August 17, 2013
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Calypso
Really, it all goes back to Odysseus. Everything goes back to Odysseus. The nymph Calypso enchanted him with her singing and held him hostage on her island as a sex slave for seven years. Finally at the request of Athena, Zeus ordered Calypso to release him. She did so and then attempted suicide, but being immortal, she was unable to end her life.
It is a very nice story, and it has nothing to do with John Denver's cheesy lyrics.
Aye, Calypso, the places you've been to
The things that you've shown us
The stories you tell
Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit
The men who have served you
So long and so wellDenver did not mention sex slaves or the straits of Bosphorus or Athena. What is that? As a matter of fact, nothing has to do with Denver's cheesy lyrics. His musical style is not even West Indian Calypso.
The Odyssey, Homer assures us, is a series of events following the Trojan War. The fragment shows how Odysseus fits into the historical timeline.
My point? I found an amazing chart in slate.com named The Entire History of the World—Really, All of It—Distilled Into a Single Gorgeous ChartMy point is you have to see this friggen chart.
Comments (7)
The lyrics refer to Jaques Cousteau's ship of that name.
@whyzat - Thank you. I did not know that. Cousteau must have had a heck of an earworm.
@whyzat - HA! That song is haunting us!
That IS a cool chart! I love history...but I'm not good at remembering it! So, charts are helpful for me!
My youngest kid said to me once, "Are you SURE you took History in school?!" Ha! I guess some of my history facts are off!
HUGS!!!
@adamswomanback - Romans, Egyptians, Hittites, Mongols, Huns, Goths, YES. That stuff is great. It's a 4 megabyte image, and I love it.
Excellent way to look back on history. Thank you for sharing that chart.
@nov_way - I am very glad to advance the reputation of the Amorites, Hittites, and Visigoths. Are you going to ask about the great African or Native American civilizations? I will pretend I didn't hear you.
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