“Long prepared they for the wedding In Pohyola’s halls and chambers, In the courts of Sariola; Many things that Louhi ordered, Great indeed the preparations For the marriage of the daughter, For the feasting of the heroes, For the drinking of the strangers, For the feeding of the poor-folk, For the people’s entertainment.” For April, we continue reading the Finnish epic, The Kalevala. We will read Rune 16 to the… Read more
Lunch & Learn with Aisha Dad Through the Looking Glass: The Narrative Performance of Anarkali• Free Online Event • Thursday, March 26, 2026 • 12:30–1:30 p.m. ET • Online via Zoom Register Now! Join the New Alexandria Foundation for a lively conversation with Aisha Dad, author of Through the Looking Glass: The Narrative Performance of Anarkali. In this session, Dad explores how Anarkali’s narrative lives through performance and re-performance across architecture, travel… Read more
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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Ancient Greek
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