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Hellenic Studies Folio #6 from the Center for Hellenic Studies

January 11, 2021
Painting of Achilles sitting on the ground, the arched line of his body following the spirit of Patroclus which hovers above him, and which he reaches towards, crescent moon in the cloudy sky behind.
Painting of Achilles sitting on the ground, the arched line of his body following the spirit of Patroclus which hovers above him, and which he reaches towards, crescent moon in the cloudy sky behind.
"Achilles Searching for the Shade of Patrocles" (1803) by Henry Fuseli (1741–1825); oil on canvas; Kunsthaus, Zurich; Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Epiphanies and making contact

  • What can moments of eye contact between figures, as represented in ancient Greek visual and even verbal art, tell us about humans "making contact" with otherworldly figures such as the dead or the divine?
  • Can the experience of epiphany, mediated through eye contact, in a song of Sappho be understood in comparison to a modern example?
  • How is a divine apparition, associated with a sacred object, represented in Mycenean seals?

A discussion of eye contact and superhuman presences in the Homeric epics

Video of approximately 27 minutes.

A comparison and interpretation of Song 31 of Sappho and an episode of the television show Twin Peaks

Essay of approximately 4,000 words.

Depiction of a character from the television series Twin Peaks.
David Lynch’s Visualizations and Greek poetry, Part One: “James’s song” and Song 31 of Sappho

"Extra credit" reading:

Read a comparison of the iconography of Athena with three Mycenaean seals; essay of approximately 3,000 words.