The five monolithic theories of myths according to G.S. Kirk are: Nature, Aetiology, Charter, Creative Era, and Ritual. Within the entirety of the Odyssey are many different sub-myths. In this blog post I will attempt to give examples of each of the 5 monolithic theories in the form of those sub-myths from the Odyssey which can be considered and overall myth, of sorts.
- Nature- Myths of Nature personified
- Book 10, Lines 16-61
- This is a continuation of Odysseus telling his adventures to the Phaecians. In this section we find out that after escaping from the Cyclops, Odysseus ended up with Aeolus, the master of the winds. After telling Aeolus what had happened to them so far and asking for help, Aeolus agrees and binds all the winds within the skin of a full-grown ox except for the western wind which would blow the weary travelers home. He then gives the skin to Odysseus. However, just before they reach home, Odysseus takes a nap and his men decided to see what's inside the sack. When they open it all the other winds are released and they end up being blown back to Aeolus's palace, who refuses to help them again. I think this is a nature myth because while the winds aren't necessarily personified, they are controlled by a master appointed by Zeus. In this way Aeolus, since he controls all the winds, can be thought of as being part of those winds himself. This myth also focuses on the natural phenomenon itself, the wind blowing them home and then once released blowing them off course, rather than an angry god influencing the winds.
- Aetiology- Explanation Myths
- Book 18, Lines 1-124
- This portion tells of when Odysseus has finally made it back to Ithaca and he basically ends up fighting a street urchin because he really doesn't look very kingly when he arrives. In my mind aetiology myth are myths that just tell a story without any true lesson but rather they give necessary exposition which gives background knowledge. I think that this part of they Odyssey is just exposition which is good because not everything can be packed with meaning or deeply insightful or else the reader gets frustrated. So I think, at least in the context of the greater long story of the Odyssey, moments like this vignette are necessary to tell what happened without packing it full of lessons and meaning. The background knowledge that this gives is that this is how Odysseus gets into the palace. The princes (who have long overstayed their welcome by this point) instigate and gamble on the fight between Odysseus and the street urchin. When Odysseus easily wins, they offer him food and Telemachus, recognizing him finagles him into the palace. Without this section, we wouldn't know how Odysseus ultimately got into the palace in order to roust all the suitors from his kingdom.
- Creative Era (Return to the Dream-time)- Myths that seem to take you back in time
- Book 3, Lines 113- 127
- In this portion, King Nestor recounts to Telemachus the story of the siege on Troy. When I began reading King Nestor's account, I felt like I was being transported back in time. For the characters the time that is being remembered isn't that far in the past but it feels farther away as he tells it. That feeling of going back in time is why I thought this would make an excellent example of a Creative Era myth. During his telling, Nestor talks about seeing Athena set two men feuding with "eyes afire" and how "Zeus was brooding over us, poised to seal our doom..." and it's like he could actually perceive the presence of those gods on the field of battle. To us in modern times, this seems ridiculous but this is just one example of how deeply the gods were woven into Ancient Greek life. The people saw them in their everyday lives, maybe not literally but they perceived the ripples of what they deemed the gods' thoughts, feelings and actions.
- Ritual- Myths surrounding rituals
- Book 11, Lines 25-731
- This is basically the majority of Book 11 when Odysseus visits the land of the dead and sees and talks to all the different dead people. I label this myth a ritual myth not because of who he talks to but rather what he does at the beginning. Before he can go to the Land of the Dead, Odysseus must make an offering to the dead and he promises to "slaughter a barren heifer in [his] halls, the best [he] had and to load a pyre with treasures" as payment for the information he was seeking. This myth doesn't come out and fully explain why this was necessary but it shows that this was something that was understood that had to be done. This kind of practice of making offerings to the dead is still common in some cultures as well as rituals to seek guidance from those who have died.
- Charter Myth- Myths explaining traditions
- Book 9, Lines 320- 460
- This is when Odysseus is captured by the Cyclops and escapes by saying his name is Nobody. While this didn't engender a tradition in Odysseus's time it is now commonplace that when you don't want to give your name you say "Nobody" and by extension when you don't want to say what you're doing you say "nothing."
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