Mythical Monsters and Monstrous Men
A look at the villains of our Aegean Epic and August plans for Classics Club
In this week’s special edition of the Novel Pairings Newsletter, we’re exploring some of the more trepidatious moments of The Odyssey and revealing our exciting plans for August. We’re also sharing our 2023 Listener Survey, a collection of readerly data we plan to reference when plotting our upcoming episodes and events.
Our 2023 Listener Survey will stay open for a week, but we hope you’ll take five minutes to fill it out today! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us as we plan to make our next year of Novel Pairings content our best one yet.
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Back to Odysseus…
Odysseus’ long journey home from the Trojan War is thwarted by many challenges—gods test him, some hold him captive, and Odysseus and his crew create chaos for themselves when they do not follow sage advice. Yet perhaps the most frightening and imaginative opponents Odysseus faces along his journey are the inhumane monsters.
The monsters we loathe and fear throughout the Western canon and much of popular culture are deeply rooted in the creatures imagined in Homer’s epic poem. Monsters and monstrous-like figures create key conflict in the Odyssey—they are the anthesis to our hero, causing him a good deal of strife. But monsters in Homer’s work serve as more than the obvious good vs. evil (or known vs. unknown) peril that is readily found in many dramas. Let’s take a look at the monsters of the Odyssey, what themes arise from their portrayal in Homer’s poem, and what what we can glean from their portrayals.
The Monsters of the Odyssey
Lotus Eaters
Who they are: The Lotus eaters are a tribe of humans living on a remote island. When Odysseus and his men encounter them, some are offered lotus flowers to eat and immediately lose their sense of self and desire to go home. The Lotus Eaters are not a threat to Odysseus and his men’s physical well-being, but they do tempt their will and threaten their personal values.
Themes to think about: Threatening to wipe the mind clear of home, values, and identity, the Lotus Eaters are directly opposed to the idea of Nostos (longing for home).
Polyphemus the Cyclops
Who he is: Polyphemus is the cyclops son of Poseidon, and is set apart as an “Other” as he and other cyclops do not follow social norms and customs of humans. They have no laws to govern them as people, rather making individual customs per household; they do not cultivate their lands to grow food. They also isolate themselves from the world in their secluded caves and are not welcoming to strangers.
Themes to think about: A twisted form of Xenia, Polyphemus threatens to eat Odysseus and his men, saving Odysseus last as a guest-gift. This episode exemplifies the importance of society and civic life.
The Laestrygonians
Who they are: Well, basically cannibalistic giants. They eat one of Odysseus’ men and quickly move to destroy the others and entrap them by throwing boulders at their fleet of ships.
Themes to think about: A complete lack of Xenia as well as a complete void of humanistic values.
Sirens
Who they are: The sirens are a group of bird women (not mermaid-like creatures, though that’s a frequent depiction) whose melodic voices and songs are so irresistible they drive men to destruction against the rocky shores. Odysseus and his men prepare themselves for this challenging encounter by tying Odysseus to the mast of his ship and putting wax in their ears. Only Odysseus can hear their tempting song.
Themes to think about: Sirens, like the Lotus Eaters, are obstacles that serve to lure Odysseus away from his central goal, but this time though the allure of art. We witness something potentially good (song) used for inhumane motivations. Odysseus tempts fate by allowing himself to hear the sirens’ songs rather than avoiding their music the same way his men do, revealing his ego and curiosity.
Scylla & Charybdis
Who they are: Scylla and Charybdis force Odysseus to pick the lesser of two evils in one of the scariest events of his journey. Scylla is a twelve-legged, six-headed monster with three rows of teeth, who plucks men from the decks of their ships. Just across the narrow strait is Charybdis, a whirlpool that sucks down ships to the sea’s deepest depths and spurts them back up three times a day. She is so dangerous “no one could save you from death then, even great Poseidon” (Wilson 304).
Themes to think about: Scylla and Charybdis stand to end our complicated hero and his journey home. They also force Odysseus to make a difficult decision fit for philosophy and ethics classrooms: whether to lose the whole crew or sacrifice only a few to get to the end goal.
What it takes to make a monster
In an episode of Mythlab, professor R. Scott Smith states that monsters seem to be humanity’s own way of reckoning with any “manifestation of the unusual and unnatural.” In this interview with fellow classicist Debbie Felton, she further defines monsters as anything “existing on some sort of a border, whether it’s physical, behavioral, or geographical.” Monsters in the Odyssey are often hybrids of different species or possess physical anomalies. Others resort to egregious acts of violence, especially ones that violate social contacts. These physical traits, crude behaviors, and otherworldliness of distance and custom give voice to what seems indescribable and creates discomfort within an individual and collective culture.
We can also view the monsters of the Odyssey as a means of defining social order and acceptable behaviors. In many episodes, we witness monsters’ unusual behaviors in direct opposition to the values of our hero—an absence of Xenia, a loss of Nostos. In a blog post from Scientific American, author Krystal D’Costa writes, “Grecian monsters tend to break from the norms of society. They highlight deviations in the social code as well as traits that are marginalized.” These breaks in social acceptability help remind us what is within the realm of permissible behavior…and what is not.
Our Classics Club book pick for August
If you’ve been deliberating over the question of how to consider art in the face of human monstrosity, we hope you’ll consider reading along with our August Classics Club book pick: Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer. In this incisive work of non-fiction, Dederer helps us consider the question posed in her Paris Review essay, “What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?”
Our book club discussions are a part of our monthly Patreon perks at our Literature Scholar tier. We’d love to have you join us on August 30th at 7:00 PM EST for our discussion, so head on over to patreon.com/novelpairings to sign-up today.
We’ll be taking a break from our usual classes in August, so if you’re feeling behind on your reading of The Odyssey, you’ll have plenty of time to relax and finish enjoying this epic tome along with us. Our weekly recaps are always available on Patreon, and can be accessed at any time with an active membership.
Final Words
Readers, thanks for joining us on this deep dive into the darker side of The Odyssey. We hope that you are as curious and excited as we are to discuss Claire Dederer’s newest book with our amazing community of bookworms. We look forward to chatting with you soon.
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