The Odyssey - Book 3
I must admit to labouring on it a bit - mainly because I had a MRI scan of my head a few days ago and try as I might, I can't put the pending results to the back of my mind (no pun intended). I DID manage to listen to book 3, and found that the descriptives of the 'wine-dark sea and the rosy-fingered sunrise are becoming repetative as indeed, they are repeated often. Bit of a shame that Homer (or indeed a *team* of Homers as it is believed) was running out of descriptives this early on - I wonder if that's the reason that old Bill Shakespeare *possibly* got others to ghost write his stuff. So many rumours that both men were not the sole writers of their work, but nothing proved either way. Maybe Alan Smithee and The Alias Men wrote it.
I tried to listen to book 4 and my attention started to wander. So, scaled back and had a bit of a ponder on book 3 instead.
- Welcome to Pylos, and our hero and his men are greeted on the shoreline with sacrifice to Poseidon. Bulls have been slaughtered to appease the god and although Telemachus is a little unsure of how well his PR will come across, he is bigged up by Athena (disguised as Mentor), who is able to convince him put his best foot forward.
- TM seeks the city's king by the name of Nestor. Alas, he has no idea to the fate of Odysseus, but details the misery of the fallen in Troy and the fall out between brothers Menelaus and Agamemnon (who, if memory serves me right, is the father of Electra - a girl who is almost the female version of the Oedipus story. Or at least that is what Freud would make you think). ML sets sail with Nestor in tow; Odysseus remains with AM, who continues to commit sacrifice after sacrifice on the shoreline.
- Nestor also tells of the rumour of the unruly House of Odysseus - overrun by suitors and hopes that Telemachus can restore his father's good name, as Orestes did for Agamemnon before him. So, no pressure then.
- NS also imparts the news that Agamemnon's fate was not a happy one. Another blaggard (this time, a 'base coward' named Aegisthus has seduced AM's wife, Clytemnestra and then bumps off AM (with full support of Clytemnestra, the cuckolding bitch) on his return. AG is set to take over the kingdom, but he and CM are also murdered by Clytemnestra's son, Orestes. Matricide seems to be high on the ancient Greek agenda, as well as incest.
- NS sends his own son, Pisistratus (yes, you read right - just try not to pronounce this after imbibing or wearing false teeth) to accompany TM to Sparta. Athena reveals her divinity by changing into an eagle (hopefully she wil avoid the slings and arrows from the first 2 books) in front of the court of Pylos and is set to look after TM's ship and crew.
The next chapter seems quite bloodthirsty, as if the slaying of bulls, the stories of the defeat at Troy, and the bloodied love triangle of Aegisthus/Agamemnon/Clytemnestra wasn't enough.