Homer's Odyssey Through the Zodiac

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Homer’s Odyssey Through the Zodiac

Jonathan PearlMay 30, 2006

Tell me, muse, was the oet o! the greatest homecoming tale e"er told insired #y

the s$ies%

&irst the essentials' a!ter a ten(year siege o! Troy, all the )ree$ warriors still ali"ehad returned home e*cet one + Odysseus )oddess -thena reminds Zeus thatOdysseus is misera#ly traed on .alyso’s isle, stalled on his /ourney due to theanger o! Poseidon Zeus agrees it’s time !or Odysseus to see his wi!e and the landhe lo"es Hermes dashes o with the lans, and -thena in disguise "isits not thegreat warrior #ut his young son Telemachus at home in 1thaca

Prince Telemachus is the rst to see the stranger and in"ites him in They chat +unhay Telemachus grum#les a#out the many suitors who are ursuing his motherPeneloe and eating u his estate in the rocess He longs !or his !ather whom he

has ne"er seen -thena in disguise says she’s a close !riend o! Odysseus and cameto 1thaca a!ter hearing the warrior was nally #ac$ home 1! not yet, -thenarohecies, then soon it will come to ass

1n the meantime, -thena urges Telemachus to dri"e the insolent suitors away heinsires him with a lan' order the suitors out and call an assem#ly o! the no#les o!the island Then see$ news o! Odysseus on Pylos, a near#y island 1! he hears thatOdysseus is ali"e, then hold out one more year4 i! he hears news o! his !ather death,hold a !uneral and gi"e Peneloe to another hus#and

-s the stranger suddenly disaears Telemachus is 5lled with ner"e and courage 7

- #ard sings a song o! Odysseus and sets his mother to crying, #ut Telemachus tellsher to hush Then he stands u to all the suitors' 58ou must lea"e my alace95They all #it their lis, ama:ed he could sea$ with so much daring

.hater 2 #egins at the assem#ly Telemachus, loo$ing more slendid that e"erthan$s to -thena’s shine, roclaims to all the no#les' -ll these suitors in!est ouralace day and night and s;uander all our li"estoc$9 Hold on, one relies 1t’s notour !ault, #ut your scheming mother9 <e all want her, and she romised to marryone o! us a!ter comleting a shroud !or her !ather(in(law =aertes &or three yearsshe wo"e #y day and untied #y night 1! your mother would marry, the rest o! thesuitors would diserse Telemachus $ees his cool and says he cannot !orce hismother to marry against her will, then tells the assem#ly o! his lan to see$ news ona near#y island -!terwards Telemachus gathers sulies !or his tri as -thenaarranges !or a shi and crew 1n this chater Telemachus is warmer towards hismother + he instructs the maids not to tell Peneloe o! his lans so she won’t 5stainher lo"ely !ace with tears

Telemachus and -thena ull u to Pylos at the #eginning o! .hater 3 -thena urges Telemachus to sea$ u to >estor, lord o! the land 5<e sailed the seas !or this, !ornews o! your !ather? ress him yoursel! to tell the whole truth >estor as$s theguests who they are and Telemachus relies with his story 51 am on the trail o! my

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!ather’s widesread !ame, you see, searching the earth to catch some news>estor tells a rounda#out story o! the Tro/an <ar and how he made o without$nowing what haened to the others @ut wealthy Menelaus, his comrade(in(armsat Troy and neigh#or across the island, might $now more -!ter sending the night,

Telemachus sets o with >estor’s son to "isit Menelaus

- young man insired to #ra"e action in chater 74 rotection o! wealth, suitorslonging !or a #eauty, a woman loyal to her hus#and all in chater 24 a /ourney insearch o! news and !riends made in chater 3 + erhas a !amiliar attern% 1 thin$the :odiac sea$s in this tale 1! you aren’t yet con"inced, that’s all right4 the #est iscoming u

-t the #eginning o! chater A, Telemachus and his comanion nd $ing Menelauscele#rating a dou#le wedding !east !or his son and daughter <hen as$ed #y an aidewhat to do with the guests, Menelaus is ir$ed #y the ;uestion 5Just thin$ o! all thehositality we en/oyed? Buic$, unhitch their team, #ring them in Menelaus gi"es

Telemachus a choice ortion o! meat which the $ing himsel! was a#out to eat Telemachus is da::led #y the magnicent alace Menelaus admits he is wealthy,

#ut also sad + he longs !or his dead #rother, !or his comanions who died at Troy,and !or his !riend Odysseus most o! all -t this the $ing starts crying, and

Telemachus C#e!ore re"ealing who he isD cries too Menelaus’ wi!e Helen notices theresem#lance #etween the young rince and Odysseus, then Telemachus’ tra"elingcomanion sea$s u' 5Eight you are? here is the son o! the great hero @ut theman is modest, he would #e ashamed to ma$e a show o! himsel! &inding out thatthe son o! Odysseus is now his guest, Menelaus cries again, and Helen, and

Telemachus -!ter getting it all out, the .ancer $ing declares' 5<ell so much !or thetears that caught us /ust now4 let’s thin$ again o! suer The ne*t day Menelaustells Telemachus what he $nows o! Odysseus in his own tale o! his return !rom Troy,and Telemachus tells the $ing the situation on the island Meanwhile the suitorswere lotting to $ill Telemachus on the seas as he returns His mother Peneloe

catches news o! this and is so sic$ with worry she can #arely sea$ 5Oh herald, whyhas my child gone and le!t me% -thena comes to her aid and says not to worry

1n chater F, we at last meet the hero Odysseus @ut not ;uite yet +rst Hermesdeli"ers the message to .alyso that Odysseus has to go Hermes is ama:ed #y thelu*urious woods, #irds, graes, Gowers and her#s o! .alyso’s domain 5<hy e"en adeathless god who came uon that lace would ga:e in wonder, heart entrancedwith leasure >ot so !or Odysseus + though he sends the nights with the goddess.alyso, during the days he cries on the #each, 5wrenching his heart with so#s andgroans and anguish, longing !or the home and wi!e he lo"es <hen .alyso saysthat he could try the /ourney in a ra!t, Odysseus susects a lot The ocean’sdangerous enough !or dee(sea shis, how am 1 to cross in a ra!t% he assures himo! her comassionate heart Though .alyso $nows it is Zeus’ command thatOdysseus return home, she still in;uires o! Peneloe' 5oes she ri"al me in #uild, in#eauty% Perhas .alyso’s goddess ride was wounded a!ter all the years o!Odysseus ining !or his mortal wi!e Odysseus sends the ne*t A days #uilding ara!t .alyso ro"ides sulies, then he sets o on his great /ourney home -!ter 7Idays at sea, Poseidon + still angry #ecause Odysseus had #linded his son + wrec$sthe ra!t in a storm Odysseus dri!ts at sea !or 2 days and 2 nights, again and again!acing death, yet on the morning o! the 3rd day he sees land Than$s to the aid o! an

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ocean goddess and her gi!t o! a rotecti"e scar!, he ma$es it ast the #rea$ers androc$s to shore Odysseus co"ers himsel! in lea"es and goes to slee

<hile Odysseus rests, chater 6 #egins with -thena aearing in disguise in adream to the daughter o! the $ing o! the land he insires her not to sound thealarm, not to go loo$ing !or a handsome old warrior #ut ? to do the laundry

5>ausicaa, loo$ at your ne clothes, lying here neglected + with your marriage not!ar o, the day you should #e dec$ed in all your glory? let’s go wash these clothesat the #rea$ o! day 1’ll hel you? you won’t stay unwed long9 <hen she awa$esshe tal$s to her !ather a#out going to wash the clothes, #ut is 5too shy to touch onher hoes !or marriage, young warm hoes 1! >ausicaa isn’t married, as Homerma$es a#undantly clear CF times in F agesD, she is ro#a#ly a "irgin Just a hunch

-!ter washing all the clothes, >ausicaa and her maids lay and sing The noisewa$es Odysseus, who a!ter 20 days at sea and a night co"ered in lea"es, was aterri#le sight He leads !or hel >ausicaa holds steady and hears him out, andthan$s to his wits and smooth deli"ery she gi"es him clothing and !ood a!ter hecleans u he then directs him to the alace o! her $ing !ather and ;ueen mother,

#ut as$s him to wait a while #e!ore !ollowing #ehind, concerned a#out maintainingher ure reutation

Perhas the rst three chaters seemed li$e mere coincidence, #ut let’s re"iewwhat’s haened in chaters A, F and 6 1n the A th chater where we are starting toe*ect .ancer themes, we meet a wealthy and hosita#le $ing whose sentimentgets e"eryone crying, then they nd relie! in suer and slee 1n the F th =eochater we rst get a descrition o! di"ine lu*ury yet also o! Odysseus’ misery, thenhear o! his courageous crossing o! the ocean in a ra!t4 he nearly dies, #ut than$s todi"ine aid ma$es it to shore 1n the 6th irgo chater, a ne young "irgin who isyearning !or marriage and has a thing !or washing clothes rescues Odysseus o !arthe story twists and turns, yet the :odiac is right on course

-!ter allowing time !or >ausicaa to get home, Odysseus sets o to the alace o! thePhaeacians at the #eginning o! chater I -thena aears as a young girl to guidethe way and conceals him in mist he tells him the ;ueen o! the land is worshied#y all !or her honor and /udgment, and is renowned !or settling disutes 5he candissol"e ;uarrels, e"en among men, whoe"er wins her symathies Odysseus #egs!or mercy at the !eet o! the ;ueen The $ing is the one to resond and romises sa!eassage home The ;ueen, howe"er, sots clothes that she hersel! made and soin"estigates Odysseus He tells his story' he wound u on .alyso’s isle a!ter all hisother shimates erished, languished there I long years, then in the Kth he sailedthe ocean on a ra!t, washed u on the shores o! this land and was disco"ered #y>ausicaa who ro"ided the clothes The $ing in;uires' My daughter did not #ringyou straight here% Odysseus tact!ully relies' 1t was my idea to !ollow #ehind, sinceeole are rone to tal$ a#out a young girl wal$ing with a strange man Odysseus isactually #ending the truth to rotect >ausicaa + it was her lan !or him to lag#ehind 1n this chater we read o! Odysseus leading at the !eet o! the eacema$er;ueen and the s$ill!ul #ending o! truth so no one gets hurt + all =i#ra

-!ter a night o! slee, chater K descri#es a day o! songs and contests -thenamingles among the eole and rouses their curiosity .ome see the old warrior9 -t

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the meeting grounds there is a !air + #ards sing, young men sort and all dance and!east The #lind herald sings a song o! Troy, and the warrior who had not yetre"ealed himsel! li!ts his cae to hide his tears Only the $ing notices as the games#egin + racing, wrestling, /uming and discus - young man taunts Odysseus to /oinin the contests >o, he relies, 1’m /ust thin$ing o! home The man moc$s him, andat that Odysseus trades insult !or insult, then gra#s the largest discus and throws it

!urther than e"eryone else >e*t a dance, and in the dance a song, and in the songa tale o! -res and -hrodite ( !amous lo"ers, caught in their adulterous act #ycriled Hehaestus The $ing as$s the no#les o! the land to gi"e gi!ts to Odysseusas he sets o !or home @e!ore the /ourney Odysseus relishes a hot #ath' 5<hat awelcome sight to Odysseus’ eyes9 The #ard signs again, and Odysseus againwees This romts the $ing to as$ Odysseus o! his story, to share his secrets 5>oless dear than a #rother, the #rother(in(arms who shares our inmost thoughts 1nthe corio chater we read o! curiosity, emotion, contests, se*ual intrigue, sharingsecrets, e"en a hot #ath

The second sentence o! chater L sums u agittarius' 5There’s nothing #etter thanwhen dee /oy holds sway throughout the realm and #an;ueters u and down the

alace sit in ran$s, enthralled to hear the #ard, and #e!ore them all, the ta#lesheaed with #read and meats, and drawing wine !rom a mi*ing(#owl the stewardma$es his rounds and $ees the wine(cus Gowing This, to my mind, is the #est li!ecan oer Odysseus tells his tale to the Phaeacians -!ter getting out o! Troy withhis shimates, Odysseus descri#es the lotus(eaters with their addicti"e !ood, thenencountering the .yclos Har#oring their shis, they e*lore the island and ma$etheir way to a ca"e - giant returns, they as$ !or hel, he choms down two o! hismen !or dinner in return Traed in the ca"e, Odysseus gets the giant drun$ andthen they ut out his eye with a sharened oli"e trun$ Cthis was why Poseidon wasso angry at OdysseusD Ma$ing their escae hidden under shee and then sailingaway, Odysseus taunts the monster giant The shimates lead + lease shut u,we almost died9 The .yclos hea"es a roc$, /ust missing the #oat Odysseus still

cannot $ee his mouth shut eems li$e a modern day stereotye o! agittarius-arently Homer thought highly o! irgo, where a #eauti!ul goddess rescuesOdysseus4 and rather less o! agittarius, where a monster choms down men !or#rea$!ast and dinner, and though Odysseus sa"es the day with his wits he still ris$se"eryone’s li!e with his rattle

1n comle* chater 70 Odysseus continues his story They come to the -eolianisland, rotected #y ramarts o! #ron:e and sheer roc$ clis The $ing there gi"esOdysseus a gi!t o! the winds so they sail o and ma$e good rogress !or L days andnights The grum#ling men wonder what is in the sac$ and oen it as the catainslet The winds escae and they are #lown all the way #ac$ to where they started>o hel this time, says the $ing, you are cursed9 -nd so the men row, #ac$#rea$ingwor$ They sto at the land o! the giants, men are eaten, they romtly sail away

The ne*t island is the home o! .irce who turns most o! the men into igs + acomment on .aricorn% Odysseus gets a secial medicine !rom Hermes, con!ronts.irce, she drugs him as she did the men #ut than$s to the her# her charms ha"e noeect he then relents, they get on and she returns the men to human !orm .ircethen assigns Odysseus his great tas$' he must /ourney to the realm o! the dead to"isit the #lind rohet Tiresias who will tell Odysseus the way to eace One lastthing + a man who had drun$ too much !alls o a roo! and dies 1n the .aricorn

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chater we learn that greed creates more wor$, sometimes men can seem li$e igs,Odysseus must ma$e an unheard o! /ourney to nd his way home, and oh yes, don’tdrin$ so much on >ew 8ear’s that you !all o a roo! and die

Odysseus rather ;uic$ly gets to the realm o! the dead in -;uarius chater 77 -!termeeting with the rohet and getting in!ormation on how to get home and ha"e

eace at last, the rest o! the chater isn’t a#out Odysseus at all 1nstead we hear o!"arious women ( rst his mother, then others' Tyro who !ell in lo"e with the ri"ergod, -ntioe who sent a night with Zeus, -lcmena who was the mother o!Heracles, icaste the mother o! Oedius, .hloris wi!e o! >eleus, =eda mother o!.aster and Polydeuces, 1himedeia wi!e o! -loeus, and more They #rea$, then thene*t day we hear tales o! men' -gamemnon, -chilles, Patroclus and more tradestories <e meet the ghosts o! Minos and Orion, then Tityus, Tantalus, isyhus,these last three !amous images o! unishment ultures eat the li"er o! Tityus4

Tantalus who is arched #y thirst stands in a ool that e"aorates when he tries todrin$, and is temted #y !ruits that #low away when he tries to eat4 and isyhusushes a #oulder uhill all the way eems li$e -;uarius in"ol"es some eort to saythe least, and li$ely suering as well, yet it is this chater in which Odysseus gains

wisdom <e notice history, tales o! others, and i! we are aying attention we seewomen are searate !rom men Odysseus ma$es his way #ac$ to the shi and theyrow o

1n chater 72, still telling his story to the Phaeacians, Odysseus goes #ac$ to .irce’sisland to ro"ide a #urial !or the oor drun$ who !ell o the roo! .irce again gi"eshim guidance o! what lies ahead' rst he will come to the #ewitching irens, then hemust ass through the twin sea monsters o! ylla and .har#ydis, then they willarri"e at the island o! the un god where you and your men are not to eat thecattle! The irens are the second addicti"e e*erience Odysseus comes across Ctherst is the lotus eaters in the agittarius chaterD <hile the ears o! the crew aresealed with #eeswa*, Odysseus listens to their sweet sound This is not #ecause

he’s so great that he withstand the temtation, #ut #ecause his !riends tie him uand romise to #ind him more tightly the more he cries to #e let go .an we see amodel !or -lcoholics -nonymous in this Pisces chater o! the Odyssey% -!ter theirens, the ne*t challenge is the twin sea monsters ome men die, #ut Odysseus,his shis and most o! the men ma$e it through The last temtation o! not eatingthe cattle ro"es the hardest Though Odysseus wants to #yass the island entirely,his men are tired and demand a rest He relents #ut ma$es the men romise not totouch the cows They swear an oath, #ut a!ter a month o! no wind, dwindlingsulies, and hungry #ellies, they slaughter some !or a !east They don’t $now theyha"e /ust doomed themsel"es to death They sail on #ut Zeus comlies with Helios’re;uest to ta$e re"enge and sends a lightening #olt to destroy all the shisOdysseus washes u on .alyso’s island #ut the rest o! the men die, and !rom therewe $now the story o in this Pisces chater Odysseus has !aced an addicti"etemtation, /ourneyed through the midst o! two sea monsters, and e*eriences ruin#ecause his crew desecrated the sacred

<e ha"e tra"eled round the :odiac, #ut there are 72 chaters to go <hat haensne*t% 1! we are at -ries again, will Odysseus come out #ra"er than e"er, themightiest warrior o! them all% >ot ;uite He slees on the way home and let’s thePhaeacians do all the wor$ as they see him home to 1thaca <hat is going on% <hat

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has #e!uddled our :odiac tale% Homer gi"es us a clue at the #eginning o! thechater' 5time and again Odysseus turned towards the radiant sun, an*ious !or it toset, yearning now to #e gone and home once more ? -s a man aches !or hise"ening meal when all day long his #race o! wine(dar$ o*en ha"e dragged the#olted lowshare down a !allow eld + how welcome the setting sun to him 1t isn’ttoo much a stretch to thin$ that erhas Homer is telling us to imagine the un

setting in signs 1nstead o! a young man stri$ing out !or #attle, Odysseus slees hisway home Then -thena disguises him as an old man, the "ery oosite o! thethemes o! the rst chater

This structure continues !or the rest o! the #oo$ 1n chater 7A CTaurus setting!ollowing this logicD, Odysseus "isits the loyal swineherd and hears that his estatehas #een ruined #y the suitors 1n chater 7F C)emini settingD, -thena calls

Telemachus home !rom his /ourney4 instead o! news, they see$ wisdom !rom omens1n .ancer chater 76, instead o! weeing o"er a lost !ather, Odysseus and

Telemachus are re(united 1n =eo chater 7I, Odysseus disguises himsel! as a#eggar 1n irgo chater 7K, mature Peneloe inGames the desires o! all the suitors4we also nd out the maids o! the house are sending nights with the suitors too

1nstead o! eace in =i#ra chater 7L, Odysseus and Telemachus reare !or #attle1n corio chater 20, again we ha"e se*ual intrigue #ut more imortantlyOdysseus is reeatedly attac$ed instead o! rotected as he was earlier 1n there"ealing agittarius chater 27 we read o! the great contest o! the old #ow (agittarius setting9 1n the rst .aricorn chater Odysseus sa"es his men !rom#eing igs4 in this one he slaughters all the suitors 1n the rst -;uarius chater wehear o! the tales o! others4 in the second Odysseus and Peneloe share secrets -ndinstead o! losing e"erything as he did in chater 72, in the second Pisces chaterOdysseus gains all + eace at last

5@alance is #est in all things, Homer reminds us throughout the #oo$ Theinteresting twist in chaters 73(2A has meaning &rom the #eginning o! chater 73

Homer descri#es Odysseus dierently Though he has #een 5great in the re"iouschaters, he also has #een suering ;uite a #it tarting with chater 73, Odysseusis on home tur! and a 5cool tactician, the 5royal son o! =aertes, and 5oldcamaigner, 5shrewd a 5man o! intrigue, and most imortantly, 5Ning PerhasHomer is reminding us that i! we are suering in -ries #ecause we are tal$ing andacting too much, then it is time to rest 1! we are suering in Taurus due to materialursuits, then may#e let them go 1! the search !or !acts is coming u !ruitless, turnto omens -nd so on

<e now ha"e a "alid ;uestion' was Homer writing a#out the signs% Pro#a#ly not +he is writing a#out the s$y <e can now understand the Odyssey o! a oetic tale o! asign rising in chaters 7 + 72, and a !ocus on that same sign setting in chaters 73(2A -s ro!ound as this is, there is much, much more 1 ha"e resented /ust the #are#ones o! the story + read with the :odiac in mind, line a!ter line will /um out Thestructure gets e"en more sohisticated + i! -ries is rising then =i#ra is setting,.aricorn culminating and .ancer underneath - $een eye will sot moti!s thatreeat as the signs rise, set, culminate and are not seen

1’m also con"inced Homer wea"es na$shatras into the story One telling e*amle isin chater 72 where we read o! the island where the crew is gi"en the command not

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to eat the cattle ince this is the end o! the Pisces chater, i! Homer were telling usa#out na$shatras this is where we’d e*ect to nd the last one, called Ee"ati in1ndian astrology -ccording to 1ndian tradition the deity o! this na$shatra is Pushan,the 5lord o! the elds and herds, 5$eeer o! sacred cows o! the gods 2 <hile not allline u this recisely, there are many such similarities

Homer e"en wea"es in many other astronomical e"ents Mercury and hisretrogrades are descri#ed throughout, articularly when Odysseus tells a tale Hisduel with .yclos Cin the rst agittarius chater, so )emini is settingD can #eunderstood as the !all o! Orion, the constellation that once mar$ed the sringe;uino* The story o! this constellation is told in many other myths -nd all thenum#ers ha"e meaning + one e*amle is the duration o! homecoming itsel! Peolegenerally say Odysseus ta$es 20 years to get home, #ut this isn’t ;uite right + it’s7L years and se"eral months, the declination cycle o! the Moon ea$ing o! whichcould -thena, who aears in "arious guises throughout, shrouds eole in mist andgi"es secial hel in the last 72 un(setting’ chaters, #e the Moon%

There is more wor$ to do, #ut this much we now $now' Homer was not only one o!

the world’s nest oets, #ut also one o! the greatest astrologers Only ractitionerso! the cra!t read authors li$e Ptolemy, @onatti and =illy yet among those educated inthe <est who has not read Homer% Perhas the greatest Tro/an Horse Cdescri#ed inthe earlier 1liadD is this' Homer has taught e"eryone a#out astrology and they didn’te"en $now it -nd this in a story 2I00 years old9 He had a $een sense o! the signs +many o! the themes and details still come ali"e today The Odyssey is not /ust astory o! the s$y or gods, #ut the li"ed e*erience o! the :odiac as we go !romsuering to eace

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7 -ll Odyssey ;uotes !rom The Odyssey #y Homer, translated #y Eo#ert &agles, Penguin @oo$s,7LL62 The >a$shatras #y ennis Harness, =otus Press, 7LLL

Homer's Odyssey Through the Zodiac

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