 The Story Behind the Image
A reflection on a book cover. I have to say, I struggled with the cover design of book two of my series, Daughter of Odysseus: Searching for Ithaka. I know book covers are important; they are the introduction to the book, the image and design that encapsulates the words within the pages. They can entice, inspire and fascinate. They can be truly illustrious or downright tacky. I hope I don’t fall into the second category. I ahhed and ummed about the final product and still do, to be honest. But I believe the book cover for Daughter of Odysseus: Searching for Ithaka, captures the story, its themes and motifs in vivid ways. It is a cover rich in symbolism, from the owl sitting on top of the Greek column, to the mask floating within the waters of the sea; floating within the trail that represents the ship travelling and searching for home, for Ithaka. Bird symbolism plays an important role in book two. Each part has a bird symbol: the cardinal, the owl, the peacock and the eagle. I chose the owl for the book cover because of its supernatural connotations, its association with the goddess Athena and its links to the concepts of Wisdom. Athena was she who guided Odysseus throughout his journeys. She encouraged him, protected him, ensured he grew in wisdom and certainly stature. She transformed him physically many times, from a lowly beggar to a man akin more to a god. The idea of Wisdom is also important. It is a theological and philosophical concept, appearing in the Old Testament through the Book of Proverbs, for example. Wisdom is symbolised as a woman calling passers-by to hear her voice, to discern truth and to walk in the paths of righteousness and justice. She is the opposite of Woman Folly and indeed is so important that the Bible says that she was with God at the beginning of Creation. Thus, Wisdom is associated with creation and her principles and laws can be found even in the lowliest of ants. Although bird symbolism plays a key role, it does so in a subtle way, enhancing the theme and motifs of each part and giving us further insight into the life of Christine, the people around her and her journeys. The bird can appear at any given moment; in a painting, on a necklace, within the embrace of a lush forest: From this scenery of pure loveliness, Christine caught a glimpse of a bird arrayed in the robes of heaven. She rubbed her eyes and looked again; sure enough, she could discern none other than a peacock standing erect; his dazzling cloak of feathers lying flat and encircling his body, his head with its shimmering blue upright and looking towards the bus, his coat of a hundred eyes that her ancestors would have seen as symbolising the ‘all-seeing God’—eyes that encapsulated the glories of the heavens above. Such nobility, such grace, such confidence! This image of the peacock infused within her vivacity of spirit, mind and body. It inspired her to believe in her own self, to embrace the dignity and self-assurance that, surely, was buried deep within her and now ready to find fruition. The column, of course, represents Greece. What could it represent otherwise? A land of crumbling ancient columns from temples dedicated to the gods and goddesses worshipped by my ancestors. Majestic structures of symmetrical perfection and aesthetic wonder. This is a book in Greece, about Greece, and ultimately the role Greece plays and has played in the history of humanity, as well as in the life of Christine. A mysterious land, multi-faceted, ancient yet intensely secular and materialistic. A world of pure spirituality and terrible moral corruption. A land of holy monks and not so holy people. A land rich in natural beauty, yet oftentimes full of people blind to this beauty. The musical notes emanating from the trail of the ship, from within the deep recesses of the waters, symbolise the Sirens. The Sirens were water nymphs who, although bewitching to sailors, had the power to lure and destroy. It was their singing that held the power and that so entranced the traveller of the sea to forget their homes, their wives and children, only to be led to their death. ‘Woe to the innocent who hears that sound!’ Odysseus is warned. Indeed, so powerful was their beauty and bewitching charm that Odysseus had to be tied to the mast in order to still be able to hear the Sirens singing. Of course, he begged to be untied upon hearing their voices, as he succumbed to feminine temptation and all its trappings. There are metaphorical sirens in Searching for Ithaka trying to lull Christine away from her journey and from that which she is searching for. These sirens manifest themselves in many ways: through the people she meets, the moral corruption permeating Greece (and enticing her), the promises of pleasure and hedonism and materialistic superficiality. The temptation to not be who she truly is, to find a false Ithaka detrimental to her well-being and her soul. A temptation that leads to her spiritual death. Parallel to these musical notes, on the back cover, is a golden mask floating menacingly in the waters. It is gold and shimmering and brilliant. The symbolism of the mask is well-known: concealment, falsehood, illusion, disguise, deceit. There are masks all around Christine: on the people she meets, within herself, and ultimately, the mask she has created about the land of her ancestors, Greece. Masks that she must tear away and find the truth; masks that reveal a rotting body and a distortion of reality: ‘Look beyond the veil Christine,’ she could almost hear it say. ‘With Wisdom by your side, learn to see what others do not; tear off the masks of those around you—of the world around you. But most importantly, tear off the mask you are now wearing and look deep into your own self.’ A Book Cover should never be just a pretty picture or an afterthought. It must capture the story within and in a sense, be its own story. I hope I have achieved this.
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History
This will be a short post and is more akin to a stream of consciousness. Over the years I have come to realise that a lot of what we have been told about history is a lie, a fraud, a sinister deception. I have come to realise that the past has been carefully reconstructed and a narrative has been pushed onto the masses that not only seeks to suppress the truth; it seeks to destroy the world as we know it today. Extreme, I hear you say? Yes, yes it is extreme, but after twenty plus years of studying history, I have no choice but to accept this point of view. How many people know, for example, that millions of European Christians were massacred, obliterated from the face of the earth under Bolshevism? That an entire class disappeared: the class as depicted by Tolstoy, by Dostoevsky. That Christians were horrifically tortured and starved to death. That they were forced to eat excrement and drink urine as a mockery of Holy Communion. That they were enslaved in gulags, the thousands of gulags that existed. That a royal line had disappeared in Russia and those who committed this crime are still, to this day, unpunished for this massacre. That by the time Hitler came to power in Germany, millions had already perished in the east of Europe, including many Germans. Yet it is the Germans who are demonised, viewed as genocidal monsters hellbent on world domination. But is this true? Can this be confirmed by primary sources? We are told that World War One and World War Two was a fight for freedom and democracy. Lie. That the war on Iraq was a fight for freedom and democracy? Lies. That the French Revolution was about liberty and equality and fraternity. But was it? That the dark ages were dark and bleak and backward and full of superstition. Yet the Byzantine Empire in the east reigned and majestically so. History is boring. That old cliche repeated by students throughout the world. But it is not. For he who controls the past controls the future and he who controls the present controls the past - to quote the prophet himself Orwell. History is not boring. It is the font of wisdom and of life itself. It is freedom from intellectual bondage. There is now no excuse for ignorance. We have access to information we have never had before thanks to the internet. We have access to primary sources which enable us to construct a more accurate understanding of the past. Study history. Study those sources that would offend and scandalise you. Henry Ford once said History is Bunk. He was right, in so many ways. But we now have a chance, with freedom of information now available to us, to prove him wrong and recreate a more just, more objective and truer understanding of history and of ourselves.  Man’s Best Friend: A reflection on Argos the Dog
Homer’s Odyssey is a masterpiece of literature, rich with vivid characters and mythological wonder; there is adventure, suffering, joy, hospitality, love, loss and the imminence of death around every corner. From Circe the Witch who transforms men into swine, to Cyclops who gobble up men only to fall asleep content, to a wife weeping for the loss of her husband, it has something for everyone. Yet the story that touches me the most is one of a dog named Argos. He only appears briefly in this epic. He is most pitiable, wretched and near death. He is a victim of clear neglect and abuse, and one weeps when the hero, Odysseus, sees the dog for the first time after some twenty years. You see, this is Odysseus’ dog, now dumped outside the palace and sitting upon dung. He was the dog of a King, a hero, a hunter’s dog with skill and grace and strength. As we learn: While (Odysseus) spoke An old hound, lying near, pricked up his ears And lifted his muzzle. This was Argos, Trained as a puppy by Odysseus, But never taken on a hunt before His master sailed for Troy. The young men, afterward, Hunted wild goats with him, and hare, and deer, But he had grown old in his master’s absence. Treated as rubbish now, he lay at last, Upon a mass of dung before the gates – Abandoned there, and half destroyed with flies, Old Argos lay. The image is descriptive, haunting and brutal. Homer dedicates a number of lines to tell the reader of the suffering of this once majestic creature. He is abandoned, with his master gone for so long, treated as rubbish by the parasites now flocking to the palace to steal Odysseus’ wealth. Argos is in anguish, clearly, with no one to care for him. Once used for hunting expeditions, he is cast away in his old age. His master is no longer there to protect him. Yet, note that when he hears Odysseus’ voice, he pricks up his ears, he lifts his muzzle. With effort, no doubt, with all the strength he has left in his poor, broken body. But he hears the voice of his master as he clings on to life. But why is he clinging on to life? The next passage further elaborates on Argos’ transformation upon hearing Odysseus’ voice: But when he knew he heard Odysseus’ voice nearby, he did his best To wag his tail, nose down, with flattened ears, Having no strength to move nearer his master. And the man looked away, Wiping a salt tear from his cheek; but he Hid this from Eumaios. Homer wants the listener to know that Argos did his best to wag his tail, to acknowledge that he recognised his master, to show a semblance of happiness and joy despite his current anguish. Homer doesn’t miss any of the details we associate with canine behaviour: Argos’ tail wagged, his nose was down, his ears were flattened. Yet, with so little strength, he could not move nearer to his master. He wanted to, we are led to believe. He wanted to run up and embrace Odysseus with the love and devotion only a dog knows. Odysseus is moved by what he sees; by the sufferings of his Argos. And he weeps. But, as he is disguised as a beggar, he questions his friend Eumaios about why the dog is in such a neglected state. Eumaios answers: “I marvel that they leave this hound to lie Here on the dung pile; He would have been a fine dog, from the look of him, Though I can’t say as to his power and speed When he was young...” And you replied, Eumaios: “A hunter owned him-but the man is dead In some far place. If this old hound could show The form he had when Lord Odysseus left him, He never shrank from any savage thing He’d brought to bay in the deep woods; on the scent No other dog kept up with him. Now misery Has him in leash. His owner died abroad, And here the women slaves will take no care of him.” With Odysseus’ absence came a string of suitors from nearby kingdoms to claim Ithaka as theirs, and to likewise claim Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. They feast continuously, gorge themselves on the fat of the land (of another), appear to be indifferent to the suffering of Penelope and the son of Odysseus – Telemachus. They are straight out and out thugs, parasites and ungrateful. It is they who have relegated Argos to the dung heap. It is they who have discarded him once he was of no use. It is because of these men that Argos is now bound by the leash of misery. Day after day, week after week. Dying a slow death when once he was the beloved of a King. But it continues: Eumaios crossed the court and went straight forward Into the megaron among the suitors; But death and darkness in that instant closed The eyes of Argos, who had seen his master, Odysseus, after twenty years. (Book XVII – Lines 375-422) Ah, what pathos, what beauty! I asked – why is Argos clinging on to life? And this probes me further, to reflect on that mystical connection between humans and dogs. To ask, do dogs know? Do they know of the mysteries of life, of the supernatural? Do they know when their master has died? Do they know when they themselves will die? Do they know that their master will return, so they must cling on until they – these faithful servants – lay their eyes upon them for one last time? You have been faithful with a few things, Christ uttered in one of his parables. Argos had been faithful in many things. He had clung to life, riddled with flies, starving. Tied up, not able to move, treated scornfully and with indifference where once he was treated with love and devotion. But he did not give up. This faithful servant knew Odysseus would come back. For upon seeing Odysseus, Argos’s eyes closed – those eyes that had just seen his master. Death and darkness enveloped him, he who had been surrounded by death and darkness in the world of the living. He clung onto hope, the hope that he would see his master. Job once asked: Where then is my hope— who can see any hope for me? He too had been relegated to life on a dung heap; scorned and ridiculed by men. He who once lived a kingly life. And when God revealed to Job the wonders of his creation, Job realised he was insignificant in the scheme of things. But he never gave up hope that God was with him. So too Argos; he never gave up hope. He clung with all his strength. He closed his eyes and although death and darkness enveloped him, he had seen his master as if risen from the dead. Homer wants us to care for Argos and his plight. He wants us to see a connection between Argos and Odysseus, a spiritual connection, a connection that reflects that mystical bond between humans and dogs that is eternal. Which will always be eternal. Dedicated to Angel, a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback cross who never got a chance at a second life.  Christ’s Holiness, Christ’s Humanity (continued) In this post-Christian world (so they say), I would like to share with you the paintings of a Russian Artist named Alexander Lepetuhin, who, upon being told by doctors he had only perhaps four years left to live, devoted his energies into his Faith. “Fine, I decided. Then all that time I will spend drawing Christ and his apostles.” Thus was born the Cycle of some 1000 Paintings of the Life of Christ and the Apostles. For further information, see: https://russian-faith.com/culture/renown-russian-artist-finds-out-he-dying-paints-1000-paitings-about-christ-n1555 5. The Road to Emmaus: Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was [e]seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you [f]walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” (Luke 24:13-19)  Christ’s Holiness, Christ’s Humanity
(continued...) In this post-Christian world (so they say), I would like to share with you the paintings of a Russian Artist named Alexander Lepetuhin, who, upon being told by doctors he had only perhaps four years left to live, devoted his energies into his Faith. “Fine, I decided. Then all that time I will spend drawing Christ and his apostles.” Thus was born the Cycle of some 1000 Paintings of the Life of Christ and the Apostles. The paintings are hauntingly beautiful in their simplicity. Jesus’ humanity is depicted with realistic pathos. Whether with the maimed, the crippled, with women or children, he is the Word becoming flesh dwelling in the world of flesh, in the fallen world of sin and brokenness. Yet he comes to heal, to restore a fallen world. He calls us to follow him on the path towards the Kingdom of Heaven. He calls us to challenge the powers that be and to smash the darkness with holiness. For further information, see: https://russian-faith.com/culture/renown-russian-artist-finds-out-he-dying-paints-1000-paitings-about-christ-n1555 4. Jesus Dies: Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last… Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marvelled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. (Mark 15: 33-34, 37, 42-47) |
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December 2019
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