CENTRE FOR ODYSSEANCENTRE STUDIESFOR ODYSSEAN STUDIES KentΡΟ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙακΩΝKentΡΟ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙακΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ Οσ Οσ Οσ Οσ π π Ε Ε σμ σμ Ο Ο ϊκ ϊκ κΟ κΟ THE UPPERTHE AND UPPER THE AND UNDER THE WORLD UNDER WORLD ά ά Ο ΕπάνωΟ κ Επάνωάι Ο κάτω κάι κΟ Ο κσμάτωΟσ κΟσμΟσ ρχ ρχ ά ά άτω άτω Ο Ο IN HOMERICIN H ANDOMERIC ARCHAIC AND A ERCHAICPIC EPIC κ κ στΟ ΟμηρικστΟΟ Ο κμηρικάι τΟΟ ά κρχάάι ϊκτΟΟ ά ΕρχπΟσάϊκΟ ΕπΟσ ι τ ι τ Ο Ο ά ά ι ι κ κ Proceedings Proceedings ά ά Από τα ΠρακτικάΑπό τα Πρακτικά of the 13th Internationalof the 13th Symposium International on Symposiumthe Odyssey on the Odyssey Ο Ο του ΙΓ΄ Διεθνούςτου Συνεδρίου ΙΓ΄ Διεθνούς για τηνΣυνεδρίου Οδύσσεια για την Οδύσσεια Ithaca, August Ithaca,25-29, 2017August 25-29, 2017 Ιθάκη, 25-29 ΑυγούστουΙθάκη, 25-29 2017 Αυγούστου 2017 μηρικ μηρικ Ο Ο Ο Ο στ στ Editors Editors κ Επάνω Ο κ Επάνω Ο Επιστημονική επιμέλειαΕπιστημονική επιμέλεια μENELAOS CHRISTOPOULOSμENELAOS CHRISTOPOULOS μΕΝΕλαΟΣ χΡΙΣτΟΠΟΥμΕΝΕλαλΟΣΟΣ χΡΙΣτΟΠΟΥλΟΣ μACHI Paϊzi-APOSTOLOPOULOUμACHI Paϊzi-APOSTOLOPOULOU • • μαχη Παϊζη-αΠΟμΣταχηΟλΟΠΟΥ Παϊζη-λΟΥαΠΟΣτΟλΟΠΟΥλΟΥ PIC PIC E E RCHAIC RCHAIC RCHAIC A A HE UNDER WORLD UNDER HE WORLD UNDER HE ... κατ᾽ ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα... (κατ᾽Ὀδ. λἀσφοδελὸν 539) λειμῶνα (Ὀδ. λ 539) T T ISSN 1105-3135 ISSN 1105-3135 ISBN 978-960-354-510-1 ISBN 978-960-354-510-1 ITHACA 2020 ITHACA 2020 AND OMERIC AND OMERIC ΙΘακη 2020 ΙΘακη 2020 H H THE UPPER AND AND UPPER THE AND UPPER THE IN IN CENTRE FOR ODYSSEANCENTRE STUDIESFOR ODYSSEAN STUDIES KentΡΟ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙακΩΝKentΡΟ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙακΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ Οσ Οσ Οσ Οσ π π Ε Ε σμ σμ Ο Ο ϊκ ϊκ κΟ κΟ THE UPPERTHE AND UPPER THE AND UNDER THE WORLD UNDER WORLD ά ά Ο ΕπάνωΟ κ Επάνωάι Ο κάτω κάι κΟ Ο κσμάτωΟσ κΟσμΟσ ρχ ρχ ά ά άτω άτω Ο Ο IN HOMERICIN H ANDOMERIC ARCHAIC AND A ERCHAICPIC EPIC κ κ στΟ ΟμηρικστΟΟ Ο κμηρικάι τΟΟ ά κρχάάι ϊκτΟΟ ά ΕρχπΟσάϊκΟ ΕπΟσ ι τ ι τ Ο Ο ά ά ι ι κ κ Proceedings Proceedings ά ά Από τα ΠρακτικάΑπό τα Πρακτικά of the 13th Internationalof the 13th Symposium International on Symposiumthe Odyssey on the Odyssey Ο Ο του ΙΓ΄ Διεθνούςτου Συνεδρίου ΙΓ΄ Διεθνούς για τηνΣυνεδρίου Οδύσσεια για την Οδύσσεια Ithaca, August Ithaca,25-29, 2017August 25-29, 2017 Ιθάκη, 25-29 ΑυγούστουΙθάκη, 25-29 2017 Αυγούστου 2017 μηρικ μηρικ Ο Ο Ο Ο στ στ Editors Editors κ Επάνω Ο κ Επάνω Ο Επιστημονική επιμέλειαΕπιστημονική επιμέλεια μENELAOS CHRISTOPOULOSμENELAOS CHRISTOPOULOS μΕΝΕλαΟΣ χΡΙΣτΟΠΟΥμΕΝΕλαλΟΣΟΣ χΡΙΣτΟΠΟΥλΟΣ μACHI Paϊzi-APOSTOLOPOULOUμACHI Paϊzi-APOSTOLOPOULOU • • μαχη Παϊζη-αΠΟμΣταχηΟλΟΠΟΥ Παϊζη-λΟΥαΠΟΣτΟλΟΠΟΥλΟΥ PIC PIC E E RCHAIC RCHAIC RCHAIC A A HE UNDER WORLD UNDER HE WORLD UNDER HE ... κατ᾽ ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα... (κατ᾽Ὀδ. λἀσφοδελὸν 539) λειμῶνα (Ὀδ. λ 539) T T ISSN 1105-3135 ISSN 1105-3135 ISBN 978-960-354-510-1 ISBN 978-960-354-510-1 ITHACA 2020 ITHACA 2020 AND OMERIC AND OMERIC ΙΘακη 2020 ΙΘακη 2020 H H THE UPPER AND AND UPPER THE AND UPPER THE IN IN CENTRE FOR ODYSSEAN STUDIES THE UPPER AND THE UNDER WORLD IN HOMERIC AND ARCHAIC EPIC Proceedings of the 13th International Symposium on the Odyssey Ithaca, August 25-29, 2017 Editors μENELAOS CHRISTOPOULOS μACHI PAϊzI-APOSTOLOPOULOU ITHaCa 2020 KentΡΟ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙακΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ Ο Επάνω καΙ Ο ΚάτΩ Κόσμος ΣτΟ ΟμηρικΟ καΙ τΟ αΡχαϊκΟ έπος Από τα Πρακτικά του ΙΓ΄ Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου για την Οδύσσεια Ιθάκη, 25-29 Αυγούστου 2017 Επιστημονική επιμέλεια μΕνΕλΑοΣ χρΙΣτοΠουλοΣ μΑχη ΠΑϊζη-ΑΠοΣτολοΠουλου ΙΘΑΚη 2020 ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ / CONTENTS NAOKO YAMAGATA, Thetis: the Goddess Between Four Worlds 11 ATHENA KAVOULAKI, Searching One’s way In Extremis: Confluent Routes and Odyssean Otherworldly Transitions 31 EZIO PELLIZER, Le char de l’arc en ciel. Changements dans l’espace et voyages fantastiques chez Homère 77 FranÇoise LÉtoublon, How to Talk About Death? 91 Constantin Antypas, Sailing to the Land of the Dead: A Passage Towards Abstraction? 117 Ariadni GartZiou-Tatti, The “Οrphic” Voyage of the Suitors’ Souls and the Role of Hermes in the Second Nekyia (Odyssey 24. 1-204) 129 Menelaos Christopoulos, Patroclus and Elpenor: Dead and Unburied 163 JONATHAN BURGESS, Taking Elpenor Seriously: The Tomb of Elpenor 175 Giuseppe Zanetto, Always a Mother: Antikleia and her Son 199 ALEXandra Zervou, Inter-narrativity and Game of Reception(s) in the Odyssean Nekyia 213 Athanassia Zografou, Relocating Nekyia: Textual Manipulation and Necromantic Ritual in the Roman World (Κεστός 18, 228-231 AD) 243 LAURA SLATKIN – NANCY FELSON, Exchanges in the Underworld: Odyssey 11 and 24 263 Olga Levaniouk, The Waters of the Underworld and Ino in the Odyssey 279 9 Efimia KarakantZA, More Dead Than Alive; Odysseus’ Near Death, and the Re-Constitution of his Identity in the Land of the Phaeacians 315 Anton BIERL, The Phaeacians’ Last Transfer from the Under World to the Upper Word: Petrification and Crystallization between Anthropology, Narratology and Metapoetics (Odyssey 13.125-187) 333 DOUGLAS FRAME, From Scheria to Ithaca 369 MALCOLM DAVIES, From Night to Night: Apollo, Artemis and Hermes in Homer 383 JENNY STRAUSS CLAY, A Stroll Through Hesiod’s Tartarus 393 Avgi Anna Maggel, Odysseus’ Fragile Journey Through Time: An Epic Approach from Homer to Michael Longley 413 10 JONATHAN BURGESS TAKING ELPENOR SERIOUSLY: THE TOMB OF ELPENOR pon their return to the island of Circe in Book 12, Odysseus and his Ucompanions bury Elpenor by the sea and mark his tomb with his oar. The tumulus is problematic in several ways. Normally a heroic sema (lit- erally, “sign”) is designed to signal the kleos of a great hero. But Elpenor seems more comic than heroic. Odysseus describes him as young, cow- ardly, and stupid (10.552-553), and both Odysseus and Elpenor attribute his fatal fall from Circe’s roof to drunkenness (10.555, 11.610). We might sense a mock-heroic tone arising when the shade of Elpenor requests an oar-topped burial mound. This paper will resist that impulse by taking se- riously Elpenor’s poetic, cultic, spatial, and colonial roles. Elpenor’s phraseology reminds us of other heroic tombs, especially Achilles’. Compare Elpenor’s request, Odysseus’ description of Elpenor’s sema, and Agamemnon’s description of Achilles’: ἀλλά με κακκῆαι σὺν τεύχεσιν, ἅσσα μοι ἔστι, σῆμά τέ μοι χεῦαι πολιῆς ἐπὶ θινὶ θαλάσσης, ἀνδρὸς δυστήνοιο καὶ ἐσσομένοισι πυθέσθαι. ταῦτά τέ μοι τελέσαι πῆξαί τ’ ἐπὶ τύμβῳ ἐρετμόν, τῷ καὶ ζωὸς ἔρεσσον ἐὼν μετ’ ἐμοῖς ἑτάροισιν. (Od. 11.74-78) But burn me up completely, with the gear, as much as belongs to me, and heap up a sema by the shore of the grey sea, for men of the future to learn of an unfortunate man. Accomplish these things for me and fix on the tomb an oar, with which I rowed when alive among my companions. 175 JONATHAN BURGESS φιτροὺς δ’ αἶψα ταμόντες, ὅθ’ ἀκροτάτη πρόεχ’ ἀκτή, θάπτομεν ἀχνύμενοι θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντες. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ νεκρός τ’ ἐκάη καὶ τεύχεα νεκροῦ, τύμβον χεύαντες καὶ ἐπὶ στήλην ἐρύσαντες πήξαμεν ἀκροτάτῳ τύμβῳ εὐῆρες ἐρετμόν. (Od. 12.11-15) And at once cutting wood, where a very high promontory jutted forth, we made funeral rites, pouring down tears. But when the corpse and gear had been burnt, we heaped up a tomb, dragged up a stele, and fixed a well-fitted oar on the top of the tomb. ἀμφ’ αὐτοῖσι δ’ ἔπειτα μέγαν καὶ ἀμύμονα τύμβον χεύαμεν Ἀργείων ἱερὸς στρατὸς αἰχμητάων ἀκτῇ ἔπι προὐχούσῃ, ἐπὶ πλατεῖ Ἑλλησπόντῳ, ὥς κεν τηλεφανὴς ἐκ ποντόφιν ἀνδράσιν εἴη τοῖς οἳ νῦν γεγάασι καὶ οἳ μετόπισθεν ἔσονται. (Od. 24.80-84) And then about [the bones] we, the holy army of the Argive spearmen, heaped up a big, faultless tomb on a jutting promontory, by the wide Hellespont, so that it would be far-seen from the sea for men who exist now and who will hereafter. Both tombs are designed for men of the future to notice, especially sail- ors passing by on the sea.1 Yet there are reasons to take Elpenor seriously even beyond the profound issues of burial and the afterlife (Elpenor warns Odysseus that his unburied body would become a θεῶν μήνιμα, cause of divine wrath; 11.73). Elpenor belongs to the typology of the “Palinurus figure,” a minor character who dies in the course of a heroic voyage. The figure can serve as a doublet of the heroic protagonist, and his death may be seen as a sacrifice for the heroic undertaking. And his sepuchral sema 1. See PEARCE 1983 for the motif of tombs by the sea, including the tomb of Dolops (Apollonius Argonautica 1.585-8) and Beowulf ’s tomb by the sea for seafarers to see (Beow- ulf 2802-2808). 176 TAKING ELPENOR SERIOUSLY: THE TOMB OF ELPENOR has several significal functions: landmark in dangerous waters, epicenter of cult worship, and marker of territory in foreign lands. Elpenor’s burial mound fails as a sign of heroic fame because Elpenor lacks heroic status. Without that, Elpenor cannot reasonably expect his burial sema to trigger memory of him. The oar, a sema at the top of the sema, might signify his non-heroic occupation, but it does not indicate El- penor specifically, and as wood it will not last long anyway.2 Orally trans- mitted fame would be needed to enable the mound’s referentiality. It is hard to imagine local memory of the oarsman being preserved by Aeaea’s few occupants, Circe and her handmaids. Passing sailors, should there be any at the edges of the world, would not be able identify the burial mound of someone lacking a pan-Hellenic reputation.3 The futility of Elpenor’s burial mound is an extreme example of the fragile semiotics of Homeric semata.