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Posts uit april, 2020 tonen

Monocularity, mononasality, and maturing

Afbeelding
The  one-eyed  Cyclopes in the  Odyssey  – and their eternal companions in our ‘real’, ‘non-mythical’ world – will hardly be capable of recognising synchronicities. Polyphemus’ single eye must first be pierced by Ulysses – he must first be blinded – before he can  see  in the first place.  “Alas, alas, then the old prophecy [ παλαίφατα θέσφαθ᾽ ] about me is coming true”, the monster cries when this has finally happened.And he continues saying that “there was a seer [ μάντις ] here, at one time, a man both brave and of great stature, Telemos son of Eurymos, who was an excellent seer [ μαντοσύνῃ ἐκέκαστο ], and did all the prophesying for the Cyclopes till he grew old [ μαντευόμενος κατεγήρα ]; he told me that all this would happen to me [ τελευτήσεσθαι ] some day, and said I should lose my sight [ ἁμαρτήσεσθαι ὀπωπῆς ] by the hand of Odysseus.” And yet, so the Cyclops ends his lamentation, “I have been all along expecting [ ἐδέγμην ] some one of imposing presence a