I finally made it all the way through The Iliad. Here are my observations:
1 Apparently war has always been hell. We worry about our young men going to war and the awful things they see. We say that they have post-traumatic stress syndrome when they come back. Oh my! To begin with, in The Iliad the odds of coming back would not be as good as they are today. I suspect that those who came back wounded did not fare well either, as antibiotics were unknown. “Let me throw a few herbs in that gaping wound for you!”
Then there are all the graphic images of death. Men double over holding their entrails (a.k.a. internal organs) in their hands. Their brains ooze out from under their helmets. A spear goes through ones mouth and out the back of his head. Another ones eyeballs fall at his feet. Such descriptions go on for page after page and chapter after chapter.
2. These “heroes” are always bragging about their lineage and prior deeds in an attempt to intimidate their enemies. I’m not sure how this realistically happens on the battlefield, but it is a regular occurrence in The Iliad. Opponents charge at each other and come to a screeching halt while they prate on about which god they supposedly claim as father or grandfather, and, "Ha..I killed your brother (or best friend) and now I will kill you too!” At some point, by mysterious agreement, they begin hacking at each other.
The boasts continue over the body once a winner and loser have been determined by this mortal conflict. The winner stands over the vanquished and continues his rant. The translation of The Iliad which I read referred to this as “vaunting.” I have had my fill of vaunting.
3. Apparently parents of that era had no concern for the self-esteem of their off-spring.
Then, he (Priam) called to his sons… "Come to me at once, he cried, worthless sons who do me shame; would that you had all been killed at the ships rather than Hector.”
Talk about playing favorites! You wouldn’t believe some of the things that cause one or another of my children to think they have been slighted! I’ve never come close to making Priam’s rebuke.
4. I find it interesting that some expressions we use today had origins in antiquity. E.g. “another one bites the dust” A whole lot of dust biting occurs in The Iliad.
Also: Hindsight is 20/20 is found as “Even a fool may be wise after the event.”
5. Extreme fatalism and a belief that we are predestined to certain outcomes permeate this work. Folly, eldest of Jove’s daughters, shuts men’s eyes to their destruction. She walks delicately, not on the solid earth, but hovers over the heads of men to make them stumble or to ensnare them. Supposedly, she has even hoodwinked Jove himself.
6. Which brings me back to the notion mentioned in an earlier post, that the gods of The Iliad are totally worthless. They are as flawed as any human being. Not even the mightiest is always in control. What is the point? I do NOT want a god like that!
Unfortunately, many people in our world worship such gods. Even those who think they worship no god at all are trusting in things which offer no genuine or permanent security. Education, health, money, friendships, talents can all be lost or altered in some way that is unsettling….or even earth-shattering.
I believe in one God who is Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He loved me enough to redeem me by the death of His own Son. I have His promise that nothing can separate me from His love. That is security.
