Tag Archives: homer

The psyche (ψυχή) for Homer was primarily a shadowy-substance, devoid of consciousness or any form of mental proclivity. It meant the difference between the living and the dead. The dead lost all memories of their former life—this was the result of crossing the stream of Lethe, or the river of forgetfulness. Homer referred to these personas as forms of ghostly apparitions still retaining their former human characteristics; yet there is never any passage in Homer’s Epic Poems where ψυχή is utilized as anyone living or what we would refer to as a soul. The only thing that survived one’s demise was his name and recollections by others of one’s former status in life. Modern-day examinations on Homer’s realizations was first published in 1894 by Friedrich Nietzsche’s personal friend and confidant, Erwin Rohde, in his classic book Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in immortality. It’s an immense volume. I’ve been enthralled after purchasing it and reading these early formulations of the Greek Soul. Here’s a little passage to whet your appetite: read more