A Guide to Odysseus’s Wanderings | Seeing the Soul and World of the Ancient Greeks

The Odyssey, spanning nearly three thousand years, has become an immortal legend in human civilization.

Under Homer's pen, what Odysseus crosses is not only the wind and waves of the Mediterranean, but also the multiple boundaries between civilization and barbarism, life and death. From this story, one can see more of the ancient Greeks' understanding of the world, fate, and death, as well as the further religious and philosophical meanings derived from it.

This session returns to that ancient sea. Starting from a close reading of the text, it explores how the ancient Greeks understood the soul, the world, and the meaning of existence through mythological narrative. Let us begin from that sacrificial rite that descends to the underworld, follow Odysseus's wooden ship, and embark on an intellectual voyage across three thousand years.

The discussion will involve, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Ancient Greek funeral rites and conceptions of the soul
2. The understanding of fate and divine will in the Homeric age
3. Odysseus's complex moral image
4. Theological and philosophical controversies over The Odyssey

Note: This sharing is based not solely on Nolan's film.