Francesco Hayez: Odyssseus at the court of Alcinous 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… Read more
Image A: Hēraklēs supported Athena on the left. Geryon on the right supported by his mother Callirhoe (barely visible). Orthros already slain by a Hydra-poisoned arrow. [Geryon addresses Menoites] “Do not with talk of chilling death try to frighten my manly heart, nor (beg me) … for if I am by birth immortal and ageless, so that I shall share in life on Olympos, then it is better (to endure)… Read more
I was familiar with some of the longer Homeric Hymns, which are available in the Text Library in translations by Gregory Nagy[1], but I had not previously paid much attention to the shorter Homeric Hymns. Gregory Nagy, in “The Earliest Phases in the Reception of the Homeric Hymns,”[2] has explained that the setting for the Homeric Hymns were festivals; and that they started with a prooemium. He also points out… Read more
When one thinks about Greece nowadays, surrounded by sea with crystal clear water, delicious food, and especially sea-food, comes to mind. It is peculiar that, in antiquity, fish was not used in sacrifices. Fish and gods did not get along well. Fish is not a sacrifice gods fancy. In Aristophanes’ Knights, Aristophanes criticizes Pericles with a grain of humor. And by Zeus! he carries off bread, meat, and slice of… Read more
Listening to or reading a Greek tragedy is not an easy exercise. When the chorus appears, often people pass the text, if they are reading, and start daydreaming if they are part of an audience. It was like that for me for a long period, then I discovered the beauty of the text. I began to find interest in the place given to the chorus in a drama. We know… Read more