The Odyssey’s Secrets — Only Understood in Greek

Helen of Troy — the face that launched a thousand ships.

There are powerful secrets in the Odyssey you can only understand if you speak Greek.

The three most important suitors who die:

Antinous = ‘anti’ + ‘nous’ = against mind/intellect. The first to speak, the most irreverent, the first killed. The war within his own reason.

Eurymachus = ‘eurys’ + ‘machites’ = broad/great fighter. Two-faced, warlike, personifies discord and duplicity.

Amphinomus = ‘amphi’ + ‘nomos’ = distorts the law. The most compassionate suitor. Odysseus warned him to leave. He stayed and died anyway.

Through this Homer teaches that sacrifices are required, even when they demand showing no compassion when the goal serves a greater purpose.
That is why there are many people, but few are truly heroes.

— Homer Pavlos