Illiad and Odyseey Greek Mythology about the Soul - Essay Example

Iliad and Odyssey: Greek Mythology about the Soul The ancient Greeks harbored fear for death, and believed that the Gods extracted punishment from mortals through death for their deeds on earth. Therefore, they were very fastidious about rituals and the proper cremation of their dead. They also followed meticulous practices so as not to displease the Heavens and to render salvation to the soul. The Gods were purported to have believed in a religion called Orphism, which promulgated the idea that the soul had to undergo several births till it received ultimate purification. The Greeks also entertained a notion that after death, psyche, or vital essence of a person, lived in the underworld. The underworld was ruled by Hades, and all souls after physical death went there. Greek religious beliefs were not written down in parchments but were orally passed on from one generation to another. In every culture, epical stories were created, basing on religious beliefs, and exchanged through word of mouth so that the thoughts and beliefs took deep roots in society. While philosophy was hard for the average human being to understand, fictionalized accounts were easily comprehended. Heroic stories had the power to pass on values and moral to people rather than scripts intended to preach religion. Narratives based on adventures of brave and idealistic protagonists, therefore, became popular among masses and the authors interlaced such sagas with religious and philosophical thoughts in a manner accessible to ordinary people. Thus, Iliad and Odyssey, the two epics by Homer, have a strong influence not only on Greek culture but also on their religion. Homer’s “Odyssey” is an account of Odysseus’ return to Ithaca from the Trojan War. It narrates his adventures and how he overcame the wrath of Poseidon, with the help and blessings of Goddess Athene, daughter of Zeus. Odyssey concentrates on the happenings in Odysseus’ native land, Ithaca during a twenty year period when he was away from his motherland, and the tribulations suffered by his faithful wife Penelope and son Telemachus. Finally, after a long and arduous struggle, Odysseus returns to his land, with the help of the goddess Athene, and is reunited with his wife and son. He also succeeds in killing all the suitors who wanted to marry Penelope during his long absence from Ithaca. As was the contemporary practice prevalent during that time the dead were not buried but cremated. The practice of building “a mould with all the proper funeral rites” was also practiced. (Homer, 1991. p.12, line 293). During his travels, Odysseus also visits Hades to consult the blind prophet, Teiresias to find out a way of returning to his homeland. There he meets the soul of his dead mother, Anticleia, who had died during his absence in Ithaca. Odysseus is moved to find his mother in Hades and “my eyes filled with tears when I saw her there, and I was stirred to compassion” (Homer, 1991. p.161 lines 86-88). Upon asking his mother about the reason for her death, she replied that it was neither illness nor foul play that killed her, but her longing for her son Odysseus. “No, it was my heartache for you, my glorious Odysseus, and for your wise and gentle ways, that brought my life with all its sweetness to an end.” (Homer, 1991. p.165, lines 201-203). This reveals the compassionate side of Homer and the protagonist’s attachment to his mother. This also emphasizes the bonding between their souls though they were physically apart. The prominence of soul over the body also becomes evident when Anticleia says, “We no longer have sinews keeping the bones and flesh together; once life has departed from our white bones, all is consumed by the fierce heat of the blazing fire, and the soul slips away like a dream and goes fluttering on its ways.” (Homer, 1991. p.165 lines 218-220). By this Homer seems to allude that once a person is consigned to the funeral pyre, his body burns down to ashes; nothing remains but the soul. By stating that the soul ‘flutters on its ways’, the author seems to mean that unlike the body, the soul commands some freedom sans the support of flesh or bone within which it resided so far. Thus it is capable of free movement on its own. However, Homer also introduces the concept of Hades which, on the other hand, sort of restricts the soul within a predestined territory. The souls of all immortals must stay in this place as determined by the gods. But it is considered as better than the state where the soul doesn’t even receive this honor if the body is not properly cremated. The ancient Greeks expected a bleak life after death because the soul is sent to Hades after the separation of the spirit from the body and thus ends all human feelings. All human beings, irrespective of their status must eventually come down to the fields of Hades. This is why the ancient Greeks also gave importance for the proper cremation of the dead ones; otherwise, they believed that the unfulfilled soul would hang eternally between the living world and the dead spirits in Hades, seeking un-provided salvation from their kith and kin on earth. The supposed treatment that the soul received in Hades underlines the significance the Greek philosophy attached to the soul. While the body perishes and is rendered to ashes, it is the soul that holds the responsibility for the human’s actions on the earth. The Iliad tells the story of revenge by a brave warrior, Achilles, in the ninth year of the Trojan War. Patroclus, Achilles’ dearest childhood friend was killed by Hector, a Trojan soldier. Upon hearing this, he swears to kill Hector. Later, Achilles chases Hector around the walls of Troy, kills him, and denigrates his body in much the same way as Hector had abused Patroclus’ body. Later, Achilles dreams that the spirit of his bosom friend, Pastroclus, requests him to cremate his corpse. Otherwise his soul would be denied permission to enter the underworld of Hades. It reminds Achilles that he too would soon die and implores that the ashes of both friends be mingled together in the same urn, just as their bodies had mingled together during childhood. Achilles agrees to the wish of the spirit and built a great pyre for Patroclus' cremation. Homer’s concept of afterlife in Hades is bleak, dreary and full of grey. The Greek loved life and despised death and its after effects, since there was no glory in Hades. Even the spirit of his dead friend Pastroclus was not able to comfort Achilles. When he tries to embrace it, the spirit vanished since there was no body to touch. The spirit of his dead friend was more concerned about the intermingling of their ashes rather than their meeting in Hades. This shows that Homer was more concerned about friendship, honor and glory than death and its after effects. According to the Greek, the true worth of a warrior lies in his glorious death while fighting for his king, and the subsequent good name he commands from his countrymen, and not necessarily in living a full life, but, unheard and unsung by others. This concept of ancient Greeks is similar to the Hindu Scriptures. In his discourses on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Dayananda says, “The conscious being does not die when the body, which is matter, dies and disintegrates.” (Dayananda, 1995. p.99). Thus it transpires that most of the religions hold a similar view of immortality of the soul. Eminent Greek Philosophers like Socrates and Plato also held the view that the soul is more important than the body and material things are less important than spiritual things. “The idea of an inner self which survived death, a continuing person who might experience good or bad fortunes in another world is deeply ingrained in the Greek consciousness” and to “live a dark existence in the underworld kingdom of Hades.” (Plato, 2003 p.104). However, Plato discounted the Homerian view that the soul languished in Hades. He propounded the theory that human soul did not perish and good acts done by a human being during his lifetime elevates his soul to a higher level of spirituality. Death, according to the Greek, is seen as the moment of division of the soul from the body, after which the body begins to putrefy, but the soul continues its life, complete with functions of sense organs relating to thinking, recall and communicative skills. “It goes on experiencing the society of other souls, and is able to suffer emotional trauma though not physical pain, and inner contentment though not physical pleasure.” (Plato, 2003. p.105). Next, the question of immortality of the soul as suggested by Plato is considered. Platonists have held lengthy discussions as to whether Plato referred to the whole soul as immortal, or only the rational part of the soul as being immortal, or whether is a third possibility exists. But majority felt that the whole human soul is capable of behaving as a total emotional and rational entity. According to Plato, majority of people want to lead a happy life even after death. Man in the nether world should be devoid of need for sense pleasures. There are two contrasting versions of the concept of immortality of the soul. One theory is accepting the continuation of total range of senses and the other, relating only to the continuation of the mind alone. Socrates believed in the latter concept for himself but advocated the former to his readers. But many people feel that this may not be right. The functions of a man‘s soul need not be left behind, but what needs to be left behind is the physical effects on his body which impedes the realization of mental processes reaching higher intellectual levels. Thus it can be deduced that though essentially Plato agrees to the basic concept of the existence of soul separate from the body, he rather ridicules the concept of Hades as promulgated by Homer and other Greek mythologists. Plato, taking inspiration from his teacher, Socrates, has explored the concept of soul further. Socrates has focused on wisdom for the cleansing of the soul. Similarly, Plato also holds that a wise man’s soul receives eternal bliss because he lives by his values and virtues. His life is guided by high moral grit and spiritual motivations rather than material things. This glorifies his purpose in life and makes him an exceptional human. He is not like other mortal to perish on the earth and be forgotten. As opposed to Homer’s theory that every soul has to some day land up in Hades, Plato believes that the pure soul overcomes all evil and it becomes immortal, eternal and everlasting; wisdom empowers the human soul with strength that conquers all evil. Works Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Penguin Books. London: 1991. 165. Dayananda, Swami. The Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita. Vision Books. New Delhi 1995 Plato: The last days of Socrates: Penguin Books, 2003. 104 . Greek Mythology (Accessed on 13.02.07) Garrett Dr. Did Socrates Teach New Deities or: Homer’s Gods, Plato’s Gods. (Accessed on February 13, 2007) Read More