Numerology in The Odyssey
"Everything is named or numbered, but few people are conscious of the degree to which names and numbers influence their experience, progress, and communication," declared Juno Jordan, the "grandmother" of numerology (qtd. in Lagerquist and Lenard 4). Numerology, the language of numbers and moreover the study of how they relate to our lives, speaks about the hidden worlds contained within the simplest numbers. Numerology attempts to analyze numerical information, and makes a determination of the implications and associations that these numbers have (Kelly 10). This metaphysical science has its roots in the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome, and Egypt, and also has ties to the Hebrew Kabbalah; it has unlocked the
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This number is related to people who work better when part of a duo instead of as a member of a group, or even all alone (Heyss 32). This number represents cooperation and as a result is often associated in literature with people who are best when working for and interacting with other people. There are several occasions in which Homer uses the number two when speaking of such people as servants who are cooperative and are therefore reliable workers. One such occasion is in Odysseus 's instructions to his companions on the island of the Lotus-Eaters in which he sends two men to accompany the herald in learning about the island and its inhabitants (Homer 9.90-93). There is yet another situation in which two handmaidens accompany and attend Penelope when she appeared before the suitors (Homer 18.206-207). Nausikaa also slept beside two handmaidens who lay on either side of the bedpost (Homer 6.17-19) and moreover Melanthios, driving the goats which would be the suitor 's dinner, was followed by two herdsmen (Homer 20.173-175). Such duos, as can be seen by those presented by Homer, prefer to have somebody around to tell them what to do - a portrayal of the meaning of the number two.
The number three represents synthesis and essence; it 's influence is evident in almost all religions and philosophies, as well as in mythology (Heyss 34). The number three is embedded in the symbolism of many powerful trinities: the Maiden, Mother and
In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through obstacles throughout the book that a normal man couldn’t subside. One example is in book 9, his main obstacle that he is trying to face is to escape from being held hostage in a cave by a Cyclops better known as Polyphemus. Odysseus is a archetypal hero, he is also a role model, with an ambition to get to his homeland Ithaca. He goes through resisting temptation and using his intellect and physical strength to get him there, no matter the obstacle nor the negative flaws that he faces. Odysseus put himself and his men in that situation by being curious and wanting to know what kind of land his ship and the winds led him to. This was selfish of him because it cost him some of his men, but a leader and hero has to play that role and some lives will be dealt with on the way. Odysseus says, “The rest of you will stay here while I go with my ship and crew on reconnaissance. I want to find out what those men are like, Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong Or hospitable folk who fear the gods” (Homer 429). Saying this quote alone makes Odysseus a humble man due to the fact that not even a piece of land is going to slow him down on his journey back home.
In Book IX of the Odyssey, Homer uses imagery and foreshadow to illustrate how the cyclopes’ loneliness can significantly reveal how Odysseus and his men gets involved in a conflict with the cyclopes later on in the book. Homer uses foreshadow to develop the plot and build suspense. For example, Homer uses imagery to show what it was like when Odysseus encounters the land of the Cyclopes. Using imagery, readers can interpret the Cyclopes’ living conditions as well as their personality. The phrases “screened with laurel”, “cavern yawning”, “A prodigious man slept in this cave alone”, and “he seemed rather a shaggy mountain reared in solitude” shows that the Cyclopes are living in an isolated society and are very lonely on their island. Also,
In the story The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is fortunate to have many privileges in his life. Over time the story illustrates what the real effects are from them and how they can impact others. Odysseus has many privileges including the trust of gods, money, followers, good mental and physical health, and he is male which can all cause him to achieve more, but also hurt others.
1. The key values that are shown in Chapter 1 were humanism and freedom to think. In humanism gods are superior to man, and as Zeus says, “ ‘ I am mightiest of all.’ “ (Hamilton 20) Zeus is showing the gods are mightier than the humans and Zeus, the mightiest of the gods. Also, the humans had the freedom to think and worship. “When his (Zeus) worship spread to a town where there was already a divine ruler the two were slowly fused into one.” (Hamilton 21) This shows that the Greeks freely worshiped Zeus and other gods, and their worship of one god spread from town to town based on their beliefs.
Kermode bears today are very rare to find. Human Beings are going out to find a Kermode bear you will probably not find one. However, these bears are really rare off the coast of the Princess Royal and Gribbell island.
The character Ulysses Everett McGill from “O Brother, Where art thou?” is a worthy representation of Odysseus from the “Odyssey”. Ulysses Everett McGill, or Everett, was the main character of the movie who was trying to get back home. Odysseus was a king and warrior who spent 20 years away from home due to obstacles and distractions. Both characters share many personality traits and events that make the movie a modern adaption of the epic poem
When Cyclops set a curse on Odysseus, it set the course for the rest of the story. Cyclops asked his father, Poseidon, to make Odysseus’s journey home long and torturous, because Odysseus put out the Cyclops’s eye. The Cyclops prayed to his father, Poseidon, “He shall see his roof again among his family in his father land, far be that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.” For the next six chapters, Odysseus fights the elements, losses all of the men in his company, and returns home to witness scores of suitors eating his food, living in his home, and attempting to marry his wife. The
In life, humans are faced with a multitude of different kinds of problems and challenges. Throughout all of life, these moments have always taught young kids, adults, and even elders different life lessons and values. In The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, battles several different obstacles throughout his journey. He learns about many different values, life lessons, and even rediscovers and reinvents himself. To an audience member in ancient Greece, one could learn of the important values just by listening to these stories.
This quote is from the time Odysseus is trapped on an island by the nymph Calypso for nine years. These powerful words portray clearly the pain that Odysseus bears within him thus giving the reader a fuller understanding of the story and his character.
- Hermes: also known as “Hermes of the golden wand” or “the giant killer” is the messenger and son of the god Zeus. He was sent by Zues to inform Calypso of Zeus’s order to free Odysseus.
In the Epic, “The Odyssey", spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, "The Sirens", who challenge Odysseus 's will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, “The Cyclops", who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus 's men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, “The Land of Dead" which tested his self-restraint, and revealed his human weaknesses of sorrow. The Epic Hero, Odysseus, struggles with many challenges such as, the taunting Sirens, the brutish and cruel Cyclops, and one of the arduous territories Odysseus has ever crossed, The Land of the Dead.
If you think about it there isn’t a day in your life that goes by without facing some kind of temptation. Temptation can be our biggest weakness, and I think that in Odysseus’s case it was his. In The Odyssey, Homer uses the siren scene to symbolize temptation in different ways. It represents how temptation can come in many different ways; and it can control us no matter how much we know that it is wrong to give in. In The Odyssey, temptation came to Odysseus and his crew from the sirens. This scene displays how temptation looks, sounds, and how it makes you act.
“Three” has a logical reason for its important role throughout history. It is not merely the number that happens to fall between two and four. “Three” is the union of oneness and duality. It is the first number that is a combination of various previous numbers (assuming, as most societies have done, that zero is not a number). One and two are special as they are representations of ‘oneness’ and ‘otherness’, but three starts the procession of all other numbers to follow (the set of numbers, 3 --> infinity, that can be the sum of a variety of previous numbers) (Symbolism). Whether this is realized consciously or subconsciously, it is an undeniable truth that seems hard to avoid. Indeed, this idea could be what gave rise to the spiritual significance of “three.”
Chapter 1- Ten years after the Trojan War, everyone reached home except for Odysseus. He remained a hostage at Ogygia by Calypso. Meanwhile, Telemachus (Odysseus’s son) is told by Athena, disguised as Mentes, that his father will return home and tells him to dispel the suitors who keep devouring his father’s estate.
Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long journey home. The Epic also includes the stories of Odysseus’ family left behind: the travels of his son, Telemachus, and how plenty, of what we would now call “home wreckers”, suitors pressured his wife, Penelope, into marrying one of them. The characters are beautifully crafted and the story is truly epic. All the elements presented can bring in any reader from any century, the Cyclops, the Gods, the trickery of Penelope, and the disguises of Odysseus, are all legendary literary hooks . There are many things to learn—about writing, about the world around us, the world ahead of us, and the past behind us—from The Odyssey. (26) It is undeniably evident that this ancient text has