A poignant scene in the Homeric Odyssey is when Odysseus’ dog recognizes him upon his arrival in Ithaka in disguise. This faithful dog, now old and sick due to the lack of care by the servants dies shortly after this recognition scene. The bond between Odysseus and Argos still touches us deeply. This was Argos, whom patient-hearted Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never had… Read more
We were excited to welcome Kevin McGrath for an Open House entitled “The Narrative Form of the Odyssey.” The event took place on Friday, August 14 at 11:00 a.m. EDT and was recorded. To get ready for the event you can read the passages below from the Homeric Odyssey which are also included in the first of the two handouts, “Moral Odysseus”: Handouts: Moral Odysseus (PDF) Homeric Odysseus (PDF) You… Read more
So when all other contests [aethloi] had an end, the goddess Thetis laid down in the midst great-hearted Achilles’ arms immortally wrought; and all around flashed out the cunning work with which mighty Hephaistos overchased the shield fashioned for the the dauntless-spirited descendant of Aiakos. ….. Then among the Argives Thetis dark-veiled in her deep sorrow for Achilles spoke these words [mūthos]: “Now all the contest [agōn] prizes [aethla] have… Read more
When I first heard that the British Museum was putting on an exhibition “Troy: Myth and Reality” I knew I had to go, and I was so happy that friends from the Kosmos Society were able to visit at the same time so we could share the experience with each other. In this post we continue our series of impressions and highlights. Upon entering the first part of the exhibition… Read more
We were excited to welcome Leonard Muellner and Douglas Frame for an Open House. The title of the discussion is: ‘An exploration of the relevance of Odysseus’s words about kingship in Odyssey 8 to the Ionian setting of Homeric poetry’. The event was live-streamed on Thursday, January 23, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. EST, and was recorded. To get ready for the event, you might like to read this article: An… Read more