"... Sinis used to take hold of pine trees and draw them down. All those whom he overcame in fight he used to tie to the trees, and then allow them to swing up again. Thereupon ... the bound man...was torn in two. This was the way in which Sinis himself was slain by Theseus." I looked for examples of myths, rituals, and sacred spaces associated with trees and wood. Read more
"You were fated, fated to have a life full of pain, when Zeus begot you on your mother, shining through the air on the wings of a snow-white swan." Many strange births occur in Greek mythology. Read more
In this segment Douglas Frame, Leonard Muellner, and Gregory Nagy read, translate and discuss Odyssey 1.252–256, featuring a discussion of the significance of the front gates of Odysseus' palace, where Athena-Mentes meets Telemachus. Read more
The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours is based on a course that Professor Gregory Nagy has been teaching at Harvard University since the late 1970s. The book discusses selected readings of texts, all translated from the original Greek into English. This series of galleries attempts to illustrate each Hour with visual art. This fifth gallery covers Hours 17–20. Read more
In this segment Douglas Frame (CHS), Leonard Muellner (CHS), and Gregory Nagy (Harvard University) discuss Odyssey 1.203–212, part of a speech by Athena (disguised as Mentes) to Telemachus. Topics include how to translate tosos ["τόσος] so great" in context; and the use of the particle dē [δή]. Read more
