Gods, Myths, and Heroes - Part 70a

Odysseus/Ulysses, part 1

Odysseus was one of the heroes of Greek myth.  In Homer's epic poems, The Iliad is the story of the Trojan War, and The Odyssey, which we will look at today, is the story of the adventures of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, returning from the Trojan War and trying to get back to his kingdom.  Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus – he's the same guy.

Above, a 1932 statue of Odysseus by Czech artist Jakub Obrovsky.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus is aided by some gods and opposed by other gods.  Above, Odysseus is is protected by the goddess Athena, depicted by Hans Scherfig, 1954.

Odysseus' journey in The Odyssey is long, with so many episodes that we're going to take two days to look at them.

After leaving Troy, Odysseus and his men visit the island of the lotus-eaters.  Despite the image of the lotus-eater with flowers, above, the lotus in The Odyssey is not the lotus flower that we know today; it's an intoxicating fruit whose effects are somewhat like pot, making Odysseus' men feel good and forget about going home.  Odysseus has to force the men back onto the ship.

Then they sail to the island of the Cyclops, a one-eyed giant named Polyphemus who captures them.  Above, Odysseus arrives on the island of the Cyclops.

We have seen Odysseus and the Cyclops in a previous post in this series.  For now, we'll just say that Odysseus outwits Polyphemus and escapes.  Above, Ulysses Fleeing the Cave of Polyphemus by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1812.

Then they sail to the island of the sorceress Circe, who transforms Odysseus' men into pigs.  The god Hermes intervenes, helping Odysseus defeat Circe's magic using a magical herb.  Circe is forced to return the men to their human form.  But instead of sailing away, Odysseus becomes Circe's lover, and he and his crew stay on Circe's island for a year.

Above, Hermes (left) shows the herb to Odysseus (right), in a painting by Friedrich Preller the Elder, c. 1835.

Eventually they leave.  They sail past the Sirens, beautiful naked nymphs who sing enticing songs that lure sailors to their deaths.  Having been warned by Circe about the Sirens, Odysseus plugs up the ears of his crew, but he wants to hear the Sirens' songs, so he doesn't plug up his own ears.  He has his men tie him to the mast so he cannot escape, no matter how alluring the Sirens are.

Today, a "siren song" means an appealing and alluring proposal for something that is actually dangerous or destructive.  For example, Russia's proposals for peace in Ukraine have been described as a siren song.

Above, Odysseus and the Sirens by Otto Greiner, c. 1900.

After sailing past the Sirens, Odysseus' men land on the island of Thrinacia, where there are cattle belonging to the sun god Helios.  Circe had warned them not to harm these cattle, but while Odysseus sleeps, his hungry men kill and eat some of the cattle.

Well, it's not a good idea to anger a god.  When they sail away, Helios complains to Zeus, who destroys their ship with a thunderbolt.  All the men die except Odysseus, who is not guilty because he was asleep when the cattle were killed.

Above, a statue of Helios in Vienna.  If this reminds you of the Statue of Liberty, it's because both statues were inspired by descriptions of the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of Helios that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world but no longer exists.

Odysseus washes ashore on the island of the nymph Calypso.  He becomes her lover and stays for seven years, supposedly against his will, until the gods intervene again.  Then Calypso lets Odysseus build a raft, and he sails away.

Above, Odysseus and Calypso by Frank Buscher, 1872.

Tomorrow: the completion of the story of Odysseus.

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 79

Guadalajara 2018

Today we look at the World Naked Bike Ride held in Guadalajara, Mexico on June 16, 2018.

The riders gathered before the ride in a local park.  This guy is wearing bunny ears.

As with other World Naked Bike Rides, not everyone had to be naked, and not everyone had to ride a bike.  This guy accompanied the bike riders on skates.

The words painted on him say "Now you see me."  It reflects one of the main goals of the World Naked Bike Rides: asking drivers to pay attention and drive safely around bike riders even when they're not naked.

This guy is getting a slogan painted on his back.

And here's his slogan: "This exhaust does not contaminate."  It reflects the other main goal of the World Naked Bike Rides: trying to get people to ride bikes instead of driving cars, because it's better for the environment.  Driving a car that burns fossil fuel generates harmful exhaust gases like carbon monoxide, as well as CO2 that contributes to global warming.  While it's debatable that the bike rider's "exhaust" does not contaminate, it is certainly far less in volume that what a car generates.

This guy's painted sign just says "L".  That's because he's part of ...

this group of riders who led the bike ride.  Their chests spell out "¡libérate".  There was another "E" at the end who didn't make it into this photo.

And they were off for another World Naked Bike Ride.

Estonian Photos - Part 35

Estonian Photos

We continue our series of photos from the Tartu Ülikooli museum of anthropology in Estonia.

For those who haven't seen my previous posts in this series, a few words of explanation.  The museum provides no information about the men, other than the photos came from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tartu.  In particular, it does not say who these men are, or when or why the photos were taken.  However, the photos are labeled "Füüsilise antropoloogia pildistus" (physical anthropology photography).

Who are these men?  My best guess is that they are military recruits.  The very short haircuts suggest that these photos were taken during or shortly after the enlistment process.

When were the photos taken?  My best guess is between World War I and World War II, when Estonia was an independent country with its own military.  Before WWI, Estonia was part of the Russian Empire, and after WWII, Estonia was part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

A clue to the time frame is that these photographs were made on glass plates, not film.  Dry glass-plate photography started in 1871 and began to fall out of use in the 1920s.  I found some references to it in Estonia through the 1930s.

One other clue to the time frame of these photos is that in a previous batch, one of the men is wearing a wristwatch.   Wristwatches were considered to be for ladies before World War I.  (Men used pocket watches.)  However, during the war, wristwatches proved very useful for soldiers and pilots.  After WWI, wristwatches came into fashion for men.

Although wristwatches were evidently rare in Estonia (only two men wore a wristwatch among the hundreds that were photographed), it suggests that these photos are post-World War I.

Since the use of glass plates fell out of use in the 1920s, I think the photos were most likely taken shortly after World War I.

Although these appear to be military recruits, these are probably not military photos.  We know that the museum that currently has the photos got them from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tartu.  If these are military photos, why would they end up at the Institute of Anatomy?

I believe the photos were taken by academics doing a study of physical anthropology.  Scientists at the Institute of Anatomy were trying to measure what they considered racial characteristics of the population by measuring the body, including phrenology (measuring the skull), ideas which are now discredited.

I think that the scientists at the Institute of Anatomy may have persuaded the military to let them take photographs of the naked new recruits for "research" purposes.  I have no written evidence to support this idea, but since the photos were at the Institute of Anatomy, and the photo subjects appear to be military recruits, it's now my best guess as to what happened.

One other question that perennially arises from these photos is: why were the men photographed in pairs?  Was it to save film?  (#321 above is an exception; I don't know what happened to #320.)

The answer is that these photos were made on glass plates, not film, but glass plates were more expensive and involved more labor than film, so yes, it's likely that the men were photographed in pairs to save on glass plates.

So, bottom line: My best guess is that these photos were taken after World War I, the subjects are new or recent Army recruits, and the Estonian military allowed scientists from the Institute of Anatomy to take photos of the naked recruits for a study of physical anthropology.

Vintage Military - Part 80

 Egypt, World War I

In 1914, when the Ottoman Empire joined the German side in World War I, Britain declared Egypt a British protectorate and took control of the government, partly to protect the Suez Canal, and partly to use Egypt as a staging ground for troops that were then used against the Ottoman Empire.

So there were a lot of troops in Egypt from Britain and former British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand.

Above, troops showering in Egypt in 1914-1915.

The photo above was labeled "Two soldiers using a meagre amount of water to have a bath."

Soldiers cleaning themselves during the Senussi campaign, 1915-1916, which was fought against German-backed rebels on the northern coast of Egypt.

The troops didn't just clean themselves.  Here Australian soldiers are washing their camels at Bir El Burj, Sinai.

The Wellington Mounted Rifles swimming their horses in the Suez Canal.

Troops were allowed to go swimming in mass events called bathing parades.  This is a bathing parade of New Zealand troops in the Bitter Lakes, Ismailia, Egypt, in 1914-1915.

Another view of that bathing parade in the Bitter Lakes.

Australian troops sea bathing at Dabaa, Egypt.

New Zealand soldiers at another bathing parade in Egypt, 1915-1916.

Australian soldiers bathing in a lake in Egypt in 1916.

This 1918 photo was labeled "Yeomanry at El Arish, Egypt, bathing at a well."  Although the word "yeomanry" calls up visions of medieval Britain, the Yeomanry Cavalry was the mounted component of the British Volunteer Corps.

Delousing the officers of the 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment at El Amara, Egypt in September, 1916.  At right is commanding officer Colonel T. J. Dodd.

We end with this scene of clothed officers being carried to a ship by naked troops.

Sausage Day 2025

National Sausage Day

Did you know that October is National Sausage Month, and today is National Sausage Day?

Why not celebrate by barbecuing some sausage?

You can buy this BBQ accessory for grilling hot dogs or sausages.

Or perhaps you like this guy's sausage better.

Or you could make pigs in a blanket.  It looks like the cooking has achieved consummation.

What to go with all that sausage?  Here's a waffle maker for those with an appetite for a certain shape.

And for dessert, we end with this treat made from Belgian chocolate.