Creation of Eve: Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel

The Myth of Original Sin and the Fall of Woman

Guess whatthe original sin was not about sex and Eve was not the first to fall, nor even Adam. Why has this myth persisted through the centuries? Because there are seen and unseen forces rampant throughout history whose very existence depends on keeping the people ignorant of the Light within; their Christ potential and the path of the Buddhas and Yogis. If we persist in thinking we are poor miserable sinners at conscious and subconscious levels, we will never rise up to become the Son or Daughter of God we are intended to be? Oh!, but it feels so good when the preacher stops beating us over the head with his Bible.The clue to this mystery of cosmic history lies in the proverbial saying, 'pride goeth before the fall.' According to esoteric teachings,* there have been many life waves or a series of large groups of souls that have embodied and reincarnated through countless millennia. The first of these 'root races' lived very close to God at levels beyond what we know as the physical today. Their existence was so ethereal that not a trace of tangible evidence remains today. Sacred texts hint at their existence and clairvoyants catch glimpses of these former Golden Ages.During the time of the fourth root race, the fallen angels came to try and subvert the Earth. Long before Earth fell, Lucifer rebelled in heaven because of pride. He did not like taking orders from souls in embodiment on other planets. After all, he sat at the 'right hand of God' and was better than them. He forgot that Angels are supposed to help man. He also noticed that some planets were a little behind schedule on their spiritual progress. He thought he could do better than God. God seemed to be indifferent in His administrative duties. This freewill business was getting out of hand. This was the first act of sin that affected all others.

Casting Down of the Rebellious Angels by Gustave Dore'Lucifer convinced one third of the angels including a cast of characters well known in some circles as: Satan, Beelzebub, Serpent, Belial, Baal, etc., to throw their lot in with him. These fallen angels are all distinct entities apart from Lucifer. They came to Earth over four million years ago and subverted the High Priests of Eden on the continent of Lemuria or Mu. There were some High Priests who had those same seeds of pride, a peculiar affliction of the intellect and a lack of discernment in the heart. They were easy pickings for the wiles of Serpent and Satan. They bought the lie that God did not care, that He wasn't really needed and that maybe He wasn't real anyway. This was the second sin and the original sin on Earth. To be fair, the High Priests might not have known that Lucifer had fallen. They might have been fooled by the gloss and patine of his angelic aura. But they should have known his fallen and rebellious condition by his vibration.The fall of Earth was gradual. The polluted consciousness eventually infected the rest of Earth's inhabitants. This descent was hardly discernible to the vast majority. Earth sank to such a low level of existence that spiritual awareness was all but snuffed out. Mankind was in danger of entering a new lowthe caveman era. A place was set aside for an attempt to bring back the Edenic consciousness.Two souls volunteered to walk the Spiritual Path at etheric levels in a place called the Garden of Eden. It was an idyllic setting, protected from less advanced evolutions elsewhere on Mu. Remember; when Cain killed Abel, he was sent out to find a wife away from the Garden of Eden. A fact conveniently glossed over by so called Biblical scholars. Cain went to the remnants of the former advanced civilizations of Lemuria to find a mate. Adam and Eve were not the first souls on Earth, they had neighbors albeit distant ones.Lord Maitreya was the Ascended Master who sponsored the Garden of Eden and the two souls willing to enter the Christic initiations to get back to the God Consciousness known in the Golden Ages. Adam and Eve, twin souls, took a semi-physical form at etheric levels. They were accompanied by many other twin souls who agreed to follow the same path. Eve was not necessarily created second and she certainly was not a second class citizen. No, the concept of her coming from Adam has more to do with Spirit coming first, represented by Adam, then the Matter plane or mater, Eve, is infused with the Light of Alpha or Adam; creating a place and physical temple to live in.

There were two trees visible to Adam and Eve. They were the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were not actual trees but instead a kind of spiritual tree that at etheric levels we all look like. If you recall, Jesus healed a blind man and the first thing the man said was. "I see men as trees, walking." (Mark 8:24) A very unusual thing to say, to say the least. Jesus had healed his third eye or spiritual sight in addition to his eyes, then touched him again giving him normal sight. I suspect the chap lost his spiritual vision. God bless him though, he left a record and important key to spiritual awareness. What he saw and what Adam and Eve saw and had direct contact with, is what you see in the picture below

The story of Adam and Eve is an allegory when relating to creation and the Kabbalah understanding of spirit sparks but on other levels, it isn't. Although the Book of Genesis is laced with generous portions of symbolism and esoteric metaphors. The Tree of Life was real, more real than anything physical because the physical can perish. Not so the Tree of Life. It was Adam and Eve's direct connection to God and their God Self above, the Mighty I AM Presence. There is only one place, one person in the entire Bible who asks God what His name is. You know what I'm talking about. Think Cecil B. Demille. You're getting closer. How about Charlton Heston. That's right, Moses asked what God's name was. The answer: "I Am That I Am." The I Am Presencethe God Self sits directly above us as a great sphere of light with all our good works sitting up there as 'fruits,' looking like a tree to the spiritually aware. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is that same tree but with the Holy Christ Self sitting in the middle as mediator, an office and mission that Jesus would later fulfill.

To bring Earth's evolutions back to Paradise and the Edenic consciousness, Adam, Eve and the rest, had to pass certain initiations of Christic awareness. It was a logical progression of tests like a ladder up the spiritual staircase. Pass one and its on to the next rung. They were given these initiations by Maitreya in one of the very first Mystery Schools on the Planet, if not the first. Serpent, being a fallen angel on the yellow ray or second ray of wisdom, was well aware of the tests they had to go through. He came as an impersonator of Maitreya. We all have to take these very same tests somewhere along our Path. The serpentine logic, the rebellious consciousness of the fallen angels and hence our own not-self or Dweller on the Threshold has to be defeated by us. We can ask and receive assistance by heavenly hosts and most especially by Jesus, but ultimately we will have to undo what we have created through many lifetimes on our own. God will give us the tools to do so.

Serpent approaching Adam and Eve, Gustave Dor (1866)

He gave the initiates at the Mystery School all the support they needed. They were not working on their personal Dweller however (they hadn't had time to create one), they were trying to overcome the planetary Dweller, a portion of the not-self of all Earth's habitants. Rather than being the first to fall, Eve and others, were trying to undo the effects of the fall of several men (the high priests on Eden) and all those that fell afterwards. The 'Lord God' (the name for Maitreya) told them not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The serpent whispered in their ears that they 'would not surely die.' In other words, they could shift their attention from the God Presence and view 'all God's creation' without being affected. The only problem was that not everything on Earth was created by God. There was inequity and astral forces. But, after all, what's the harm, a little pleasure can't be a bad thing, everything in moderation. Eve believed the lie through the false pride of the fallen ones that she was further along on the Path than she actually was. They were God's 'chosen' weren't they. Accepting this logic, she beheld the lower planes of existence before either of them was ready, before they were firmly ensconced on the Christic path. She was no longer one with God. Duality reared it's ugly head for the first time in their lives. They saw they were naked before God not physically but vulnerable and exposed to the karma they just made and will be making from then on. It must have been a grim scene.

Expulsion of Adam and Eve: Michelangelo, Sistine ChapelSince both were brand new souls on planet Earth, Adam having the stronger Alpha tie to Spirit might have felt a little more comfortable in his etheric, semi-physical skin. Eve, embodying the Mother flame was tethered a little more to the matter plane, therefore susceptible to the curiosity of all that the matter plane has to offer. Today however, because man has a more natural affinity for the etheric planes, by divorcing himself from Spirit, he is more adrift. Woman, more at ease with the spiritual nature of the matter plane, the divine feminine and the spiritual essence of the Mother flame; is more inclined to the Spiritual Path and needs to hold the vision for man of his true spiritual nature. If she drags his attention downward to

the lower chakras by her dress, actions and consciousness, then we're all going to be on this planet a lot longer than need be.Adam, loving his twin soul with a love for the ages, did not want to leave his beloved alone in the predicament she now found herself. He joined her and hid from Maitreya, in shame for their failure on the Path. The failure was not about sex or the base of the spine chakra but about the misuse of the chakra at the nexus of Alpha and Omega energies, the heart. By not listening to the inherent logic centered in the heart, the choice was made and the energies descended. At the extreme end of this polarity is the base of the spine chakra. By entering into a state of duality, the energies no longer flowed freely back to God. As a by-product, the sexual urge increased as the light became lodged in the lower chakras. Their physicality became palpable. The awareness and desire for sex was unavoidably intertwined with their newly created debased feeling world.Without knowing the cause behind the effect and believing the lie that we are not Sons and Daughters of God , heir to His Kingdom; it is only natural to assume that sex is somehow connected to the fall. Sex is only a natural consequence of evolving on this planet. Eve and woman have carried this burden of false condemnation long enough. It is time to become whole and realize the Divine Feminine in all.

*(Theosophy, I Am Movement, Bridge to Freedom, Summit Lighthouse)

The great civilization sat precipitously on the moral fence. The people had turned away from the God known as Incal and the Maxin Light (see A Dweller on Two Planets below) burning brightly on the altar in the central temple on Atlantis. The descent had been gradual, imperceptible to most. The pleasure cult took over. The Maxin light went out as had been warned. At first the people were shocked, scared; but over centuries, they forgot. The light started to dim in their physical temples as well. The chakras and the light in their hearts was fading, deadened to Divine love and human pain. They were ripe for takeover and cataclysm.Visitors from the 12th planet known as Marduk and Nibiru had come as 'saviors' thousands of years before, landing a continent away, to the southeast. These interlopers had long since rebelled against God. They felt they should be in charge rather than God. They didn't trust God's creation so they created their own, the annunaki. To keep these workers fat, dumb and happy, they invented fermented drinks, plied them with drugs and strange music; all intended to keep the mind focused away from the Divine potential.The people of Atlantis, rather than listening to the entreaties of a succession of Prophets such as, the Rai's (high initiates on Atlantis), Enoch, Noah or even their own Christ attunement, soon adopted the ways of these ancestors of Sumer. People surfeited themselves in discordant sounds and mind-emotional altering substances. It inured them against what they didn't perceive, the ravages of their own karma. It also simulated the spiritual path. They had no sense of co-measurement as to what the light should feel like in them. Sure an occasional, son of God, pointed the way. But for the most part the knowledge and the texts describing the power of Light within, was lost or resigned to the dusty shelves of history. It had no relation to now. All they knew was how good that drum beat felt and how 'high' they felt taking chemical and 'natural' substances.Before the final inundation warned about by Noah, several small groups still tied to the Divine intent, managed to scatter throughout the planet. Some made it to Egypt, others to Europe and a slightly larger migration made it to an Atlantean outpost, South America. Here they kept the name and remembrance of Incal. Their ways and spiritual ties to the Atlantean civilization devolved over time. But they kept many attributes, including of course, the name Inca. They also kept a quality of life and architecture that surpassed many other so called 'advanced' civilizations.Thousands of years later, some individuals re-embodied to finish the destruction of the ties to Incal. They were

conquistadors and they had murder, rape, cultural genocide on their minds, and of course, gold. The prophets of old had warned not to intermarry with these fallen angels who came in their spaceships. They did not listen. Now they came back, reincarnating over and over again, mixing genes, race and culture. They came in the name of Western civilization and the 'white man.' But they were neither, really. Most importantly they did not have the tie to God. Columbus did. He was attuned to the God within and the ancient Maxin light. The pillagers of Central and South America were not. They rode in on his coat tails, creating havoc and karma in the name of European expansion. The karma that befell them, befalls the West.And so, the curse went forth, literally, from the mouths of some of the fallen Incans. The cocaine curse has come back full circle, as personal and Western karma. America and the rest of the world has reaped the whirlwind of Atlantean karma, of turning away from God and of Incan karma. Drugs are not new, even the new ones they manufacture today. Oxycotton, ecstasy, LSD, ritalin and the like were known on ancient continents. They all come with a certain built in energy and momentum as well. The powerful inertia behind marijuana says 'there is nothing harmful about me,' despite all scientific and empirical knowledge to the contrary. The movers and shakers behind the scenes and many of the others splashed across the 'People' section of the newspapers will never see this as anything but a fable. The drugs and music are a way of life for them. They thrive on it. For others, it is a point of control. By destroying the youth and their contribution to the raising up of this planet, they insure their positions of power.The Atlanteans and before them, the Lemurians, all came with a great deal of Light to this planet. Drugs and certain forms of music continue to keep them from the true Divine connection. The light God sends down to each one, that Jesus sends, that resides in each ones' chakras; is siphoned away. And guess who reaps the benefit while the rest pick up the tab (karma). The fallen angels, the Nephilim, the watchers, the godless, the aliens or whatever one chooses to call themlive off that Light. It is the foundation of their power.

Hesiod's Theogony, Myths and Meaningby Moya K. MasonAncient Greeks were interested in understanding their place in the world around them. They were very interested in the roots of their existence, and wanted to know how they fit into the world around them. Greek myths contributed to this effort. They looked around their world and asked why? And in groping for the answer to this question, mythology and myths were born. Central to the lives of Ancient Greeks and found fittingly in the center of Hesiod's Theogony was a myth that discussed the connection they had to the gods and to the universe, in general. The Prometheus myth looks at man's connection to their gods, and their connection to other men, animals, and the entire realm of existence.At an early time in their existence, men and gods lived together in harmony. The earth itself brought forth the bounty, without men having to till the earth. In this age,...they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods (Hesiod).Life in this Golden Age was a life of leisure, relaxation, and joy. An ideal state or a utopia was experienced by all, until the fall of man. Prometheus believed that Zeus would destroy mankind, so he decided to use cunning and deception to save them from the Olympian God. When Zeus demanded man's best food as a sacrifice to him, Prometheus arranged for a meeting with the gods to determine which part of the animals were to be sacrificed to them. He carved up an ox and divided the meat into two bundles: one with bones wrapped in juicy fat, and one with the best meat hidden inside the animal's stomach. Zeus chose the one that appeared to be the best bundle, the one wrapped in fat. We are never told why.Prometheus matched himself in wit with the almighty son of Cronos. For when the gods and mortal men had a dispute at Mecone, even then Prometheus was forward to cut up a great ox and set portions before them, trying to befool the mind of Zeus. Before the rest he set flesh and inner parts thick with fat upon the hide, covering them with an ox paunch; but for Zeus he put the white bones dressed up with cunning art and covered with shining fat (Hesiod).Although it seems that because the gods loved to be worshipped, man needed to sacrifice the fat to them since the smell rises much higher than meat's.Zeus, most glorious and greatest of the eternal gods, take whichever of these portions your heart within you bids. So he

said, thinking trickery. But Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, saw and failed not to perceive the trick, and in his heart he thought mischief against mortal men which also was to be fulfilled. With both hands he took up the white fat and was angry at heart, and wrath came to his spirit when he saw the white ox-bones craftily tricked out and because of this the tribes of men upon earth burn white bones to the deathless gods upon fragrant altars (Hesiod).Zeus uses this incident as a reason to take fire away from man as a punishment.So spake Zeus in anger, whose wisdom is everlasting; and from that time he was always mindful of the trick, and would not give the power of unwearying fire to the Melian race of mortal men who live on the earth (Hesiod).Men were now closer to animals, both eating meat but without fire. Man's position is faraway from the god's that he emulated.Prometheus then steals fire away from Mount Olympus in a hollow fennel stalk in an attempt at doing the right thing for mankind. Since he succeeds, Prometheus is an example of a culture hero, who against all odds, including the mighty Zeus, he perseveres. Now man is in the midway position between the gods and the animals, and can cook his food again. Man never ate each other, so that always separated them from animals. This antithesis is very prevalent in Greek thought and culture, and was later coined as nomos and phusis. Nomos is seen as culture, civilization, and almost god-like, while phusis is the opposite - an animal existence, which was rooted in the wild side of nature.Now that men has fire again, Zeus decides to give them the worst thing possible: the first woman, which the gods made in the form of a "bitch's mind and a knave's heart."And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angered when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous Limping God formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Cronos willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands a broidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put upon her head a crown of gold which the very famous Limping God made himself and worked with his own hands as a favour to Zeus his father. On it was much curious work, wonderful to see; for of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, like living beings with voices: and great beauty shone out from it.But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price for the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the place where the other gods and men were. And wonder took hold of the deathless gods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to be withstood by men.For from her is the race of women and female kind: of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones whose nature is to do mischief - by day and throughout the day until the sun goes down the bees are busy and lay the white combs, while the drones stay at home in the covered skeps and reap the toil of others into their own bellies - even so Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil. And he gave them a second evil to be the price for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows that women cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years, and though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them. And as for the man who chooses the lot of marriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continually contends with good; for whoever happens to have mischievous children, lives always with unceasing grief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evil cannot be healed (Hesiod).Pandora, as she was called, then unleashed all the evils of mankind out of a jar. Zeus refused to allow her to release Hope. The creation of Pandora and the devastation brought on by her curiosity led man out of the Golden Age and into a progressively worse level of existence. With Pandora came the necessity for man to till the fields to eat and feed their wives and offspring. No longer was there any leisure time or any real hope left for them. This pessimism was evident when Hesiod, who lived in the Iron Age, says that times are the worst he can imagine, almost as bad as death:Thereafter, would that I were not among the men of the fifth generation, but either had died before or been born afterwards. For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest from labour and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night; and the gods shall lay sore trouble upon them. But, notwithstanding, even these shall have some good mingled with their evils. And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men also when they come to have grey hair on the temples at their birth. The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade; nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime. Men will dishonour their parents as they grow quickly old, and will carp at them, chiding them with bitter words, hard-hearted they, not knowing the fear of the gods. They will not repay their aged parents the cost of their nurture, for might shall be their right: and one man will sack another's city.

There will be no favour for the man who keeps his oath or for the just or for the good; but rather men will praise the evil-doer and his violent dealing. Strength will be right and reverence will cease to be; and the wicked will hurt the worthy man, speaking false words against him, and will swear an oath upon them. Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. And then Aidos and Nemesis, with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to join the company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil (Hesiod).Hesiod lived in the 8th century BC, around the same time or shortly after Homer. He was a farmer in Boeotia, a region of central Greece, and we know little more than that. His poetry set down in writing, the genealogy of the Greek gods. Works and Days and the Theogony are the only two complete works we have of his. The entire sequence of events described in the Prometheus myth, including the sacrifice trick, the theft of fire, the creation of women, the discussion of women and marriage, and the punishment of Prometheus, all seem to point to the inevitability of life. The myth also tells us that evil is more equitable than it seems; old age and disease are in some ways the fault of people; and if man had behaved better, then things wouldn't have ended up so bad for him. If man had learned to improve his behaviour, things might have even improved. The myth of Prometheus explains the reasons for man's plight, telling them that the outcome was their own fault, and that if they hadn't fought with the gods and tried to exist on their level, then everything would have been better for man. Eventually, they would have been given "woman" but she wouldn't have been Pandora. In fact, the gods were justified in everything they had done to man; men were really their own worst enemy.For these ancient peoples, nothing was done without the gods in mind because they were terrified of them and what they could do to them. Mythology was so deeply ingrained into society that it affected how people lived their lives, and was directly responsible for society's perception of women and the manner they were treated in every day situations. Greek myths were passed down through the generations and did contain important messages about life, in general, and life- within-society, in particular. To the Greeks, the gods and their role in society were central to their lives - they were very real to them. By telling the stories, the traditions of their culture were communicated. People learned how their place in the world and in the universe came to be. Myths also explained that by sacrificing to the gods, they were still able to connect with them. Back in the Golden Age, they had lived happily with the gods; now their only connection was sacrificial rites.Greeks were interested in understanding their existence and that is why myths were born. Out of their insatiable curiosity came the seeds of philosophy, eventually leading to our own western philosophy. Plato was the first to coin the word muthologia, but that was hundreds of years after the original traditional stories were told. Even Plato, who was firmly entrenched in the use of logos, and showed contempt for myths in general, still used them. All the intellectuals did. The move from muthos to logos never completely happened.The Greeks used their myths to attempt to make sense of all the disorder around them, to put order where there was none, and by doing so, justified the way the gods treated them. And the myths helped to explain why their world was the way it was. Out of it all came the birth of philosophy, which continues to look at our place in the universe and to answer the age old question of the existence of gods. If mythology can explain what a society's views and values are, and if Western society evolved out of and was formed by the Ancient Greeks and Romans, then it is possible to garner insight into today's society by studying ancient myths.Therein lies the great importance of the study of mythology, for it can help to explain creation, existence, death, and morality. As H.R. Ellis Davidson said in Gods and Myths of Northern Europe:The study of mythology need no longer be looked at as an escape from reality into the fantasies of primitive peoples, but as a search for the deeper understanding of the human mind. In reaching out to explore the distant hills where the gods dwell and the deeps where the monsters are lurking, we are perhaps discovering the way home (Davidson 1964,24).

Myth, Magic and mystery

Once a month, half the adult population of the world who aren't pregnant or menopausal lose

blood. In ancient times it was noticed that a woman?s monthly flow was the only time along

with childbirth that blood was shed without wounding, and thus it was regarded as

special .

The rituals of many traditions from Taoists to the Ancient Egyptians involved the ingestion of

menstrual blood mixed with red wine to increase spiritual power. In Ancient Greece spring

festivals included the spreading on the earth of corn mixed with menstrual blood to increase

fertility.

So great was the belief that the power of creation existed within the blood of a woman

that many myths such as the Ancient Hindu version in which all life is created from the thickened

blood of the Great Mother include reference to it.

The word 'ritual' comes from 'rtu' which is Sanskrit for menses. The blood from the womb which

nourished the unborn child was believed to have 'mana' or 'breath of life'.

The word menstruation comes from the Greek menus meaning both moon and power,

and men meaning month .

The traditions of blood sacrifice have their origin in the 'sacrifice' of blood which poured forth from

the woman when there was no new life for it to nourish. However, the menstrual blood was given

freely and then used to nourish the tribe or the earth in other ways and no-one suffered, unlike

later more corrupted versions.

A woman's bleeding was considered a cosmic event, relating and connecting one to the

moon, the lunar cycles and the tides. She was thought to be at the height of her power

at this time, and for this reason was encouraged to spend time listening to her inner

voice which would often offer suggestions and wisdom which would benefit the whole

tribe.

This 'Moootime' was later distorted into a perception of 'uncleanness' and women were forced to

go apart, unable to participate in the preparation of food for men or ceremonies (although to be

honest, the women probably still enjoyed the break, whatever the reason!) and their wisdom was

denigrated, called lunacy, and forced underground.

Around 5,000 years ago the pendulum began to swing away from Goddess- centred worship and

towards the patriarchal, militaristic and mechanistic position that we find ourselves in today,

where women occupy a secondary place in society in many ways, and anything which interferes

with linear thought, productivity and efficiency is regarded as a waste of time.

Menstruation, which can involve altered states of awareness and often the need for

solitude does not fit within these parameters, and therefore we are encouraged to ignore it,

and suppress with tampons and vaginal deodorants what can be the most creative and

spiritual time of the month for many women.

On average that's approximately 500 weeks, or 3500 days of inspiration and guidance

per lifetime flushed down the toilet!

Many women reach menopause and realise too late what they've missed. This can be a bitter

awakening, and increase the feeling of 'barrenness' which is the accepted perception of

menopausal women in our society.

There are also studies which support the idea that the attitude of furtiveness and shame which

surrounds menstruation in our culture is at least partly responsible for the physical discomfort

that many women go through each month.

There are many rituals connected with menstruation, unfortunately not all of them appropriate or

possible in these days of HIV and high rise living, however one way of reconnecting with the

earth is to use cloth pads, and give the soak water to a garden, pot plants or even a nature strip.

The psychological benefits are that if one takes back responsibility for and control over her flow

and integrates it within her life there is no longer a 'curse' mentality surrounding menstruation. It

can be more economical to use cloth also. (There is a luxury tax on 'female sanitary products'

that not many people seem to be aware of. ) This giving can be an elaborate ritual or as private

as the situation requires, but even if only one cloth pad once per flow can be used, we find that

we are tapping into a reservoir of feminine power built up over centuries, the power to do and the

power to choose, as opposed to power over, to nurture, to shed our skin and renew ourselves like

the serpent and the moon, and to create, if not new life within the womb, then within our own

lives and from the earth.

And what is the role of the other half of the adult population in all this? When humans

lived in communities and extended families, the duties of the woman who had gone to the

Moonlodge or simply away from the main living areas were taken up by other women or by older

women who were past their bleeding time. Men tended to isolate themselves from the event, for

whatever reasons.

However, at this dawn of a New Millennium and, according to astrological information, a new era

in human consciousness, perhaps there is an opportunity to restore the balance of energies

exemplified in the relationship of Goddess and God. Many of us live in nuclear families or isolated

from community, but the withdrawal of a woman from certain duties to "go within" can be a

chance for men to express, each in their own individual way, the loving and nurturing

aspects of their nature that perhaps don't always have an outlet in our society.

A family situation can benefit from more input and if the way Dad does things is

different, so much the better. Children may gain a wider view and feel good about

involvement in keeping the family functioning, and men see life from a different perspective and

are able to show their support in a practical way. In any relationship, the show of support in a

loving way by the acceptance of the needs of a woman at this time can be a strengthening

experience for both parties.

At the least, as an ongoing and important biological function moonflow deserves some thought,

and at best, as an essential element of a woman's physical, mental and spiritual make-up,

serious consideration as to it's place in our lives is warranted. "Curse" or "friend", it all

depends on your point of view.

SPIRALDANCER lives with her family in Northern New South Wales, Australia. She has been a

freelance writer for the past few years, regularly contributing to magazines such as "Witchcraft"

with articles on Women's Spirituality, Wicca, Myth, Ritual and Alternative healing, in between

bringing up her two daughters. But before she started writing she was for many years a student

of Myth, Goddess Lore, Storytelling and Alternative healing.

She is committed to reclaiming the Women's Mysteries of Menarche, Menstruation, Motherhood

and Menopause as more than just biological experiences. SPIRALDANCER has just completed her

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In the Blood: the myths, magic and mystery of moonflow. By Spiraldancer

InstanceEndEditable End Article Start advertising at bottom content Odysseus: Fascinating Man and His Many Transformationsby Moya K. Mason

Odysseus was one of the Greek kings who went to Troy and came back a hero. He was ruling the small island of Ithaka when he was asked by the Atreidae to join forces with them on the expedition to recover Helen. The portrayal of Odysseus in the Iliad marked the beginning of his literary career. As he moved through time, additional elements of his character were emphasized and extrapolated upon, but all the seeds for later development can be seen in the Iliad. Did the depiction of the Iliadic character of Odysseus change in subsequent literature? And how was he portrayed in later Greek tragedies?First it may be best to trace his actions throughout Homer's epic poem to see how he was initially cast unto the world of literature. Homer stood at the end of an epic-telling tradition -- at the end of a tradition of poetry that is called oral poetry. Oral poetry was handed down from generation to generation, and dealt with traditional stories that were well known. Some of the stories existed in the late Bronze Age and were passed on by word of mouth. Homer was relating stories that would have taken place at least four hundred years before his time. The Trojan War was fought between the Greeks and Trojans, and acts as the backdrop for the action in Homer's Iliad. Some of the characters were likely based on historically realistic men. For example, in The Nature of Greek Myths, G.S. Kirk writes that Odysseus "in his more realistic actions, which

vastly predominate ... is based on the conception of a real if provincial chieftain from north-western Greece."(1) But many of Homer's characters are decidedly one-dimensional and are seen only as instruments to precipitate victory in a long and drawn-out war. Near the beginning of the poem, Odysseus is shown to be more diverse. He is the one to whom Athena goes when Agamemnon's plan to boost the morale of his army backfires and they happily begin to ready themselves to go home after more than nine years of fighting. Agamemnon has ended his speech by saying:Come then, do as I say, let us all be won over; let us run away with our ships to the beloved land of our fathers since no

longer now shall we capture Troy of the wide ways.(2)

These words are supposed to encourage the Achaians, but inadvertently cause a departure from the war. Agamemnon is the king and the men who make up the rank and file do not need to be told twice. But it was the will of Zeus that Troy should fall and for that reason, Athena goes directly to Odysseus and uses persuasion to elicit his help to stop the exodus. This marks the beginning of a long and diverse relationship between Odysseus and the goddess, which could be best described as a friendship. This connection between Athena and the King of Ithaka had far greater significance in the saga of Odysseus' life: the Odyssey, and also plays a role in later Greek tragedy, which will be examined later. Athena must believe that her choice of spokesperson will have the needed affect on the Achaians. Odysseus may have come to Troy with only twelve ships, but nine years later, he is seen as a man with enough power and presence to take the holy sceptre from Agamemnon's hands and use it to restore some degree of order to the chaos. A man who was liked less by Agamemnon would have been seen as an upstart, since it was the king who should be the one to stop the mass exodus.Odysseus was trusted and respected enough by Agamemnon to take the symbol of Greek power and go about condemning and cajoling the men to stay in Troy. One of Odysseus' traits that was emphasized in later literature can be seen in Book Two of the Iliad in the way he handles Thersites. His actions and words are cold, hard, brutal and demeaning, but in one

sense, Thersites was encouraging mutiny, and he was also "abusing Agamemnon, the shepherd of the people."(3) That was not acceptable to any of the kings, nor to the gods. Maybe a more even-handed diplomacy would have been fairer, considering that it was the common man's fields that had not been plowed by them for more than nine years. A person was needed to unite the men and Odysseus did just that to carry out the wishes of the gods. A synopsis of Odysseus' war career is then given by men who had witnessed the discipling of Thersites:Come now: Odysseus has done excellent things by the thousands, bringing forward good counsels, and ordering armed

encounters; but now this is far the best thing he ever has accomplished among the Argives ...(4)

Odysseus is obviously seen as someone to respect and the Achaians settle down to listen to his words that will eventually persuade them to stay in Troy. This would prove to be one of his most important functions in the story since his words of persuasion actually work, and the spirit of the Greeks were rallied because of him. The Greeks remained in Troy because it was the will of Zeus -- a constant and underlying reality that cannot be removed from the action of the epic. In Book Three, as Helen is surveying the battlefield, she points to Odysseus and says:This one is Laertes' son, resourceful Odysseus, who grew up in the country, rough though it be, of Ithaka, to know every

manner of shiftiness and crafty counsels.(5)

W.B. Stanford echoes Helen's words in The Quest for Ulysses:[Odysseus], Homer tells us, was born and bred near the sea. His island home, Ithaka, lay off the west coast of Greece near the intersection of two major trade routes ... Merchants from distant lands would often sail that way, and pirates would

lurk in wait for them. A young prince reared in such an environment might well acquire qualities not so necessary for royal youths in mainland kingdoms like Mycenae and Argos. He would need to be resourceful and adaptable in handling boats

among shifting winds and currents. He would learn to deal warily with merchants and swiftly with pirates.(6)

Antenor, who has overheard Helen's words agrees with her and says that he remembers Odysseus from the embassy that came to Troy to negotiate for her release. He describes the power of Odysseus' words as "drifting down like the winter

snows."(7)

Odysseus' strong suit by far seems to be the way in which he uses words to achieve whatever goal he desires. Homer calls

him "Odysseus, the equal of Zeus in counsel"(8) on more than one occasion, which was a fine compliment. W.B. Stanford points out that all the princes would have training in eloquence because it was an integral part of their education, and

Odysseus was just more effective than the others.(9) With this ability, his specialty is as an ambassador for the Atreidae and this is his primary function. When he was given the important job of escorting Chryseis home to her father, he was

described as "Odysseus of the many designs."(10) His next mission was a member of the embassy that tried to convince Achilles to rejoin the fighting and to help them win the war. The Atreidae sent for him and he begins his speech to Achilles by complimenting him and assuring him that he is needed "to rescue the afflicted sons of the Achaians from the Trojan

onslaught."(11) He mentions the good advice that Achilles' father Peleus gave him about being careful with his anger, and begins to list off all the gifts that Agamemnon has promised for his return. Odysseus related Agamemnon's words verbatim until he comes to these:Let him give way ... And let him yield place to me, inasmuch as I am the kinglier and inasmuch as I can call myself born the

elder.(12)

Odysseus knows that these words should be omitted if there can be any chance of success, but Achilles senses right away that Odysseus has chosen to omit something because he knows Agamemnon's character and also the way his envoy has with words. Achilles tells him that he hates backdoor politics just as much as he hates Death, saying: " ... I detest that man,

who hides one thing in the depths of his heart, and speaks forth another."(13)

Achilles tells Odysseus that there are many reasons why he will definitely not return to the fighting and instead, will return home to Phthia, but his tutor Phoinix and his friend Ajax seem to soften his anger. He tells Phoinix that in the morning they shall both decide if they should return home, and to Ajax he pledges to return to the battle if Hektor reaches the ships of his people, the Myrmidons. The embassy has succeeded in changing Achilles' mind in some ways, and there seems to be some cause for hope. Why then did Odysseus only repeat the words Achilles spoke to him when he returned to Agamemnon and the others, omitting the more hopeful conversations that Achilles had with Phoinix and Ajax? When he did not, why then did Ajax not expand on what Odysseus related to the king? The answers to these questions are open to speculation. Did Odysseus assume that the best course of action was to put thoughts of Achilles aside since his future involvement was so precarious, and better to plow ahead with other strategies? Or was he so confident in his own capabilities that he decided that all was lost if he could not change Achilles' mind? Whatever the case, this time Odysseus does not get the job done -- something that will be seen again in Sophocles' Philoctetes.Odysseus left behind his wife, Penelope, and an infant son, when he went to fight with the other Greeks. He did have responsibilities to his family and his subjects, and was trying not to take chances with his life. In Book Eight, Diomedes is trying to rescue Nestor from Hektor and asks Odysseus for help, but Odysseus turns his chariot around and heads for the

ships. Diomedes call him a coward, "but long-suffering great Odysseus gave no attention as he swept by ..."(14) Heroes were not expected to fight every minute of every battle to be considered brave, and Odysseus is certainly not a coward,

although "he is quite prepared to run rather than face suicidal odds in battle."(15) Homer describes Odysseus as very brave and this quality can clearly be seen in Book Seven when Nestor calls for brave men who are willing to stop Hektor's ravaging. Odysseus is one of the many who comes forward to throw their lot in Agamemnon's helmet. Also in Book Ten, the Greeks are seen in terrible straits, beaten back to their ships.Nestor has advised them that they need to know the Trojans' future strategy so they will be in a position to counteract it. He again calls for volunteers to cross enemy lines. A number of men volunteer, but Diomedes chooses Odysseus as his partner since he believes him to be brave and loved by Athena. He also says that "were he to go with me, both of us could come

back from the blazing of fire itself, since his mind is best at devices."(16) Again, Odysseus' trickery and stealth are alluded

to and so, what other kind of person would Diomedes want with him on such a dangerous task? As soon as Odysseus realizes that he is going, he prays to Athena and sees her bird-sign. He seems to look to her as his own personal daimon. It should be pointed out that it is probably easier to be brave when a goddess like the powerful Athena loves you and protects you. There also can be no question that Odysseus carries out most of his actions for the same reasons that the other heroes do: for glory. Heroes are primarily looking for material wealth and for immortal glory. In Book Six, Helen talks with Hektor about the activities of heroes that will be sung about by the poets. In Book Eight of the Odyssey, Demodocus, the bard, sings of Troy and all the heroes who died there, for King Alcinous and his guest Odysseus.In some respects, the description of the night mission into enemy territory creates the greatest moments of apprehension and fear in the poem. Besides being the only military operation to take place in the dark, the reader also seems to be creeping along with Diomedes and Odysseus, who are slowly making their way through body parts and pools of blood.

Hektor has also sent out a spy that night, a man named Dolon, and it is "illustrious Odysseus"(17) who hears him approaching and thinks of a plan to trap him. Diomedes savagely kills him. Odysseus asks Athena for guidance in finding the way to the newly arrived Thracians, who have brought many horses with them. Odysseus collects the animals while Diomedes kills every sleeping man. When they return to their own ships with the booty, Odysseus gives the credit to his

comrade and never mentions his own input.(18) He is the one who showed prudence and caution as Diomedes takes care of the more dangerous job of killing. All in all, the incident shows that Odysseus is brave, modest, and protected by Athena. This is illustrated again in Book Eleven when Odysseus is stabbed by Sokos, and yet saved from death by the goddess.Odysseus is again commissioned to hold the army together. Agamemnon wants to move some of the ships and believes the gods are against a victory for them. He ends his speech with, "the man does better who runs from disaster than he who is

caught by it."(19)These words could have been spoken by Odysseus himself, but instead, he is brave enough and angry enough to stand up to Agamemnon for speaking them. He even says, "I wish you directed some other unworthy army and

were not lord over us ... "(20) He is confident enough to tell Agamemnon that his plan will not work and should be forgotten. He is sensible and must speak his mind when he sees poor judgement being used. He also tells Achilles that the men need to rest and eat before they can do their best in battle, and to send them out would be foolhardy. Odysseus again fails to convince Achilles and he does not eat. Later, Athena must give Achilles nectar and ambrosia for strength, proving that Odysseus was right again.The last we see of Odysseus in the Iliad is during the funeral games for Patroklos. Homer describes Odysseus as "not

forgetting his craft"(21) when he trips up Ajax during a wrestling match. Odysseus then joins the foot race and will seemingly lose without Athena's help and prays to her for extra strength. Athena does not have any reason to help him now,

since this is not a military expedition,(22) but she does by making Ajax slip in cow dung. The competition between these two men had very serious consequences for the future, when Ajax is certain he was maneuvered out of another prize by Odysseus.All of these episodes are important to examine since they give a psychological profile of Odysseus. Homer sees him as a man of words, who is capable, brave, sensible, modest, and patient. The Atreidae see him as a friend in much the same light and make use of his capacities as an ambassador for them, and as someone to hold the army together. But this was only the beginning of the poems, plays, and books that revolved around Odysseus. Homer's second epic poem has him as a central character and focuses on many of the qualities he is first given in the Iliad. He uses disguises, calls himself 'nobody' and his trickery is shown in full force in the Odyssey. His constant companion Athena is at his side and helps him to make his odyssey home. His cunning is used to escape the Cyclops and to listen to the Sirens; to fool his wife and son; and to entrap the suitors. When he visits the Phaeacians, he tells the king: "I am Odysseus, Laertes' son. The whole world talks of

my stratagems, and my fame has reached the heavens."(23) His sagacity is also evident by how he patiently survives all the years away from home.The Odyssey must be mentioned in a discussion of Odysseus because without it, a large gap of material is left out of his tradition. On reading it, the warmth and admiration that Homer had for Odysseus is clearly evident. This will be contrasted with the writings of many other Greeks. The other important point to make concerning the Odyssey is that it mentions the Trojan Horse. Odysseus may have gone grudgingly to Troy, with only a small battalion of men, but he ingratiated himself with the important Greek generals and gained their respect and trust. And he was the one who came up with the plan to use the Trojan Horse that allowed them to enter Troy undetected. Of course, it was built with Athena's help, but the idea for such a sly and cunning invention came from no other than Odysseus. So Odysseus accomplished what Achilles could not:

the sacking of Troy.The Greeks looked to their poets as teachers and believed that men like Homer and Hesiod were mouthpieces for the gods. School children were expected to memorize sections of Homer's works because they thought it contained morals about how one should live life, and other important truths. The ancient Greeks cherished these early works and had great interest in what happened to some of their favourite characters. Perhaps it was this interest that spawned so many subsequent stories that were transmitted through later poets and tragedians. Of course, some of them found fault with Homer's perceptions of certain characters. One was Pindar. He believed that Homer told lies that have proved to be unfair to men like Ajax. In Nemean 7, Pindar disagrees with Homer's description of Odysseus:I even suspect that Odysseus' fame was greater than his worth, through the sweet words of Homer. For in his lies and in his winged devices there is an awesome power: wisdom is deceptive, seducing with its myths, and the masses of mankind have a blind heart, for if they could have seen the truth, powerful Ajax, angered over the armor, would not have plunged the

smooth sword into his breast -- Ajax, except for Achilles, mightiest in battle of all ... (24)

Pindar must have felt quite strongly about this because he writes of it again in Isthmian 4 where he refers to Odysseus'

famous traits of trickery and lying, saying they were used to win Achilles' armor.(25) He contrasts this "hatcher of

schemes"(26) with the solid Ajax who was so "proud of heart"(27) that he no longer wanted to live. Certainly, Homer also portrayed Ajax in a favourable light in the Iliad, and in the Odyssey presents him as the quiet, stalwart hero who is still so hurt by the incident that he does not want to talk of it, even in death. Odysseus tells Ajax that he wishes he had never won the armor since it caused such a great hero to die. Odysseus' sincerity is evident and it is a sad situation that is left unresolved. Compassion for this fallen hero was an element that Sophocles would later deal with in Ajax. With the coming of the fifth century BC, there seems to be a negative shift in the portrayal of Odysseus.Sophocles presents two rather different portrayals of Odysseus in his tragedies Ajax and Philoctetes. Ajax is the earlier of the two and casts a more favourable light on him. In the opening scene, Odysseus is with his familiar friend Athena. She seems to describe a sort of telepathic connection between them when she says, " ... I felt your need and came on the path to

guard and help you in your chase."(1) They are presented as close in a spiritual way. Ajax has gone mad with the help of Athena and has killed the Greek flocks thinking they were actually his comrades. Ajax had attempted to murder Odysseus since he was awarded the arms of Achilles instead of him, but Athena protected him. Odysseus shows his usual practicality and desire to survive when he shrinks from her suggestion that he go into the tent of Ajax to see how crazy he has become. Odysseus realizes that Ajax is his enemy and that he would be in great danger if seen by him. Ajax feels wronged by his comrades and has specifically blamed the man whom he sees as responsible for the slight against his honour. Ajax is under the delusion that Odysseus is inside his tent and plans to torture him: "Crimson his back with this whip first, then kill

him."(29)

Odysseus shows great sincerity when, instead of gloating with Athena over these events, he sees them as a tragedy -- the tragedy of a fallen Greek warrior and hero, who can never live down this disgrace. He realizes that if Ajax can lose so much stature, anyone can. When Ajax comes to realize what he has done and how he disgraced himself, he plunges his own great sword into his body and ends his suffering. When a great man falls from grace, it is always a long drop down and many people suffer. Tecmessa, his wife, wonders if "the dreadful goddess has bred this pain, perhaps for her favourite,

Odysseus."(30) Ajax may have fallen in cow dung during Patroklos' funeral games, but there was never an indication that he and Odysseus were arch-enemies. Ajax, just like Achilles, felt he was slighted when he did not receive the prize of the arms. Ajax could have accepted the decision like the noble man he was and kept quiet; he could have acted like he did when he saw Odysseus in Hades, but he did not.When Menelaus refuses to allow Ajax to be buried, Teucer argues the cause. He points out that his brother came as a king and brought his own men to Troy. Menelaus may be the King of Sparta, but he had no right to direct the affairs of the dead man. Of course, this is a flawed argument because the Atreidae did direct everything for ten years and it was also attempts on their lives that caused Ajax to kill himself. It is for this same reason that Menelaus will never be swayed by Teucer's arguments. Menelaus may have known the archer, but he was never in any direct command of him. The person to persuade him is someone he knows well, trusts, and respects. That is why it is Odysseus' arguments that win over the Atreidae. The skilled speech maker is now using his abilities to win burial for a man who deserves to be buried. R.P. Winnington-Ingram

says that Odysseus "certainly [belongs] to a world which reasons and argues,"(31) but why does Odysseus fight this battle? Why does he risk the friendship of Agamemnon and Menelaus?

Odysseus knows that Ajax was a brave man and says so. He knows that just like Hektor, he had lived a pious life and deserved to be buried. The gods would surely want him to be given proper rites and in fact, Odysseus says, "for it is not he,

but the laws of gods, you would be destroying."(32) R.P. Winnington-Ingram states that "it is not ... because non-burial

infringes divine law rather than harms the dead man that it is unjust to dishonour him ..."(33) But Odysseus slips in a

reference to divine law, hoping that it will help the cause.(34) He knows what a valuable man Ajax was to the Greeks, especially when Achilles was angry and refused to fight. Some writers portray Odysseus as risking his life when he opposed the Atreidae in this matter, but he never showed any subservience to them in the Iliad. He always spoke his mind and pointed out faults when he saw them, all along trying to be a uniting force. He was not risking his friendship or loss of prestige because their relationship had gone past that sort of tallying, and Odysseus was seen as their equal by the time of the action.Key to exhibiting Odysseus' virtue and sensibility in this regard are the words that he speaks to Agamemnon: "His

greatness weighs more than my hate,"(35) and "I hated him while it was fair to hate."(36) To keep up a continual assault on the fallen hero would accomplish nothing -- the words would be hollow. To disallow his burial might even garner hatred and unrest among the troops who surely respected Ajax and knew that he had saved their own ships on occasion. But the reason that Odysseus is quite sure that he is right about this is one he states in the beginning of the play:Yet I pity his wretchedness ... I think of him, yet also of myself; for I see the true state of all us that live -- we are dim

shapes, no more, and weightless shadow.(37)

The last lines of the play reiterates these sentiments when the chorus says:What men have seen they know; but what shall come hereafter no man before the event can see, nor what end waits for

him.(38)

Sophocles characterized Odysseus quite favourably in this play, but as the years went by and he was near the end of his career, he gave a very different portrayal of him in his tragedy, Philoctetes. Why? One can only speculate on things that happened so long ago. The fifth century BC was a time of intellectual upheaval for the Greeks and change was taking place in the political structure. Many people were questioning the old aristocracy and their power, and the assertion that arete was something rich people are born with. Men, who were called sophists came to Athens with the message that arete was a teachable thing and as long as they had money, anyone could be taught. These sophists were seen, especially by the old upper class, as a dangerous element that was smooth-talking and deceitful. A group who would end up causing havoc. In some ways, they were right and steps toward democracy were helped along by the introduction and innovations of men like Protagorus. Did Sophocles concentrate on some of Odysseus' well-known personality traits and turn him into a "political

man, of a type which may be recognizable to fifth-century audiences?"(39) Whatever the reason, Odysseus is a different man than the one seen in Ajax, but some of his original characteristics were still evident.In Philoctetes, Odysseus is again seen as ambassador for the Atreidae. He is sent on the important mission of retrieving Philoctetes and his bow, which must be brought to Troy to help the Greeks win the war. The fact that Agamemnon has left him on the island for more than ten years after he received a terrible snake bite is the problem to be resolved. Philoctetes was bitten when he inadvertently walked on sacred ground and was consequently punished by the gods with a foul smelling, painful and diseased foot. Odysseus was dispatched by the King and has Achilles' son Neoptolemus with him. Odysseus tells him that he had orders to leave Philoctetes behind ten years before, stating: "my masters, the princes, bade

me to do it,"(40) when Philoctetes' groaning was interrupting sacrifices to the gods, and "the camp was haunted by

him."(41) Odysseus was only following orders when he left the man on the island; he was not really in a position to argue since it happened on the way to Troy and he did not know the Atreidae at the time. He now fears the revenge that Philoctetes will surely want. As the quintessentially prudent man, he puts a guard on alert, saying: "For he would rather

take me than all the Greeks."(42)

Throughout Odysseus' conversation with Neoptolemus, he uses phrases like "ensnare the soul of Philoctetes with your

words,"(43) and "it is the tongue that wins and not the deed."(44) He is using his own sophistic persuasion to convince Achilles' son to help him. He is taking advantage of Neoptolemus' good nature and his young age to twist him into submission. 'He' should be 'they' since he is only doing the dirty work for Agamemnon and will do anything to achieve his goal. Odysseus realizes what Neoptolemus cannot: that neither force nor persuasion will work on their own, stating: "he

will not be persuaded; force will fail."(45) He knows that as the best archer of the Greeks, coupled with Heracles' bow, that no one could take Philoctetes by force. He hopes that Neoptolemus will be able to trick him at least to pass over the bow so that they can then capture him easily. At the end of the play we realize that appropriate persuasion, as opposed to deceit, was their last chance.Odysseus knows the prophecy of Helenus but he only tells Neoptolemus as much as he wants him to know. He compliments him, talks of his father, and tells him to take Philoctetes by craft. He is trying to ensnare him with his words

and allows him to believe that he will be called a "wise man and a good one"(46) for his actions on the deserted island. Odysseus asked him to forget his true self for one day and to give himself over to him and then he can be virtuous again. What Odysseus did not factor in was the possibility that Neoptolemus and Philoctetes would become friends, and that the young man would not be able to go against his true nature even for a day, even for glory. He tells Philoctetes that "all is

disgust when one leaves his own nature and does things that misfit it."(47) Neoptolemus is not like the Odysseus who is portrayed in this play, and he is unable to accept that the suffering of this Greek man was allowed to continue for so long. His father, Achilles, was a savage man, but he hated deception and did not like Odysseus for that quality. When Neoptolemus gives the bow back, Philoctetes tells him, " ... you have shown your nature and true breeding, son of

Achilleus and not Sisyphus ..."(48) This was a later addition to Odysseus' lineage. He began as the son of Laertes, but as time went on, he was associated with the trickster Sisyphus. Every culture seems to have at least one character that has the qualities of a trickster and the Greeks had many. In the Theogony, Hesiod wrote about Prometheus, who had outwitted even

the mighty Zeus on more than one occasion.(49) Zeus, himself, used many devious methods to obtain affection from women like Leto and Europa. Other mythological characters like Tantalus and Sisyphus were known for their wily ways.In the Philoctetes, Odysseus is portrayed as a combination of quintessential trickster and smooth talking sophist, who has no compassion for Philoctetes whatsoever and no qualms about corrupting Achilles' son. At the end of the play, his deceitful tactics do not work. He loses whatever hold he had over Neoptolemus and does not get agreement from Philoctetes that he or his bow will go to Troy. Neoptolemus gave the bow back to its rightful owner and agreed to take him home. Its original owner then appears to give directions. Heracles tells his old friend Philoctetes that he must go to Troy with Achilles' son and fulfill the will of Zeus. Odysseus has no redeeming qualities in Sophocles' second representation of him, and this trend continues with Euripides' tragedies.Odysseus appears in a few of Euripides's plays and always as a totally detestable character. W.B. Stanford says that

"Euripides presents Ulysses in an almost entirely evil light,"(50) particularly in Hecuba, where he "plays a leading role,

without a single redeeming feature."(51)

Hecuba is a play that shows the devastating effects of war and what happens to captives in the aftermath. The tragedy opens with the speech of Hecuba's son Polydorus, who was in the care of his father's Thracian friend during the Trojan War, but who was recently murdered for gold. The queen lives with the assumption that her last remaining son is alive and looks forward to seeing him soon. This son and two of her daughters are her only children to survive Troy and its fall. A chorus of captive women bring her terrifying news that her daughter Polyxena is to be sacrificed on Achilles' tomb, and that it was Odysseus who had convinced the Greeks to perform the ceremony:And the rush of words, yes and no, was balanced until that shifty-hearted butcher knife, that sweet-coaxing, pandering son

of Laertes persuades the army not to reject the best of all Greeks for the life of a slave, a sacrifice.(52)

The pain and horror is evident as Hecuba tells her daughter of her fate. When Odysseus enters, he is calm and callous,

telling the fallen queen not to get upset for 'it is prudent, even in bad times, to use common sense."(53) This sounds characteristically Odysseus. Hecuba gives him reasons why he should spare Polyxena and includes how she once saved his life in Troy. Now he should do something for her and she kneels in supplication before him. Odysseus ignores her pleading and tells her that Achilles requested the sacrifice and it could not be disregarded. Hecuba tells her daughter to supplicate herself to Odysseus, but he prevents her from doing so. Polyxena accepts her fate, but kills herself. Her mother is treated with sympathy by no other than the cold-hearted Agamemnon. Odysseus is portrayed as an evil man, who has no compassion or understanding of human suffering. This is a contrast with the sympathetic man we see in Ajax.Euripides cast Odysseus in The Women of Troy, as well and he is treated in a similar light. Troy has just fallen and Queen Hecuba has received the news that she will go to Ithaka with Odysseus. She laments:Odysseus? Oh Odysseus! Now shear the head, tear the cheek, beat the brow! Cruellest fate of all! Now I belong to a

perjured impious outcast, who defies man's law and God's; monster of wickedness whose tongue twists straight to crooked,

truth to lies, friendship to hate, mocks right and honours wrong!(54)

Hecuba is right to hate this man for soon she learns of his plan to throw her sweet grandson off the walls of her city, to die

a tragic death. Andromache says, "But this is horrible beyond all measure!"(55) and it is to the reader, as well. When Astyanax is brought in on his father's shield, dead, Odysseus is really seen as an evil man, even if he is doing such things for the good of Greece because he shows no mercy for the Trojans.Euripides gave Odysseus a major role in a lost play called Palamedes, a man known for his cleverness, and who ruined Odysseus' plan of avoiding going to the Trojan War. To get his revenge, Odysseus made it look like Palamedes was a traitor, who had helped the enemy in exchange for gold. Palamedes was found guilty with trumped-up evidence, and stoned

to death because of Odysseus.(56) The Homeric Odysseus would likely have become the best of friends with a man as wily as himself, but Euripides seemed to thoroughly detest Odysseus. W.B. Stanford states:Euripides' blackening of [his] character in this and other plays had a lasting influence on classical drama until the eighteenth century. The serviceable diplomat and statesman of the Iliad is transformed into a detestable politique whom no humane writer could admire. It was not until well into the nineteenth century that the [Odysseus] of drama fully escaped

from this burden of infamy.(57)

Odysseus went through many transformations from the time of the Iliad to the fifth-century BC, but in some ways he did not change at all. He began as a man of words and he ended up the same way, even if the words seemed uncharacteristic of him at times. Odysseus may be looked at in a positive manner, or in a very negative light, but he was one of the only heroes to survive the Trojan War and he always worked for the Greek cause.Related Papers