“Dué argues that the attested multiforms of the Iliad—in ancient quotations, on papyrus, and in the scholia of medieval manuscripts—give us glimpses of the very long history of the text, access to even earlier Iliads, and a greater awareness of the mechanisms by which such a remarkable poem could be composed in performance. Using methodologies grounded in an understanding of Homeric poetry as a system, Achilles Unbound argues for nothing… Read more
Quick she changes form and feature, Makes herself another body; Takes five sharpened scythes of iron, Also takes five goodly sickles, Shapes them into eagle-talons; Takes the body of the vessel, Makes the frame-work of an eagle; Takes the vessel’s ribs and flooring, Makes them into wings and breastplate; For the tail she shapes the rudder; In the wings she plants a thousand Seniors with their bows and arrows; Sets… Read more
“Then they laid the child of wonder, Fatherless, the magic infant, In the cradle of attention, To be rocked, and fed, and guarded; But he rocked himself at pleasure, Rocked until his locks stood endwise; Rocked one day, and then a second, Rocked the third from morn till noontide; But before the third day ended, Kicks the boy with might of magic, Forwards, backwards, upwards, downwards, Kicks in miracles of… Read more
“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
“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