Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

Notes

Title: Odyssey: The Moly Defeats Circe

-Odysseus anxiously approached Goddess Circe's house

-Welcomed in by Circe

-Circe brought out luxurious arrangements for his arrival

-Circe presented him with a wine mixed with drugs

-Odysseus drank it 

-Circe lunged at Odysseus with her wand, commanding that he be cast out to his lowly men

-Odysseus was immune/not affected by the drugged concoction
-Odysseus rushed at Circe with his sword as if to kill her for her deceit
-Circe evaded the attack
-Circe began questioning who he was, because of its lack of effect on him. Slightly intrigued
-Circe then realizes that she is dealing with Odysseus, the one who she was told about from other ppl
-Circe told Odysseus to sheathe his sword and join her in her bed as to rebuild trust via lovemaking 

-Odysseus expressed his concern in trusting her when she had his men turned into pigs

-Odysseus made her swear an oath to not hurt him by the gods

-Circe swore the oath and began prepping Odysseus

-Odysseus was showered with more fancy arrangements, was given a relaxing bath (-weariness), and food to eat and drink  

-Odysseus denied the food

-Circe asked why he wasn't eating, reaffirmed that she had sworn her solemn oath to not harm him

-Odysseus expressed his insecurity/distrust and wanted her to free his men first before he expressed any tender emotions, be it eating of her food or sharing her bed with her

-Circe then freed all the men

-The men returned to Odysseus full of tears and gratitude

-Circe felt pity for what she did

Head of Odysseus, Source

Bibliography
Tony Kline, Odyssey: The Moly Defeats Circe, Source

Wikipedia Trail from the Odyssey to the Belvedere Torso

I began this Wikipedia trail with the Odyssey, in line with the material in week 3 and 4 written by Homer. I was curious about jumping into this wiki article because I had never taken the time to read a holistic viewpoint on the Odyssey. All I remember from it was reading bits and pieces in high school, back when it bored me entirely due to the vernacular.

From there, I went to the Trojan War.  I read more about the events that happened after the war because most of those aren't touched on a whole lot in popular media (movies, shows, etc. I loved watching Troy, the movie, so reading this article was sort of familiar.

Then, I went on to read about Ajax the Great and how he took his own life. It was eye-opening to see the ways that gods and goddesses were conveyed as doing things to help and harm mortals; I had not known that Athena had a part in Ajax falling on his own sword to take his life.

Lastly, I read about the Belvedere Torso (image below), the presumed statue of Ajax contemplating his suicide. The article states that it is just a hypothesis, but how cool would it be if it were!! It would definitely fit.

Belvedere Torso on Wikipedia

Week 4 Story: Anastasia the Savior

Updated version on Portfolio: Link

Anastasia was an aspiring psychologist, young and full of energy coming out of high school. She dreamed of going to a well-known university like Harvard or Yale. She had the academic performance to earn herself an admission to any school of her choosing, but she simply could not afford it. Distraught and feeling downtrodden, she didn't know what she was going to do. Luckily, she earned tuition waivers and plenty of scholarship money at the best university in her state, so she settled for that school.  She went on to do amazing things, not letting anyone or anything get in her way. She caught the eyes of many of the psychology professors, wrote articles that got published in psychology journals, and quickly rose to the top of her department's graduating class. Her record and reputation were impeccable. She took advantage of her being at a seemingly unimpressive university and molded it into an amazing experience, outcome, and story. She went on to complete the same university's doctorate program after she had earned her bachelor's degree. By this time, she had made a name for herself across her state at a relatively young age. Anastasia continued to write amazing articles and be known for her thought-provoking and impactful papers.

Over time, Anastasia's success did not dwindle. She soared higher and higher with each year. Now as a prolific author, Anastasia eventually began a world tour for her best-selling book, "The Unique Life of a Child Psychologist". Selling over a million copies over the span of a few years,  Anastasia had made it. She had made a name for herself, made a fortune in sales of her various works, and had not a single worry in life. 

Near the middle of her career, Anastasia heard disheartening news; her alma mater was having to shut its psychology department down. Not having visited or even thought about it, Anastasia had almost forgotten about the university she once called home. Thankful for the destined fate that was her attending that university, she couldn't imagine where she would have been if she had gone to Harvard or Yale, accepted loads of loans, and not had the same opportunities to become a prosperous psychologist. Because of this, she could not let her dear university's psychology department be shut down. She did everything in her power to stop it from collapsing. Ultimately, with no other option, she injected over 10 million dollars into that psychology department and brought it back to life. Now named after Anastasia, her alma mater's psychology department could not be more thankful and indebted to her. 

A pencil sketch of a happy wolf family. Source 

Author's Note: I based my story off the story of Ailbe, the human child that was abandoned by his parents in the woods. The helpless Ailbe was taken in and raised by wild wolves. Many years later, Ailbe was found and taken in by a nearby kingdom's prince and princess. Ailbe, now as a man amongst living amongst royalty, thrived with regard to fortune, position, and knowledge. Many years down the line, his former wolf family came before him as they were threatened by hunters. Ailbe came to their rescue and ensured their safety and well-being from that point on. 

Bibliography
Abbie Farwell Brown, The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts, source