The Impact of Ancient Religion on Homers Odyssey

The Impact of Ancient Religion on Homer’s Odyssey There has long been a fashion among critics and historians, including Sir James Frazier and Graham Hancock, to insist upon taking the account of Odysseus voyage to Hades in Book XI of the Odyssey at near face-value as a description of people and places familiar to a Greek audience of Homers day. Both linguistics and comparative history have been employed to discover exactly how accurately this originally oral epic conveys this gritty realism. Something, however, is not right with this purely empiric approach. What is missing is an examination through the lens of ancient religious practices. Surely a literary work so teeming with deities-wise Athena, spiteful Poseidon, impish†¦show more content†¦In these tales, either a god or the beloved of said god is transformed into a sacred plant and ascribed the character of the divinity. It is believed that the celebration of the Eleusian Mysteries involved the consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms to effect union of the initiate wi th the gods. At this point, a brief summary of the events leading to Odysseus underworld experience is in order. The hero and his crew make landfall on an island ruled by the Sorceress, Circe. According to several traditions, she is daughter to Helios, the sun god. When encountered by an advance party commanded by Eurylokhos, Circe transforms all the men into pigs by means of a powerful drug insinuated into food and drink. Eurylokhos escapes this fate and is able to warn Odysseus. Hermes then descends to instruct Odysseus in how to overcome the witch. It is curious that, instead of displaying his power to nullify Circes magic, Hermes arms Odysseus with a sprig of a plant called moly. Evidently, the aura of herbalism was such that only more herbalism could compete. Having rendered the sorceress helpless, Odysseus is persuaded by her to remain on the island for a full year. At years end, Circe advises the hero to journey to Hades in order that he may learn from the shade of the blind prophet, Tires ias, how aShow MoreRelatedThe Iliad And The Odyssey1657 Words   |  7 Pagesthe largest impacts this war had was the inspiration it provided to many famous writers of antiquity, which include writers such as Homer, Virgil, Herodotus and many others. One of the most important writers during the Greek Dark Ages was Homer, who I believe was the most influential writer of his time, and a writer who had truly made an impact on the evolution of Greek Culture following the Dark Ages. Two of Homer’s most famous poems were the Iliad and the Odyssey, which were Ancient Greek epic poemsRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Iliad 1382 Words   |  6 PagesRyan Doerhoff History of Greece Dr. Kirkland September 5, 2014 Document Analysis The primary documents that will be focused on in this analysis come from Homer’s Iliad. Homer is venerated today as the greatest of Greek epic poets, as his works had a colossal impact on the history of literature. Through his epics, Homer brings us first hand into the culture of the Greek world in the eighth century B.C. It is important to note that at this time very few had the privilege of an education, and lackedRead MoreThe Is The Witness Of The Times1475 Words   |  6 Pageshowever, they are generally the author’s personal views points, perspectives and perhaps some added imaginative tales. Such an example can be seen when Homer is describing the encounters between the Mycenaean Greeks and the Trojans in his ancient Greek epic poem (Homer’s Iliad, p38). The Iliad covers only a small portion of the ten year Trojan War and therefore does not depict it entirely or accurately. Additionally, the poem contains stories about the siege, causes of the war and future prophecies ofRead MoreRole of the Gods in the Odyssey1181 Words   |  5 PagesReligion has always been an important part of culture, in present times and even dating back to the times of the Trojan War and before. No matter what religion a person practices or believes in the role of the certain gods believed in has always been important. In three separate pieces we have read we have seen the importance of the gods, or God, play a key role in the development of the literature. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the gods are key in Odysseus’ return to Ithaca after twenty yearsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Odyssey 1313 Words   |  6 Pagesto â€Å"establish peace, gentleness, and justice† (Narayan 1972: 63) in the world. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus has an uncontrollable â€Å"fighting spirit† (Homer 1996: 227) that too often ends in misfortune. Despite these great differences, these two characters have one thing in common: they are widely regarded as heroes in their religion. This is just one of many distinctions between the two epics. In The Odyssey, the afterlife consists of â€Å"the shambling, shiftless dead† (Homer 1996: 251) whileRead MoreEpic Passages of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homers Odyssey921 Words   |  4 PagesThe definition of a hero has evolved over time through both written word and human experiences, so what is a hero? 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AlternativelyRead MoreComparing Sappho s Poem, Tell Me, Oh Muse1831 Words   |  8 Pagesremaining fragments of her work. In her â€Å"Ode to Aphrodite,† she appeals: â€Å"Immortal Aphrodite of the shimmering throne†¦come hither† (Sappho, Loc. 30), echoing Homer’s famous â€Å"Tell me, oh Muse† (Homer, The Odyssey 36), and â€Å"Sing, O goddess, the destructive wrath of Achilles† (Homer, The Iliad 3). And, from what scholars have been able to glean from ancient texts, a woman such as Sappho, wealthy and relatively well-educated (Prentice 348), would have heard recitations of those epic poems. Recitations, becauseRead MoreThe Persian Royal Road Improve Governing And Communism Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pagespower and why is his relationship to Ahuramazda significant? He says that he has power because Ahuramazda gave him control of the kingdom. Because he was chosen by the god, nobody would ever think to question his authority due to respect for their religion. According to the Behistun inscription, what role does divinity play in human affairs? Divinity plays a major role in human affairs because the gods let Darius rule Persia. According to the document of Xerxes from Persepolis, did Alexander the GreatRead MoreReligious Beliefs Of The Greeks1863 Words   |  8 PagesIn ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks and how they affected Homer and his masterpiece The Iliad. This includes prayer and sacrifice, as well as what cultural meanings had to do with history. These aspects of their