LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 An Extended Narrative Pattern in the Odyssey Bruce Louden C OMMENTATORS have suggested many possible structures and component patterns around which the plot of the Odyssey might be organized. 1 One resource of the com­ posing oral poet is the theme,2 with the various forms of manip­ ulation to which it is subject: expansion, ring-composition, multiforms of the same theme, etc. I here analyze an instance of what some commentators call composition by theme. 3 I argue, however, that to view the Odyssey in terms of many separate themes, as Lord and others have done, can cause misundcr- 1 Among many relevant studies, the following will be referred to by author's last name: w. J. WOODHOUSE, The Composition of Homer's Odyssey (Oxford 1930); A. B. LORD, The Singer of Tales (Cambridge 1960); M. L. LANG, "Homer and Oral Techniques," Hesperia 38 (1969) 159-68; A. THORNTON, People and Themes in Homer's Odyssey (London 1970); W. F. HANSEN, The Conference Sequence: Patterned Narration and Narrati7Je Inconsistency in the Odyssey (=CPCS 8 [Berkeley 1972]); B. FENIK, Studies in the Odyssey (=Hermes Einzelschrift 30 [Wiesbaden 1974]); R. B. RUTHER FORD, "At Home and Abroad: Aspects of the Structure of the Odyssey," PCPS N.S. 31 (1985) 133-50; G. CRANE, Calypso: Backgrounds and Con7Jentions of the Odyssey (=Beitr.z.kl.Phil. 191 [Frankfurt a.M. 1988]); G. E. DIMOCK, The Unity of the Odyssey (Amherst 1989); M. A. KATZ, Penelope's Renown: Meaning and Indeterminance in the Odyssey (Princeton 1991); S. REECE, The Stranger's Welcome: Oral Theory and the Aesthetics of the Homeric Hospitality Scene (Ann Arbor 1993). 2 For definitions of the theme see Lord 68ff and his Epic Singers and Oral Tradition (Ithaca 1991) 27ff, as well as G. Nagy, "Homeric Questions," TAPA 122 (1992) 27. For a different view, see K. Stanley, The Shield of Homer: Narrati7Je Structure in the Iliad (Princeton 1993) 321 n.47. 3 For examples and analyses of composition by theme, see most recently M. W. Edwards, The Iliad: A Commentary V (Cambridge 1991) 11ff; G. Kirk, The Iliad: A Commentary II (Cambridge 1990) IsH; B. B. Powell, Composi­ tion by Theme in the Odyssey (=Beitr.z.kl.Phil. 81 [Meisenheim am Glan 1977]). Hansen, however, uses the term sequence in much the same way that Lord and others use theme. In Lord and many subsequent writers, theme is used for narrative units depicting councils, the return home of the hero, etc.; very disparate types of narrative units have been loosely grouped under this single word. 5 LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 6 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY standing of the functions of specific elements in the plot. I suggest that we can better appreciate the Odyssey's structure by concentrating not on specific themes but on whole com­ plexes of interwoven themes. I further argue that consideration of such clusters of themes offers a more accurate understanding of Homeric compositional technique than traditional analysis by theme. I employ the phrase "extended narrative pattern"4 to refer to a large recurring complex of themes and type-scenes. Much useful scholarship has focused on the parallels between Od ysseus' stay on Skheria and his arrival on I thaka. 5 I suggest that the many details replicated in these two sections also have close parallels in the Apologue. 6 I argue that one extended narrative pattern accounts for much of the structure and shape of the Odyssey's plot. Let us first consider a basic statement of the pattern, which we shall flesh out with further details. Stated most simply, the narrative pattern is as follows: Odysseus, as earlier prophesied, arrives at an island, disoriented and ignorant of his location. A divine helper appears, advising him on how to approach a powerful female figure who controls access to the next phase of his homecoming, and points out potential difficulties regarding a band of young men. His identity a secret, as approach to the female is perilous, Odys­ seus reaches her, discovering a figure who is initially suspicious, distant, or even hostile towards him. She imposes a test on him, whereupon Odysseus, having successfully passed the test, wins her sympathy and help, obtaining access to the next phase of his homecoming. Their understanding is made manifest in her hospitable offer of a bath. Furthermore, Odysseus is now 4 First used, I believe, by Barry Powell in "Narrative Pattern in the Homeric Tale of Menelaus," TAPA 101 (l970) 419-31. As M. W. Edwards notes, "Homer and Oral Tradition: The Type-Scene," Oral Tradition 7 (1972) 285f, such an approach is indebted to V. Propp's Morphology of the Folktale (repr. Austin 1968). For distinctions between theme, type-scene, and narrative pattern see Edwards. 5 Among recent work see G. Rose, "The Unfriendly Phaeacians," TAPA 100 (1969) 387-406; Fenik, passim; T. van Nortwick, "Penelope and N ausicaa," TAPA 109 (1979) 269-76; Rutherford; Reece 101-21; Katz, passim. One of the best such discussions remains Lang. 6 Perhaps one reason that correspondences between events at Aiaia and those at Ithaka and Skheria have not been as well established as those between Ithaka and Skheria is that Odysseus narrates the Apologue, while the principal narrator narrates the other two sections, resulting in a diminished responsion in diction and formula than found between the Skherian and Ithakan sequences. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 BRUCE LOUDEN 7 offered sexual union and/or marriage with the female. Conflict arises, however, between Odysseus and the band of young men. The young men abuse Odysseus in various ways and violate a divine interdiction. The leader of each band has the parallel name of Eury-. Their consequent death, earlier pro­ phesied, is brought about by a divine avenger. A divine con­ sultation limits the extent of the death and destruction. The Odyssey explores three extensive multiforms of this narrative pattern and occasionally offers briefer treatments of the same. The three extended multiforms are: Odysseus, Circe, and the crew; Odysseus, N ausikaal Arete/ and the Phaiakian athletes; Odysseus, Penelope, and the suitors. In each multi­ form, a particular element may receive greater development and attention or have a greater function than in the other multiforms. By comparing the three multiforms, however, we can better understand individual details in each narrative unit, some of which have received widely varying interpretations. I argue that the Ithakan multiform, the most expansive, is the goal towards which the other two multiforms tend. They are rehearsals or anticipations of what later unfolds at greater length. Before noting other tendencies, let us turn to an investigation of the structure, proceeding through Odysseus' encounters in their chronological order of Aiaia (Books 10-12), Skheria (6-8, 11.333-84, 13.1-187) and Ithaka (13.187 to the conclusion of the poem), and synchronically comparing Odysseus' progress through each of the three multiforms. As we are dealing with substantial sections of the poem, discussion of some areas, and relevant secondary literature, is necessarily brief. Odysseus, as earlier prophesied, 8 arrives at an island, disoriented and ignorant of his location. Though Odysseus names Circe's island, Aiaia, in his narration to the Phaiakians (10.135), his knowledge of the name is clearly retrospective. Upon arrival he and the crew are literally disoriented as to where they are, ignorant of the island's name and location 7 I suggest that the two functions of sexuality and power over Odysseus' homecoming, which elsewhere are embodied in one female (Circe and Penelope), are on Skheria bifurcated into Nausikaa, whose role carries an erotic and marital implication, and Arete, who controls access to Odysseus' homecoming. I return to this topic on 13 infra. R Though in each instance, report of the prophecy is delayed until after the actual arrival. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 8 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY (10.190ff): "we do not know where the darkness is nor the sun­ rise, nor where the Sun ... rises, nor where he sets."9 Circe is able to recognize Odysseus because Hermes had told her he would come (10.330ff): "Argeiphontes of the golden staff was forever telling me you would come to me, on your way back from Troy with your fast black ship." Here as elsewhere, we can equate such divine discourse with prophecy.10 Similarly, though the narrative earlier mentions Skheria and the Phaiakians,l1 Odysseus, on arrival, is unaware of his whereabouts: «Ah me, what are the people whose land I have come to this time" (6.119). Alkinoos later reveals to Odysseus that his father had said that Poseidon would one day severely punish the Phaiakians for ferrying men home (8.564-70). Odysseus is not named, but the prophecy, as carried out in Book 13, clearly refers to his own arrival and departure. With typical Odyssean irony, Odysseus cannot recognize Ithaka when he first awakens there in Book 13 (13.187ff): "but now great Odysseus wakened from sleep in his own fatherland, and he did not know it, having been long away." His first words, identical to those uttered when he awoke on Skheria, occur only in these two instances {13.200ff=6.119ff).12 Theok­ lymenos offers the most important prophecy of Odysseus' return. Having been brought to the palace just as Odysseus is actually headed there with Eumaios, Theoklymenos, descended from an illustrious family of prophets,13 correctly prophecies that Odysseus is already on Ithaka, plotting revenge (17.152-61). A divine helper appears, advising him on how to approach a powerful female figure, who controls access to the next phase of his homecoming, and pointing out difficulties regarding a band of young men. On Aiaia, Hermes encounters Odysseus 9 Citations from the Odyssey, unless otherwise noted, are from the translation of R. Lattimore (New York 1967). 10 The Odyssey offers a parallel in Hermes' visit to Aigisthos, described by Zeus at 1.38ff. II Zeus first names the land and people in his prophecy at 5.34ff. 12 Clearly there are significant differences in Odysseus' arrival at the three islands. He is accompanied by his crew when he reaches Aiaia, while he is completely alone when he makes his landfall on Skheria, his landing on Ithaka falling somewhat in between. Each sequence, however, has Odysseus ignorant of his location, and frustrated as a consequence. Il The poem gives his lineage at 15.225-56, as well as the partially supplctive information at 11.291 ff. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 BRUCE LOUDEN 9 after Eurylokhos and the half crew fail to scout the island. The god appears, assuming the form of a young man (10.277ff): 14 "there as I came up to the house, Hermes of the golden staff met me on my way, in the likeness of a young man with beard new grown, which is the most graceful time of young man­ hood.» In a curiously piayfuP5 speech Hermes advises ad ys­ seus that the crews have been transformed and confined to pens. Then, counseling Odysseus how to approach Circe safely, he predicts a hostile reception. Armed with Hermes' drug and advice, Odysseus is to proceed by offering the threat of violence with his drawn sword and making no agreements with her until she swears an oath that she will devise no further harm. Odysseus begins to have difficulties with his crew during the stay on Aiaia. Although earlier episodes foreshadow what later develops into almost open hostility. The first stop in the Apologue offers an anticipatory echo of this tendency.16 After successfully sacking Ismaros, the crew ignores Odysseus' sug­ gestion of a quick departure (9.44f, "they were greatly foolish and would not listen, and then and there much wine was being drunk, and they slaughtered many sheep on the beach.» As a consequence, the Kikones have time to gather allies and counterattack Odysseus and crew, turning a successful raid into a disaster claiming six crewmen from each ship. Rebellion continues when, sailing home from Aiolos' isle, an unnamed H Hermes' physical form here has occasioned much comment. See A. Heubeck and A. Hoekstra, A Commentary on Homer's Odyssey II (Oxford 1989) 58f ad 10.274-79 for a brief summary of the different points of view. The debate centers on an alleged lack of motivation for Hermes' appearance as a young man, when archaic iconography more typically presents him as a somewhat older male. Although he assumes a similar form for his inter­ vention at II. 24.347, his youthful appearance there is thought to be more fittingly motivated by the context. Heubeck and others thus assume the Aiaian passage is modelled on II. 24. I offer a different view below. 15 E.g. Hermes opens with a question to which he knows the answer, much as Athene plays with Odysseus at Od. 13.221ff and Apollo teases Hektor at II. 15.244f; cf 24.360ff, where the testing seems mutual between Hermes and Priam. This is quite typical of divine intercourse with mortals; cf also Yahweh's questions of Adam at Gen. 3:9ff. I suggest that Hermes, in (h SUO-CllV£, makes something of a play on the first two syllables of Odysseus' name, which he never utters. 16 For the term "anticipatory echo," see M. W. Edwards, "Tapas and Transformation in Homer," in J. Bremmer, et at., edd., Homer: Beyond Oral Poetry (Amsterdam 1987) 50ff. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 10 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY hatpo~ suggests that the crew open the bag of winds,17 which subsequently blow them back to the isle (10.34f). In effect, minor mutinies occur in both episodes. On Aiaia the narrative begins to assign distinct personalities and names for the crew. Eurylokhos, deputized to lead half the men to investigate the island, fails to carry out Odysseus' orders, partly conforming to the established mutinous pattern that will reach a climax on Thrinakia. On Skheria, Odysseus prays to Athene that he come among the Phaiakians as cpiAo<; and EAE£lV6~. As with Hermes in Book 10, the divine helper takes a youthful form: "There the gray­ eyed goddess Athene met him, in the likeness of a young girl, a little maid, carrying a pitcher" (7.19f). When Odysseus asks her for directions to Alkinoos' palace, the disguised Athene warns him that the Phaiakians are not hospitable to strangers (7.33, OU()' aymta~6JlEVOl qnA£oucr' 0<; 1(' aAAo8Ev fA8n. The narrator has earlier described her covering Odysseus in a mist so that no Phaiakian would taunt or provoke him (7.15ff). The warnings about possible Phaiakian hostility 18 point ahead not only to the delays Odysseus will face in the palace but especially to the rude taunts he will receive from the young men during the games in Book 8. When he reaches the palace, Athene recommends that Odysseus advance boldly (much as Hermes advised for the approach to Circe).19 Surprisingly, she bids him to approach not Alkinoos, the king, but queen Arete, whose importance is emphasized in the lengthy expansion that follows on her ancestry and stature among the Phaiakians (7.54-75). The goddess concludes, emphasizing that a successful homecoming depends on Arete's good will (7.75ff):20 "So if she has thoughts in her mind that are friendly to you, then there is hope that you 17 This constitutes a further parallel in the narrative pattern. Each of the three bands of young men has their homecoming destroyed by a guest-gift given to Odysseus, most prominent of which is Eurytos' bow. 18 Nausikaa has also warned him at 6.273H. Note especially her remark, ,.UlA.a o' dolv um:p (7.75). Elsewhere in Homer this term (and its opposite KaKa Utll1(£crOt cplAoc., mxV'tEOOt Y£VOt'to Onvoc., 'to uiOotoc., 'tE, also describes the process by which Arete becomes CPlAa ' haprov oJ..la<>ov Kat <>01>1tOV aKoucra~). Although oJ..la<>o~ occurs only here in the Odyssey, oJ..labdv occurs five times (1.365,; 4.768; 17.360; 18.399; 22.21), always to describe the suitors and the ruckus they create in Odysseus' palace. In Elpenor and the crew, the narrative thus describes behavior quite similar to that of Penelope's wooers. The ha'ipot, like the suitors, have been taking part in a nonstop feast, their stay capped by Elpenor's drunken death. 64 Eurylokhos embodies a more active, overtly disobedient side of the crew. He repeatedly leads the equivalent of mutinies that border on violence. After Odysseus comes to terms with Circe, persuading the goddess to restore the crew and accepting her hospitality, Eurylokhos again rebels, arguing that in remaining with Circe they go to their doom (10.429-37). Odysseus reacts strongly (438-41): "I considered in my mind whether to draw out the long-edged sword from beside my big thigh and cut off his head and throw it on the ground, even though he was nearly related to me by marriage." This scene 62 Powell (supra n.3: 33) makes a brief parallel between the three bands of young men. 63 Excessive drinking and consumption turned the Ismaros stop into a disaster (9.43-46), while the proem heavily emphasizes the issue of forbidden consumption at Thrinakia. 64 That he dies as a result of his intoxication looks ahead to the suitors' drunken state on their final day. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 24 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY parallels the violence that will erupt between Odysseus and the suitors. That this occurs on Aiaia suggests an implicit friction between Odysseus and his crew with regard to Circe, perhaps in that only Odysseus has any intimacy with Circe, much as he, not the suitors, will win Penelope. The conflict culminates on and around Thrinakia, an episode closely linked to events on Aiaia. Helios figures prominently from the beginning of the Aiaian sequence. Circe's lineage, as daughter of Helios (10. 137£), suggests an alignment between events on Aiaia and Thrinakia, as do events before Odysseus even meets the goddess.65 Uttered by Circe (and Teiresias), and relayed by Odysseus to his crew (12.271-76), the prohibition against eating Helios' cattle is a divine interdiction, comparable to that in Genesis 2-3. The men, weary and fearing death at sea (or so claims Eurylokhos, 12.279-93), are nonetheless for pulling into Thrinakia. Odysseus anticipates their mutiny: "So spoke Eurylokhos, and my other companions assented. I saw then what evil the divinity had in mind for us" (12.294f). Noting that Eurylokhos has the force of numbers on his side (297, ~ IH1AU OilllE ~l(l~E'tE 1l0UVOV EOV'tU). Odysseus has them swear an oath that they will not slaughter the oxen. When Circe's provisions are exhausted, however, Eurylokhos once again leads a revolt, now arguing that the worst of all deaths is to die of starvation (340-51). His reasoning is perverse because he argues for the exact opposite of his earlier speech (279-93), in which, implicitly, death at sea was to be avoided at all costs, now suggesting now that death at sea is preferable to dying on land. 66 Furthermore, he foolishly minimizes the consequences of violating the divine interdiction. As Crane has suggested (148), Thrinakia consti tu tes a test, and an unusual one: "[Thrinakia] is unusual ... it demands that Odysseus remain passive and idle ... nevertheless [it] serves the underlying purpose of every heroic task: it elicits from the hero 65 Odysseus hunts a stag for his crew, which he catches because the ~v~ TJrAI010 (10.160) has made it seek a drink in the river. Frequent mention of Helios continues (10.183, 185, 191). Functioning as something of a thematic transition, perhaps, are significant solar emphases in the previous episode with the Laistrygones (10.86). 66 C. Segal, "Divine Justice in the Odyssey: Poseidon, Cyclops, and Helios," AJP 113 (1992) 509, is perhaps too lenient suggesting that "we feel sympathy for the doomed companions; their fault ... seems pardonable." I suggest that the poem intends us to have no more sympathy for the crew than for the suitors. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 BRUCE LOUDEN 25 those qualities that set him apart from ordinary men." Od ys­ seus, here as elsewhere, survives both because he is 1tOA:{HAU~ and has learned to respect the gods, much as Zeus suggests in the opening scene. 67 On Skheria, as on Aiaia, conflict between Odysseus and the band of young men remains largely implicit and potential, flaring up on one brief occasion. 68 As we noted earlier, Nausikaa and Athene suggest the possibility of friction. 69 Nausikaa raises the possiblity of conflict between Odysseus and the potentially rejected Phaiakian suitors. 70 And indeed in the athletic games­ themselves Alkinoos' attempt at creating a diversion for his guest, who has been moved to tears by Demodokos' singing­ conflict does erupt. In reply to Euryalos' abusive response when Odysseus declines to participate, the hero observes, "Friend, that was not well spoken; you seem like one who is reckless" (8.166, (lTU0"8UAq:> uv8pt £Ollca~ ).71 Provoked, Odys­ seus does compete, after the fact, surpassing the others in hurling the discus. He also claims other athletic prowess, es­ pecially in archery (8.217ff): "I know well how to handle the polished bow, and would be first to strike my man with an arrow aimed at a company of hostile men." Since antiquity commentators have rightly seen connection between this passage and the IlVT\O"tT\POCPOVlU. 72 I suggest it also parallels the episode discussed above when Odysseus considers slaying Eurylokhos (10.438ff). 67 "[Odysseus] who beyond others has given sacrifice to the gods" (1.66f). 68 G. P. Rose, "The Unfriendly Phaeacians," TAPA 100 (1969) 387-406, re­ mains the best account of potential conflict facing Odysseus on Skheria. For an attempted rebuttal that points out a few excesses in Rose's depiction, but nonetheless fails to overturn most of his formulations, see G. ]. de Vries, "Phaeacian Manners," Mnemosyne SER. 4 30 (1977) 113-21. See also Reece 104-07. 69 See especially 6.273f; 7.15£{, 32f, 60 (the Phaiakians are descended from a A.a.O~ <'miOeaAo~). 70 Woodhouse has explored this perspective most fully, arguing that an earli­ er folktale version, in which Odysseus would have wooed and married Nausikaa, underlies the sequence. See also Murnaghan 97; Reece 109ff with his references to earlier literature. 71 Forms of the strongly negative ataOeaAo~ are used to describe members of all three bands, the crew (1.7; 10.68), the suitors (22.416) and here, one of the Phaiakian youths. 72 There is no unanimity on the subject, however, witness Hainesworth ad 8.215-18, "that episode (the flVTJOtTJPopu. "rich in" or epUllat as possible derivations for the first element of these compounds. He does not, however, address the possibility of any relationship between the three similar names. 79 Though Antinoos proposes the attempt, Eurymakhos assents to the plan, 4.663-74. 80 It is worth remembering that Herakles, with whom the Odyssey several times parallels Odysseus, has as his principal human antagonist f..J.!Q::.stheus (the king, whose power over Herakles is explained at II. 19.95--133), a similar LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 28 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY Their consequent death, earlier prophesied, is brought about by a divine avenger. Teiresias prophecies the death of the £'ta'ipOl in no uncertain terms (11.112f), a prophecy afterwards restated by Circe (12.139f).81 As an indication of the central importance of the episode, Zeus is the divine avenger for the transgression on Thrinakia, destroying the ship with a storm, though Helios is the injured party. In the Skherian multiform, Alkinoos twice states his father's ancient prophecy: "He said that one day, as a well-made ship of Phaiakian men came back from a convoy on the misty face of the water, he (Poseidon) would stun it and pile a great mountain over our city to hide it" (8.567ff=13.175ff). No specific mention is made of the crew, but their death is a necessary consequence of the prophecy. In this multiform, Poseidon, the injured divine party, exacts his own vengeance. Of the several rrophecies of the suitors' deaths, most im­ portant is that 0 Theoklymenos in Book 20. His prophecy, accompanied by a series of eerie events,82 suggests the suitors' proximity to Hades (20.351-56): Poor wretches, what evil has come upon you? Your heads and faces and the knees underneath you are shrouded in night and darkness; a sound of wailing has broken out, your cheeks are covered with tears, and the walls bleed, and the fine supporting pillars. All the forecourt is huddled with ghosts, the yard is full of them as they flock down to the underworld and the darkness. The sun has perished out of the sky, and a foul mist has come over. compound name, and on a less important level, ~tion. Note also that Eurystheus is Herakles' kinsman, as Eurylokhos is Odysseus' (l 0.441). 81 Polyphemos earlier curses Odysseus with approximately the same fate: "let him come late, in bad case, with the loss of all his companions" (9.534). I suggest, however, that the proem, the Ismaros incident, and the general structure of the Odyssey argue that the crew, not Polyphemos' curse, are themselves responsible for their deaths. 82 E.g. the suitors' uncontrollable laughter (345ff), and the transformation of their feast into a mess of blood (348). Fenik (242) rightly compares this last to the strange happenings on Thrinakia as the flesh of the slain cattle creeps and bellows. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 BRUCE LOUDEN 29 Odysseus fulfills the role of the divine avenger who punishes wrongdoing in the Ithakan sequence. As commentators have noted, his homecoming has many elements of a theoxeny, in which a disguised god visits mortals to test their hospitality.83 Odysseus is not a god, though many on Ithaka mistake him for one, including some rather astute observers.84 But he does serve an agenda directed by Zeus and Athene, in effect carrying out their intentions. The suitors so intimate when one regrets Antinoos' violence against the disguised Odysseus (17.483-87): Antinoos, you did badly to hit the unhappy vagabond: a curse on you, if he turns out to be some god from heaven. For the. gods do take on all sorts of transformations, appeanng as strangers from elsewhere, and thus they range at large through the cities, watching to see which men keep the laws, and which arc violent. When Eurykleia later exults in triumph, Odysseus downplays his own role, assigning responsibility to the gods (22.412-16): "These were destroyed by the doom of the gods and their own hard actions, for these men paid no attention at all to any man on earth who came their way, no matter if he were base or noble. So by their own recklessness they have found a shameful death. '" As we noted earlier, Athene designs and sets in motion Odysseus' course against the suitors,85 enjoying Zeus' full support (24.478ff). Events suggest a parallel, reinforcing divine avenger in Apollo,86 on whose holiday the JlVll(Hll pOOV ia occurs and through whose weapon, the bow, it is effected. A divine consultation limits the extent of the death and destruction. When Helios learns what has occurred, he consults with Zeus, demanding the death of the crew and threatening greater harm if this is not carried out (12.377-83): "Father Zeus ... punish the companions of Odysseus ... for they outrageous­ ly killed my cattle .... Unless these are made to give me just recompense for my cattle, I will go down into Hades and give 83 See E. Kearns, "The Return of Odysseus: A Homeric Theoxeny," CQ N.S. 32 (1982) 2-8; Reece 139,181-86, 200f. 84 T elemakhos, 16.178f; Penelope, 23.63-68. 85 Note especially 13.396ff. 86 Thus the often-invoked Homeric trinity of Zeus, Athene, and Apollo (ll 2.371,4.288,7.132; Od. 4.341,6.311,17.132,18.235,24.376) seem to work in tandem. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 30 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY my light to the dead men. "87 Zeus willingly assents to the former option (384-88): he destroys the crew but spares Odysseus, as he did not transgress the interdiction. In the Skherian multiform, as at Thrinakia, the injured divine party, Poseidon, consults with Zeus to air his complaint (13.149-52): "This time, I wish to stun that beautiful vessel of the Phaiakians ... so that they may stop and give over conveying people. And I would hide their city under a mountain." Zeus talks Poseidon out of the second option, and grants him free rein to fulfill the first, much as in the sequence with Helios. 88 In the Ithakan multiform, the suitors' relatives threaten fur­ ther fighting. As before, the interested deity, Athene, consults with Zeus, considering two options (24.473-76), "Son of Kronos ... What does your mind have hidden within it? Will you first inflict evil fighting upon them, and terrible strife, or will you establish friendship between the factions?" As in the other sequences the more threatening option is avoided. This consul­ tation again underlies Athene's responsibility in the Jl Vll cr'tll P 0- q>ovia, as she, like Helios and Poseidon, here appears in the role of the injured divinity. Having explored the entire narrative pattern in detail, we can now consider it more broadly. Typically, the Odyssey develops the three multiforms in ring-compositional sequence. 89 The poem opens focusing on the suitors and Penelope (Books 1-2, 4.625-847). Books 6 through 8 focus on Nausikaa, Arete and the young Phaiakian athletes, while the Apologue depicts the crew and their destruction. The narrative continues with the Phaiakians' escort of Odysseus, and the destruction of their ship. The remainder of the poem concerns the destruction of 87 For why Zeus assents so willingly compare Hades' fear in the theomachy at IL 20.61ff. 88 Since antiquity, line 158 of Zeus' response has attracted much argument, as the possibilities pose very different narrative consequences. For a recent discussion see J. Peradotto, Man in the Middle Voice (Princeton 1990) 77-82, though I do not agree with his conclusion as to the authenticity of /ltya ot: i.e., Zeus really recommends that Poseidon obliterate the Phaiakians. I suggest the narrative pattern in the other multiforms is persuasive against such a reading. Also against the manuscript is R. Friedrich, "Zeus and the Phaeacians: Odyssey 13.158," AJP 110 (1989) 395-99. 89 See W. G. Thalmann, Conventions of Form and Thought in Early Greek Epic Poetry (Baltimore 1984) 8-21, for a demonstration of the prevalence of this technique in archaic poetry. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 BRUCE LOUDEN 31 the suitors. We have, then, a sequence of suitors, the Phaiakian youths, the crew, the destruction of the crew, the destruction of the Phaiakian rowers, and, finally, the jlvllo'tllPocpovia. The overall symmetry argues against any episodic view of composi­ tion or interpolation. We can discern various progressions between the three multiforms. For instance, the female figures become increasing­ ly familiar. The Aiaian sequence is the most mythical and unreal. Circe's motivations remain inaccessible. 90 On Skheria, however, we are quite privy to Nausikaa's thoughts, though perhaps denied deep insight into Arete. The Ithaka sequence offers a still deeper exploration of Penelope's dilemma and emotions. The Odyssey as a whole thus offers something of a parallel to the ascending scale of affection Kakridis recovered in the Meleager story and its parallel in Akhilleus and Patroklos. 91 Though he is temporarily swayed by Circe, Odysseus rejects the offer of marriage with Nausikaa and forms a lasting agreement only with the last, most intimate of the females. The pattern thus further demonstrates the way in which Skheria mediates between boun­ daries and spheres of action in the Odyssey. Though the narrative pattern forms the skeletal structure of much of the Odyssey, its influence is not confined to these three multiforms. The poem contains additional shorter multi­ forms organized around the same elements. Perhaps the two most notable brief versions are Zeus' opening account of Agamemnon, Klytemnaestra, and Aigisthos, and Demodokos' song of Hephaistos, Aphrodite, and Ares. 92 At somewhat greater length, Telemakhos' visit with Helen and Menelaus explores many of the same elements. 93 Recognition of the pattern reveals much about the structure of the Odyssey. The sequence offers evidence of an intricate level of design in the poem, though interpretation of that design 90 The Aiaian multiform is the least human as well; consider the implied fate of the penned-in crew, paralleling the cannibalism at the hand of Polyphemos and the Laistrygones. 91 See J. Kakridis, Homeric Researches (Lund 1949) 11 ff. 92 Though in these brief versions some elements of the pattern are missing or modified. The band of young men, for instance, is one male, Aigisthos, and Ares. 93 Again some elements are lacking: e.g. Telemakhos knows his location. Crane 42ff explores parallels between Helen and Circe. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 32 NARRATIVE PATTERN IN THE ODYSSEY may remain a subjective matter. 94 Why docs the pattern exist, how conscious of it is the composer? The answer depends upon one's point of view concerning oral composition. Clearly such a structure would be a great aid to an improvising composer, consciously or unconsciously. While improvising a performan­ ce, a poet aware of the pattern can more easily concentrate on the distinct characterizations of the three females, the different motivations in the three bands of young men, the different levels of response called for in Odysseus, etc. I do not think it unreasonable that a bard was aware of the narrative pattern. Oral literature is an essentially conservative medium, retaining and manipulating inherited motifs and type scenes. It may well be that the pattern is older than our Odyssey. 95 I thus argue that we can better understand the Odyssey's structure not as a collection of separate themes, but as a complex of themes that should not be so easily separated. Awareness of the narrative pattern helps clarify such reputed narrative incon­ sistencies as Hermes' youthful appearance at 10.277, the role of Arete, the emphasis placed on Odysseus winning her favor and her delay in answering his inital request, Penelope's appearance to the suitors at 18.206ff, the role of Theoklymenos,96 and the parallels between Athene preventing futher hostilities among the Ithakans and Zeus dissuading Poseidon from further harm­ ing the Phaiakians,97 among others. Although one element may function more smoothly in one multiform than another, as some have suggested with regard to parallels between events on 94 On this issue see Rutherford 133ff. 95 Many or all elements, for instance, could clearly work for a narrative about Jason and Medea, whose basic episodes, I suspect, are older than the Odyssey, in whatever form. 96 Lord (174) suggests that he was based on a theme of Odysseus in disguise; D. L. Page, The Homeric Odyssey (Oxford 1955) 83ff, is outspoken about Theoklymenos in general. I argue that he is better understood as the most expanded version of the multiform of the prophet who predicts both Odys­ seus' homecoming and the destruction of the relevant band of young men, T eiresias, and Alkinoos' father, being the other figures. 97 I do not claim that my approach resolves all alleged narrative inconsisten­ cies, but I do argue that it provides a more useful lens with which to study them. LOUDEN, BRUCE, An Extended Narrative Pattern in the "Odyssey" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 34:1 (1993:Spring) p.5 BRUCE LOUDEN 33 Skheria and Ithaka,98 the pattern persists, reflecting the essential conservatism of oral literature: why discard a useful motif? As for the existence of three multiforms of the narrative pattern we might consider Levi-Strauss' formulation, "the ques­ tion has often been raised why myths, and more generally oral literature, are so much addicted to duplication, triplication or quadruplication of the same sequence ... the answer is obvious: repetition has as its function to make the structure of the myth apparent. "99 In this pattern the repetition helps emphasize the qualities essential to Odysseus: his cunning, perseverance, and piety, setting him apart from the young men, making him attractive to the female figures. Such an Odysseus engages three different females, three different bands of young men. While possessing their own identities, these characters have in common primarily their intersection with Odysseus and the pain or profit that results thereby. I hope that the present study, far from exhausting the specific parallels between the three multiforms, will provoke interest in the resulting implications. loo UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, EL PASO December, 1993 98 Cf the suggestions by Lang 163ff and Reece 116ff that certain elements in the Skherian sequence are awkwardly modelled on particulars more com­ fortable in the Ithakan multiform. 99 C. Levi-Strauss, "The Structural Study of Myth," reprinted in T. A. Sebeok, Myth: a Symposium (Bloomington 1965) 105. 100 I should like to thank the readers for GRBS for their helpful comments and suggestions, and the University Research Institute at the University of Texas, El Paso, for a grant that aided my research.