#historical books

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

- To Kill a Mockingbird

I’ve started reading To Kill a Mockingbird because apparently I’m the only child who didn’t have to read this in school. I’m glad because now there’s a good chance I won’t loathe the thought of this book by the end.

The glories and horrors of the Trojan war are unique in scope. It lasted for ten years and showed both the warriors love and fear of war and death. This author points out the line from Odysseus:

“The men who Zeus decrees, from youth to old age, must wind down our brutal wars to the bitter end until we drop and die, down to the last man.”

Given the inter-relationships between the city-states at the time this must of have been what it felt like for all them for hundreds of years. Endless conflict with little gained but glory and much lost including all of their good years.

Apparently there was little question as to the legitimacy of the Iliad until recent modern history and the tales of painful and horrified deaths trailed through centuries. In these descriptions of combat the focus on loss of life and the physical pain and final dispensation of the human body is paramount in a way that modern thoughts on the soul separate from. The men in the tale care about their living pain and glory and the deathly honor of the body.

It would seem based on the overarching pieces, Homer knew war personally, intimately. He knew it enough to know that men strive for the fight and away from the pain. Men of split purpose.

After reviewing the actions of the Greeks Homer moves to the goddess Iris rushing to the Trojans and moving them to war. The allies ready for war and you get a full description of the allies of which Aeneas is the first, followed

Odds and ends: there is specific description of Troy. Aeneas is not Trojan, but Dardanian (an ally) and is a prince of that city.

This chapter starts with an intentional lie on the part of Zeus to Agamemnon. The dream sent plays on the king’s existing weaknesses including his pride. To me this is in two ways; that he is destined to win and that Zeus would speak especially to him. It takes a level of arrogance that only Agamemnon has shown up until now to believe these things.

He uses this sense of self-importance and an attempt at reverse psychology to push the Greeks to attack when they do. However Odysseus sees the psychology and a Greek named Thersites sees the arrogance. Thersites calls out the king and demands that they should go home. His message is the Greek version of Cassandra inside the city and he is abused and ignored.

Agamemnon’s push for continuing the war includes “payment in full” for the miseries born by the Greeks during the war in rape. He threatens to kill deserters and says that if they lose it is their own cowardice. He then acknowledges his fault in the fight with Achilles but doesn’t take responsibility. Instead he makes a bid to tell the men that if Achilles fought the war would be over.

Odds and ends: Odysseus is called raider of cities, the ox sacrificed has to be five years old and I’m not sure why, the sacrifice will work but not right away, Ares sons are Greek but he fights for the Trojans.

There are two distinct Ajax and I wonder if these are likely part of the original oral tradition.

Hercules’ sons and grandsons are at Troy which helps line up the timing of the different myths.

The Greek gods are personalities that many of us are raised with in myth but is seems that they are far closer in their relation to humans than the Sumerians or the Hindus. They are human in personality and form. Their concerns seem to mirror very human concerns. Whereas entities like Krishna have existential existence the personality of Zeus for example is very concrete. He comes into being new unlike the other gods before.

They are also bound to outside fate in a way other gods aren’t. They can act in their own interest as Hera and Athena do so many times but as shown for both of them and Zeus, they cannot change the fate of their favorites. They can influence the behaviors acting as a devil/angel on the should as Athena does for Achilles many times to extend his life but she cannot save him anymore then Zeus can save his son or Troy.

The difference may be subtle but I think it is important to understanding the epic and I want to keep it in mind while reading the text to study the changes in cultural understanding. The Iliad is to the Greeks as the Mahabharata is the Hindu showing earlier culture concepts of Gods in battle. I will have to see if I can find a parallel to the Bhagavad Gita for the Greeks showing sophistication of the religious concept. (If anyone knows it please respond.)