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mythology-void · 2 months

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okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

#Odysseus is a certified baddie 112% of the time #he's literally the coolest you can't convince me otherwise #there's a reason that literally everyone has a crush on him #even the lesbians #its the wordplay. his words #read me a poem in iambic pentameter you bloody stinky man #literally everyone: his sad wet vibes and dark undereye circles have captivated me entirely #odysseus #the odyssey #tagamemnon #odysseus x penelope #telemachus #epic the musical #the cyclops saga #odysseus of ithaca #poseidon #etymology #ancient greece #ancient history

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0nelinerwordplay · 8 days

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What you do in life matters more than what you say. If you don't believe that, try farting in a crowded elevator.

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emmaverick · 2 months

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"today's youth could never handle a world war"

my sister in christ,

NO ONE FROM ANY TIME COULD

this generation is no more or less human than those of the past, you just never truly knew the lives those past generations lived

only the idealized versions, where everyone comes out a living hero

there are NO "pure" heroes from war, best case scenario is a deeply traumatized person who had their developmental years stolen by a fist of imperial steel, with and/or against the swing depending on which side of which fight

the human was not built to stand against nor wield that imperial steel, and those who do will find it's not steel, but lead

lead, whose poison slowly kills them, killer and/or survivor

lead, whose weight bears down on them for the remainders of their lives, killer and/or survivor

lead, who blasts through their fragile bones, killer and/or killed

THE HUMAN IS NOT BUILT FOR WAR

#a verick original post #philosophyposting #antiwar #yet another post where i got increasingly poetic as it went on by complete accident #humanity #war #i can't tell if im cooking here or not #i tried to make it as consistent as possible #if i put more time and thought into this it could be a really good poem #could definitely do some wordplay with steel + steal and lead + led

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wildecstasies · 1 year

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You know, she craves for you

she craves for the way

your fingers would touch her

and her whole body would melt,

the way your lips would

send shivers down her spine,

she craves for the way you would

grab her by the throat

and make her legs shiver in pleasure

with each of your strokes.

~ wildecstasies

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becomeawendybird · 8 months

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Secrets I Have Held by QuickedWeen (M, 4.1k)

Three years ago, Louis ran with the Peaky Blinders. He thought he left that life behind, but his past might finally be catching up with him.

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, Inspired By Peaky Blinders, mild violence, Rich Harry Styles, Tailoring, Poetry, Cliffhangers

This fic was written for @wordplayfics 2023 and inspired by the incredible fic For You, I Will (I Don't Believe in Magic, but) by @lil0

#wordplay #poem #week 1 #quickedween #secrets i have held #becomeawendybird #my fic #fic posts #my fic post #peaky blinders louis

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the-concrete-sage · 1 month

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Not Today…

I don’t feel like writing

I haven’t a thing to say

I am feeling good though

In a strangest of ways

I guess this is me writing

I have no idea where this goes

Another one of my mind dumps

Spilling word as I go with the flow

I know why I’m writing

Because its my go to muse

Writing sustains my soul

The preferred vice I use to cut loose

Now I feel like writing

Even though it’s at its end

But I find solace in the act

Of sharing with those I see as friends

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autumnsunshine10 · 1 year

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Tanked

Sick of hearing there are plenty

Of fish in the sea but it's never clear

How many will be a good catch for me

Ones who get away; the throw back release

Predators with razor sharp teeth

I've had my fill of common carp

The coarse and controlling can take a pike

Spouting carpe diem telling me how

To live my life--it's a dogfish eat dogfish world

We're all just trying to swim behind glass

Distracted by the reflection as we pass by

Hoping to pass the time with a partner

Before belly up and the great beyond

That final lap in the porcelain bowl

I have low tides and needs arise

I've tried drowning them out in denial

But they resurface and take over

When least expected the insufferable

Piranhas sink their teeth to

Take another brutal bite

Inspired by the prompt: the whole aquarium

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dolores-hazy · 1 year

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Coordination

Mutual appreciation

No depreciation in value

Nor use for self-

Deprecation

Simultaneous equations

Sixty-nine problems

One smouldering solution

Yin yang give-and-take culminating

In a satiating conclusion

Inspired by the #kamasutrachallenge prompt: sixty-nine

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maariiyaaaa · 10 months

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The movie in my mind is blue — As June runs into warm July, I think of little else, but you. ~excerpt of “From June to December”, Wendy Cope

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goingtostrawberryfields · 9 months

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Things takes time

and time is taking

things away from me

#poets on tumblr #my poetry #poem #wordplay

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user-needs-new-hyperfixation · 1 year

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Liam in my vampire fic: super careful to never outright lie to Sherlock, though he certainly does so by omission/implication/suggestion.

Albert in the companion piece I'm writing:

#a joke specifically for people who were teenagers suffering from internalized queerphobia in religious environments in 2006 #yuukoku no moriarty #moriarty the patriot #mycal #also if any of you caught liam actually telling sherly any lies rather than just using wordplay in the first poem lmk so i can edit that 😅#cons of 'no beta we die like milverton' behaviour #me looking at a character i love: i am going to do terrible things to their mental health #ngl this song is still kind of a banger for blorbo playlist purposes for a lot of different characters #this is intended to be a SHORT ONESHOT side story so it'd be great if the words would stop coming please for once i need the muse to STOP

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0nelinerwordplay · 8 days

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Life is like a box of chocolates. You're either lactose intolerant or end up with diabetes.

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imfullofworms · 11 months

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This Dress

Reader

May I borrow your mind?

I promise, I'll be gentle

This dress

Say it in your head

This dress

Faster

Thisdress

Faster

Thisdress

Faster, almost there

Distress

A coward's mind changes just as quick

Running to the model in the shop window

Over the (dis)dress at the altar

Thank you

You can have your head back now

I'm sorry, I needed to vent

By me

#poetry #poetic #poems and poetry #my poem #i wrote it #original writing #marriage #wordplay #poemblr #poetry blog #poetryblr #writers on tumblr #poets on tumblr

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xvnfixations · 10 months

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bottled scars ─ 🦋🍃

a poetry piece of xiaoven, written in venti's perspective ~ ( xiao/venti, genshin impact )

10.21.2022

" bottled scars "

an endless cycle, through countless nights

for the sake of others, you stay and fight.

at your worst, you still stand firm and tall

but even the flowers wither and fall.

feelings sealed, all bottles inside.

the pain you bear, you ignore and hide.

time and time, you fight and endure

sit with me, let your scars heal

or if you'd like, i'll sing you a song

firmly believing there is no cure.

rest, love, time will not stop

i'll wipe away your every teardrop.

open up your bottle, let it all pour away

be not afraid, there'll be another day.

tell me all about how you feel.

for i'll be by your side, all night long.

~ @xvnfixations

#xiaoven #genshin impact #xiao #venti #genshin #this poem's idea/prompt was actually from a friend #but i misheard “ bottle ” as “ battle ”#so i ended up with a wordplay 😭#i dont know if it makes sense but #i changed the title #bottled scars #BC IT SOUNDS LIKE BATTLE SCARS #but bottled scars refers to like #the pain xiao has sealed away #IS MY VISION GOING THRU DOES IT MAKE SENSE #xvnfixations #xvnloveletters

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wildecstasies · 1 year

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Confused between holding you close or making a mess out of you.

~wildecstasies

#poemsdaily #couple love #love quote tumblr #love poetry #love poem #romantic words #romance quotes #romantic quotes #romantic #romance #couple quotes #freaky couple #couplequotes #bd/sm dom #poets on tumblr #dom/sub #wordplay #words

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baldgoddese · 9 months

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Letter to the bold.

~Ese~

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