be remembered. If you were really boss as a warrior, your mighty deeds of valor would be remembered. Etc.
(Side note. Have you seen 13th warrior? It explains this concept pretty well. "in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever!")
Ankles)
"Lithe" and "Alluring" and "Ankles" must have rhymed really well in greek.
Tiresias) was also blind. and a seer. And in Oedipus Rex, which we will read at some point.