ipl-logo

The Stalking Ghost In Homer's Odyssey

444 Words2 Pages

The summoning of truth and knowledge with the help of the dead

The thought is eerie and can bring shivers to the majority of us. Modern times linked it to darkness and everything bad. Thanks to the present-day depiction of this practice, the custom that was rooted from the old age has evolved into something fearsome as what has been shown on television shows and movies.

Necromancy is the art of calling the dead to get answers, foretell the future and even defend against something. There are no distinct accounts that prove the origin of the practice. However, ancient literature connotes that summoning ghosts has been an established custom of past cultures.

A good example of this would be found in Homer’s Odyssey when Odysseus had to travel …show more content…

Usually done during the wee hours, necromancers perform the deed at isolated places. It is important to focus while reciting the repeated prayer because the duration can take a long time. The calling of a ghost might take hours, days or weeks. There are talismans involved, but extreme cases might also suggest the use of a dead person’s belongings like clothes, eating rotten food and worse, the flesh of an animal or person. The ritual is performed within a circle because the said shape is believed to protect everything inside it – even from bad spirits that are called during the course of ritual.

While necromancy is used primarily for guidance, the birth of Christianity proved the opposite correlating the tradition to demonic acts and Satanism. Since this mostly originated from pagan belief, the demolition of this tradition by regarding it as evil was beneficial for Christianity because it was in the pursuit of domination during that time.

Do not misunderstand necromancers as uneducated, though. Far from estranged hermits, necromancers actually hold important positions in society. As a matter of fact, some of them are scholars and advisors of leaders in some territories. Most of these people are well versed and have great knowledge when it comes to astronomy and other sorts of divination. This is important, especially when it comes to defining signs and symbols that are used while calling the

Show More
Related

  • The Giles Corey's Story

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    In courts where ghosts appear as witnesses And swear men's lives away.

    Read More

  • Michael Sims's Short Story 'All The Dead Are Vampires'

    326 Words  | 2 Pages

    Michael Sims short story “All The Dead Are Vampires”, he describes a little portion of his connection to death and some of the knowledge he had about vampires specifically during the 18th century. In the 18th century, it was believed that after death many people became vampires because of the bad decisions they made during life. During that time people got “to see corpses” (Sims 11) very often and there also was very little information about dead bodies and how they decompose, so when they saw these bodies while decomposing it frightened them because they did not know what was happening. While bodies decompose, they obviously look different than from when they were alive and since people did not understand why they looked different

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Curiosity In Homer's The Odyssey

    1064 Words  | 5 Pages

    While curiosity is projected to be a beneficial way of learning, it can also lead to dangerous situations. The protagonist, Odysseus, experiences the negative effects of curiosity in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, as he embarks on a life changing journey. In the story, Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, is returning from the Trojan War, and instead of going straight to his home, his curiosity takes him on a variety of detours, risking not only his life, but the lives of his crew. When Odysseus finally returns home, his curiosity disappears, and he becomes very focused and determined to remove suitors that have overrun his kingdom. Throughout the epic, Odysseus behaves curiously and wanders with no clear goal of returning home, but later, when he is faced with the task of removing the suitors from his palace, he becomes driven to achieve his goal in order to restore control over his kingdom and be reunited with his wife, Penelope.

    Read More

  • Polyphemus Is Wanted In Homer's The Odyssey

    85 Words  | 1 Pages

    Polyphemus is Wanted In Homer’s “The Odyssey,” Odysseus meets a cyclops named Polyphemus. The Ithacan army finds a cave full of food, and they decide to collect some goods. The cyclops then comes and encloses them in the cave.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism Of Obstacles In Homer's The Odyssey

    953 Words  | 4 Pages

    Though it may seem strange, a poem that is almost 3,000 years old symbolizes the obstacles I will soon face in my life. This epic poem is The Odyssey by Homer. Many believe that the obstacles in this story are not to be taken literally, but that they provide deeper messages or morals. The Odyssey is a perfect allegory for life. When a reader looks at the story at the surface, it seems that it is simply about a Greek man, Odysseus, trying to return home land of Ithaca while he must fight monsters and avoid magical dangers.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Natural Phenomenon In Homer's Odyssey

    1459 Words  | 6 Pages

    Natural phenomenons is a science, but centuries ago the Greeks believed a deity was responsible for the natural causes that were created. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus was separated from his wife and son to fight in the Trojan war for 10 years. In addition, spends 11 more years struggling to get back to his family due to these supernaturals caused by the gods. The Greeks portray the gods to be powerful and merciful. They played a huge role in Odysseus’s heroic journey as a savior and tormentor.

    Read More

  • Misconceptions Of Witchcraft: Good Or Evil?

    730 Words  | 3 Pages

    Misunderstood Magic can be real to some people and fictional to others. It could be used to describe a feeling, or it could mean an action. There is a form of magic known as witchcraft. The art of witchcraft can range from simple activities like burning incense for protection to complex and eerie acts like summoning the dead. Society defines those who participate in these types of acts as witches.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytical Criticism: Turn Of The Screw By Henry James

    1474 Words  | 6 Pages

    By looking at the novel through a psychoanalysis lens, the reader can see that the ghosts were just hallucinations and the reader finds Governess reasons for these hallucinations. The novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James first starts off with a group of people telling ghost stories. The unknown narrator describes the conversation that he has with a guy named Douglas who claims to have a scary ghost story that doesn’t just haunt one child but two. Douglas then says it’s his sister’s Governess’ manuscript and that it is suppose to be a real account.

    Read More

  • The Role Of The Afterlife In Homer's Odyssey

    803 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homers complex writing is devoted to the extend he gives on the perspective into the Greek underworld, stories in which were prevailing in the Greek society. The numerous conditions of the reality of the afterlife are deeply described rather than the setting of the underworld. The underworld is described as the House of Hades which is where your death and inevitable fate lies. It is signified in The Odyssey Book XI, concretely in the scenes of Odysseus mother’s death in the Cimmerians, the Greek culture expresses a depressing but inevitable view of death as a complete dichotomy of the fate but shows the indication of more than just one afterlife.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Are Ghost Real

    611 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some believe that they are spirits of the dead who for whatever reason get "lost" on their way to The Other Side; others claim that ghosts are instead telepathic entities projected into the world from our minds. (Radford). The idea that the dead remain with us in spirit is an ancient one, and one that offers many people comfort; who doesn’t want to believe that our beloved but deceased family members aren’t looking out for us, or with us in our times of need? Most people believe in ghosts because of personal experience; they have seen or sensed some unexplained presence (Radford).People will believe different in ghost every person has their own beliefs about ghost, even though there has been historical documentations about them, some still do not

    Read More

  • Nostos In Homer's Odyssey

    922 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homer’s Odyssey is greatly concerned with nostos, the Greek word for homecoming. The tale follows Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaka, which is greatly affected by the choices made by the characters. Penelope and Odysseus in particular play a significant role in Odysseus’ quest for nostos. Odysseus uses deception and tricks in an attempt to assure his speedy homecoming, whilst Penelope does the same in order to avoid being forced to replace her husband. The couple occasionally thwart their own efforts, such as when Odysseus does not share with his men what the bag of winds contains and when Penelope is caught undoing her work on the shroud for Laertes.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Reality And The Supernatural In Homer's The Odyssey

    737 Words  | 3 Pages

    Discuss the relationship between reality and the supernatural in the Odyssey In Homer’s “The Odyssey” reality and the supernatural are beautifully blended. These two separated worlds, in Homer’s epic poem become one in a fascinating, but also simple and acceptable way. The interaction between reality and fantasy, between humans and gods is admittedly present from the beginning until the end of the epic. To be more specific, we are introduced to a realistic environment of that era, the life in the palace of Ithaca.

    Read More

  • The Ghost In Hamlet Essay

    983 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most common answer to the question has always been that the ghost is the spirit of the dead king Hamlet, returning to comfort his grieving young son left inconsolable by his loss and to provide answers for

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Do Ghosts Exist Or Not?

    861 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ghosts can appear in various forms, they can appear as ectoplasm, shadows, poltergeists or demons. Many of us don't actually believe in ghosts, but in energy. Some believe that as the law says "energy is neither created nor destroyed", and based on that physical principle we question to ourselves: where does our energy go to after life?. Thus, most of the paranormal events that take place in daily life might

    Read More

  • Essay On Supernatural

    797 Words  | 4 Pages

    Name : Chhon Phalla Room : Nokor Bachay (301) Supernatural Beliefs Cross-culturally For as long time age’s, we have been fascinated with the idea of other worlds and other creatures that are somehow 'supernatural'. All around us is the physical world and the reality of that world is something we deal with on a daily basis. But since the dawn of man we have been telling stories of something else, something 'other', which might take the form of ghosts, of demons, of aliens or of elves.

    Read More

More about The Stalking Ghost In Homer's Odyssey

Open Document