godsofhumanity - Tumblr blog

godsofhumanity · 8 days ago

Text

BOOK VIII | HOMER'S ODYSSEY | LITERATURE REVIEW

SUMMARY: King Alcinous prepares a ship for Odysseus and presents a massive banquet. During the feasting, a blind bard named Demodocus sings of the victories and tragedies of the Trojan War while Odysseus, identity still hidden, struggles not to weep over the loss of his comrades.

previous book / all books / next book

at the end of Book 7, Alcinous promised Odysseus a ship and a crew. at the start of Book 8, Alcinous makes good on that promise and has his people prepare a ship. while they wait, Odysseus and Alcinous have a feast.

now, in Book 3, i wrote about how the bard is really important for reminding people about what's important, especially as a tool for preserving relationships. between the Iliad and the Odyssey, we see a great variety of relationships; Hector and Andromache as the ideal Greek husband and wife who are torn apart by the realities of war, Helen and Paris as an immoral couple lovers-to-enemies sorta thing and then later in the Odyssey, Helen and Menelaus as an ideal couple during a time of peace, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra as a couple split apart by their own greed and lust, and of course, Penelope and Odysseus-- a pair whose marriage is tested by the presence of other lovers but ultimately will prevail owing to their own cunning and determined wills.

so, again, when Penelope wanted the bard to stop singing back in Ithaca because it was reminding her of Odysseus, here we see Odysseus struggling with that same experience; he's at a feast, and some bard is busy banging on about the war that he's trying to move on:

"... the muse inspired Demodocus to sing... the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles... the beginning of the evil that by the will of Zeus fell both upon Danaans and Trojans. Thus sang the bard, but Odysseus drew his purple mantle over his head and covered his face for he was ashamed to let the Phaeacians see that he was weeping." (Book VIII, the Odyssey)

Odysseus MUST continue listening to the song, not in the least coz if he says to stop it'll give away his identity, but because he needs to remember who he is and what he is fighting for and what he is trying to get back home to; this is absolutely essential if his relationship with Penelope is to survive.

going deeper into the song itself, we are told that the bard sings about a quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles. we actually don't know specifically what this quarrel was specifically about but I found a really nice analysis of the moment that shows that Achilles and Odysseus are two great heroes who represent two different ideals.

the Greeks had a term bíē which describes might or strength. this is something heavily associated with Achilles who, we know, was the powerhouse for the Achaeans due to his insane physical strength.

a second term, mêtis (which you will realise is like Metis, goddess of wisdom and everyone's favourite godly strategist Athena's mum), means strategem and artifice (i.e., trickery and cunning). this is obviously exemplified in Odysseus, king of cunning.

the Iliad shows us that there is a time and place for both strength and cunning-- it's strength that lets the Achaeans dominate the battlefield under Achilles' lead, but it's cunning that gets the Greeks into Troy in the wooden horse suggested by Odysseus.

so, this quarrel between Achilles and Odysseus is referring to that constant battle in choosing wits over strength or vice versa.

now, while Odysseus listens to the bard, he covers his head with a purple mantle. you may recall that earlier, Arete, queen of the Phaeacians, was weaving with purple thread. so the identification of Odysseus' mantle as purple cements the idea that he has come under the roof and protection of the Phaeacians and possibly, whatever good fortune they have had so far (remembering that the Phaeacians were dear to the gods) is probably transferred in part to Odysseus as well, at least, for the remainder of his stay with them.

when the bard takes a break, the Phaeacian youth start to play sports; discus, running, jumping, boxing... the works.

at one point, a young man named Euryalus is bold enough to taunt Odysseus-- they still have no idea who he is, but everyone looks at how buff Odysseus is and how toned his muscles are, and they all figure out that he must, at the very least, be some sort of athlete.

so even though everyone knows that he has had a very difficult journey, being tossed about and nearly drowned at sea, Euryalus tries to goad Odysseus into participating in the sports-- it is not kindness that motivates Euryalus, but ego; he wishes to prove himself the best... Homer already writes that Euryalus was the best of the young men at wrestling.

and when Odysseus refuses (he's tired AF), Euryalus then pokes fun at Odysseus' honour, saying that he probably doesn't want to compete because he's actually lame as hell at sports:

"I gather, then, that you are unskilled in any of the many sports that men generally delight in... There does not seem to be much of the athlete about you." (Euryalus to Odysseus, Book VIII, the Odyssey)

insulting your guests? BAD XENIA!!!!

the scene reminds me of Telemachus' own troubles with the suitors in his house.... there, he treats them hospitably but they take advantage and disrespect him.

here, Odysseus is the stranger in the house, but although he has treated the Phaeacians and their king with utmost respect and honour, Euryalus takes advantage and disrespects Odysseus, calling him a coward.

immediately, Odysseus defends his honour and swings a disc soooo hard it flies well beyond any length any of the youth could throw. in doing so, it is more than likely that he reveals himself to Alcinous; based on Odysseus' bitter reaction to the bard's recount of Troy and Odysseus' godly features and Odysseus' crazy heroic strength.... i think Alcinous has a pretty good idea of who exactly has washed up on his shores.

now, while Odysseus is schooling Euryalus, he reveals something that we might not have realised about Odysseus before:

"I am a good hand at every kind of athletic sport known among mankind. I am an excellent archer." (Odysseus to the Phaeacian youth, Book VIII, the Odyssey)

at the end of the Odyssey, archery is going to play a very important role in the final step for Odysseus to take back his throne in Ithaca. Penelope's recognition of his skill with the bow is also just another one of those intimate details you would expect a spouse to know about their own spouse, and it highlights how close Penelope and Odysseus are; how strong their relationship is.

the bard sings again later, this time recounting the tale of Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus.

this moment obviously serves as a bit of lighthearted relief from the tension growing between Odysseus and the Phaeacians and also the dreariness of the war,, but i really like the part where Apollo asks Hermes if he'd try and sleep with Aphrodite, and Hermes doesn't simply say yes, he says that even if Hephaestus was going to string him up on display like he did with Ares but with 3x the amount of chains, and everyone was staring at him, he'd still give it a shot because Aphrodite's just that hot..... Hermes was DOWN BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anyways. on a deeper level, since the Odyssey is about the strength that lies in cunning, the story of Hephaestus' revenge against Aphrodite and Ares is yet another example of how being smart about something is often better than just using brute force and hoping for the best.

Ares is the peak of physical strength for the gods but he is laid low even by Hephaestus, who had a physical deformity and was considered weak by the other gods. even so, he uses his cunning to turn his weakness into his own strength...

LitCharts also draws a parallel between Hephaestus and Odysseus during the scene when Odysseus fights the Cyclops-- they, like Ares, were extremely strong and could have crushed Odysseus, like Ares could have crushed Hephaestus,, but Odysseus' wits save him, just like Hephaestus' wits preserve his honour though Ares humiliates him.

later, there's a gift-giving scene and Arete offers Odysseus a golden goblet. in the previous books, Book 4 (i think!), Telemachus was also offered a beautiful goblet by Menelaus. i still haven't really figured out the symbolism of the goblet over the mixing bowl that Telemachus chooses instead, but there is a clear connection with Odysseus receiving a goblet and Telemachus also.

we also get the first mention of Circe in Book 8-- Odysseus ties the treasure chest that Arete gives him with a, presumably magic, bond that Circe has shown him:

"...[Odysseus] put the lid on the chest and made it fast with a bond that Circe had taught him." (Book VIII, the Odyssey)

i didn't actually realise that Odysseus had already spent time with Circe-- i thought he was with Calypso for ages, and then meets Circe at which point Telemachus also finds him... but maybe this is not true.... idk! it's my first time reading it hahahah!

anyways. the last scene in the book which i find important is the bard singing, once again, about Troy, but this time it's in more detail-- it's about the end of the war which we actually didn't hear about in the Iliad because the last book of the Iliad is Achilles returning Hector's body to Priam, and Troy burning him on his funeral pyre. and that's it. we don't know what happened to either side after that!

but here, the bard recounts the role of the Trojan Horse, architected by Odysseus, and also how the Achaeans emerged from the horse to sack the city and how they fought violently to eventually win.

Odysseus, listening in all of this, starts to cry... but the description of the way he cries is very detailed:

"[Odysseus] wept as a woman weeps when she throws herself on the body of her husband who has fallen before his own city and people, fighting bravely in defense of his home and children. She screams aloud and flings her arms about him as he lies gasping for breath and dying, but her enemies beat her from behind about the back and shoulders, and carry her off into slavery, to a life of labour and sorrow, and the beauty fades from her cheeks." (Book VIII, the Odyssey)

the Odyssey is obviously not about Hector, but looking at the story of the Trojan War as a whole, i cannot help but be drawn to so many parallels between Hector and Andromache, and Odysseus and Penelope.

Hector and Andromache are the ideal couple but on the losing side of the war. Odysseus and Penelope are the ideal couple but on the winning side of the war.

for the losers, Andromache suffers the heartache of Hector's death, she becomes displaced from her society, her family. her infant son is, according to Euripides, thrown off the ramparts of Troy by Neoptolemus at the advice of Odysseus, and she, now a slave, becomes the concubine of Neoptolemus.

for the winners, Penelope suffers the heartache of being apart from her husband for many decades. she is so far away from him. she has no idea whether he has fallen in battle, what his injuries may be or when he will return to her.

yet, in spite of their circumstances, both Andromache and Penelope remains ever loyal to their husbands. Andromache remains ever in mourning for Hector, never forgetting him. Penelope remains ever waiting for Odysseus, always spurning the suitors who try to distract her from her husband.

now, why am i talking about Andromache all of a sudden?? well, the way Odysseus cries--- his wailing is exactly like that of Andromache's in Book XXIII of the Iliad when Hector's body is finally returned.

she throws herself on his body, and weeps, and she is carried off into slavery just as the passage in the Odyssey describes. there is a sense of universal suffering and pain. in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, we are constantly reminded of the tragedy of war and the burdens that weigh on the soul for both those who win and those who lose.

last of all. the book ends with a strange prophecy. Alcinous reveals that, all though the Phaeacians are very blessed, in his father's time it was foretold that:

"... one of these days [Poseidon] should wreck a ship of ours as it was returning from having escorted someone, and bury our city under a high mountain." (King Alcinous to Odysseus, Book VIII, the Odyssey)

spoilers! Odysseus is a bad omen for the Phaeacians... nevertheless, though he knows the risks, Alcinous never dishonours Odysseus and remains true to his word- he prepares a ship and bravely offers it to Odysseus.

in the next book, Odysseus will reveal his identity, and also fill us in on what exactly happened in between leaving Troy and getting caught by Calypso.

#long post #homer #the odyssey #review

5 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 9 days ago

Text

BOOK V-VII | HOMER'S ODYSSEY | LITERATURE REVIEW

SUMMARY: Ordered by Zeus, Calypso helps Odysseus build a raft. After seventeen days of sailing, Poseidon wrecks the raft and leaves Odysseus stranded in the land of the Phaeacians. There, he appeals to Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous of the Phaeacians, who readily treats him hospitably, and shows him the way to King Alcinous' house.

previous book / all books / next book

compared to the previous books, i feel that Book 5 of the Odyssey is a relatively simple and quick read. there isn't too much deeper imagery or metaphors, which is, perhaps, a bit surprising considering that this is the first time we get to actually hear from Odysseus himself.

anyhow. we begin with Athena begging Zeus to help Odysseus get back, and Zeus, of course, unable to deny his favourite child anything, concedes and sends Hermes to tell Calypso that it's time for her to stop playing house with Odysseus.

everyone in the mythology community knows that Odysseus is best associated with three women; his wife Penelope, and his two "lovers" Calypso and Circe. tbh, i've seen a lot of people arguing about whether Odysseus really was like every other mythical guy ever and was a willing participant in those latter relationships, but here, in Book 5, we hear the truth: Odysseus did NOT want to be on Calypso's island.

in fact, we hear that when he's not asleep, Odysseus spends all his time weeping and groaning for the fact that he's not at home:

"[Calypso] found [Odysseus] sitting upon the beach with his eyes ever filled with tears, and dying of sheer homesickness; for he had got tired of Calypso, and though he was forced to sleep with her in the cave by night, it was she, not he, that would have it so." (Book V, the Odyssey)

this is such a great parallel with what's happening back in Ithaca with Penelope. she too is plagued by suitors who are interested in her but she's not interested in them! and she, like Odysseus, is utterly sick with want for her true spouse, her true love, and is basically in tears over their separation:

"[Penelope] held a veil, moreover, before her face, and was weeping bitterly. "... it breaks my sorrowful heart, and reminds me of my lost husband whom I mourn ever without ceasing..."" (Penelope in Book I, the Odyssey)

furthermore, i think it's very curious that Odysseus is OFFERED the chance to be IMMORTAL by Calypso; a state in which he would be free, really, of the pains that come with being mortal, the heartache... he could be forever young and beautiful with own young and beautiful wife Calypso. but Odysseus rejects this offer firmly; he only longs for Penelope.

this scene, to me, is just the pinnacle of the human experience. what Odysseus and Penelope have is both temporary and forevermore enduring. their lifespans are short compared to the gods', but their love is strong and real and deep, and even though they have been parted for more than a decade, still they long for each other.

also, sidetrack-- Calypso is absolutely right to me when she says that plenty of male gods have done exactly what she did; e.g., Zeus taking Ganymede, while most of the female gods who did the same, e.g., Eos with Orion, Demeter with Iasion, got punished so bad for it.... Calypso was wrong for what she did, but still!! she has an excellent point on the double-standards. and Hermes doesn't even have a good counter. he knows she's right.

anyways, after this, Odysseus goes on his raft ride and Poseidon rips him to SHREDS... Athena helps him survive, and then, at the end of Poseidon's rage moment, he ends up helping Odysseus make it to the shore after Odysseus prays earnestly. so.... classic Poseidon whimsy moment there.

in Book 6, Nausicaa, a young Phaeacian princess, is advised by Athena to take her family's dirty clothes and wash them by the sea where she meets Odysseus, who is looking like a total wreck, and feeling that she was probably meant to find him, she helps him navigate back to the house of her father, King Alcinous.

again, not much deeper symbolism is in Book 6, just like Book 5, except that Homer very specifically describes King Alcinous' wife (Arete) as weaving with purple thread.

purple thread, back in Ancient Greece, was super EXPENSIVE so i believe that the purple colour indicates that the Phaeacians are a very wealthy people, but also moreover, that they are very blessed by the gods. in Book 5, Zeus said that Odysseus would find peace with the Phaeacians because they are beloved by the gods, so i think this purple thread just reminds us that these are good, blessed people.

another fun fact. the Phaeacians appear in the tale of Jason and the Argonauts; when the Colchians come after Medea and Jason, Jason finds refuge with the Phaeacians on an island called Drepane and they agree to give Medea up if she's not a virgin, but protect her if she really is married to Jason-- and of course, she is, so they receive every honour and protection from Alcinous and his wife. considering that it was Hera's will that Jason and Medea be married, i think Alcinous' insistence that Jason and Medea be married in order to be protected just solidifies the idea of the Phaeacians being dear to the gods and on a similar wavelength to them.

at the end of Book 6, Athena shows off her cunning by helping Odysseus without revealing herself-- this is very important because, even though Athena, as a goddess, is very good at fighting and war-making, she is NOT a brute as we often see Ares depicted. she will avoid unnecessary conflict. even though the Odyssey is not about Ares, i just think this is a very important moment when comparing Ares and Athena's characterisations.

in Book 7, Odysseus meets Nausicaa, and she also shows great cunning. she's a young girl, unmarried, and it would be sooooo improper for her to talk with Odysseus, a stranger, an older man, and yet she ALSO knows that it would be improper to just leave him be in the state of distress that he is so obviously in (can i say xenia again??? that theme keeps coming back!).

so what to do? she cleverly advises Odysseus to: 1) take a bath, 2) take some of her family's clothes that she's washing so he's not walking around tackle-out, and 3) return to the town following the path that she's going to take, but NOT at the same time as her, because otherwise people will gossip about Nausicaa and think that she was being indecent. she preserves BOTH her honour, and helps a stranger.

Odysseus catches on to her plan, and even though the idea of going back to town was Nausicaa's, when he meets her father in his house, he is very careful to take credit for it and not mention that Nausicaa suggested it first-- this prevents anyone from suggesting any weird lewd things about Nausicaa and Odysseus, but also shows Alcinous that Odysseus is an honourable and intelligent man... so honourable and intelligent, that Alcinous doesn't hesitate to offer Nausicaa's hand to him anyhow.

now. tbh, considering how much moaning and groaning Odysseus was doing in the previous books, pining after Penelope, i really thought he'd go "oh no sir, my wife is waiting for me and im desperate to get back to her", but instead, in my translation, Odysseus only says:

"Father Zeus, grant that Alcinous may do all he has said..." (Book VI, the Odyssey)

obvs he's referring to Alcinous' promise to give him a ship, but i mean... idk,. i thought he'd say something more.

anyhoo!!! in Book 8, Odysseus' past journey in Troy is revealed to King Alcinous, who, we must remember, actually has no idea who the hell Odysseus is at this point!

#homer #long post #review #the odyssey

5 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 9 days ago

Note

Hey I'd like to apologize for flooding your inbox with Ra stuff

I got confuzzled :/

NEVER APOLOGISE FOR FLOODING MY INBOX ❤️❤️ I LOVE TALKING 🔊🔊🔊

mythology is CONFUSING!! that’s what makes it fun to pull together different myths and try to make your own coherent version 💙

#anon #anonymous #asks

1 note · View note

godsofhumanity · 9 days ago

Note

Wait is it both Amun and Atum that's synchronized with Ra AAAAAAA

Same anon, sorry, I'm not spoiledlettuce

omgg sorry i saw ur other ask,,, firstly sorry for guessing ur user wrong 😭😭 wasn’t trying to expose you or anything i realised how it might’ve come scross after posting 😔😔 i just saw the ask come in between an influx of activity and thought i knew something but i didntttt i was just silly and careless so i am SORRY 🙏

um but anyways. DONT BE EMBARRASSED!!!! egyptian mythology is HARD because depending on who was pharaoh or which part of Egypt you came from, you had different gods or called the same gods by different names… so i completely get you!!!

i think Amun was synchronised with Ra during the New Kingdom period, and before that he was probably his own god; a creator god. but i don’t know if there is much known about him prior to that. i think in my head i would just say that Amun and Ra are one and the same.

with Atum, again, i think he had a more clear and defined role in early Egyptian history but in the Middle and New Kingdom eras got conflated with Ra… so basically. EVERYBODY IS RA!!!!!!

in my hc’s, it doesn’t really benefit the story to have the gods as aspects of each other, i think for a casual mythology enjoyer it is easier to just define them individually. so i think of Atum and Ra as separate, and then Amun doesn’t even exist. like he’d just be another name or disguise of Ra’s.

ummmmm also yayyyy i’m so happy you liked my creation lore!! i thought about it last nite after ruminating on the previous hc post for a while hee hee

these are my silly drawings detailing my thought creation myth so i wouldn’t forget it in the morning!!!

#don’t worry btw i won’t be trying any silly url guessing games anymore i was so stupid for that im sorry once again!!!#asks #anon #anonymous

4 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 9 days ago

Note

Anything in mind for Atum and his relationship with Ra?

okieee ummm yes i DO!! but i feel like i first need to explain my version of the egyptian cosmology myth because, as i said on my previous post, there are SEVERAL versions.

so. in the beginning, there was Chaos. this is like, a state of the world where it's just untamed, uncontrollable energy. and nothing can exist while Chaos exists. entwined with Chaos are the Primeval Waters, which can never really get enough room to make anything solid since Chaos is always destroying/eating everything.

UNTIL. eventually, the Primeval Waters mix in just the right way to produce Atum, who is like, the very First Guy Ever. and the birth of Atum causes the Primeval Waters to split from Chaos; i like the idea of Atum holding back Chaos with their left hand, and the Waters with their right hand.

um. quick sidetrack here-- Atum is neither male nor female... i think they typically assume the form of an old man when they walk so usually in that form, he'd be addressed as a Lord. but anyways, not really relevant.

um. so, then, with their right hand, Atum causes the Primeval Waters, which are pretty RECKLESS and ROUGH, to recede, and this unveils the mound of earth from which Ra is born.

when you think of Ra being born, just imagine it to be like. the very First Sunrise Ever. the whole world was pretty dark and all of a sudden, the most dazzling light you have ever seen emerges from the earth and shoots up into the sky. Ra has no form at this time, he's just a ball of light,,, and he immediately goes up to Chaos because Chaos is trying to destroy all this stuff that's just randomly appeared, and so he takes up his first Battle with the primordial beast, Apep.

and this frees Atum's hand to continue creating. now, while Ra fights, he creates Ma'at to protect the earth. Ma'at is NOT the sky, obviously, but just think of her like this invisible boundary that makes it difficult for Apep to go through and reach Creation. she's ORDER; the opposite of Apep's CHAOS. and she too, like how Ra is really just a ball of fire, she's not conscious; she has no body to walk the earth with yet.

while Ra and Apep fight, Atum creates their first children; Shu and Tefnut who are the atmosphere and moisture, and they create an environment suitable for life to begin to grow.

now the earth erupts; at the mound where Ra was born, a volcano forms and when it bursts, Ptah, the third primordial god who is born without any true parent, is born from the magma-- hence his association with craftsmen and architects;; i think of him as a bit of a blacksmith.

before this time, there's been no talking or anything like that. coz, as i said, all the gods are in their primordial form.. AND, they are nameless. this is super important because in Ancient Egypt, they believed that ren (one's name/identity) was essential for being able to have a soul/move about in the afterlife, etc. and so, for the gods, to not yet have a name is the reason that they are so wild and untamed and a bit chaotic, and they can't really make any other "beings" as such.

but Ptah is the first to speak. and he names himself; he gives himself his own ren, which in the tongue of men is Ptah.. but of course, Ptah wasn't speaking english, he would have had his own primordial tongue which can only be heard by the primordial gods; Ra and Atum. it was not heard by Shu, Tefnut, Ma'at and Thoth because they weren't "conscious". i think any other god who hears the primordial language will idk.. their ears will bleed.. their eyeballs will burn. and a mortal? ha. they will definitely combust.

anyhow... so Ptah speaks first, and he invents language. and he also names Ra and Atum, or at least, he gives voice to the ren and everything else, and this is how Atum and Ra are able to have a form; a physical body.

and then Ra creates Thoth, fully grown. and Thoth invents writing and hieroglyphics, and he records everything that happened.

continuing on, we know other gods get created, i think Ptah creates men, and the gods live amongst mortal men in houses crafted by Ptah.

i also think that, Ra, whose body is made of the sunlight itself, was so bright that he was basically burning up the earth and so Ptah advised him that he would make him a boat, and he could travel through the sky, always moving, so that life on earth could grow but he could still fight Apep-- so that is how the sun came to move around the earth-- remembering obvs that this is how the egyptians thought the sun moved.

OKAY. so that is the bulk of my cosmology myth. i think the important thing here is that in my version, the three "creator" gods, the most powerful guys ever are: Atum, Ra, and Ptah... none of them have parents, and technically speaking, they're kinda at the same level of "rank" but yeah. i think probably Atum is the eldest of them all.

appearance wise, i think Atum usually appears as an old man; wise, sage-like. Ra appears as a young man; the image of a warrior in his prime. and Ptah appears as a middle-aged man; his hands calloused from his craft-making, neither old nor young.

you might see a bit of a Three Fates kinda thing going on there; i think that's what it is with them.

relationship wise, Atum is a jokester. they are the FRIENDLIEST being ever. extremely wise. understands and seems to know the answers to everything. i think Thoth, in particular, really enjoys conversing with Atum.

Atum is not typically engaged with the affairs of the gods or humans... they just walk in various forms across the earth, in peace with it. but when it comes to serious, universe-altering moments, like when Horus challenges Set or the end of the world, then Atum comes down to give judgement.

i've written a lot about Ra previously so i won't repeat. but i think Atum treats Ra as a bit of a kid.. like, Atum makes fun of Ra especially because Ra is always trying to look youthful and act "cool"... but really they have soooo much of respect for each other. even though they're sorta the same age, and both sort of have the same position as Creator gods, i think Ra always calls Atum "Lord Atum". it's just respectful.

Ptah is amongst mortal men most often of the three, and so i think he is the easiest of the three Primordials to get a hold off. he is mostly serious compared to Ra and Atum, and i think he is super engaged with the affairs of men because he is the Prometheus of the Egyptians. he's the one who made them. he also addresses Ra and Atum with the title of "Lord" or "King".

ahhhh so yeahhhh!!!!!!!! basically i think, from Atum comes the royal lineage of the gods, from Ra, creation's protection, and from Ptah, all the tools for those who were created to create themselves... and in through the joint effort of those three, the universe was made!

#sorry haha idk if i really answered the question properly but i hope that that makes sense #uhh but yeah i really like talking about mythology in case you didn't know!#hc #long post #atum #ra #ptah

1 note · View note

godsofhumanity · 10 days ago

Text

loveee to read about aztec mythology but sometimes the context is just… hm.

#genuinely could cry rn.#from Tlaloc’s wikipedia page #today tonight with vans

36 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 10 days ago

Text

LOVEEE to see people get excited about my egyptian posts ❤️❤️❤️ where were you guys at the peak of this blog 😭 i love you alllllll

#lowkey got me tempted to post some of my egyptian myths #aghhh and i still have to post my meleager story #have been seriously contemplating making an ao3 account in this. the 23rd year of my life.#but idk who would readdddd aghhh #today tonight with vans

9 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 10 days ago

Note

I need to know your Ra and Thoth headcanons 👁 (if you have any (please (also don't delete this blog I love your posts too much....)))

love LOVE LOVE talking about Ra and i do have some ideas for Thoth i cannot believe i haven't made hc's for him yet so, this will mostly be about Thoth. for more Ra, please check my hc masterlist.

ok. let's start at the START! egyptian myth, imo, is even more difficult than greek myth to trace down. everybody seems to have their own myths about things... like for some people, Atem was the ultimate creator, then for others it was Ptah. who even knows.

so with Thoth, generally speaking, he doesn't have any clearly identified parents, it's either like. he ALWAYS existed or Ra made him.

to me, if you just spawned at the beginning of time, then you're kinda like. ancient and primordial, but my version of Thoth is not like that.. so i personally think he was made by Ra without any mother goddess, just sculpted from the earth or something. this is the same as Hathor and Sekhmet and Bastet, etc.

technically speaking, i guess they'd be siblings, but i think their bonds are more complicated (?) than just traditional brothers and sisters, and i don't think they were "raised" together if you can even call it that.

i think Thoth was Ra's second "child", after Ma'at, who was made "in place" of chaos. and i think, like Ma'at, he was born fully grown.

because he's fully grown, i think there wasn't a "socialising" period for him? like. Thoth, to me, is a numbers guy. a logic guy. everything is equations to him, it's not emotional.

Ra creates Thoth to be a knowledge-keeper. he's supposed to be... in a sense... omniscient. all-knowing. story-wise, i think being omniscient doesn't make too much sense because like, if he knew everything, why didn't he stop Set from chopping up Osiris? so i think that, in the regular form that Thoth takes to walk in Egypt amongst men and gods, his powers are sort of... limited.

i think he has some sort of deeper, more chaotic form in which he truly can access every bit of knowledge he has.

there is an item in Egyptian mythology called the book of Thoth. actually, lore says it contains spells to perceive the gods and to talk to animals, but in my opinion, it is actually a book which contains all the knowledge of the universe.

myth says that the book was entrusted by Thoth to the ghost of a mortal scribe, Neferkaptah, never to be used by another mortal, and i think any other gods. so i think that this book is directly linked to Thoth's conscience.

therefore, when Thoth interacts with other gods, i think he doesn't really know everything because all his knowledge is locked away in the Book. but he's still super smart and can figure things out. he locks away the knowledge i think because it is too much information to be handled by any one god, and it interferes with fate.

lore usually says that Thoth travels with Ra on his barque, but i disagree with this. i believe Thoth remains in Egypt as an advisor to the king-- he has advised Geb, and Osiris... begrudingly Set for his temporary take-over, and eventually Horus. he's the go-to on matters concerning the law and counsel.

linked to this, his wife is Ma'at, who is justice. i actually think of her as being a lot of fun.. she's lively and basically the opposite of Thoth,,, but i think they are united by their strong sense of morality, and they are both as old as each other-- therefore they have been companions for the longest time and know each other intimately.

in saying that, Thoth has gone on the barque many times. but i just think he's more useful as an advisor to the pharaoh.

when Set takes over Egypt, i believe Thoth does everything within the law to help Isis. lore says he gives her the spell to revive Osiris.

but while Nephthys and Isis fight because they don't think Set is good for Egypt and also because he's a bit of a bitch, Thoth's motivations are purely logical-- Set acquires the throne illegally and needs to be reprimanded.

Thoth would not lie. not even to Set.

uhmmm. anyways. so yeah. that is Thoth in my head!!!

#kulerrrr #asks #thoth #hc

17 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 10 days ago

Text

BOOK IV | HOMER'S ODYSSEY | LITERATURE REVIEW

SUMMARY: Telemachus visits Menelaus and Helen in Sparta where Menelaus informs him of his own travels after leaving Troy. Menelaus recounts the death of his brother Agamemnon and of Ajax, and finally of his own troubles with the gods and Proteus during which he learned that Odysseus was trapped on the nymph Calypso's island. Meanwhile, in Ithaca, Penelope begs Athena for help when she learns that the suitors are trying to sabotage Telemachus' plans to bring back Odysseus.

previous book / all books / next book

book 4 starts off with a little description of what's been happening in Sparta since the end of the war, namely that Menelaus and Helen's daughter Hermione is getting married to Achilles' son Neoptolemus, and Menelaus' son Megapenthes (not borne by Helen though) is getting married to Iphiloche, a Spartan girl.

Menelaus' first lines in the book cement his character as a noble, law abiding king when he reprimands a servant for advising to throw Telemachus and co. out of Sparta:

"... show the strangers in that they may have supper." (Menelaus to Eteoneus about Telemachus and co., Book IV, the Odyssey)

we see the same sort of treatment Nestor gave to Telemachus where a stranger, someone you don't know if they're your enemy or not, comes to your land and you treat them hospitably-- xenia.

this is, of course, a good parallel with the way the suitors, who do know Telemachus, treat him in his own house. Homer is very clearly showing the reader the difference between men of heroic qualities and men who are just scoundrels.

next, Homer shows us how humble Menelaus is. after Agamemnon, he's probably one of the most powerful kings, his wealth is huge, and yet, he first exclaims that no one is more powerful/rich than Zeus himself, and then throws in a humble "oh, there are probably some other guys richer than me out there idk probably..":

"No one, my sons, can hold his own with Zeus... but among mortal men-- well, there may be another who has as much wealth as I have, or there may not." (Menelaus to Telemachus and Pisistratus, Book IV, the Odyssey)

i think that, considering that Telemachus is so young and he's never really met Odysseus himself, his meeting with all these great and good kings like Nestor and Menelaus is instrumental for him as an impressionable youth. it's like,, even though he doesn't know his father directly-- the guy who SHOULD have been teaching him all these kingly virtues-- Athena ensures that he gets that exposure by meeting all these good men. all of this contributes to Telemachus' learning of what sort of King he should eventually become. this is especially important for Telemachus' point of view because, story-wise, he doesn't actually know for certain that his dad is coming back. he might be returning to Ithaca to become king himself.

after this, lovely Helen joins the scene-- our first time hearing from her since the Iliad where she was pretty miserable and fed up with Paris' nonsense. she is, of course, introduced with emphasis on the characteristics that she's famous for-- her beauty.

i find it interesting that the comparison Homer makes is with Artemis and not Aphrodite:

"...Helen came down from her high-vaulted and perfumed room, looking as lovely as Artemis herself." (Book IV, the Odyssey)

i think this adds to an "other-worldly" feel to her... it makes her seem a bit cunning and beautiful and cold... in some other myths by other authors, Artemis is usually trying (and failing) to look unwomanly-- she wants to look more like a man and more wild, so to me this comparison with Helen, who is quite "womanly", was unexpected.

anyways. the important thing to take away from this scene is Menelaus and Helen's banter-- both of them suspect that Telemachus is the son of Odysseus because he acts and looks so much like him. Menelaus comments:

""My dear wife," replied Menelaus, "I see the likeness just as you do."" (Menelaus to Helen, Book IV, the Odyssey)

Helen and Menelaus are in tune with another even though they've been parted for so long. to emphasise this, it's interesting to take a look back at Book III of the Iliad where Helen and Paris really aren't of the same mindset when she argues with Paris about fighting on the field:

""So you are come from the fight," said [Helen]; "would that you had fallen... go, then, and challenge [Menelaus] again- but I should advise you not to do so... you will soon fall by his spear." And Paris answered: "Wife, do not vex me... I may myself be victor..."" (Book IV, the Odyssey)

they are at a disagreement with each other. their relationship is largely physical, and for Helen, unwillingly so. but with Menelaus, there is an emotional connection and an intelligent connection-- they recognise Telemachus' lineage together.

later on, Menelaus recognises that Telemachus' is tired from his journey and advises them to simply eat and then talk again in the morning. Helen also recognises this and goes a step further; she drugs the wine they drink so that they will not feel so sad and miserable over the loss of their friends; Menelaus and Helen are quite in tune with each other.

the next morning, we hear about Menelaus' journey in more detail. he gets briefly delayed but rectifies his mistakes with the gods by offering proper sacrifices, and also learns from the sea god Proteus that Odysseus is being detained by Calypso.

after his recount, Menelaus says that he's going to gift Telemachus a whole bunch of stuff like horses and goblets, but Telemachus shows off a bit of his own cunning and intelligence; he recognises that the geography of Ithaca (a hilly island) is not suitable for horses, so he politely declines Menelaus' offer and only asks for a mixing bowl as a gift.

"I will take no horses back with me to Ithaca, but will leave them to adorn your own stables, for you have much flat ground in your kingdom." (Telemachus to Menelaus, Book IV, the Odyssey)

this is IMMEDIATELY paralleled with the exact same scene going down in Ithaca where Noemon, who is i think one of the suitors or at least, one of the dudes making a ruckus of Telemachus' house, proudly goes:

"Have we any idea... on what day Telemachus returns...? He has a ship of mine, and I want it, to cross over to Elis. I have twelve brood mares with yearling mule foals... I want to bring one of them over here and break him." (Noemon to Antinous, Book IV, the Odyssey)

literally right when Telemachus is going "horses are not suitable for Ithaca's terrain", back in Ithaca, the suitors are trying to bring back horses into Ithaca.

this is a great example of both the suitors' stupidity and carelessness, and Telemachus' wisdom and cunning. it's another example of why Telemachus needs to get rid of the suitors before they destroy Odysseus' legacy and land.

now, one thing i couldn't quite figure out with Telemachus' polite decline of Menelaus' gifts was that Menelaus offers Telemachus a beautiful chalice and Telemachus instead says that he'll just take a mixing bowl--- i'm sure there's some deeper meaning behind this, but i wasn't able to figure it out so if anyone has thoughts, do let me know!

anyhow. the rest of the chapter is Penelope realising that the suitors are going to try to sabotage Telemachus' plans and so she prays to Athena for help and Athena is like, "yep already on it 👍 stop crying all the time btw". so,, not too deep there.

in Book V, we finally get to hear from the man himself, Odysseus, as he tries to escape from Calypso's island.

#review #the odyssey #homer #long post

2 notes · View notes