~ A guest post by Sarah Scott ~ As some of you know, Jack Vaughan and I have been reading the Old English poem Beowulf together, using the same slow reading techniques and discussions that we have been used to in HeroesX and Hour 25 [= Kosmos Society]. Recently we were looking at a passage in which a poet tells a story, and of course it brought to mind the… Read more
I am talking, I [= Socrates] said, about those [desires and pleasures] that are awakened when one part of the soul [psūkhē] sleeps—I mean the part that is rational [logistikon] and domesticated [hēmeron] and in control [arkhon] of the other part, which is beast-like [thēriōdes] and savage [agrion]. Then, [when the rational part is asleep,] this other part, which is glutted with grain [sīta] or intoxicants [methē], starts bolting [skirtāi]… Read more
We were pleased to welcome David Elmer of Harvard University to discuss ‘epaineîn and the Poetics of Consent in Homer’. To prepare for the discussion, David Elmer suggested participants might like to read the following focus passages: Iliad 1.9–25 Iliad 3.455–461 through Iliad 4.1–67 Iliad 18.249–313 Iliad 23.532–542 Iliad 24.723–776 These passages, with additional key terms, are included in the following PDF file for reference: Open House David Elmer-Focus Passages (PDF)… Read more
~A guest post by Jacqui Donlon and the Oinops Study Group~ You may remember that at the end of our last post “Oinops, Sacrifice and Ritual,” we, the Oinops Study Group, decided to reach out to our Hour 25 Community for a mentor. We had discovered much, but fitting the pieces together to establish the system of oinops needed some help. We wanted to understand the use of oinops in… Read more
Heroes in Tragedy—Live Event and Webcast Dialogue with Professor Gregory Nagy Hour 25 participants living in the Greater Boston area and learners around the world are invited to participate in a dialogue session led by Professor Nagy on Monday, Nov. 10 2014 at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Be introduced to the joy of reading ancient literature, and to seeing those ancient themes reflected in the works of our own time. Incorporating materials… Read more