“It is to the strength of this amazing invention we are to attribute that unequalled fire and rapture, which is so forcible in Homer, that no man of a true poetical spirit is master of himself while he reads him.” -Alexander Pope
The opening lines talk about "countless" Achaeans dying for the sake of Achilles' anger. This is an expression of aristocratic morality in which the quantity of individuals does NOT matter but only the quality of the individuals involved. As you rightly say, the notion that one man could be worth more than thousands is very difficult for most to even consider.
Since the story of Gilgamesh came about 1200 years before Homer was born, and all great authors and historians have acknowledged that not only Homers themes but the themes of every major religion have come from the ideas put forth in the Epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps it would behoove anyone wanting to better Grok the Iliad and the Odyssey, to first read Gilgamesh?
OR read Nietzsche to prime yourself for Gilgamesh to prime yourself for Homer to prime yourself for the Mahabharata, followed by the Volsunga Saga and then the Beowulf to prime yourself for the Kalevala (you know, just in case some Indo-European archaism survived in Finno-Ugric Oral Tradition)
Thanks for inspiring me to reread the Iliad. But as I recall, wasn't one of the central points of dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles over the apportioning of women captives as spoils of war? And Achilles was certainly placing his own interests first in refusing to fight because of the affront he suffered. Wasn't that point of honor also a quarrel over loot?
Subscribed, and looking forward to more such interesting pieces.
This is why I feel reading Gilgamesh is a superior way of understanding ancient male/female dynamics. Gilgamesh refuses to have sex with Ishtar and (one could argue) becomes immortal. Ekidnu has sex with Shamhat without even thinking twice about it and is soon killed by a "terrible disease" visited on him "they the gods." But it could be he was killed by a sexually transmitted disease.
The opening lines talk about "countless" Achaeans dying for the sake of Achilles' anger. This is an expression of aristocratic morality in which the quantity of individuals does NOT matter but only the quality of the individuals involved. As you rightly say, the notion that one man could be worth more than thousands is very difficult for most to even consider.
Since the story of Gilgamesh came about 1200 years before Homer was born, and all great authors and historians have acknowledged that not only Homers themes but the themes of every major religion have come from the ideas put forth in the Epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps it would behoove anyone wanting to better Grok the Iliad and the Odyssey, to first read Gilgamesh?
I mean to say, before one attempts to read Nietzsche it might be more effective to read Gilgamesh to prime the mind for understanding Homer.
OR read Nietzsche to prime yourself for Gilgamesh to prime yourself for Homer to prime yourself for the Mahabharata, followed by the Volsunga Saga and then the Beowulf to prime yourself for the Kalevala (you know, just in case some Indo-European archaism survived in Finno-Ugric Oral Tradition)
Thanks for inspiring me to reread the Iliad. But as I recall, wasn't one of the central points of dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles over the apportioning of women captives as spoils of war? And Achilles was certainly placing his own interests first in refusing to fight because of the affront he suffered. Wasn't that point of honor also a quarrel over loot?
Subscribed, and looking forward to more such interesting pieces.
This is why I feel reading Gilgamesh is a superior way of understanding ancient male/female dynamics. Gilgamesh refuses to have sex with Ishtar and (one could argue) becomes immortal. Ekidnu has sex with Shamhat without even thinking twice about it and is soon killed by a "terrible disease" visited on him "they the gods." But it could be he was killed by a sexually transmitted disease.
How do you feel about the Epic of Gilgamesh? Which is the best translation. I just ordered a copy of the Stephen Mitchell translation.
yes I like Gilgamesh but don’t know much about the translations
Gilgamesh is great, but it’s separate from the Iliad.
I think Homer’s Contest by Nietzsche is good intro to the Greks.
For me, BAM helped me understand it more as well.