The Gospel of Hellas - Research Institute for Waldorf Education

the world of homer
companions to guard the ship, Odysseus steps ashore with twelve chosen men.
They bear with them twelve jars of wine with which they make Polyphemus,
the leader of the Cyclops, drunk. Odysseus then overcomes him through a ruse,
using the same cleverness with which he earlier conquered Troy. He burns out
the giant’s one and only eye.
Whenever Odysseus utters his own name, it means that he has reached a
new stage along the path of his ego-development. This motif of pronouncing
his name runs through the whole epic like a golden thread, until finally his
individuality as a whole is disclosed. In the presence of the Cyclops, Odysseus,
after having blinded the giant, speaks of himself. But because he is not yet
quite ready in development fully to disclose his identity, instead of giving his
real name, he tells Polyphemus that his name is “Nobody.” Odysseus must pass
through the “nobody” state of consciousness, before he becomes “somebody” in
a higher sense.
On the fourth day (that is, again after three and a half days) the journey
is continued. The fourth adventure leads to Aeolus, god of the winds and the
seasons, who guides the course of the year. Aeolus has six sons and as many
daughters, representing the six winter and the six summer months. He gives
Odysseus a bag in which all the contrary winds are imprisoned. It is a gift which
ensures him a safe homeward journey. But he gives it on one condition: No one
must open the bag. After nine days, Ithaca’s shores are in sight. Overcome
by curiosity and envy, Odysseus’ companions open the bag while he is asleep.
A fearful storm at sea, sent by the gods in revenge, destroys the only hope of
reaching Ithaca, the friendly island where his home and wife are, and throws
the travelers upon the land of the Lastrygones. Odysseus’ slumber, not the
curiosity of his immature companions, is actually the cause of the misfortune.
Sleep always symbolizes failure in a test of consciousness. The journey must
therefore be continued where further probations await him. Odysseus and his
men who passed through the trials in the country of the Lastrygones now
reach the magic realm of Circe, but not before two of them have been devoured
by the king.
In Circe’s realm Odysseus must face the most important of all his decisions.
The magic of Circe is twofold. She transforms all those who come to her in a