Death in Greece

-the process of burying bodies changed several times→burying, burying with other stuff, mounds, cremation

→depends on wealth of society b/c cremation takes a lot of resources

-early eastern influence of Greece

-Homeric Hymn to Demeter is about a century later than Odyssey XI

→some things changed

→get Persephone’s kidnapping and how you can’t escape under some conditions

→most are unhappy to be down there

→only get more details if compared to other texts

Odyssey XI

  • A cave under the Earth

  • Have to said to the ends of the earth to get there

  • Greeks believed there were many ways to get into the Underworld

  • Guide to the Underworld→Hermes

  • several tormented souls but most experience nothingness

  • souls retain some sense of their identity but lose a lot of themselves

  • oppressive boredom

  • only later Greeks believed in reincarnation→Socrates believed humans forget everything when born again and they should make their life’s purpose to recover that info

  • like slipping into eternal depression, focused on life’s regrets

  • not a material aspect to souls

  • Achilles says he would rather be the lowest of the low on Earth than a king in the Underworld→opp of Achilles in Iliad, who was focused on honor>death but now wants to be alive even if not honored

    • Odysseus tells him about his son and he’s proud→ what honor he has now is now connected to his son

  • ethics of life are separate from those in death

  • the idea of justice in the afterlife has taken over in a lot of traditions→inspire ppl to do good while alive, starting to take sprout in the Odyssey

  • Tartaros→where the worst of the worst go when they die, like the Underworld of the Underworld

    • contains some of the Titans and enemy gods (basically a holding pen for them)

    • humans and lesser gods who did really bad things punished

    • he sees Sisyphus→diff interpretations like reincarnation not something to look forward to

    • Tantalus in a pool of water he cannot drink and trees w/ food he cannot eat

    • ppl guilty of murder or crimes against gods

  • Elysium→Roman name for place a bit better than general Underworld

    • only Heracles is there at this point which is weird b/c other texts say he was turned into a god eventually

  • women mentioned only mentioned b/c important men in their lives

  • like a Greek world that never changes→importance of fulfilling your goals while alive so not as many regrets tormenting you in death

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

  • There are more famous versions of Persephone’s abduction, such as Ovid’s

  • Kidnapped, all against her will

    • Hades only consults Zeus, not Demeter in marrying her

    • Hades tries to charm her, tells her he won’t cheat on her→ends up being only faithful spouse

    • Told to release Persephone

    • Hades sneaks 1 single pomegranate seed into her mouth b/4 she leaves

    • She doesn’t lie about it

  • interpretation, esp for Romans, was seasons b/c in Underworld for 1/3 of the year

    • however, wheat that Greeks associated w/ Demeter wasn’t seasonal→not default way of Greek’s interpretation of the myth

  • was completely lost until 1777 when someone at a monastery in Moscow went to a stable and found this manuscript w/ hymns

  • diff from other versions b/c focus on Demeter (other versions were already known)

  • Demeter goes to Eleusis and gets taken as a nurse to the prince and tries to make him immortal as a replacement to Persephone

    • puts him in the fire but rubs ambrosia on him first, like purifying him

    • drops him when discovered→tells them to make a temple to Demeter→causes famine

    • humans dying and not enough sacrifices→Zeus tells Hades to release Persephone

  • Eleusinian Mysteries- a mystery cult, has an initiation and a lot of secrecy

    • not very much info about what happens in the cult, only outside sources that represent story negatively

    • were a lot of references to this initiation process in this poem

    • any Greek who had not committed murder could be initiated

    • ppl initiated b/c they believed they would get a reward in the afterlife

  • Many people more recently think of it as a commentary ab marriage from women’s pov

    • Persephone abducted against her will→power relationships

    • Hades gets Zeus’ approval, not Demeter’s→mirrors trad Greek marriage b/c father has complete approval over who the GIRL marries, not the young teen GIRL or her mom

    • Greek proverb said women had 2 deaths→one when they get married and the other when they actually died

    • interesting b/c sung by men but female pov involved