Sinbad the Sailor

Before Homer created his masterpiece, The Odyssey, the journeys of Odysseus probably resembled these tales from The Arabian Nights. Sinbad the Sailor, in fact, can be viewed as an Arabian Odysseus. In this tale a poor porter finds himself the guest of a mysterious and generous host who embarks on the tale of his seven voyages from which he accrued enormous wealth and respect. The host is none other than the famed Sinbad.

Sinbad, seeking a life of adventure and excitement, joins the crew of a merchant ship. On each voyage, he is either abandoned accidentally by his comrades or left as the sole survivor of some disaster. Subsequently he encounters fantastical lands and creatures that test his limits. Through ingenuity, luck, and perhaps divine intervention he survives and escapes, always with a hefty load of treasure.

Many of the tales parallel those in the Odyssey. The episode of the Cyclops is almost line for line an exact copy. At one point Sinbad’s crew finds the egg of a Roc and proceed to eat it despite Sinbad’s protests. Of course, the adult birds return to shatter the ship and kill the crew, leaving only Sinbad to cling to the wreckage. This is an obvious reference to the Cattle of the Sun. Of course, there are plenty of unique encounters. The tales, obviously, have an oriental feel to them that effectively triggers the imagination. I particularly enjoyed Sinbad’s escape from the Valley of Diamonds and his escape from live internment.

 I wanted to read the Arabic interpretation of these adventures, and I was not disappointed. Though it would be nice, if someone could compile them into one cohesive story rather than just separate episodes. Perhaps it has already been done.

The Odyssey: Books 9 – 12

If there is one theme I gather from Odysseus’ experiences it is this: Those who deceive and betray expect to be deceived and betrayed in turn. This becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Books 9-12 are the most famous sections of the epic. In these books we encounter Cyclops, Circe, Sirens, and ghosts and gods and monsters galore. For Odysseus tells the Phaeacians of his adventures since leaving the shores of Troy. The constant theme throughout these tales is of trust and betrayal.

Or course returning to the earlier point, we should not necessarily trust Odysseus. He is after all a master of tricks, disguises and lies. This whole tale he tells the Phaeacians may in fact be a product of his own mind.

For a King and a leader, Odysseus seems to experience a profound lack of trust from his crewmates. More than once, they challenge and outright disobey his orders. The question is why? Does the fault lie with the men or perhaps with Odysseus himself? The first hint of trouble appears when the crew refuses the order to leave the land of the Cicones, too eager for the treasures they are stealing. Before long, the Cicones have mustered their own troops and drive Odysseus’ men away. In a separate episode, Odysseus receives a bag full of winds from Aeolus. Odysseus’ men within sight of Ithaca believing the bag to be full of treasure rip the bag open, sending the ship adrift. And of course, one cannot forget the episode with the Cattle of the Sun and how the crew ensures their own deaths.

Clever as Odysseus is, he can act remarkably stupid at times. In fact, one could argue that he brought his misfortunes all upon himself. For having blinded and escaped the Cyclops Odysseus in a fit of egotism reveals his true name. Naturally the Cyclops, Polyphemus, brings down a curse upon Odysseus, which Poseidon fulfills. Earlier Zeus had wondered that humans blamed the gods for their misfortunes when often they brought such things upon themselves through their own actions. This is Exhibit A for that argument.

Furthermore, Odysseus does not act to improve his standing among the men. Expecting disobedience, he hides information from the crew. For example, he tells the crew about the whirlpool, Charybdis, but not about the monster, Scylla, that also lies in wait. Is it any wonder that Eurylochus, a member of the crew, can so easily sway the minds of the men?

Yet, it is in the visit to the underworld where this theme truly takes hold. Here, Odysseus meets the spirits of long dead heroes. Among them is Agamemnon who tells Odysseus of his death at the hands of Aegisthus and his wife, Clytemnestra. He tells Odysseus that a man should not trust even his own wife, for as Odysseus replies the twisted wiles of women are Zeus’ trustiest weapon.

In the underworld, we also encounter upon another theme: the importance of life. In the culture of Odysseus, glory and honor in death are prizes to be sought for. However, the denizens of Hades refute this belief. Even Achilles himself, proclaims that he would rather be a lowly slave than a glorified dead hero. The only thing that offers the shades comfort is news of their living progeny. Perhaps that is why Odysseus lists the mothers and women he meets in the underworld first. They bring life and the new generations into the world.

That is one of the questions during Odysseus’ journey. What does it mean to be alive and human? The epic seems to argue that suffering and family are the keys to life. When the men consume of the Lotus they forget all about their homes and families, lost in the pleasure. They are effectively dead. The same occurs on Circe’s island. The men lose themselves in the feast and lose their humanity. In fact, the entire island of Ithaca considers these dead before they actually are.