Thursday, May 14, 2015

In Homer's Odyssey are there any real differences between the message of the 1st Council and the 2nd Council, which Hermes delivers?

In the first book of Homer's Odyssey,
Zeus addresses the gods about the Aegisthus' murder of Agamemnon and the revenge that
Agamemnon's son Orestes would take upon Aegisthus. Athene expresses her concern about
Odysseus and Zeus assures her that he will help Odysseus leave Calypso's island. Athene
suggests that the send Hermes down to break the news to Calypso. Because Hermes is the
messenger of the gods, it is appropriate that he deliver the
message.


Although this 1st Council occurs in
Odyssey 1, the audience has to wait until Odyssey
5 to hear the results of this council carried out. Because some 1500 lines
have passed since the 1st Council, Book 5 opens with a return to the council of the
gods.


In Odyssey 5, Homer omits the
business about Agamemnon, Aegisthus, and Orestes.


In
Odyssey 5, Athene does not go into as much detail about Calypso,
her ancestry, or her island home.


Also, in
Odyssey 5, Zeus does not give background on Odysseus' blinding of
the Cyclops and Poseidon's anger at Odysseus because of
this.


Another difference in the details is that in
Odyssey 5, Zeus immediately summons Hermes to deliver the message
of Calypso, whereas in the earlier book Athene suggested that they send
Hermes.


Additionally, in the 2nd Council, Zeus also reminds
Athene that she was the one who arranged for Odysseus to arrive home late and destroy
the suitors:


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Was this not of your own devising, that Odysseus
might return and take vengeance on them all? (Odyssey 5; A.S. Kline
translation)



Although there
are differences in the details between the first and second divine councils, the basic
message is the same: Zeus has not forgotten about Odysseus and he, at the urging of
Athene, will arrange for his release from Calypso's island by sending Hermes down to
deliver the message.

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