Letâs talk about translations of the Odyssey for a second, because, honestly, Iâm over here sobbing over how ridiculous some of these choices are.
Every time I pick up a new translation, I hope itâll finally capture the true grit and messiness of Odysseus, but nope, every one of them polishes him up too much, turning him into either a tragic hero or a charming rogue. Whereâs the Odysseus who lies as easily as he breathes, who manipulates his way through every encounter, and who leaves a trail of ruin wherever he goes? I want the man whose brilliance is as sharp as his selfishness, whose cleverness cuts both ways â not just a hero, but a survivor whoâs as flawed as he is formidable.
Anyway, Iâm gonna break down the biggest mistranslations that really make me want to pull my hair out and remind everyone how different the original Greek actually is. Prepare yourselves.
Letâs start with the absolute disaster that is Telemachus and Peisistratusâ bond. Homer used the word á˝ÎźÎżĎĎÎżĎĎνΡ to describe their relationship, a term thatâs about fucking soulmates, alright? But what do these translators do? They water it down to âjust good friendsâ or ânice companions.â Itâs about a relationship where minds and hearts are aligned â telepathic level shit, not just a handshake between two dudes. Yet these translators just gloss over the whole thing, so you get this milquetoast version of their relationship when itâs actually so much more.
Homer says:
"á˝ÎźÎżĎĎÎżĎĎνΡĎΚν áźÎ˝á˝ś κιĎδίឳ áźÎ˝Î¸Îą κι὜ áźÎťÎťĎν Îżá˝Î´á˝˛Î˝ áźĎÎΝθοΟξν"
("In like-mindedness of heart, where no other man could compare.")
So, Telemachus sees Peisistratus as someone heâs totally aligned with, in a way thatâs almost romantic in its depth. á˝ÎźÎżĎĎÎżĎĎνΡ is usually used for romantic couples most often.
Then, weâve got Odysseus and Calypso, which â oh my god, donât even get me started on this absolute trainwreck of a translation. The term áźÎ˝ÎŹÎłÎşáż is used when Homer talks about Odysseusâ ârelationshipâ with Calypso, but translators somehow miss the force behind the word. It doesnât just mean ânecessityâ like theyâd have you think. It means force, violence, and distress. When Odysseus is on Calypsoâs island, stuck there with her, itâs not this peaceful love story where Odysseus is some willing lover. Itâs a prison. Thereâs no choice, and no oneâs riding off into the sunset together. But translations just gloss over this desperation and make it sound so much more peaceful and comfortable than it ever was. Itâs forced captivity, and the use of áźÎ˝ÎŹÎłÎşáż screams that: âáźÎ˝Î¸Îą Οὲν áźÎźĎáž˝ áźÎ˝ÎŹÎłÎşáż, Ďῠδὲ θξὰ áźĎáżśĎÎŹ ΟΚν áźĎĎÎľ.â (âThere he stayed out of necessity, for the goddess, in her love, held him there.â).
Homer uses the same word when Odysseus describes his time with Circe: âáźÎťÎťáž˝ áźÎźÎľÎ˝áž˝ áźÎ˝ ĎĎÎĎĎΚ Νι῜ν áźÎ˝ÎŹÎłÎşáż.â (âBut I stayed in her halls by necessity.â). Again, áźÎ˝ÎŹÎłÎşáż shows that Odysseus's relationship with Circe is dictated by forces beyond his control. His connection to her isnât out of love or desire, but out of a divine obligation, a situation where choice is completely stripped away. Itâs not love; itâs divine manipulation. So much for romantic freedom!
And letâs not forget how Homer actually portrays the suitors and their reaction to Antinousâ violence. After Antinous, in his full rage, decides to throw a chair at disguised Odysseus, other suitors chime in, disapproving of his actions. They say things like âáźĎÎłá˝¸Ď ÎľáźśÎ˝ÎąÎš,â which roughly translates to âyouâre acting cowardly,â and âáźĎÎąĎθιΝίι,â meaning âreckless.â Theyâre still on the same side, sure, but they canât quite get behind the utter savagery of his actions, and itâs maddening how this detail is often glossed over in some translations. They make it sound like they were all in on the violence, but in the original text, these suitors are not all cut from the same brutal cloth, no matter how much some translators want to make them seem like one big mob.
Homer uses the word Îżáź°ÎşÎĎÎľĎ to refer to the people in Odysseus' house. "Îżáź°ÎşÎĎÎľĎ" means slaves, people who are literally owned by the household. But oh, what happens in the translations? We get âmaidsâ and âservants,â as if these slaves were just there because they wanted to be, doing chores like it was a normal job. But no, theyâre not âmaids,â and they sure as hell aren't "servants" in the modern sense. These people have no freedom â they belong to Odysseus. The translation of Îżáź°ÎşÎĎÎľĎ as "maids" completely erases the brutality of the system that Homer is talking about.
Interestingly, Telemachus, who is often portrayed as rude or immature, calls these individuals âservantsâ or "maids" in a more respectful manner. This is the same guy who can barely get his act together most of the time, but here he is, calling the Îżáź°ÎşÎĎÎľĎ â slaves, remember â not just slaves but âáźÎ˝Î´ĎÎľĎ áź°ÎşÎĎÎľĎ,â which translates to "men-servants" or âbutlers.â Like, hello, Telemachus! For once, heâs actually treating them like people instead of just the property that they are in Homerâs original telling. Respectful? Who knew?
And lastly, letâs talk about Penelope. Odysseus, when he finally speaks to her, he says: "áźÎťÎťá˝° Îźá˝´ áźĎξ὜ κι὜ Ďὺ Οὲν áźÎźĎÎľÎ´ÎżĎ áźÎ˝ Îżáź´Îşáżł, áźĎΝΡĎιν δâ áźÎźÎąá˝ś áźÎťÎłÎľÎą." ("But you, steadfast in your home, endured my sorrows."). Odysseus sees Penelope as the rock, the one who has suffered patiently in his absence. Unlike the goddesses, sheâs his equal in suffering, not a forced relationship due to divine will. He longs for her, and her presence stands in stark contrast to the chaotic, imposed relationships heâs had with Circe and Calypso. Penelope is the constant, the one Odysseus has chosen â no divine manipulation, just pure, enduring love.
Anyway, all of this goes to show that translations can twist what Homer was actually trying to say â especially when it comes to the relationships in the story. Itâs frustrating to see these critical, subtle moments get flattened into bland, palatable phrases. Maybe if they spent less time trying to make everything sound "noble" and more time actually getting at the grit of what Homer wrote, we wouldnât have to deal with these watered-down, emotionless versions of The Odyssey that everyone is so obsessed with.
jacobvanloon
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
andulkaphoto
izzy806
jbbartram-illu
