Cultural Mythology: Myth, culture, and consciousness

Book 5 (part 2 of 2): Shipwreck

Poseidon was on his way home from Ethiopia when he happened to look down and saw Odysseus in his small craft. Blood boiling, the great god shook his head and said to himself “The other gods changed their minds about Odysseus while I was away and look, there he is near the Phaeacia’s shores where he’s fated to escape his noose of pain. But I can still give him great trouble!” And with that he rammed the clouds together and churned the waters into chaos with his great trident and suddenly the waves rose and roiled and the sky darkened and Odysseus was numb with fear.

“It’s just as the nymph foretold,” he thought, “I am not done with this cup of pain. Look at this monstrous storm. What a wretched death to drown here! How I wish that I had died a hero’s death with my comrades on the plains of Troy.” A massive wave came crashing down on his head. His mast was split, his raft smashed. Odysseus struggled to stay afloat in the heaving water. His clothing weighed him down as he gasped for breath and clung to a piece of the wreckage.

It was Cadmus’s daughter Ino, who had once been a mortal woman but was now an immortal being of the sea, who saw him and took pity. She came to Odysseus and what was left of his raft. “Poor man,” she said, “Why does the god of the sea hate you so? Ah, but as much as he wants to destroy you, he cannot. So do as I say. Take this scarf, wrap it around you, and swim for shore. Safety awaits you there. Leave the raft and swim, and when you get to the beach untie my scarf and toss it quickly, back into the wine-dark sea. Do not watch where or how it falls.” She handed him the scarf and dove back down beneath the waves.

Scarf in hand, Odysseus considered her advice. “I don’t know if I can trust yet another immortal,” he thought, “especially one who urges me to abandon my raft. The shore that I glimpsed is too far away. So I will hang on here a while longer and get closer if I can before I throw myself into this deadly sea.”

Just then Poseidon sent another huge crashing wave and brave Odysseus was left with nothing but a timber to ride. The time had come. Odysseus stripped off his sodden clothing, tied on the scarf, and stretched his arms for the shore. Poseidon whipped the winds one last time and grumbling went on to Olympus. But the goddess Athena smoothed the water and calmed all but the north wind, to aid Odysseus on his way.

Still he was afloat for two days and often thought that he would die. Finally, when Dawn with her rose-red fingers brought on the third day, Odysseus looked up to the land just ahead. Filled with joy he found the strength to swim, anxious to plant his feet on solid ground. But the island was well protected with sharp rocks and breakers and pounding surf. Odysseus imagined himself smashed against jagged reefs and his heart sank. He wondered if he would have the luck and stamina to swim along the coast to find a sheltered cove without being crushed against the rocks or carried back out to sea.

In this moment of fear a huge wave rolled in and he would indeed have been smashed if the goddess Athena had not inspired him to fight back, to grab hold of a reef although it tore his skin. When the swell rolled back and cast him back out into the open water she gave him courage and he swam away from the breakers, scanning the coast. At last he saw the mouth of a river and prayed to the river god to let him in. “Rescue me," he prayed, “even an immortal god will show a man respect, when a wanderer needs their help---pity me lord!” The river god stemmed his current and Odysseus swam into the mouth of the river and reached the bank. He crawled out onto the earth and kissed the ground. Then he loosed the goddess's scarf and sent it back out to the sea where Ino caught it in her hands.

“I must rest,” thought Odysseus, “but if I stay here on the bank it will grow cold and that will kill me. But if I go into the brush a wild beast may drag me off.” He decided that cover was the better choice and dragged himself into the woods, where he found a small grove and crawled beneath two olive bushes, sprung from the same root. There he would be shielded from wind and cold and rain and sun. He made himself a bed of leaves and buried himself in them. The goddess Athena sent him a deep, sweet sleep to shield him from his many pains.

Odysseus is on his way. or is he?

(The painting is Raft of Odysseus by N.C. Wyeth, 1929).

Book 5 (part 1 of 2): Odysseus---- The Nymph Calypso

At last the action turns to Odysseus, and just like the Telemachy, this part of the poem opens with an assembly of the gods up on Mt Olympus.

Athena is back from her errands in Ithaca. She urges Zeus to take action to help Odysseus but he says, “Why daughter, you’ve got it all covered, and it is his destiny to see his family again. Of course, first he’ll have to make a raft and stop in Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians. His troubles aren't over yet. But they’ll load him up with riches, more than the Trojan plunder that he’s lost. So Hermes, go ahead to see Calypso and tell her that she must let Odysseus go and help him on his way.”

Hermes, messenger of the gods, puts on his winged sandals, takes up the wand that he uses to either put people to sleep, or wake them up, and swoops across the sea to the isle of Ogygia where Calypso, the nymph with the beautiful braids, lives in glorious seclusion. There he finds her in the spacious cave where she makes her home, sitting at her loom weaving and singing before a lovely fire of cedar wood. Her island is a beautiful place with four clear springs and meadows and trees, birds, flowers, and ripe grapes clustered on the vines. Hermes stops to take in the beauty, then steps inside.

Odysseus is not there. He is out on the headlands alone, crying for home. It’s true that he often slept with the lovely nymph at night---unwillingly, perhaps—or maybe her charms had just faded--who knows? But he spent his days alone longing for Ithaca.

Calypso recognizes Hermes at once and offers him a warm welcome, with ambrosia and nectar. “It’s been ages since your last visit Hermes,” she says, “Why have you come now? I will do whatever you request.” “Well,” says Hermes, “I know that he’s been good company, but Zeus says that you must let Odysseus go home now, and send him on his way.” “What! Not that” Calypos exclaimed. “Oh you jealous gods, you just can’t let us female divinities have a mortal lover can you—or husband—is that it? It’s fine for you to lust and philander with whoever you want but no, we have to play by different rules.” She fumes and Hermes listens until at last the nymph says, “Well, there is no way to say no to Zeus. I don’t have a ship to give Odysseus but I’ll help him as best I can.”

With a last swig of nectar, Hermes, is gone. Calypso goes out to the weeping Odysseus. “You can cease your weeping now,” she tells him, “as I’ve decided at last to let you go home. You’ll have to make a raft though. I’ll give you food and water, and gods willing, you’ll make it home.”

Odysseus doesn’t believe her. “A raft?” he says,” You’ve got to be kidding. That is far too dangerous, even for a mariner like me. Surely you’re up to something. I’m not getting on a raft until you swear me an oath that you’re not plotting something.”

“Oh my dear Odysseus,” Calypso says soothingly, “what a thing to imagine.” She strokes his arm, kisses his forehead. “I swear by the dark waters of the river Styx that I’ve no plot to harm you. I’d never hurt you—you should know that by now. I’m all compassion. And I’m telling you what I’d do if I were in your situation.”

Calm now, the two of them go back to the cave together to eat dinner, and when they are satisfied Calypso tries a new approach. “I wish you good luck on this journey Odysseus,” she says, “but it is going to be a very tough trip you know, full of heartache. And what does your wife have that I don’t? I am gorgeous and immortal. I will never age, and I can make you immortal too.”

“Ah, great goddess,” Odysseus replies, “doesn’t be angry with me. Penelope is not as beautiful as you and she is mortal, true. But nevertheless I pine for home and it doesn’t matter how much more I have to suffer. That’s the way it is for me, after all.” The sun sets on the peaceful cave. It grows dark and they make love.

When Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more, Odysseus got up and dressed for work. Calypso did too, in a filmy gown and scarf with a gold braid belt around her slim waist.  She gave our hero a heavy ax and led him to a place where the trees grew tall—alders, black poplars, and firs. Then she went home and left Odysseus to fell and trim the trees. She returned with a drill and he expertly locked the logs together with pegs and together they fashioned a fine raft, using his skills and strength and her tools, even installing a mast with sail and rigging made of the nymph’s weaving.

On the fourth day the work was done. On the fifth day the goddess launched him from her island, freshly bathed and dressed in fine clothes. She gave him a skin full of dark wine and one with water, and choice meats to build his strength.

Spirits high, Odysseus spread the sail, and now the master mariner steered his craft, eyes on the horizon, following the stars just as Calypso had directed, never sleeping. For seventeen days he sailed smoothly and on the eighteenth shadowy mountains loomed ahead. It was Scheria, the Phaeacians island.

(The painting is Odysseus and Calypso by jan Brueghel the Elder circa 1616).

This week on Myth in the Mojave

Prometheus received harsh punishment for stealing fire and giving it to men. Last week we left him chained to a rock on a distant mountaintop, but was a liver-eating eagle the end of his story? Tune in and find out. I'll also tell a story about Anansi, a West African Trickster spider who brings stories of all types to earth.

Tune in to radiofree joshua tree 24/7 here: radiofreejt.com

And here is the complete Radiofree Joshua Tree Show Schedule

Sunday Evening Variety Show Sundays 5-7 pm, repeat 8-10 pm, repeat Mondays 12 noon-2pm
HD Underground Mondays 10-11 pm, repeat Saturdays 11pm-Midnight
Tiki Time Fridays 5-6 pm, repeat Sundays 3-4pm
Mojave Kitchen Dance Diaries Fridays 10-11 pm, repeat Sat Midnight-Sun 1AM, Wed 4PM
Kitten Time Fridays 11pm-12 m, repeat Saturdays 10-11pm
In the Pit Fridays Midnight - Saturdays 1am, repeat Sundays 11pm -Midnight
Other Desert Stories Saturdays 4-5pm, repeat Sundays 7-8pm
Roadside Rex Saturdays 5-6pm, repeat Sundays 4-5pm
New Wave Dave Saturdays 6-7pm, repeat Wednesdays 5-6pm
Down The Memory Hole Fridays 8-9pm, repeat Saturdays 12 noon-1pm, Tuesday 5-6pm
Indie Lion Fridays 9-10pm
Myth In The Mojave Saturdays 3-3:30pm
Sound Medicine Sundays 2-2:30pm
Sonido Cubano Sundays 2:30-3pm

Archived shows will be available at radiofreejt.com and here on Cultural Mythology. Thanks for listening!

Holding fast to Proteus

 

In Book 4: The King and Queen of Sparta part 2 of 2, Menelaus, Helen, and their crew make their way home to Sparta with the assistance of Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea. Proteus knows almost everything. He can tell you which god you've offended and the exact nature of your fate. He never lies, but he doesn't volunteer his knowledge. An accomplished shape-shifter---his myth is the source of our word "protean"--- Proteus will only divulge his secrets if you have the courage and the stamina to grab him and hold on tight through his terrifying, shape-shifting attempts to escape you.

What can we make of this?

That he rises every day from the depths of that other world we call "the sea" is straightforward enough. The truth that we seek from him is hidden away, in a realm that we can't fathom or plumb, but there is a messenger, a being who moves between the worlds. There is always a bridge like Proteus. The fluid link that he personifies is a metaphor for myth itself.

But are you surprised that he doesn't volunteer to help, that he doesn't rush up to Menelaus and the starving men and tell them, unasked and ungrasped, what is needed? There is a common fantasy these days, that everything deep and unseen is just waiting to be of service to us, as if the cosmos turned on human needs, as if that is the raison d'etre of everything else, every tree and mountain and god. To help us get what we think we want. But Homer's story comes from a less infantile time. Truth and assistance can be had, if it is earned.

This reality is echoed in the question that Menelaus asks and the answer that he receives. "Tell me which god I have angered," he says, and Proteus tells him that his sacrifices to Zeus and the others were not sufficient. Something essential has been ignored and must be propitiated. If you have ever been depressed, troubled by dreams or sick at heart, soul sick, lost in the woods of your life, then you know this is not just a quaint antiquity. Something important is missing. Some crucial Other has been neglected by the self of daily routine and consciousness.

The first few times that I read this story I stopped to wonder how one could hold onto Proteus through his varied transformations. I can imagine gripping the lion, or even the serpent, but how does one cling to a torrent of water or a flame? Then I moved past the mechanics to an image of tenacious constancy, a willingness to stay with the question, "How do I get home again?," no matter what appears.

How do I get home again? This is the heart of Homer's poem and every odyssey undertaken before and since. Hold on tightly, until he tires.

(Image is Menelaus and Helen by Dame Elisabeth Frink. She shows both the king and queen hiding among the seals as they wait for the arrival of Proteus).

This Week on Myth in the Mojave: Clever Prometheus

This week on Myth in the Mojave, we'll hear the Greek myth of Prometheus. Like Coyote, Prometheus stole fire. And like Eshu, Prometheus isn't afraid to trespass against the will of the gods. But tricky as he is, Prometheus is not quite a Trickster with a capital "T." That's my opinion-- tune in and see if you agree.

Tune in to radiofree joshua tree here: radiofreejt.com

And here is the complete Radiofree Joshua Tree Show Schedule

Sunday Evening Variety Show Sundays 5-7 pm, repeat 8-10 pm, repeat Mondays 12 noon-2pm
HD Underground Mondays 10-11 pm, repeat Saturdays 11pm-Midnight
Tiki Time Fridays 5-6 pm, repeat Sundays 3-4pm
Mojave Kitchen Dance Diaries Fridays 10-11 pm, repeat Sat Midnight-Sun 1AM, Wed 4PM
Kitten Time Fridays 11pm-12 m, repeat Saturdays 10-11pm
In the Pit Fridays Midnight - Saturdays 1am, repeat Sundays 11pm -Midnight
Other Desert Stories Saturdays 4-5pm, repeat Sundays 7-8pm
Roadside Rex Saturdays 5-6pm, repeat Sundays 4-5pm
New Wave Dave Saturdays 6-7pm, repeat Wednesdays 5-6pm
Down The Memory Hole Fridays 8-9pm, repeat Saturdays 12 noon-1pm, Tuesday 5-6pm
Indie Lion Fridays 9-10pm
Myth In The Mojave Saturdays 3-3:30pm
Sound Medicine Sundays 2-2:30pm
Sonido Cubano Sundays 2:30-3pm

Archived shows will be available at radiofreejt.com and here on Cultural Mythology.

(Painting is Prometheus by Gustav Moreau).

Sorrow in the palace of Menelaus

We are done with the four books of the Telemachy and poised to meet Odysseus, who will give an account of his long wandering. The son Telemachus discovered some things about his father and the heroic tradition in making his journey, one that echoes the wanderings of his father. But before we move on, let's consider the situation in Sparta and the need for Helen's Egyptian drug, the one that dissolves anger and allays sorrow. Why was this necessary? Does this also parallel an aspect of Odysseus's journey? I think we are meant to consider these questions as other details in the poem point at this deep sadness in Sparta. The name of the son who is getting married when Telemachus arrives, for example, is Megapenthes or “Great Sorrow.”

But what does Menelaus have to feel bad about? Sparta is a powerful kingdom and Menelaus is an extremely rich and gifted man, a king among kings. He has an easy life married to the most beautiful woman in the world. Yes, she left him, but did she go willingly? And if she was making a home in Troy then can we blame her, given the relative powerlessness of women and the years that it took for her husband to notice that she was gone and come to collect her? In any event, they appear to have made up on the long, slow journey home. Her abduction and the terrible war in Troy are now ten years in the past. And as Zeus's son-in-law (Helen is the daughter of Zeus and Leda), Menelaus will go to the Elysian Fields when he dies and enjoy a kind of immortality. It's true that Helen can only have one child, the breathtakingly gorgeous daughter Hermione who is also about to be wed. But Menelaus is allowed to have children by other women---like Megapenthes--- and isn't that good enough? He doesn't strike me as a family man.

Is there a cosmic force at work here? It's interesting that in some versions of the myth of Helen's birth, Leda, Helen's mother, is replaced by (or equated with) Nemesis, the Greek goddess of retributive justice. Nemesis' job was to maintain the equilibrium between happiness and sorrow, good fortune and bad. She brought calamity to those who enjoyed excessive good fortune. She also personified the resentment that people felt towards scoundrels who committed crimes with apparent impunity. Today the word "nemesis" means the source of ruin, something or someone that cannot be conquered.

Menelaus has so much going for him that Nemesis probably does play a role in his life. But are his possible marital and family problems the source of his sorrow?

Another possibility comes to mind if we step back and recall that this is the Odyssey, the story of the hero Odysseus and his return from war. There is a transition from war to peacetime. There is a questioning of cultural values and a suggestion of something new. In this context, heroic action and honor are in the forefront, and where is mighty Menelaus? On the sidelines. Doomed in a sense, to a life of ease without the possibility of further glory and honor and fame. Against what obstacle must he push? Where is the creative tension that keeps life interesting? And how can one be a hero without performing heroic acts?

Keep this in mind as we turn to Book 5 and find Odysseus hidden away on the remote isle of Ogygia, kept captive by the lovely nymph Calypso.

(The painting is Leda and the Swan by Cesare da Sesto, c. 1506-1510). 

High Desert Mythological RoundTable® Group

Tuesday April 30th, 7-9PM at the Red Arrow Gallery in Joshua Tree

The Odyssey: Odysseus leaves Calypso, makes it to the land of the Phaeacians, and prepares to tell his story (Books 5,6,7,8)

This is our third gathering to tell and talk about Homer's Odyssey and things are starting to get very interesting. We leave Telemachus in Sparta for the time being and turn our attention to Odysseus, who has been hidden away on a gorgeous island for seven years, the love slave of the beautiful and adoring nymph Calypso, poor man. The next phase of his adventure is about to unfold and we are finally going to meet our clever hero.

Come dip your oar in these mythic waters. You don't have to know the story and we can fill you in if you missed last month. For those who want to read along, we're using the Robert Fagles translation.

The High Desert Mythological RoundTable meets the last Tuesday of every month at the Red Arrow Gallery. All open-minded adults who enjoy a good story are welcome to join our thought-provoking conversations. Bring cookies or other goodies to share. Donations for the Joseph Campbell Foundation are much appreciated.

(The painting is "The Goddess Calypso promises immortality to Odysseus" by Jan Styka, 1901).

The Mythological RoundTable® is a registered trademark of Joseph Campbell® Foundation.

Homer's Odyssey, Book 4: The King and Queen of Sparta (part 2 of 2)

In the morning Telemachus and Menelaus sit together again. “What brings you here?” asks the king, “Tell me truly?” “I seek news of my father,” Telemachus replies, “My house is being devoured, suitors plague my mother, and all is in disarray. Do you know what happened to Odysseus? Is he dead? If he was your friend and comrade, tell me truthfully and leave out nothing.”

“The suitors are cowards and fools,” says Menelaus, “and the mighty Odysseus, the man I know, favored by the gods, can kill the lot of them. But let me tell you all that I know. This is what I was told by the Old Man of the Sea, who never lies.”

“I was marooned by the gods in Egypt," Menelaus began, "because I failed to make them the perfect sacrifice. Actually, we were on an island called Pharos, a day’s sail from the coast. We’d been there for 20 days and had run out of food when Eidothea, daughter of Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea, had mercy on us. She saw my men wandering the beach, in a desperate search for food, and she came to me and asked why I was just suffering there. 'What's your plan?' she said. I told her that I had no desire to stay but must have angered one of the deathless gods. ‘You’re an immortal’ I said, 'tell me which one I’ve crossed and what I need to do to get home again.'"

"I'll help you Menelaus," said Eidothea. "My immortal father Proteus who never lies, can tell you all you need to know. But you'll have to catch him because he doesn't freely volunteer such information. At high noon he will come up out of the sea and onto this beach. Then he will make his bed among his children, the many seals, and take a nap. Choose three good men from your crew and I will take you to this spot myself. You must hide in the midst of the seals. I'll give you skins for diguise. And when Proteus beds down you must grab him and hold him fast. Hold him tight no matter how he twists and turns and no matter what form he assumes. Proteus can change into any shape but hold on for dear life! When he finally begins to ask you questions and assumes his initial shape, you let him go and ask him straight which god it is that blocks your way home, and how you might get safe passage home."

"And so Telemachus, this was our plan. The sealskins that we wore smelled so bad that I thought we were lost, but Eidothea came to our rescue with sweet-smelling ambrosia which she dabbed beneath our noses. The old man Proteus emerged from the sea and made the round of his seals just as she described. Oh, what a fight there was when we grabbed him. The old rascal turned into a great bearded lion, and then a serpent, a torrent of water, a tree----and we clung to him with our might. Finally he settled down, began to tire."

"Which god conspired with you to ambush me, Menelaus," said the Old Man of the Sea. "What on earth do you want?""Why you know Proteus," I replied, "I'm stuck on this island with no way out that I can find. Which god hates me and how can I make it home at last?"

"Then he told me," Menelaus said to Telemachus,"that I had been wrong to cut my sacrifices short before I left Troy and would have to go back to Egypt of all things!--and make a splendid sacrifice to Zeus and all the gods if I wanted to see Spartan shores again. I told him that I would do this although I hated to cover those seas again. And then I asked him the fate of the other Greek heros. 'You will be sorry to hear it' he told me, but I pressed him and he said that only two more had died in the journey home and that a third man was held captive on an island. He told me about the death of Ajax and the terrible murder of my brother Agamemnon. It crushed me to receive this news and I was about to end our conference when I remembered his comment about a third man, the one who was still alive somewhere. 'Oh,' said Proteus, 'that would be Odysseus, who is kept by the nymph Calypso and has no way to get back to home. But his fate is not your problem Menelaus. Because you are married to Zeus's daughter Helen, you will join the deathless ones in the Elysian Fields when you die.'"

Menelaus said, “Having received these truthful secrets Telemachus, I went back to my ships. We slept there on the beach and when Dawn with her red-rose fingers shone once more I sacrificed to the gods and raised a burial mound for my brother, and set sail straight for home. THis is all I know about the fate of your father. So my boy, stay here with me for at least 10 days and I’ll make you fine gift of horses and a shining chariot.”

But Telemachus, with great tact, tells Menelaus that he feels he must be on his way home. “And Ithaca is a rocky place suited for goats,” he says, “not horses. So maybe you can give me something else instead?” Menelaus is pleased with Telemachus's his good manners and his wisdom. He gives him a beautiful gold and silver mixing bowl for wine instead.

And while this transpires in Sparta, the suitors are amusing themselves with throwing discus and long spears back in Ithaca. Then a young man named Phronius, who had lent a ship to Telemachus, comes to Antinous, ringleader of the suitors. “Do you know when the prince plans to return?” he asks, “I need to get my boat back.” And so the suitors learn that Telemachus has been away—they thought he was off in the fields somewhere--- not as far as Pylos. “Did he just take your ship or did you give it to him?” asked Antinous, “ and did he sail with slaves or volunteers?” And when he hears that the fleet and crew were easily raised among Ithaca’s best families, and that Mentor did the prince’s errands but strangely, seemed to be in Ithaca and not off on the journey….

Antinous senses some plot or danger from Telemachus, who he thought was too weak to do anything threatening. He gathers the other suitors together. “Who knows what he is up to,” says Antinous, “but we have to put a stop to it. He’ll find himself shipwrecked, just like his father before him!”  And they agree to get a ship and twenty men and lie in ambush.

The herald Medon overheard their plans and rushed to tell Penelope. When she saw him, the queen said “What did the suitors send you for now? Have they discovered some other need—although they’re already draining the estate dry---and none of you, who were treated so fairly and kindly by Odysseus, does a thing to stop them.” “I wish that was the extent of your troubles my queen, “Medon says. And he tells her of the plot to kill her son.

This is the first that Penelope has heard of his journey. Like the suitors, she imagined that he was off someplace, away from the palace but on Ithaca. “Why oh why,” she asks, “did he leave me, get on a ship and sail the seas that took his father away from us?” And Medon wondered if perhaps a god had counseled the boy to make such a journey. But Penelope was heartbroken. She sat in her chambers and sobbed to her servant women “I’ve lost my lion-hearted husband and now my son---why didn’t any of you tell me of his plans? I would have stopped him or killed myself then and there. Someone go and tell Laertes, his grandfather. Maybe he knows the whole story. Maybe he can stop the suitors from killing my son.”

Eurycleia comes to Penelope and admits that she helped Telemachus with his plan. “I promised him that I wouldn’t tell you,” she says, “because he planned to be back before you knew and could worry. And I can’t believe that the gods have abandoned your house so completely. “ She calmed the queen and helped her dry her eyes.

That night Athena sends a spirit in the form of Penelope’s sister to speak to her in her dreams, calm her fears, and reassure her that the gods are protecting Telemachus and he will come home safely. “The great goddess Athena is with him,” says the spirit,” as she is with his father.” “If you know so much,” says Penelope, “Tell me about my husband, if you are a god.” But the shadow says “I cannot tell you the end of his story, if he is dead or alive.”

Penelope is reassured by this dream. But the suitors have anchored their ships in the cove as planned and lie in wait to ambush Telemachus.

Homer's Odyssey, Book 3: Nestor Remembers

Telemachus and Athena (in the form of Mentor), sail to Pylos to visit the venerable King Nestor. When they arrive, the people are all gathered on the beach for a sacrificial feast to honor the great god of the ocean, Poseidon. Telemachus is a bit intimidated by the prospect of questioning the king—this is his first time so far away from home and he’s young and inexperienced. But Athena urges him on, saying he has the god’s good will to lend him courage and gracious words.

Athena heads straight for Nestor, who is sitting among friends and family. They see the strangers and wave in greeting and Nestor’s son Pisistratus leaps up and makes them a seat by his father. He offers them a share of the sacrifice and extends all of the hospitality of his father house.

Pisistratus hands Athena a golden cup of wine and offers her the opportunity to lift up her own prayers to the mighty Poseidon (only she knows the irony in this). “Say a prayer to lord Poseidon stranger,” he says, “his is the feast you’ve found on your arrival. Then pass the cup to your younger comrade there.” She offers a prayer for the success of their mission—an inner smile on her lips perhaps—and passes the golden cup to Telemachus, who repeats her prayer word for word.

The ritual complete, they all turn theit attention to the food. King Nestor ask Telemachus and Athena why they have come to Pyols. "Are you here on a mission of peace or plunder?" he inquires. Poised and filled with the confidence of Athena, Telemachus replies “I am Telemachus, son of Odysseus, and I’ve come in search of news about my father. Tell me about the great man—whatever you know of his fate; the whole truth, no sugar coating. Remember his story to me.”

“I’ve so many memories,” says Nestor. “Troy was a living hell and many heroes met their death. If I tried to describe it fully that would take so long that you’d be bored and steal away. But your father was the most cunning, strategic, and articulate man among us—you do seem to have his way with words—and we were friends, yes. All those years in Troy we never once disagreed. And after 9 years Zeus finally let us win the city, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for us to get home, oh no. We had angered his daughter Athena you see. Menelaus wanted all the troops to sail for home right away but his brother Agamemnon disagreed. He thought we should stay and offer sacrifices to the goddess until she was appeased. The disagreement between them was upsetting to all and split the ranks—some determined to leave and others to stay on. I was one of the ones that left, and your father too, but Zeus sent us strong hard winds and Odysseus and some others took it as a sign and turned back. I kept going and made many sacrifices to Poseidon and after hard sailing, reached Pylos."

"I don’t really know what happened to anyone else," Nestor said, "but I’ll tell you what little I’ve heard.”He mentions the names of several heroes who also made it home safely and then settles on the serious topic of Agamemnon, who made it home only to be killed by Aegisthus—who was in turn murdered by Orestes, son of Agamemnon, in revenge. Nestor does not mention the wife Clytemnestra’s part in the betrayal but adds, “What a fine thing it is, when a man has been brought down, to leave behind a son… you too, my young friend, must be brave so that men sing your praises.”

Telemachus hears the challenge in those words. “Orestes is great,” he says, “and if I had the gods behind me like that I would surely take revenge on the suitors. But apparently the gods have another, less glorious fate in mind for me and my father.” “Now that you mention it,” says Nestor, “I did hear about a mob of suitors at your house. A mob eating you out ofhouse and home and no one stops them? If Odysseus ever comes back, no doubt he will. Athena never loved any hero like she loved your father. But maybe she’ll favor you then.”

“I seriously doubt it,” says Telemachus. Athena, in the shape of Mentor sharply interrupts,” What nonsense is that! It’s easy enough for a god to help a mortal. And Odysseus has been a gone a long time it's true. But I’d rather suffer through a long journey then get home quick like Agamemnon to be betrayed in my own house. You don’t know what’s at work here Telemachus.”

“Mentor,” Telemachus replies, “after all this time we have to imagine that my father is long dead. That’s it. But Nestor, tell me the whole story of what happened to Agamemnon. Where was his mighty brother Menelaus? Surely Menelaus would have prevented this disaster.”

“You’re right,” said Nestor, “if Menelaus had been around, Aegisthus would not have succeeded. But although Menelaus left Troy when I did, he ran into rough sailing and a hurricane. He lost some of his ships and was blown away to Egypt. There he got very rich but he was gone for a number of years—he only recently returned to Sparta (it’s been a couple of years I think)—and in the meantime his brother was murdered and finally avenged by Orestes. Aegisthus was a coward who didn’t sail to Troy you know. The queen Clytemnestra resisted at first but the man persisted. He marooned her guardian on a desert island and prayed and sacrificed to the gods and finally she was doomed to surrender. So take care my boy, and don’t stay away from your home for too long or rove too far. But I do urge you to go to Sparta and see king Menelaus. He was driven far of course and yet he finally made it home. You can sail there in your own ship or, if you prefer, I’ll give you a chariot and Pisistratus will go with you.”

“That was quite a story,” said Athena, “well told. Let's finish here with the sacrifice and be on our way.” So they burned the tongues of the many bulls they had killed and poured out libations. It was time to go, Telemachus back to Nestor’s palace and Athena back to the ships (for the immortal gods never sleep in a human house). She said that she needed to tend to the men and the ships and advised Telemachus to take the chariot Nestor offered. Then she amazed everyone present by turning into an eagle and flying away. “That was Athena!” Nestor exclaimed, "and she surely looks over you as she has your father. We will make a sacrifice to her tomorrow!”

They go back to the palace, where they make prayers to Athena and go to bed. Telemachus sleeps in the palace beside his new friend Prince Pisistratus. The following morning the entire household is mobilized to perform the sacrifice to Athena. A heifer is brought and her horns are gilded with gold before she is ritually slaughtered. (Homer's detailed descriptions of these ceremonies continually remind us of the importance of ritual, decorum, and xenia in ancient Greek culture and the bad behavior of the suitors in Ithaca).

Telemachus and Pisistratus head for Sparta and the palace of the great king Menelaus and his queen Helen.

Homer's Odyssey, Book 2: Telemachus Sets Sail

Telemachus is going to take the advice that he received from "Mentes" because he correctly suspects that this was actually Athena in disguise. So the following morning he calls an assembly just as instructed. The men of Ithaca gather and Telemachus tells the suitors that they must leave his palace. But Antinous, the leader of the suitors, says "It's all your mother's fault Telemachus so why take it up with us? If she would just choose one of us instead of playing games then your troubles would be over." There is some argument about this and many of the men gathered there wonder why this problem at Odysseus's house concerns them. Then Zeus sends two eagles to dive bomb the crowd. Could this be an ill omen for the suitors? They dismiss it.

Telemachus then tells the suitors that he is going to Pylos and Sparta, to ask Nestor and Menelaus for news of his father. "If I hear that the great Odysseus is dead," he says, "then I'll give my mother to another husband." Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus's, turns to the group and asks them why they do nothing to help the prince and end the abuse of his household, but his appeal falls on deaf ears. "This is absurd," say the suitors, who believe they have nothing to fear from Telemachus. "Let's all go home." And they do.

(The household problem of Telemachus is outside the traditional purview of such assemblies in ancient Greece. In those days there was no central authority, no "state" or police force. Each household was sovereign and largely looked after its own affairs, including taking revenge for crimes against one of its members. Assemblies were called to discuss collective problems like protection from warring neighbors and the discussion was useful to the king, who might take the advice of the group and might not. As we know from our place in history, this system of justice gives way to more institutional forms. Is this one of the cultural changes heralded by the poem? See the post What is an Epic?).

Telemachus prays to Athena, "I know that was you! Help me." She comes in the guise of Mentor this time. "Get ready for your journey," she tells him, "and I'll help you get ready. Go to the palace and get the food and wine together and I'll get you a fast ship and a crew." Athena goes to the other fine households in Ithaca, appearing there as Telemachus, and secures the loan of a ship. She also inspires some of the best young men to join the adventure and to serve as his crew.

In the meantime, Telemachus is at the palace. Antinous and the other suitors try to engage him and smooth what they think are only ruffled feathers. But he rebuffs them and slips away to enlist the aid of his nurse Eurycleia. She is distraught when she hears his plans but he tells her that a god has given him this advice so there is no need to worry. "Don't tell my mother," he says, "because I'll be back before she knows it and don't want her to worry." Eurycleia is sworn to secrecy and helps the prince get his provisions.

That night, Athena showers sweet oblivion on the suitors and they return early to their own homes and beds. Telemachus sneaks out to the ship and meets the others. Inspired by Athena, he rallies the group and pours out libations to the immortal gods. They set sail for Pylos and the palace of the great king Nestor. The mini-odyssey of the son is now underway.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank goddess for Athena! and kudos to Telemachus for his sensitivity to her presence. This is how the ancient Greeks typically experienced and knew their divinities. They felt the presence (or absence) of an Other. It wasn't a matter of "believing" the way we talk about today. That we don't commonly use such poetic and evocative metaphors to describe our infusions of the extraordinary is a shame, part of the banal reductionism of our time. But you probably know what Telemachus has experienced. Have you have been visited by a powerful idea/intuition and filled with the sense that you could actually pull it off? Different deities or Others bring different forms of this experience. The Muse, for example, is creative inspiration. Athena is connected to intelligence, strategy, cunning, and courage, the artful application of power in other words. Her involvement with our hero and his son is a clue to the themes of the epic, and I invite you to watch for her visitations in your own life. She doesn't champion everyone but if she has chosen you...

(Image above is Telemachus and Mentor (which is the root of our word "mentor" meaning guide, and is connected to "mentos," or thinking, intent. This photo is a statue of Athena outside Athens University.)