CUNNING HOMER: ACHILLES AND THE METEORITE

Alberto Majrani THE CUNNING HOMER and the ingenious deception of the Odyssey

Who killed the suitors in Homer’s Odyssey?? A careful reading of the epic poem reveals a myriad of clues left by Homer with a surprising conclusion: the mysterious stranger, who arrived in Ithaca after twenty years and that no one was able to recognize was not Ulysses! But then, who could he really be? He was the expert Achaean archer Philoctetes in disguise! With this key, the Homeric poem suddenly assumes a logic and coherence hitherto unsuspected. This explains why Homer continues to praise the art of deception: it is he who has deceived us for three thousand years! And the surprises do not end there: all the apparent inconsistencies of the Iliad and the Odyssey that have plagued students and teachers for generations, known as the "Homeric Question", now fall effortlessly in place. The ancient texts finally agree with historical and archaeological data, fully revealing the genius of their author. Investigating the naturalistic, geographical and astronomical aspects with the right scientific key, it turns out that many myths are not only beautiful fairy tales, but arise from real events whose origin is only now beginning to be glimpsed.

venerdì 12 maggio 2023

ACHILLES AND THE METEORITE

The episode of the massacre of the Suitors (Odyssey,book XXI and following) is the only one in which mention is made of iron weapons, and Ulysses reproaches the suitors for the serious fault of not

fear the gods, who possess the wide sky (XXII, 39)

repeating the phrase used the night before by Telemachus. As Homer himself makes us understand through the mouth of Eumaeus (Od. XV, 328), for the ancients the sky was the seat of the gods and was made of iron, an idea perhaps born from the observation of the fall of some large iron meteorite; and it is interesting to note that the Greek name for iron, sideros, is practically the same as the Latin name for the stars, sidera. It seems absurd, but until two centuries ago many scientists did not believe that meteorites fell from the sky, and scornfully attributed the countless testimonies to hallucinations and deceptions of various kinds. Oddly, during a battle in the Iliad it is said in reverse that

In this way they fought, and iron turmoil

reached the sky of bronze (Il. XVII 424-425)

this may perhaps indicate that we are in a transitional period between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Homer often uses the expression "heart of iron" to indicate a particularly strong and hard soul, which shows that he knew this metal well. In the funeral games in honor of Patroclus, a large disc (or boulder, or globe, depending on how the word σόλον, solon, is translated) of raw iron is used for a throwing contest and then awarded as a prize to the winner, saying that it would have been enough for five years for a shepherd and a plowman (Il., XXIII, 826-850). So iron was still a precious metal, but its value was beginning to decrease and it was no longer an absolutely elitist product, even if it is possible that that strange "disk" was just a ferrous meteorite. I therefore came to the point of checking also several foreign translations: in the English one by Robert Fitzgerald of 1974 (Oxford University Press) the term σόλον is translated directly with "meteorite", without problems, but this indication, as far as I know, it has always been beautifully ignored by all the other translators. And to say that this meaning is also reported in the Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque, by Pierre Chantraine (Paris, Klincksieck, 1968); immediately after solon, the dictionary examines the name of the Greek legislator Solon, Σόλων, saying that its etymology is not known, but we could assume that it had a meaning relating to an "iron man, who came from the sky" or something similar.

The e-book THE CUNNING HOMER in English (translated by the author) is now ready. I thank now who can provide me with useful corrections for my not perfect English. If you are a publisher and you want to publish the book you can contact me! If you are a professional translator and you think you can propose it to a publisher, contact me!

To buy the ebook it is sufficient that you send an email to alberto.majrani@tiscali.it with your commitment. University professors, museum directors and journalists will receive the ebook for free on a simple request.

The price of the ebook it is € 6.28 (like two pi Greeks!). You can pay with paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Majrani

If you want to read the book L'ASTUTO OMERO in Italian you can click here https://astutoomero.blogspot.com/

And if you have any doubts, ask alberto.majrani@tiscali.it !!!

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Why "THE CUNNING HOMER"?

Who really killed the suitors? Was it Ulysses who make the slaughter, or did someone else help Telemachus? Who could truly be the mysterious stranger, who came to Ithaca after twenty years and nobody was able to recognize? A careful reading of the Odyssey reveals the myriad of indications left by Homer for the surprising solution. Ulysses was not ...Ulysses, but the best of the achean archers: Philoctetes! With this key, the Homeric poem has suddenly taken an unsuspectables logic and a consistency . And the surprises do not end here!
You can find many abstract of the italian book here http://astutoomero.blogspot.it/2016/05/parte-prima-chi-come-e-perche.html If you are a publisher, or a journalist, or simply interested, please contact me! alberto.majrani@tiscali.it

These articles are excerpt from the new book by Alberto Majrani entitled L'ASTUTO OMERO The CUNNING HOMER – Ulysses, Nobody, Philoctetes and the ingenious deception of the Odyssey

The first version of the book (in Italian) can be bought on Amazon.

The new book by Alberto Majrani is titled L'ASTUTO OMERO - "The CUNNING HOMER - Ulysses, Nobody, Philoctetes and the ingenious deception of the Odyssey" and solves ALL (or almost) the problems of the Homeric question and many more on the origin of mythologies. For now (march 2021) is available only in Italian as paper book (28 euro + shipping) and in ePub format, kindle azw3, or pdf. To request the complete ebook with 280 images and 428 pages of text, at the price of Euro 6,28, just send an email to alberto.majrani@tiscali.it . Publishers, journalists, University professors will have a FREE copy of ebook. Thank you.

More information on https://astutoomero.blogspot.com/ (in italian, but you can click on google translator and select INGLESE as language)

Il nuovo libro di Alberto Majrani si intitola "L'ASTUTO OMERO - Ulisse, Nessuno, Filottete e il geniale inganno dell'Odissea" e risolve TUTTI (o quasi) i problemi della questione omerica e molti altri sull'origine delle mitologie. Per ora (marzo 2021) è disponibile solo in italiano a 32 euro più le spese di spedizione e in formato epub, kindle azw3, o pdf. Per spedizioni in Italia il costo totale è solo di 28 euro. Per richiedere l'ebook completo, con 280 immagini e 428 pagine di testo, al prezzo di euro 6,28, basta inviare una mail ad alberto.majrani@tiscali.it . Editori, giornalisti, professori universitari riceveranno una copia gratuita. Grazie.

Altre informazioni su https://astutoomero.blogspot.com/

COMMENTS AND REVIEWS

a concise collection of opinions on this book, made by those who have been able to read the first edition or the new preview draft: Giulio Giorello (preface): “A well-found solution”. Cinzia Bearzot, Greek scholar, Catholic University of Milan: “Convincing, funny, very well written”. Fabio Negrino, archaeologist, University of Genoa: “Suggestive and well-argued hypotheses”. Franco Malerba, the first Italian astronaut: “I read with genuine curiosity the investigation Ulysses-Philoctetes which I found convincing.”. Lowell Edmunds, Professor of Classics at Rutgers University (USA): “Dear Alberto, your book seems to me extremely clever”. Benedetta Colella, teacher: “How much I laughed when Alberto Majrani revealed to me that he, a naturalist, had solved the thousand-year-old question! After reading his book, with all the intentions to crush him, my prejudices ran aground on the rocks of uncertainty. What if he's right?”. Anna Lucia D'Agata, archaeologist: "Interesting hermeneutic and narratological analysis" Cristiana Barandoni, archaeologist: “I read it in one breath and, what can I say, I am dazed! First of all for how you write, then the content was added to the form. And a reflection: literature and criticism, very abundant, often leave little room for new interpretations. But if we want to be "philosophers" we must admit not only that we do not know everything, but also that further interpretations may exist. Thesis and antithesis, this is the process towards knowledge. Reading your Homer, a series of reflections have been triggered that have never been considered before today”. Giovanna Albi, Greek scholar and literary critic: “It's brilliant”. Barbara Bubbi, science popularizer: “You have a fantastic sense of humor, which can also be perceived very well from your books. Yours is a treatise of extreme interest, and only good writers can explain complex topics in a simple and fun way ”. Giovanni Anzidei, Head of the Accademia dei Lincei press office: “A great book, and it must be said loudly!”. Guido Cossard, archaeoastronomer: “Extremely interesting theory, and very well argued”. Enrico Banfi, former Director of the Museum of Natural History in Milan: “I won't go into the merits of other issues, but the naturalistic part is perfect”. Giulia Benati, Director of the Milan Cathedral Museum: “In one word: beautiful”. Giulio Calegari, palethnologist-artist. “What would myth be if it were not possible to dig into it to find, as in the archaeological layers, always new truths? Dreams that only the past can suggest, to allow us to look further and further away, on that horizon where scientific truth and poetic truth coexist. Perhaps it is this elsewhere that Alberto Majrani tries to grasp. This is the power of the myth: opening up to infinite stories that one must know how to grasp with amazement and sensitivity. The ancient bards would thank you! ”. Paolo Colona, astronomer: “Some of Alberto's studies are examples of beautiful archaeoastronomic research. And then Majrani has a talent: he is the only one I know who is able to subvert accepted and shared knowledge, starting from details for all to see, without making mistakes, potentially getting it right; he proposes annoyingly irrefutable theories! ”. Emanuele Properzi, Scrittorevincente.com: “Majrani is proposing to the publishing world an extraordinary project for originality, ambition and solidity of contents”. Teodoro Georgiadis, CNR researcher: "I liked your book very much, your reading is really intelligent, very well constructed, it forces you to go much deeper, to look for correlations, and it does an important thing for the Greeks: it keeps the fundamental interest that must be had for this story of the human race ". Ettore Brocca, Mangialibri.com: "Thanks to a remarkable argumentative ability, the author wears the devil's advocates toga to support the thesis that it was not Ulysses who killed the suitors, but Philoctetes! And we are certainly not faced with a literary divertissement studded with vacuous opinions ”. Felice Vinci, author of The Baltic Origins of Homer's Epic Tales "Many books have been written that took their cue from mine, but 'the best' is yours!" Daniela Toschi, psychiatrist: “I had always been troubled, since school, by certain discordant notes; as well as certain forced psychoanalytic interpretations of the myth. This theory made me rediscover an even more fascinating Odyssey”. Librieletture.com: "A serious study that reveals surprising possibilities, like a thriller, really intriguing and very pleasant to read ". Giuseppe Zanetto, Greek scholar, State University of Milan: “Dear Dr. Majrani, thanks for the email and thanks for the pdf of the book, which I will read with pleasure (as I read the first version, which you sent me in paper form). The Odyssey is a wonderful book, which contains a thousand stories, a thousand scenarios, a thousand truth. In almost three thousand years it has offered material and inspiration to many people: poets, philosophers, mythographers, ceramographers, artists and intellectuals of all kinds. I too put myself in the group: I am guilty of a rewriting of the poem intended for young readers. But the most beautiful thing is that over the centuries the Odyssey has given each of us, its followers, joy, fun and a bit of legitimate pride: because we all found "our" truth within it, which all the others had missed. From Homerist to Homerist, I send you my warmest greetings”. Eleonora Cavallini, Greek scholar, University of Bologna: "You write very well, you have a strong sense of logic and you have certainly read the Homeric poems very carefully, and I like this". Raoul Manenti, zoologist, State University of Milan: “A shining example of how it is really important and stimulating to highlight with class and rigor the critical aspects of the most current and complicated scientific issues. This especially considering that sometimes we forget the aspects more related to the past. Really a very pleasant read thanks to the excellent literary style”. Emilio Spedicato, mathematician, University of Bergamo: "Brilliant, persuasive, and of exemplary clarity. A book that shows how genius still exists in Italy." Gianfranco Iacobone, Vice-President of the Accademia Marchigiana: "Among all, the Nordic-Baltic setting is the only one that, in my opinion, cannot be dismissed with irony: the history of myths is complex and intertwined, and nothing can exclude that ancient stories can be ‘flowed’ in the Mediterranean area, reworked and made their own " Giuseppe Girgenti, Professor of the History of Ancient Philosophy, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan: “Convincing thesis”.