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silly little sketch of athena dealing with a young lovestruck odysseus

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Good afternoon today I am thinking about how Calypso hears Odysseus say Penelope's name before she even learns what his name is. She hears “Penelope” before she ever hears “Odysseus.”

And so do we.

In the opening lines of the musical, Odysseus rallies his men by invoking home: “Think of your wives and your children.” We are told so early and so clearly that the impulse that drives him, long before we even know him by name, is love, home, and memory. When the choir asks “What do you fight for?” he first answers: “Penelope.” And then he says it again. And when the prophet Tiresias speaks, when Eurylochus confronts him, when Circe questions his heart, when the gods themselves threaten him and debate his fate, it is always Penelope whose name rises, it is always his wife who is consistenly brought up. Penelope, whose presence is invoked in absence. Penelope, who defines every move he makes.

We learn who his wife is long before he utters his own name, which he only ever does once, in the only saga she's not mentioned. The only time he claims his name aloud is the one time he is wholly severed from her, textually and thematically. Every other chapter of this story, every other trial he endures, echoes with her name. Except this one. Penelope does not enter that cave. Her absence is deafening, and the one time he utters his name instead of hers, it is this exact same act that brings the storm, Poseidon's fury, the years added to their journey. The moment he lets go of her is the moment he is torn from her.

Her name is a refrain in the mouths of gods and monsters, a tether through temptation and torment. If you strip her from the story, you do not simply lose a love interest. You lose the anchor. You lose the tension. You lose the meaning behind every choice Odysseus makes, and every cost he bears.

She is not an afterthought. She is with him from the very beginning and she's the one with him at the very end. She is the centre of the story.

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Put a porn tw you crazy people!!

their polyamorous swag

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would you still love me again?

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I wonder how many gay people are actually transgender & dont know it because people thing being transgender is transitioning when it’s literally just not being cis.

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tumblr is not social media. idk how to explain but its so calm here. like this is the field and the valleys. over there is the town and people. but here we are little sheep in our pastures eating our grass and laying in the sun <3

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I love talking nonsense with you and I hope that we can talk nonsense with each other for the rest of our lives.

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ASK CHATGPT??????? i would NEVER. i ask all my questions to the pythia at the oracle of delphi like apollo intended.

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HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

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…could you… possibly… tag me when you post one? (pretty please?)

@cceanvvaves @dreamboyinthedarkvoid @itsmylovedaydreamdreamdream @zufi @jerry-the-leech @icarus-last-fall @muse-the-drowning-angel <- pjo mutuals taglist , should i continue the swap au? would you guys be interested in seeing more?

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GODS YES PLEASEEEEE

@cceanvvaves @dreamboyinthedarkvoid @itsmylovedaydreamdreamdream @zufi @jerry-the-leech @icarus-last-fall @muse-the-drowning-angel <- pjo mutuals taglist , should i continue the swap au? would you guys be interested in seeing more?

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uncle-nephew quality bonding time

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the most annoying people are people who don't understand storytelling. they be like "oooo how convenient that this thing happened to the main character in the very beginning". yeah no shit. that's why the story begins here

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You think Odysseus was Homer's favorite blorbo because of the amount of details he put in his descriptors. I think Odysseus was Homer's favorite blorbo because of the absolute hell he put him through. You cannot convince me that The Odyssey wasn't just someone going buck wild with their favorite oc—because that's exactly what it was.

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had a fascinating english class that resulted in the notes header “the forcefeminization of victor frankenstein”

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Something I just realized, Odysseus calls Telemachus by his name throughout Act I. Then when he get back to Ithaca, anytime he references Telemachus he calls him a familial title.

“… and hurt my boy”

“You plotted to kill my son”

“Son.”

“Oh my son look how much you’ve grown. Oh my boy, sweetest joy I’ve known.”

“My son I’m finally home!”

Then he calls his son by name while they embrace.

“Telemachus. I’m home.”

I just think it’s interesting. It’s like he’s reminding himself of what his son‘s name is throughout the Trojan War and his journey home.

When he gets back, he’s letting everyone know he’s claiming Telemachus, and reminding the suitors that Telemachus is his son, and he is Telemachus’ father.

Finally, the first time he calls Telemachus by his name, is after the two of them have rekindled their relationship. (I Can’t Help But Wonder is basically the two of them sharing how he views the other.)