133 things from this book went into her brain. Here are the first 6.
Butcher and Lang argue that each age wants different qualities from a translation, so there can be no final version of a great work, only versions suited to their own time.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus's reckless boast to the Cyclops sets off ten years of wandering, showing how one rash choice can shape everything that follows.
In The Odyssey, the crew eat the Sun's sacred cattle out of hunger, despite a clear warning, and lose the ship. Stories show that a known warning, ignored for a short-term need, often costs far more.
Butcher and Lang note that the Odyssey weaves many older folk tales into one plot through a single master craftsman, which is how a strong story usually gets its unity.
In The Odyssey, Zeus points out that people blame the gods for troubles their own reckless choices bring on. It is an old observation that still holds for most of us.
In The Odyssey, Athene tells Telemachus not to wait for his absent father to rescue the household, but to call the assembly himself and go and find out what he can. Waiting for a rescuer rarely fixes a problem.
In The Odyssey, young Telemachus stands up to the suitors in plain words and claims his place as master of his own house. Courage often starts with simply saying clearly what you will and won't accept.
In The Odyssey, Penelope holds off her suitors for years by weaving a shroud by day and unpicking it by night. It shows how patient, clever tactics can buy time when you cannot win by force.
In The Odyssey, Mentor scolds the people of Ithaca for sitting silent while a few men plunder a household they outnumber. Wrongs last when the many who could speak up say nothing.
In The Odyssey, Telemachus stops putting up with the losses at home once he is grown and sees the facts for himself, and he decides to act. Growing up often means seeing clearly what you have been putting up with.
In The Odyssey, Nestor recalls how the Greek army split after a hasty night assembly, held in drink and anger, and a quarrel of pride. Decisions made in heat often leave everyone worse off.
In The Odyssey, Athene reminds Telemachus that death comes to everyone, even those the gods love. It is a plain fact that makes the time we have worth using well.
In The Odyssey, Nestor will not let his guests sleep on a ship when they could have a proper bed in his house. Generous hospitality, offered freely to a stranger, is a mark of a good household.
In The Odyssey, Menelaus admits he grieves for his lost comrades for a while, then turns back to living, because even sorrow wears thin. Letting grief have its time, then getting on with the day, is a sensible way to carry loss.
In The Odyssey, Helen looks back and admits that her choice long ago brought all the grief. Owning a past mistake honestly, without excuses, is where any change of direction starts.
In The Odyssey, Menelaus recalls how Odysseus, hidden inside the horse, held his impatient comrades back from answering a call that would have betrayed them all. Self-control in a tight moment can save the whole group.
In The Odyssey, Ajax is drowned after boasting that he escaped the sea in spite of the gods. Pride that mocks a power greater than yourself so often ends in a fall, and the story makes that point without any lecture.
In The Odyssey, Penelope points out that Odysseus never wronged anyone, and that the suitors have repaid his household's kindness with cruelty. Fair dealing is what people remember long after, and it is the mark of a good name.
In The Odyssey, the old nurse Eurycleia steadies the grieving Penelope by asking her to wash, dress and pray, rather than sink further into fear. A small practical step can steady a mind that is swamped with worry.
In The Odyssey, Calypso loves Odysseus and could keep him, yet she helps him build a raft and sends him home. Letting go with generosity, rather than holding on, is its own kind of love.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus turns down an offer of endless life with Calypso because he would rather have a short mortal life with his own people. Knowing what matters most to you is the best test for any tempting offer.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus clings to his raft while its timbers hold and only swims once it truly breaks apart. Keep using what still works, and change course when it has really failed, not before.
Homer shows Odysseus, stripped of everything, pray to the river as a humble suppliant. Asking for help plainly, with nothing to offer but his need, is its own kind of courage.
In The Odyssey, Homer has Odysseus, cold and half drowned, weigh each option aloud before he acts, and choose the safer path rather than the first one that comes to mind.
In The Odyssey, Homer has the battered Odysseus weigh a bold approach against a gentle one, and choose smooth words over force, so the strangers he needs do not turn against him.
In The Odyssey, Nausicaa takes in a shipwrecked stranger because strangers in need come from Zeus, and a little kindness is dear. Homer makes hospitality a duty as well as a virtue.
Nausicaa plans ahead so gossip cannot harm her reputation or the stranger's. She arranges for Odysseus to follow at a distance into town, which shows how careful thought protects both people.
In The Odyssey, Athene tells Odysseus that the bold man does best in every adventure, even a stranger in a strange land. Walking in with steady nerve matters more than knowing everyone first.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus will not pass himself off as a god. He says plainly that he is only a mortal man weighed down by sorrow, which is a good model for honesty about who you are.
Homer has Odysseus cling to the keel of his wrecked ship for nine days while his crew is lost. Endurance, held on through long odds, is what keeps him alive.
Odysseus steps in to spare Nausicaa her father's rebuke and takes the fault onto himself. Loyalty to the person who helped you is shown in what you say when they are blamed.
In The Odyssey, King Alcinous says due measure in all things is best, and will not keep a guest against his will. Generosity, for Homer, respects the freedom of the person being helped.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus hides his tears under his cloak while the court celebrates, and only the king notices. Homer shows that grief can be carried quietly without spoiling other people's pleasure.
Odysseus answers an insult without losing his temper, pointing out that the gods share out looks, speech and wisdom unevenly. Then he accepts the challenge and proves himself with action.
Odysseus tells the Phaeacians that anyone who challenges the man who has welcomed him is a fool, because he only harms his own standing. Gratitude to a host is a matter of honour in The Odyssey.
In The Odyssey, Euryalus repairs an insult with soft words and a gift of his own. Homer shows a fair apology has both the words and the cost behind it.
Odysseus honours the minstrel Demodocus with the best cut of meat, even while he is sorrowful himself. Recognising other people's craft generously, even when you are hurting, is a mark of character.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus says there is no more gracious delight than a whole company feasting together and listening to a singer. He also holds that a person's own home and family are worth more than any comfortable life elsewhere.
In The Odyssey, after a successful raid Odysseus's men ignore his order to leave and linger over wine and sheep, and pay for it. A win that tempts you to stay too long can cost you dearly.
Homer's lotus-eaters show how a sweet, easy comfort can make people forget the way home. Keep your goal in view, even when the present feels pleasant.
Trapped in the Cyclops's cave, Odysseus holds back from a rash attack because he sees his crew could not then move the great stone. Homer shows that thinking through the consequences first can save everyone.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus, facing death, searches for every option and settles on the plan that looks best, tying the rams together to slip out. Calm, careful planning under pressure is what gives a team its chance.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus cannot resist taunting the blinded Cyclops from the sea, and his crew begs him to stop. The urge to have the last word nearly sinks the whole ship. Homer shows how pride can cost more than the victory is worth.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus's crew, jealous of the gifts he is carrying, open the bag of winds and throw the voyage away. Envy and suspicion inside a team can wreck a journey that was almost done.
In The Odyssey, Eurylochus holds back from Circe's hall because he senses a trap, while the others walk in without a second thought. A quiet instinct for danger is worth heeding, even when the rest of the group is keen.
Odysseus will not lie down with Circe until she swears a mighty oath not to harm him. He is willing to trust, but only once a clear promise is made binding, a sound habit in any deal.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus will not taste food in Circe's hall until his companions are freed and he can see them. He puts the people who depend on him before his own comfort, which is what good leadership looks like.
In The Odyssey, a whole year of feasting in Circe's hall passes before Odysseus's companions gently remind him it is time to go home. Good friends are the ones who keep you true to what you actually came for.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus promises the ghost of Elpenor, a companion who fell from a roof, that he will bury him properly. Keeping faith with someone who can no longer repay you is a mark of decency.
The seer Teiresias tells Odysseus he can still get home if he restrains his own spirit and that of his men. Homer treats self-control, more than strength, as what carries a crew through a long voyage.
In The Odyssey, when a crowd of spirits rushes the blood, Odysseus lets them come forward one at a time so each can be heard properly. Taking people in turn, rather than all at once, is how you get a real answer from each of them.
In The Odyssey, the dead Achilles tells Odysseus he would rather work as a hired hand in the light of day than rule over the dead. Homer's shades long for life, a good reminder to value the living days you have.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus tries to soothe the old anger of Ajax even among the dead, urging him to master his wrath and proud spirit. A grudge outlives its use, and letting it go is the wiser course.
In the Odyssey, Homer has Odysseus recall that even Heracles, a son of Zeus, endured hard tasks set by a lesser man. Hardship alone does not show a person's worth.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus stops to bury his fallen crewman Elpenor properly and weeps as he does it. He does not rush past the people he has lost.
In the Odyssey, Circe tells Odysseus to have his crew plug their ears with wax and bind him to the mast, so he can hear the Sirens without being steered onto the rocks. Wise people plan ahead for their own weak moments.
In the Odyssey, Circe tells Odysseus that against Scylla there is no defence and that flight is the bravest course. Knowing when a fight cannot be won, and choosing to move on, is a kind of courage.
In the Odyssey, Circe's warning is simple: leave the sacred cattle alone and you may still get home. Heeding clear warnings keeps a hard journey survivable.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus tells his crew the full danger ahead so they can face it with foreknowledge. Sharing the real risks in advance helps a team act well.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus steadies his frightened crew by reminding them they have survived worse before and will look back on this too. Recalling past courage helps people face fear.
