Cultural Notes on Book VIII
< Continued from page 2
Hephaestus created a virtually invisible net that would capture the pair in flagrante delicto. It worked. The gods were summoned to witness the coupling. The goddesses declined to come for reasons of modesty, but the gods all came and quite enjoyed themselves. One aspect that appealed to them was the idea that the crippled, ugly god could use craft to get the better of the gorgeous war god. Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to let the pair go, promising to make good on the bride gifts if Ares failed to pay them.
In this version, Aphrodite is Zeus' daughter, and Hephaestus, his son. Marriage was arranged among the gods as it might have been done on Earth and so Poseidon wants what would legally be his, the gifts he paid to his father-in-law for his bride. It has been suggested that there is a parallel between Odysseus and Hephaestus on the crafty side and Euryalus and Ares on the vigorous handsome side. [See: "Odysseus and Hephaestus in the 'Odyssey'," by Rick M. Newton. The Classical Journal, 1987] Ovid retells this story in the Metamorphoses.
(2)Demodocus is the blind bard who sings at the Phaeacian court. The Muses gave him the gift of singing beautifully, but at the cost of his sight. There is an obvious parallel with the story of the blind bard Homer. He gets the choice cut of meat when Odysseus serves it to him.
(3)Athletic contests were major events for the ancient Greeks and Romans. They were occasions for men to show that they were agathos 'good' and had arete 'virtue'. Only men who were capable of winning were allowed to enter. Being capable included being noble. Someone who was base-born would be expected to lose embarrassingly if he dared to enter. During the ancient Panhellenic games, one of the jobs of the officials was to prevent those unfit to participate from participating. Winning enhanced the reputation.
When Euryalus insults the stranger (the still unrevealed Odysseus) he accuses him of seeking profit rather than glory and of not being an athlete [p. 67 Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, by Donald G. Kyle] This meant he was baseborn and wouldn't be expected to be able to perform competently in the games. It also meant he shouldn't have been accorded the honor that Alcinous had offered him. When Odysseus hurled the discus further than anyone, he was able to reclaim his right to be treated well. Kyle suggests he chose the discus because he was so angry he was afraid of the damage he might do in hand-to-hand combat.
Odyssey in English
Odyssey Study Guide Contents
Some of the noteworthy features of the 8th Book of the Odyssey are the- the tale of the adultery between Ares and Aphrodite ll. 266-369
- the blind bard
- the games as a method for judging a man's worth
Hephaestus created a virtually invisible net that would capture the pair in flagrante delicto. It worked. The gods were summoned to witness the coupling. The goddesses declined to come for reasons of modesty, but the gods all came and quite enjoyed themselves. One aspect that appealed to them was the idea that the crippled, ugly god could use craft to get the better of the gorgeous war god. Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to let the pair go, promising to make good on the bride gifts if Ares failed to pay them.
In this version, Aphrodite is Zeus' daughter, and Hephaestus, his son. Marriage was arranged among the gods as it might have been done on Earth and so Poseidon wants what would legally be his, the gifts he paid to his father-in-law for his bride. It has been suggested that there is a parallel between Odysseus and Hephaestus on the crafty side and Euryalus and Ares on the vigorous handsome side. [See: "Odysseus and Hephaestus in the 'Odyssey'," by Rick M. Newton. The Classical Journal, 1987] Ovid retells this story in the Metamorphoses.
(2)Demodocus is the blind bard who sings at the Phaeacian court. The Muses gave him the gift of singing beautifully, but at the cost of his sight. There is an obvious parallel with the story of the blind bard Homer. He gets the choice cut of meat when Odysseus serves it to him.
(3)Athletic contests were major events for the ancient Greeks and Romans. They were occasions for men to show that they were agathos 'good' and had arete 'virtue'. Only men who were capable of winning were allowed to enter. Being capable included being noble. Someone who was base-born would be expected to lose embarrassingly if he dared to enter. During the ancient Panhellenic games, one of the jobs of the officials was to prevent those unfit to participate from participating. Winning enhanced the reputation.
When Euryalus insults the stranger (the still unrevealed Odysseus) he accuses him of seeking profit rather than glory and of not being an athlete [p. 67 Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, by Donald G. Kyle] This meant he was baseborn and wouldn't be expected to be able to perform competently in the games. It also meant he shouldn't have been accorded the honor that Alcinous had offered him. When Odysseus hurled the discus further than anyone, he was able to reclaim his right to be treated well. Kyle suggests he chose the discus because he was so angry he was afraid of the damage he might do in hand-to-hand combat.
Odyssey in English
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