#hermes poem

[katerinaaqu]

The Assosiation of Odysseus with the Ram (an Odyssey and Iliad Analysis on Odysseus and Hermes)

Is there no one gonna talk on the fact that Odysseus escapes Polyphemus under a ram? A RAM! The ram is one of the sacred animals of HERMES! Also the association of Odysseus with the ram seems to be blatant and I am surprised no one talks of it! Hermes! The god that is his lineage and also arguably the one that helped him without conditions in his trip...is always there!

Hermes is also called Κριοφορος (Kriophoros)= ram-bearer, due to myths that involve him carry a ram around his back

Also in ancient art, Hermes is also depicted riding a ram!

Odysseus escapes Polyphemus and certain death UNDER a ram, when Hermes, the sender of souls to the underworld is depicted ON a ram! What is more the ram as black of color, a color associated to death and mourning as well as Hermes is associated with death!

Hermes is mentioned as "bearer of rams" and yet a lamb now bears Odysseus under it out of the cave!

Of course the most infamous association of Odysseus with a ram is that he is also compared to one! Infamously in the Iliad:

Secondly, the old man upon seeing Odysseus he asked: "Tell me now, dear child, who is that one. He is a head shorter than Agamemnon the son of Atreus but he seems to me wider in his shoulders and his chest, his arms he has them placed upon the well-graised earth. He seems to me like a thick-haired ram the way he prances through the lines of men as if they are a flock of white lambs"

(Translation by me)

Not only does Homer give us a very good physical description of Odysseus in the most beautiful way (ram= thick of hair, possibly curly and wholly -as also described in the Odyssey- possibly hairy of body as well also walking proud and steadily) as well as in a way his demeanour (the word "ram" κτίλος also means "calm" or "demured") but it also seems very interesting how he is associated with an animal known to be sacred to Hermes!

Hermes according to many myths was the father of his grandfather, Autolycus, therefore Odysseus's grea-grandfather! From line one he is associated with an animal that is also associated with his lineage (to me it seems that Homer more or less from line one shows us that this is the family line he follows for Odysseus)

Then a ram is his salvation out of the cave of Polyphemus; a ram that is associated with a god that is said to send souls to the dead also saves his life!

In Aeaea Hermes appears to assist him by giving him Moly and instructions on his trip. Hermes is there all by himself. Other gods have either abandoned him because of his hubris or were not interested in him. Hermes is there to bring assistance on his own accord. (Hermes is also a rule-breaker, just like Odysseus is not the classical figure of a hero and uses methods that are often seen as shady for the ideal warrior)

In the Underworld Odysseus once again has to sacrifice a ram, a BLACK ram and wait for Tiresias to drink from its blood.

A ram is also part of the sacrifice he has to offer to Poseidon (ram, bull and boar).

Hermes comes to bring the message to Ogygia and release Odysseus from it

Odysseus seems to be completely associated with the ram and it is more than just a coicidence to me. Arguably Odysseus who was described as a ram, travels in the Underworld, like Hermes travels to the underworld to bring the souls of the dead! This doesn't seem like a coicidence in my eyes.

Homer seems to be totally insinuating that the ram and consequently Hermes are part of his inheritence. Even the fact that Hermes is often seen as a trickster and a rule-breaker seems to be connected to Odysseus and his behavior or demeanour.

Hermes is also associated as protector of travelers and wanderers and this is exactly what Odysseus is in the Odyssey! Moreover Odysseus and Hermes are associated with the iconography of the hat called petasos:

(Odysseus and Hermes)

Also both associated with this double-stafff iconographically, which is a symbol of a messenger! Odysseus often acts like a messenger or as a comittee or as a negotiator! I also daresay that he is also depicted pulling Briseis from the hand, the movement is associated with Hermes as he leads souls in the underworld!

And most importantly; Hermes's epithets among other are Δόλιος (Dolios)=Wily, Deceiving, Planning

And.....

Πολύτροπος (Polytropos)= Of many ways, of many turns

THEY LITERALLY SHARE THE SAME EPITHET!!!!!!!!

Seriously guys his association with a ram is not a coincidence! The dude is practically the perfect combo of Hermes and Athena!! The Ram is Hermes!!!!!

Get mindblown as I am now!

[hauntedbythenarrative]

me since I was 11 yo

[piristephes]

A coinflip, glistening through air. The chance unknown to mortals, where shall it land? Hermes, of sweet laughter, fidgets it in the breeze, for luck unseen is within his heed.

português:

Joga-se a moeda, brilhando pelo ar O acaso desconhecido aos mortais, onde pousará? Hermes, de doce risada, brinca com ela na brisa pois em seu jugo está a sorte não-vista.

[mournfulroses]

Rainer Maria Rilke, from Gods & Mortals: Modern Poems on Classics; "Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes,"

[soleil-et-etoile]

a revolutionary

"So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst / And tried to tell the town" -- Taylor A. Swift, TTPD

o' nine muses

i sing for luke castellan--

they may say he died the tragic hero

he who was born to grief, son of a thief

they lied to you... for all the bloodshed

let me tell the story of a revolutionary:

ashen cookies & maddened fervor--

hear a mother's lullaby in a nightmare

run away from home, farther, farther

mourn the living & sharpen a sword

find a family & feed a hidden rage--

curse the gods, open the titan's cage

for every child-soldier gone unclaimed

evil against evil, this is how war is waged

desperation will sell a thousand souls

freewill stolen & forsake another home--

upon a last breath, don't want to be alone

don't let it happen again & a second hope

[mylifeforawinegod]

Grip me with your

teeth,

let your tongue clean the

wound.

I will trade my blood for

your ecstacy.

-Seth McCall-Pontius

[okayyeros]

Psychopomp

Sometimes I ask myself who will carry my body to the fields of heaven.

Will it be Archangel Gabriel?

Or will it be Hermes?

Or perhaps,

It’s neither.

Perhaps my body will never reach the fields of asphodel, or jannah.

It was made to rot amongst the plants,

To return the earth from which we all came from.

The white and sterile image of heaven, a color created of all of the primaries,

Birthing an Image so pure

So ineffable,

That we will never understand it.

But it feels like everything we have ever wanted.

The silent yet comforting fields of asphodel

Hades and Persephone watching over me

It is not grand

But it is divine.

It’s not pure,

But it feels so similar to falling asleep as a child,

knowing there is someone is there to keep the nightmares away.

Perhaps when I die,

Hermes and Gabriel will walk hand In hand

To lead my soul to whatever lies beyond

My clay body will melt into the earth

Giving birth to plants, and flowers, and something else

Something that will be around long after us.

I don’t know what it is yet.

But life will live on after my own extinction,

And I know it will be beautiful.

[squrrrrel]

Three little things you should know before interacting if you wish to <3

I have autism and adhd,

I am a minor, so please dni if your intentions are to treat me inappropriately :)

I post about a variety of my interests: Art, music, studying and organising, literature, Paganism, occasionally comfort games, that sort of thing. I'm only barely consistent but I would love to make more friends based on these interests

thank you for reading, have a lovely day/night!!

[khaire-traveler]

As the tip of the pen glides across the smooth page, so, too, does my mind glide across Your words, taking in every sentence, every small change of Your tone, every fluctuation of Your voice.

As the bird unfurls its wings and readies itself for a long journey ahead, so, too, do my feet eagerly ready themselves as I wait with baited breath, avidly anticipating every step, every stumble, every stride I shall soon take with You by my side.

As the sun promises to return after a long and gruelling night, so, too, do You promise to return to me after the most challenging moments in life, guaranteeing that even when I cannot see You, You will always be there, cheering me on from the sidelines as I dodge and weave the constant onslaughts of life.

This is a journey we must take together, and I wouldn't rather have anyone else by my side than You.

[ditchdwellersupreme]

Hermekate (A Poem/Song of Sorts)

Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! We sing to you, we pray to you We adore your glorious name Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! Your name is Life Your name is Death We honor your Name Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! Thou art a glorious god! You bring us joy You bring us strife Eternal cycle anew Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! He is the Queen She is the King He brings us greatest joys Her song is sung In ancient tongue By mortals fair and young His name she laughs His song she sings His beauty immortal She is the Androgyne King He is the setting Sun Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! Our nightly prayer Do you ever hear Forever we shall sing Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes To thee we cry To thee we sigh To thee to thee to thee! We are your sons Your daughters true Your everlasting night Has brought us endless delight Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! This song is sung In strange Aeons O Necromantic Voice Who dwells in dark Who's brightest light Who is the dog's bark Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes! Our dance is sung For you our One You madness bringing Lord Dionysian Queen Darkest Dream We sing our song for you And now our song is sung Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes Hermekate Hermekate Hekahermes

[katerinaaqu]

The Humanity of Odysseus and the Importance of the Curse of Polyphemus (an Odyssey Analysis on Fate and Destiny)

I believe there is one thig that needs to be said about the Odyssey and Odysseus in particular and something I have rarely seen properly adapted. It is the importance of the unchangable fate in antiquity in general and homeric poems in particular. One can say this starts from the character itself; Odysseus name meaning "Anger Bringer" or "Furious" is an indicator that not only the character will be dusliked by many but that he would also cause anger which one can expect would lead to terrible consequences. However I believe the moment Odysseus was truly deprived of all his choices was the infamous Curse of Polyphemus:

In Rhapsody/Book 9 of the Odyssey, Odysseus describes his misadventure with the cyclops Polyphemus and when he revealed himself to him, Polyphemus prays to his father, Poseidon, giving Odysseus a double-curse (as it happens to most predictions that have at least two ways they can go) which goes like this:

"I call upon you, Poseidon, Earth-bearer with cyan/black/dark hair, if I am your son and you wish to be my father (you wish to be called my father), do it for me so that Odysseus the Sacker of Cities will never reach his home, the son of Laertes who calls Ithaca his home, but if fate calls for him to see his friends and reach his well-built home and his ancestral land, make it so it will be terrible (here return), that he will lose all his companions and in a foreign ship and find misery waiting for him at his home!"

(Translation by me)

So as you can see the curse has two different outcomes

He will never see his home again

If he does, it will be without his companions brought by a foreign ship and he will find misery at his own home when he arrives

At this point, given that the story is "in media res" aka "told from the middle", we know now that the second part is fulfilled, or almost fulfilled. Odysseus is in Scheria, he is alone, he is shipwrecked, there is no sign of any of his companions anywhere so we expect him to return at this foreign ship, aka a Phaeacaean ship to his home at any moment. However by the moment the curse is placed, Odysseus doesn't know which outcome is to befall upon him. And while the second part is weirdly specific (and in a way preparing us for the outcome) the first one is not nearly speficic enough!

Make it so he never sees his land again.

This could mean anything; does he get killed in the ardous trip? Does he get straddled to a place for the rest of his life? Does he somehow lose his...memory and never return home again (similarly to how his men ate the Lotuses at the Lotophagi land)? What is more, nowhere in this part does it say his comrades will survive the ordeal. Although the curse means specifically for Odysseus not reaching his home and one could assume his men would but not Odysseus, that is not guaranteed.

Both of these scenarios are terribly gloom for both Odysseus and his men. So what does Odysseus do? He does what every human being would have done;

He tries to change fate!

He tries constantly to lift the curse:

Even if he knows deep down is pointless, even if he more or less has realized they are off for an arduous trip that will cost them probably all of them their lives, Odysseus STILL TRIES to change the fate! He sails off to find help. He goes to Aiolus and asks for help. He gets the bag. At this point Odysseus is at the end of his wits. He has a chance, he thinks, to change fate, to change the curse. He remains awake for 9 days to make sure he will (see also my other analysis in regards to that) and yet it is all in vain. His men open the bag JUST A LITTLE BEFORE they reach Ithaca and pushed back.

At this point it becomes all the more clear that they are up for an endless journey or a settlement away from home at best case scenario and all to die at worst case scenario. Odysseus doesn't give up! He asks AGAIN, this time he is denied.

And then comes destruction...

They reach the idland of the giant Laistrygonians and here Odysseus suffers the worst loss he has suffered so far; he loses 11 out of his 12 ships in a single raid and barely manages to escape with the rest of his comrades resting on his ship. Right now is clearer than ever that the curse is taking place so the real question is; which of the parts shall it be fulfulled? And they reach the land of Circe. Plenty of his men turn into pigs. Eurylochus barely escapes doom and runs at him to tell him "LEAVE THEM AND GO". Odysseus knows in his bones they are doomed! He knows he either leaves them and fulfulles the second prophecy (for his men already perish little by little) or either way the first part of the prophecy is fulfilled. What does Odysseus do?

He tries AGAIN!

He sells himself to Circe, he requests his men's freedom. He ASKS Circe for advice, he descends the Underworld, asks Tiresias for a course; how he can reach his home, how he can save his men, how he can REVERSE THE CURSE. Even if he knows it is impossible to challenge fate (not even Zeus could transcend fate). In a way he comits a form of hubris hoping to change fate. And yet he is HUMAN! He cannot accept that his men would die that he cannot go home. He wants to TRY! So sure enough he gets a possible way out...

Tiresias gives him hope...

The prophet tells him he can save his men AND reach Ithaca IF they do not eat the cattle of Helios Hyperion. What is more Circe gives him advice for the trip; the course they can follow, the steps they can take and again the warning of NOT eating the cattle of Helios. Odysseus takes heart to those, he DESPERATELY GRABS on them! He thinks he has a chance. Maybe...JUST MAYBE he can reverse this terrible curse! He can MAKE IT RIGHT! He has a chance to change fate! He has a chance to reverse it!

Self-Fulfilled Prophecy

Little does he know though that the trip is already set for failiure. Skylla claims 6 of his best men (his men CONTINUE TO PERISH) and yet Odysseus thinks that this is a sign that he can make it, that the terrible sacrifices will pay off and that he is on his way to break the curse. He is following the instructions therefore it must go well. And come the Cattle Of Helios Hyperion.

An attempt to dodge fate...

Odysseus tells to his men that they should not stop at the island now. He is not ready to take another risk. He will not do the same as the sack of Aiolus. He wants to AVOID THE ISLE ALTOGETHER. If his men are not tepted, they will not break. He intends to keep going and it could have worked...but...

Sure enough his men are tired they need to stop

Odysseus has no choice. At this point he probably realizes there is no way to change fate. He sees it now that everything is up for destruction and he still doesn't know WHICH VERSION will be fulfulled! And even if every part of his brain tells him everything is lost Odysseus REFUSES TO GIVE UP! No, this cannot be the end! There must still be time and space to reverse it!

He makes them promise

Odysseus makes his men swear to everything sacred that no matter what they shall not touch the cattle. That they would survive only with the provisions given by Circe, that they will not be tempted no matter what. Sure enough he extracts the promise from them but of course the prophecy is now moving. Wind is opposite. There is no way they can go. They get straddled for WEEKS. Food is over. Odysseus sees the path is for destruction and yet...

HE TRIES AGAIN!

He goes to the island to pray! There MUST be another way! The gods can hear him...maybe pity him and release them from this! And yet he falls asleep from fatigue, stress and godly intervention. Now the clock is ticking! His men cannot withstand hunger anymore and slay the cattle. Now their fate is shielded. We now know they will die. We know also which part of the prophecy will be fulfulled; Odysseus will come home ALONE, just like we see him narrating alone (even if we might as well wonder whether Odysseus would remain in Scheria, it is pretty much settled that Odysseus returns to Ithaca). However Odysseus doesn't know...but what he fears the most has happened

One last desperate attempt.

Odysseus is human above all. He sees the slain animals, he KNOWS his men will die and even that time he REFUSES to accept it! He REFUSES to give up! He sets sail again, hoping to save them, to save them all (himself included) as they roam for 7 days in the sea

And doom strikes...

His men all perish, his ship is gone! Odysseus is left alone in the sea, fighting for 10 days to the brief of death. Right now Odysseus is no longer struggling to change fate...he is no longer struggling to save anyone but himself...he is struggling

...SO THAT AT LEAST THE FATE IN STORE FOR HIM IS HIS RETURN...

He now has suffered the ultimate loss. He needs to at least make it home! Even if that means without companions, even if that means to be home in misery...he just HAS TO GO HOME! He cannot just perish in the sea or be forever straddled outside Ithaca! And then Calypso happens. Odysseus is left in her isle for 7 years.

He now fears he will never see his home again

He cries every day on the beach. His rape every night is strong enough reason for him to do so but also the fact that he now FEARS that the first section of the prophecy is fullfilled; that he is never to see his home and friends and family again. That his fate was not to perish in the sea but to be forever held against his will away from his beloved home and family. And he is filled with despair. When he has lost all hope that he will ever roam about the sea again; with at least SOME HOPE that the second part of the curse would be fulfilled, he is ready to throw himself in the sea; give an end to his life since there is no point in hoping anymore. The worst scenario has happened for him. He has nothing else to expect...

And it is so...till Hermes brings the order to release him. Now Odysseus finds hope anew that he will return. And he struggles with all his might to survive! Even if he is days out in the sea in a small raft. Even when his raft is destroyed and he has to literally swim to Scheria. his mind goes "NO! I WILL NOT PERISH! I WILL GO HOME!" and sure enough he does and he does meet his friends again and he does find this misery at his home and yet now Odysseus can endure this misery, because he knows he managed to get home and he knows that he has left but ONE TASK according to Tiresias.

He tried to beat fate and he failed...but now he has hope...

So as you see, and forgive me for the long analysis, Odysseus is more human than anyone can imagine and always relatable character. Despite his flaws and mistakes one of the noblest mistakes he made was to think he could change fate and dedicate a large part of his trip trying to do just that; change the curse and save his companions which only ends up to a self-fulfilled prophecy but I doubt anyone can deny that we would all have done the same. I doubt any of us would just abandon all hope and sit tight waiting for the prophecy to be filled either way. He would all have tried to change such a grim outcome!

Because we are human. And so was Odysseus.

[m1ssnovember]

The scars of my body are a passage to the delusional memory of childhood which I have. Carrying a message over the stars, carriage of a trickster.

[piristephes]

Hermes is near/Hermes se achega

Hermes of the roads, best company You walk amongst mortals in laughter Jesting in ways thine beyond our mind Guiding us forth with inspiring words of silver

Sly-tongued, friend of all, I praise thee! For it is by blessing thine one can find Smart ways to bypass oppression or tyranny And survive in clever bliss along thy majesty

For in every path I take Hermes comes along Be it in a stranger or in luck bright found among The unusual sights of coincidence that Bring me closer to Hermes of golden brilliance.

portuguese:

Hermes dos caminhos, das companhias a melhor Tu andas entre os mortais com riso à mostra Zombando em maneiras além da nossa mente Guiando-nos em inspiração com palavras de prata Astuta língua, amigo de todos, louvo-te! Pois por benção tua é que alguém encontra A esperteza de driblar opressão ou tirania E sobreviver espertamente ladeado a ti no dia a dia Pois em todo caminho que tomo, Hermes se mostra Seja em um estranho ou na reluzente sorte achada Nas incomuns veredas da coincidência que Me trazem para perto de Hermes e sua graça dourada.

[crimsonsongbird]

Proud: A Message from Hermes

"I never hear it said enough When it comes to your mortal kin, But know this, my sibling, I am proud of you. You claim it is because of us That you have grown so much During these past few years, But Hekate was right, You don't give yourself enough credit. It was you who did all the work; It was you who cried all the tears And shouted until your throat was sore; It was you who healed from so many wounds. I am proud of all the progress, Proud of all the change, Proud of who you are And who you are becoming, But mostly importantly, I am so deeply proud of YOU for just being you."

[lordhermesworship]

What I am made of

My freckles and moles make the constellations of the gods, my tongue has been seen by the silver gods and my soul from the golden gods, my body made from the trees and love from the sea, my eyebrows from sea foam and my hair from vines and my fingers from tree bark of Odin, my words from the swift god chuckling, my skin from the lighting of Zeus and tears from water shared between glasses of Ganymede, my heart from star-crossed lovers who are forbidden from the arrows of Eros, my eyes from oracles that have passed bearing the curse of no sight but of the blessing of prophecy, my ears from the whispers of Bacchus who loves me spite my schizophrenia, my nose from my mother who is my humanity, my wrinkles from Aphrodite who loves me even tho I am not blond nor blue eyed pale, my wounds from Ares who still reminds me love is in the blood from your ancestors even if obtained through fighting, my emotions are the sails on the boats that sway from wind spirits playing, my teeth from the wolf who loves back even if it was betrayed by a loved one, my nails from the huntress in the woods having to protect her and myself from men even if it means keeping her nails sharp like daggers, my feet from nymphs who dance on their toes for Apollo, my judgement from Athena who knows of my linage yet still cares for me, my memory’s from Hera who loves even if my childhood was locked from me and she still sent me cars and people to see from windows, and my kindness from psyche to remind me bugs shouldn’t be squashed simply from the crime of being small, and my smile from the fey to remind me that their is love in gifts, and I myself am made of love.

[mylifeforawinegod]

Here,

below the architecture of the

Arch of His Back,

I take my communion

on my knees

between his

knees.

Seth McCall-Pontius