Kosmos Society

Announcements,

The Odyssey with Bruce King — Saturdays this April

The Odyssey with Bruce King 4-Week Online Seminar offered by the New Alexandria Foundation Saturdays 1:00-4:00 pm ET (with breaks) 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25 Register Now! From the smoking ruins of Troy to the long-awaited homecoming in Ithaka, Odysseus leaves a wake of death, sorrow, and reinvention. As a hero and trickster, he slips in and out of identities—king, husband, father, son, stranger, storyteller. Wherever Odysseus goes, trouble follows, for… Read more

Book Club

Book Club | March 2026: The Kalevala 6–15

“I am ancient Wainamoinen,Friend and fellow of the waters,I, the famous wisdom- singer;went to woo a Northland maiden,Maiden from the dismal Darkland,Quickly galloped on my journey,Riding on the plain of ocean.I arrived one morning early,At the breaking of the day-dawn.” In March, we continue to read the epic, The Kalevala, from Rune 6 to the end of Rune 15. The gathering will take place on March 18, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.… Read more

Announcements, Video

Conversations with Gregory Nagy

We are delighted to share a series of Office Hours video discussions with Professor Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University. In these videos, the ordeals of becoming a hero are explored through the greatest works of Ancient Greek literature. In these ‘Ancient Greek Heroes’ Office Hours videos, Gregory Nagy and his colleagues provide additional explanations about the content and… Read more

Topic for Discussion

Best of all things is water

When Pindar says “Water is best, (ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ) and gold, like a blazing fire in the night, stands out supreme of all lordly wealth” in Olympian 1, he is not wrong. Life happens around water. It is hard to find an example that water is not present in our daily lives. Water cleans, nourishes, and heals. Who wouldn’t enjoy a nice bath? How about the ancient Greeks? In this… Read more

Book Club

Book Club: February 2026

In February, the Book Club will be reading, The Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland, translated by John Martin Crawford. The first meeting will cover starting from the proem to the end of Rune V. “Mastered by desire impulsive By a mighty inward urging, I am ready now for singing, Ready to begin the chanting Of our nation’s ancient folk song Handed down from by-gone ages.” You can find the… Read more

History

Fast and sacred ships

Some say that the Phaeacians built ships which moved with the swiftness of a raptor [irēx].[1] Their ships fly over water propelled by well-fitted oars [euēra eretma] that are like wings [ptera] for ships.[2] Some say Odysseus is next in line for breaking speed records with his ships that qualify as fast-sailing [ōkualos nēus].[3] Some say the fastest ships were the Iliadic ships that qualified as “swift” [thoos].[4] These are… Read more

Book Club

Book Club/ January 2026

On January 28, 2026 at 1:00 p.m EST, Kosmos Book Club will gather to discuss three articles by Edith Hall “Aristotle’s the Theory of Catharsis in its Historical and Social Context” “The Sociology of Athenian Tragedy” “Tragedy Personified” The discussion would start on the Forums and continue on the day of the gathering. The link would be posted on the Forums. Happy readings! Read more

Gallery

The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours | Gallery: Part 6

The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours[1] is based on a course that Professor Gregory Nagy has been teaching at Harvard University since the late 1970s. The book discusses selected readings of texts, all translated from the original Greek into English. The texts include the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey; selected Homeric Hymns; the Hesiodic Theogony and Works and Days; selected songs of Sappho and Pindar; selections from the Histories of Herodotus;… Read more

Topic for Discussion, Word Study

Food and drink | Part 1: Homer and Hesiod

At this time of year our thoughts often turn to food and drink, so we start our exploration of the topic in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry. Where does their food come from? What kinds of foods does the poetry represent? How is it prepared and served? There is evidence for herd animals being reared. For example, in the Odyssey Eumaios mentions the flocks on Ithaca and its neighbors: There are… Read more

Topic for Discussion

Divine Gifts

Pierre Judet de La Combe in his book Homère (2017) evokes the gifts of the gods which are ambiguous and double-edged. One example he mentions is Demodokos: 62 The herald came near, bringing with him a singer, very trusted, 63 whom the Muse loved exceedingly. She gave him both a good thing and a bad thing. 64 For she took away from him his eyes but gave him the sweetness… Read more