Been too long since I read the Odyssey

[burythehatchet]

and I was too young to understand the underlying parables.

I've been watching Helen of Troy and I'm curious as to what you might believe to be the spiritual lesson in the story, and who represents what archetype, Also, what are your thoughts on how this myth compares to the Bhagavad Gita, or other mythology?

The story is so rich in symbolism and I would really enjoy listening to what others have thought about the Helen of Troy myth.

[burythehatchet]

1. Paris just shot an arrow through Achilles

guess where the arrow hit him.

[JuniperLea]

2. hehe!

have you ever watched 'oh brother where art thou?'

[burythehatchet]

3. I have and I was aware

that it was based on the Odyssey.

btw, Agamemnon is a real douchebag.

[Hand]

4. That's pretty evident...

...since this thread is clearly about the Iliad!



:evilgrin:

[pdx_prog]

5. I went to my daughter's

high school last night (she is in 9th grade) and found out she has to read the Odyssey, along with Romeo and Juliet this year....

I told her she would love the Odyssey, but for some reason she didn't believe me...:)

[dancing kali]

6. The Iliad

not the Odyssey. The Iliad covers the period of the Trojan War and Helen. The Odyssey covers the journey of Odysseus back home from the fun and games in Troy.

The film that's been on A&E is slightly more faithful to the Iliad than the Brad Pitt "Troy" which didn't have much to do with Homer's epic other than story line. To both film's credit... they aren't bad Olympus movies - no over the top ham actors portraying the various gods and goddesses. Personally, I feel both films fall short of the original story.

Are there lessons? Well, for Paris, if a trio of beautiful anthropomorphic personifications of archetypes (Hera - queen/wife/mother, Athena - wisdom & war, Aphrodite - beauty and passion) ask you which one is the most beautiful... Run. As fast as you can in another direction. For Agamemnon, if the local 'virgin' goddess asks for the life of your daughter in exchange for 'fair winds' and you agree to the terms... better to off her mother at the same time, because she is going to be royally pissed and will have her revenge. The lesson of Achilles - being a hero doesn't make one a good person. Odysseus' lesson in the Odyssey is not to offend the gods because they have a nasty sense of humor.

The Iliad and The Bhagavad Gita are comparable only as mythological tales on a secular level. The Bhagavad Gita is considered to be a sacred text. The Iliad, despite having certain philosophical overtones, is found in the literature section of the bookstore and the Bhagavad Gita is found in the 'religion and philosophy' section.

In the Iliad, no one reaches any kind of spiritual enlightenment. They all, save for Odysseus, and he gets 20 more years of trials and tribulations before getting to live happily ever after with the faithful Penelope, have tragic ends.

You got me started on one of my favourite subjects and while I would love to continue this and maybe even edit it, I'm running late. I have to get going to work. Sorry if the above doesn't make any sense - I've been trying to type quickly.

[burythehatchet]

7. Thanks so much for the excellent summary

I agree that the film on A&E is quite good. Your answer to the comparison is interesting. I am an avid follower of the Gita and your thesis is well received. I believe that mythology is mythology in any language and religion. The Gita does intent to illuminate a path of self discovery, whereas Greek mythology does not seem to do that in this instance. Although I think other myths do go in that direction.
In a way I bvelieve its indicative of the difference between eastern and western philosophy. i.e., inward journey vs. outward journey. While all journeys can be interpreted as inward in nature, eastern myths seem to arrive at the effects of external interactions on the self, as opposed to the interactions themselves.
I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but there's a thought in there somewhere.

[Hand]

8. The best translations....

If you want to read either or both of these extraordinary works, are the ones by Robert Fagles, IMHO. They capture the simultaneous roughness and elegance of the original Greek beautifully, and are poetry in their own right.

Hmm... just had a thought. Paris was the Trojan Dubya--quite the chickenhawk in his way, and more than happy to let everyone else do the dying for him.

It's notable that the oldest surviving work of Western literature is a war epic--and arguably an anti-war epic. That 3500-year-old (or so) literature is so vivid and beautifully crafted never ceases to blow my mind. Quite the civilization they had back then...

:hi: