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
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