Review: The Odyssey by Homer (Translated by E.V. Rieu)

★★★★★

It does no good to utter empty words

I have been meaning to read this for a very long time, and now that I have, I wish I’d read it sooner. It was such an enjoyable read, and far easier to consume than I anticipated. I wish I had read it sooner, so that I could have known the entire story sooner, and engaged with this sources and its myths sooner. Before I get into my many thoughts, let’s have a look at the long history which encompasses the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a form of epic poetry which was written down in the 8th century BCE, however its history would date earlier than that, since its roots are in the oral tradition of Ancient Greece. This story would have initially been spoken orally before finally being written down. The story has been attributed to Homer, but is placed closer to the end of his life, since the style of it is a bit different than that of the Iliad, but it still contains classic Homeric features such as the repetition of epithets, phrases, and descriptors throughout the story. At it’s core, the Odyssey still retains its inherent Homeric-ness.

What is the Odyssey all about?

In summary, the Odyssey recounts the arduous, ten year voyage of Odysseus from Troy after the Trojan War, to his home in Ithaca. Overall, Odysseus was away for 20 years; 10 years at war and 10 years to get home. His voyage is full of adventures, mishaps and truly horrible events, and the 12,000 line poem recounts his journey, as well as the situation at home with his son Telemachus and wife Penelope. As Odysseus (our hero of the story), meets sorceresses who turn his men into pigs, travels to the underworld to talk to the ghosts of his friends, meets bloodthirsty cyclops and gets trapped on an enchanted island for 7 years (among other adventures), his wife Penelope is at home keeping many suitors at bay who wish to marry her under the assumption that Odysseus is not coming home. The men are eating Penelope and Telemachus out of house and home, and after 3 years, Telemachus goes to Pylos and Sparta to learn of any news Menelaus and Nestor may know of his father. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he is disguised as an old man by Athena, and pretends to be someone else until he gets the chance to kill the suitors and show himself to his patient wife.

There is a time for long tales, and there is a time for sleep

11.379

My Chaotic Thoughts

Right from the get go, I found this to be an easier read than the Iliad, although I thought that the first four books focussing solely on Telemachus (known as the Telemachy) was a bit boring. It definitely helped that I was prepared for Odysseus’ story to start after the first four books, though, so here’s your warning that it takes a bit to really get into the juicy bits. I found it so interesting that the story starts not at the beginning of Odysseus’ journey, but close to the end of it, and we learn about his misadventures as he tells his story to Alcinous of the Phaeacians. I loved the books detailing Odysseus’ journey, they were thrilling and somewhat disastrous, and I enjoyed it so much! His men though, were SO frustrating 😂 Here’s a run down of one of their adventures:

Odysseus: don’t eat the cows, they’re sacred.

His Men: okay …

Odysseus: wtf where’d this meat come from?

His Men: we ate some cows

Odysseus: *face palm*

Like, I couldn’t deal with them 😂😂 The section with Polyphemus was brutal and bloodthirsty, but Odysseus really was a smart cookie. The whole ‘nobody’ ruse (which I already knew from Percy Jackson, so thanks for that Rick), was clever and such a genius way out of a difficult situation! I was sort of expecting more in the section where Odysseus gets tied to his ship so he can listen to the sirens, so that was a bit anti climactic, but the rest was action packed and very enjoyable. I also thought, despite it being a prose translation, the whole thing still had such a poetic rhythm to it. Very well done in the translation department I think! I was also so surprised how much of the Odyssey was inspiration for the Percy Jackson books. I almost think that I enjoyed this story more, knowing how it’s been used as inspiration more than 2,000 years after it was written down! Towards the ending, we get more of Penelope and I loved it. I thought she was a bright, clever and perceptive woman who was strong, and kept her home and her son safe as best as she could. I thoroughly understand why she was seen as this ‘ideal woman’ in Ancient Greece, although definitely not for the same reasons they thought.

What a lamentable thing it is that men should blame the gods and regard us as the source of their troubles, when it is their own transgressions which bring them suffering that was not their destiny.

1. 33-34

This quote, from the VERY beginning of the epic really stuck with me throughout the reading of it. So many times did Odysseus and others blame their misfortunes on the gods, rather than their own choices and actions. For example here’s this quote '‘Father Zeus, you are the cruellest of gods. You have no compunction about dealing out misfortunes, misery and suffering to us men; yet it was you who caused up to be born’ (20.201-203). I mean, they blame everything on the gods, as if they have no free will, and of course they have the Fates, who they believed controlled the destinies of men, but still. It's so interesting to read their complete disbelief that the gods would treat them so badly, or cause such misfortune as if they forced every choice and action! The whole fate vs free-will concept in this epic is truly fascinating, and when I re-read it, it is definitely something I want to keep at the forefront of my mind.

Of course, I couldn’t help but comment on the way that women were talked about, referred to and treated in this story. One of the most hypocritical comments came from Agamemnon (what a shock… not!) who doesn’t hold back when talking about his wife and his death. When Agamemnon returned from Troy, he learnt that his wife had taken a lover, Aegisthus, and upon his arrival at Mycenae, he was killed by his wife, as was his concubine Cassandra. So, naturally, when Odysseus went to Hades, Agamemnon took the chance to whine to him about Clytemnestra the ‘treacherous schemer.’ Agamemnon states that ‘there is nothing more degraded or shameful than a woman who can contemplate and carry out deeds like the hideous crime of murdering the husband of her youth’ (11.428-430) and ‘in the depth of her villainy, she has branded with infamy not herself alone but the whole of her sex, even the virtuous ones, for all time to come’ (11.433-435). Not to mention that because of ‘women’s crooked ways’ (11.438) they are no longer to be trusted! So, let’s keep in mind that all of this, is coming from the man who literally KILLED THEIR DAUGHTER on the way to Troy, because HE had insulted Artemis (and also literally brought BACK a concubine from the war). Honestly, these men are such hypocrites and boy does it bug me 😂 Don’t even get me started on the way Telemachus speaks to his mother and the way Odysseus treats the maids and women who work for his household. The translation also uses the word ‘bitch’ as a descriptive of women quite a lot in this book, and I would be interested to know what the original word in Greek was. It seems like quite a violent word, and it was really jarring every time it was used, which was often thrown directly towards the woman in question. If anyone knows the Greek word used please let me know!!! One last point here, is at the very end, prior to killing the twelve women that Odysseus believes were disloyal to him and his home in the TWENTY years he was gone, he tells them to clean up the corpses of the suitors with the knowledge that they were about to die. That whole scene was barbaric and horrible and honestly, by the end of this story, I did not see Odysseus as a true hero, but definitely more morally grey than initially anticipated.

However, it is important to remember that we are reading these ancient epics from a completely different time than when they were composed, and it’s impossible to read these without bias, simply because there’s been over 2,000 years worth of change and development in the world since they were composed. BUT, this doesn’t mean you can’t have ISSUES with these stories, I mean really, you should have issues with them! They are working in an intrinsically misogynistic time which can be seen from the language and treatment used towards the women alone.

This is by no means all my thoughts, but they are the most prevalent ones that I wanted to write down! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this epic! Did you enjoy it? Did you like it more than the Iliad? Lemme know in the comments or come find me on Instagram @kell_read!

So you want to learn about Greek Mythology?

Hey friends, and welcome to a different kind of post! I recently made a video for work called The 12 Olympians: The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greek Mythology and for me, I had so much fun writing and filming it, and it was probably because I was already really familiar with the stories from Greek Mythology. I thought to myself, this would be a good place to start for people who are just starting to get into the wealth of stories that Greek mythology has to offer, but where should they go from there? So, this is a little post with some book recommendations for people who want to learn about Greek mythology but have no idea where to start, or are a bit overwhelmed with the number of books out there! I am absolutely going to be drawing on my own experiences from learning about Greek mythology, so if you have any suggestions or helpful tips for those people who want to learn more, please leave a comment down below!!

Books to Read (Fiction!)

I know this may sound weird, but the place I started on my journey to learning about Greek mythology and becoming completely obsessed with it was Percy Jackson. Unlike many other people, I didn’t read this until I was about 15 or16, and honestly, I wish I had read it sooner. Not because I thought that it was too young for me (I still adore it), but because it meant I would have been exposed to the world of Greek myths far sooner. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is the place I’d start for anyone wanting to dip their toe into Greek mythology. It’s a 5 book series but they’re all pretty short, easy to read and very entertaining. But, while you’re reading about Percy, Annabeth and Grover go on quests, you’re actually being exposed to a lot of the core gods, monsters and myths of Greek mythology. So much of these books were inspired by myths, and once you finish this series, you will be familiar with the basic family tree of the Greek gods (well, as familiar as a person could be with that incestuous mess), as well as key monsters and stories which you will find in the ancient sources such as the Odyssey by Homer and Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days. If you’re looking for more of a Young Adult book with a bit of action, then I would recommend giving Lore by Aexandra Bracken a read. It isn’t as full of Greek stories as the Percy Jackson series is, but you do still get a good glimpse into some of the beliefs of the ancient greeks, and specifically the myths of the goddess Athena. Along these same lines would be A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair (definitely more of an adult book), which is a re-imagining of the myth of Hades and Persephone, but it’s set in an alternate, urban setting. These books are fun, but also dive into a bunch of different myths concerning the goddess Persephone, the god Hades and a bunch others!

Online resources (Articles, Videos and Podcasts!)

This is the part of this blog post where I’m just going to hype up the company I have the pleasure to work for, as well as some of my friends who are doing an amazing job bringing Greek mythology and history to a modern audience, and making it accessible! Online resources are so handy, especially since they’re easily accessible and more often than not, they’re free! If you’d prefer to read some stuff, then I would recommend World History Encyclopedia (I am biased because I work for them, but they also do amazing work.) You can find an introductory article here on Greek Mythology which is such a great place to start, and from there you can find articles on all the main gods, goddesses, myths and legends! If you’re more of a video lover, then you’re in luck because we publish youtube videos twice a week, and so far we have published this video on the 12 Olympians, a video all about Hermes, a video on Artemis, and a bunch more! If you’re looking for some fun videos that combine cute makeup looks with greek myths, then you should definitely check out Hannah’s videos on YouTube! I LOVE her videos on the myths of Persephone and Hades, and Echo and Narcissus, they’re short and sweet, easy to follow and end up with a super cute makeup look! Finally, your one-stop-shop for videos on mythology, ancient history, philosophers, as well as interviews and book reviews is Erica’s incredible website Moan Inc. You can find Erica and Moan on Instagram, Youtube, podcasts and via her website, and she’s working so hard to bring the ancient world to a modern audience in an engaging and fun way!

Where to Next? Ancient Epics, Texts and Retellings!

Looking for something a bit more challenging? Already know the basics and you’re ready to dive in deeper? I would definitely recommend beginning with Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days. It’s a really short read, and although it’s an ancient text, it’s easy to read and is a great intro to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. If you want to know a bit more about Theogony and Works and Days you can have a look at my review here! From here, I would then recommend The Library of Greek Mythology (also known as Bibliotheca) by Pseudo-Apollodorus. It reads very similarly to Theogony and Works and Days, but it’s a bit longer and delves deeper into the stories and myths of Greek Mythology, and you will find the stories of heroes such as Heracles, Theseus and Jason. Then, of course, you have the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer! I would personally recommend the E.V. Rieu translation of these two which are written in prose but still keep their poetic roots, and they’re super easy to read for stories that are over 2000 years old. You can read my thoughts on the Iliad here! Just remember, every translation is different, so if you’re not clicking with the first translation you try, pick up a different one! If you’re a fan of theatre, then reading Ancient Greek theatre is an awesome way to become familiar with some of the important figures and stories from Greek myths, and even though only a handful survive from what would have been hundreds of plays, we still have plays about some of the most interesting figures from Greek mythology such as Medea, Jason, Antigone, Oedipus, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Orestes and Electra (just to name a few!) They’re definitely easier to read than something like Shakespeare, and many editions now give you fantastic commentary and background info on the plays! My favourites are Medea by Euripides, Antigone by Sophocles and the Oresteia by Aeschylus. One thing I’ve noticed particularly in the past year or so is a HUGE boom in retellings, especially feminist retellings or retellings from female points of view. This surge in retellings seems to have been pioneered by Madeline Miller with her books The Song of Achilles and Circe, which are both brilliant, but if you’re just starting to dip your toe into Greek mythology, give Stephen Fry’s books Mythos, Heroes and Troy a go! Fry has such an entertaining way of retelling the myths but making them feel new - and, his somewhat linear narrative of the foundational Greek myths in Mythos is truly a massive feat. I would definitely recommend Mythos as an easy and enjoyable first step in learning about Greek mythology. If you’re interested in reading Classical Greek stories from a females point of view, I have a bunch on my TBR pile which include Natalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships, Pandora’s Jar and The Children of Jocasta, as well as Pat Barker’s Silence of the Girls and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne. I haven’t read some of these yet, but I can only assume it would be helpful to come into them with a bit of a basis for the original stories and texts, so maybe hit these types of books once you’re nice and familiar with the core gods, goddesses, myths and monsters of Greek mythology.

Hopefully I have given you everything you could possibly need to start your journey with Greek mythology! As noted, this is from my personal experience, so if you have any book recommendations or tips on getting familiar with Greek mythology then please, leave a comment below or reach out on instagram where you can find me at @kell_read!

Review: The Iliad by Homer (translation by E.V. Rieu)

★★★★☆

— Okay so I do go through the main plot of the Trojan War, so I guess there are spoilers? But also, this story is over 2000 years old so if you don’t want to know the main events of the Iliad don’t read this review —

The start of my relationship with the Iliad didn’t go so well, which is why I have only now just finished it and didn’t read it all throughout my three-year Ancient History degree or honours year. In 2018 I picked it up for the first time, I struggled, I put it down after the damned Book 4 catalogue of the ships and never read anymore. I pretty much just gave up on it. I left it in my ‘currently reading’ on Goodreads for over a year until I took it off, knowing I wasn’t going to pick it back up. 

In August last year (2020), I thought to myself, this is dumb, it’s time to pick the Iliad back up and give it another try. You’re older and wiser now (lol), you can do this. So I picked it up, I got back into it (I skipped the catalogue of the ships though), and then about 50% of the way through, I put it down and didn’t pick it back up for months. Every now and then I’d pick it up, read a section and then put it down. Until about a week ago. I picked it up, and I started reading it. And I kept reading it, and I finished it in about 4 days. Maybe I wasn’t in the right headspace, or maybe I just kept wanting books that I didn’t have to focus so much on, or maybe the second half of the Iliad is just way better than the first half (that’s what I reckon), because honestly, I loved it. 

So, after all that! After trying to read it for literally YEARS, I ended up loving it. It’s weird. So let’s get into this! The Iliad, by Homer is an early epic poem from Ancient Greece. It is believed to have been written down for the first time in the 8th century BCE, but would have been a well-known tale by then. It was initially part of the rich culture of oral poetry in Ancient Greece before being written down. This concept of oral poetry would have meant regions may have adapted and changed parts based on their city and culture which is such a fascinating phenomenon. There is also the idea that Homer was not actually one person but a whole bunch of people, but that is definitely something for another day. 

The Iliad tells the tale of the last year of the Trojan War, which had been raging for 9 years prior to the beginning of this book. The Trojan war started because Paris, the son of Priam the king of Troy, abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus who was the brother of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Now obviously, Menelaus wasn’t okay with his wife being whisked off (voluntarily or against her will is also a topic for another day, and one that is still highly popular in discussions of the Trojan War), and so he pretty much rallied all the blokes he could from as many cities as possible to help him get Helen back. A lot of fighting happens, and the Iliad ends after the body of Hector (who has been killed by Achilles in response to Hector killing Patroclus) is returned to his family and wife. So that’s a simplified summary of the 10-year war. 

To the book! It was always so interesting reading this and remembering that this would have initially been spoken, not read. I absolutely loved keeping that in my mind whilst I read it, especially when passages were repeated and the use of epithets. You can only assume that these were features to keep it easier to memorise and relay to a crowd of people listening! The translation by E.V. Rieu was so wonderful, it was easy to read but didn’t feel to modern or jarring. I thought it really brought the story to life in a compelling way. 

I am not a fan of war books, I never have been and probably never will be. The fact that this documents the last year of the Trojan War wasn’t a good omen for me. I wouldn’t say that this is a traditional war book though, and honestly, the Greek gods are absolutely my favourite part of this. They are so vindictive, jealousy prone and downright human. They made me laugh so many times, they had childish feuds and are honestly just the most dysfunctional family you could imagine, and I am here for it. If you’re on the fence about it, read it if only for the part that Hera calls Artemis a ‘shameless bitch’ lol. 

The grief Achilles felt for the death of his closest friend and love, Patroclus, was palpable through the words. It was so raw, and the fact that he was wailing and displaying his grief in quite a feminine way was really interesting. The physical lament of pulling at hair and clothes was a tradition commonly observed by grieving women, so having Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Achaeans lamenting Patroclus in that way must have been a very explicit decision. I really would like to one day have my Ancient Greek abilities good enough that I could read this in the Greek. Anyone who thinks they weren’t lovers obviously hasn’t read the Iliad. I wouldn’t want my ashes to be buried in the same golden urn as someone who was just my super close friend. 

It’s hard to review a book that has over 2000 years’ worth of legendary history woven into it, but I thought it was such a great read (well definitely the last 50%). Reading how the citizens of Ancient Greece would have been living their lives in regards to their belief in the Greek gods is so incredibly interesting. How an arrow will go straight as long as you remember to sacrifice a young lamb in honour of Phoebus Apollo, as seen in Book 23 or if they have a favourite mortal, they will ferry them to safety without being asked. The complete incorporation of the Greek gods in the lives of every man and woman in this book is so striking. 

They’re my main thoughts and feelings about the Iliad, but I’m sure I’ll keep talking about it for a long long time, especially since I’d like to read different translations of it. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the Odyssey, and also Stephen Fry’s Troy. Have you read the Iliad? Which translation was it and did you enjoy it?? Lemme know! ❤️

Review: Theogony and Works + Days by Hesiod

★★★★☆

Theogony and Works + Days are both epic poems from the rich history of Greek epic poetry. They are dated to the 8th century BCE and credited to the greek poet Hesiod. Prior to being written down, these two epic poems were part of the oral traditions of Ancient Greece such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and would have been written down later than their initial telling by Hesiod. 

The Theogony, which comes from the Greek word ‘theogonia‘ meaning ‘birth [or generations] of the gods’ is aptly named since it is primarily concerned with describing how the universe came into being, and the genealogy of the titans, gods, monsters, nymphs, dryads, demigods and everything in-between. From chaos or chasm, came the Earth, misty Tartarus, Eros (the god of sexual love), Erebos, and Night. From them came Air and Day, starry Heaven, Mountains, Nymphs and the Oceanus. It all pretty much escalates from there. 

This founding myth of the creation of the universe is the cosmogony of Ancient Greece, and explains just how the universe came into being, and why things are. It’s honestly such an interesting read, I really enjoyed it. I loved the interconnectedness of the primordial gods to the rest of their offspring and beyond. Comments about how parts of the Theogony were from specific regions, and regional myths is so fascinating, and the fact that we have the knowledge that sections of the text would have been added in later blows my mind! This piece of work is over 2600 years old, and yet it can still be enjoyed in the modern day. 

The themes of power + violence, cycles of succession and family are so prominent in the work and are all interconnected within each other. These themes absolutely transcend time, with violence and power being hand in hand in our current political climate, although hopefully, we are on an upward trajectory away from that damaging time. Family remains as a massively important concept in the modern world, and it is often a device used in literary and cinematic works! This synthesis of such a massive variety of Greek myths and legends concerning gods and the universe needs to be appreciated more! 

The Works + Days though… not so much. This was definitely an interesting text, although not as enjoyable. It is very clearly split into different concepts which could only be read as a rule book of sorts. Sections such as myths and fables, works (evil is easy but virtue is hard), a calendar which tells the best time to plant + harvest crops, a calendar on when is best to travel by sea, advice on family management and a section at the end about days and basically which days to do things, and which days to not. It is definitely very intriguing, but not as fun to read. 

Works + Days is the first extant account of the concept of the ‘five stages of man’ which incorporates the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, the age of heroes and the Iron Age which is the age of Hesiod’s life. It is a Greek creation myth which essentially traces back the history of man through five stages, or races until it gets to the current stage. We also get the earliest written account of Pandora and her pithos (yeah, it was a jar not a box, sorry). Essentially, Hesiod says that women are the punishment of man, and because Pandora spilled the contents of her jar, the world is plagues by illness and all sorts of evils. When Pandora was created, she was bestowed traits by the gods and goddesses of Olympus including the skills of weaving, a deceitful nature and shameless mind and lies and crafty words. From this alone, you can understand the general attitudes towards women in Ancient Greece. 

Not only that, but I really hated reading the section about how men are ready for marriage at around 30 years old, but women (basically still girls), are perfect five years after menstruation began. So for some, as early as 15/16 years old. It’s easy to gloss over uncomfortable and confronting views and beliefs from the ancient world, but it is SO important to acknowledge that there was real issues, just as there is today. It’s okay to read a piece of classical literature and be uncomfortable! 

So, overall, I enjoyed reading these two works! They give us SO much information on Ancient Greek beliefs and understanding of the world around them, and of general ideas of everyday life as a farmer. They are really interesting pieces, fairly easy to read and plenty of notes to supplement the reading as you go. I would definitely recommend reading these if you’re a fan of Greek Mythology and the ancient world!