Imagining the Afterlife in the Ancient World by Juliette Harrisson

Author:Juliette Harrisson
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)

Part 3

The afterlife in literature

6 Cosmology, psychopomps, and afterlife in Homer's Odyssey

Safari F. Grey

Introduction

The nature and role of death is a subject of study which goes hand in hand with the Homeric epics, whether it be the traditions and practices of hero cult, the specifics of what constitutes the Homeric soul, or the origins and various representations of that pervasive mytheme – the katabasis narrative (a journey down to the underworld). This preoccupation is perhaps not surprising given that both epics are fundamentally concerned with Archaic traditions of death and immortality. The Iliad centres on Achilles’ choice of death, whilst the protagonist of the Odyssey survives many near death experiences as he ‘strives to save his own soul (ψυχὴ / psuchē: variously translated as ‘life’ or ‘soul)’ (Odyssey 1.5). This paper, however, moves beyond these traditional fields in order to examine three, more nuanced, aspects of death – or ‘afterlives’ which feature in Homer’s Odyssey. These are; darkness, the dream state, and anonymity.

The first two aspects, the dream state and darkness, both rely on a deeper understanding of the Homeric cosmos. The Homeric Underworld consists of a range of places (listed in the Odyssey 24.10–15) which include the Gates of Helios (Ēelioio pulas) and the realm of dreams (dēmos oneirōn). Our understanding of what constitutes an afterlife is enhanced by examining the relationship between these chthonic places and the mundane world. For instance, if looking upon the sunlight is synonymous with living then a state of perpetual darkness is akin to death. Likewise, if the dream state is a place where neither gods nor the living can enter physically, then it is similar to the realm of Hades where only phantoms and souls abide. However, the last ‘afterlife’ which this paper will examine – anonymity – concerns the role onomastics plays in determining existence or quiddity, namely the association between names and life, or rather, namelessness and death. Odysseus is the only Homeric hero to frequently and repeatedly subvert, and even renounce, his given name; and this act has powerful ramifications for his ability to return home as a living man. This chapter will demonstrate how Odysseus achieves his homecoming through recovering and accepting his own name (and lineage). By accepting such a connection between naming and life, our comprehension of the Homeric afterlife expands by suggesting first, that Odysseus’ absence itself is a pseudo-death experience defined by his anonymity, and second, that kleos (‘renown’) itself could be considered a form of afterlife perpetuated by the remembrance of a name.

There is much more to the Homeric cosmos than the world of the living and the House of Hades, and the guardian of all these transitory places is Hermes. Despite textually appearing as a relatively minor character in the Homeric epics, we should understand Hermes to be a crucial figure who alone is responsible for each of the thematically pivotal, and pervasive, mechanisms of death and the afterlife in Homer’s Odyssey. In short, this paper would alter the definition of Homeric

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