Hesiod: Bad Women, Good Sex, and Weird Advice in the Ancient World

In which I discuss the tyranny of hope, the power of women’s curiosity, the goodness of sex, a new kind of narration, and some similarities between the Bible and Hesiod’s Work and Days and Theogony-all because of Steve Donoghue--while using a click-bait title. (Ever seen a click-bait title about Hesiod before?)
Steve Donoghue’s video • Your Daily Penguin: He...
Lombardo’s translation of Hesiod amzn.to/2RA6gQ3
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[@saintdonoghue]

How amazing! If my Daily Penguins can even occasionally prompt brilliant videos like this, I'll keep making them forever!

[@HannahsBooks]

Totally looking forward to your coming videos! I'm loving the thematic/chronological approach with these early ones. I know that is not how your shelves are arranged, but I love how you're giving us some serious literary history right now. No thoughts of rearranging your shelves to suit our education, I suppose?

[@theaelizabet]

Thanks, Hannah. You and Steve have me pulling down all of my Greek and Roman classics for future reads/rereads, though I must admit that Hesiod would not be high on the list. A Lombardo translation, eh? Actually, that might be interesting enough to make it worthwhile.

[@HannahsBooks]

Thanks! If you're reading for pleasure and don't like misogyny, ABSOLUTELY skip Lombardo's Hesiod. If you are reading for knowledge about literary history, don't miss reading (or rereading as it sounds like it might be) Hesiod!!

[@HannahsBooks]

And make sure you let me know what your ideas are!

[@theaelizabet]

Thanks, Hannah. I’ve only read snippets of Hesiod in college and I can assure you that no one was worried about focusing on or calling out misogyny way-back-then. I have a small academic press translation that I picked up at a library sale. I am curious about the Lombardo though. I liked what he did with the Iliad, but of course that means buying yet another book... If I do I’ll report back.

[@reginaldtaylor6026]

Bravo! Greek Mythology is very relevant and more prevalent today. Response to "what does it mean that hope remained in the jar?" Actually, hope is a bad transliteration of the Greek word "elpis". Elpis is spelled and mistranslated as "holp" which morphs (another Greek term for ability to change appearance like Morpheus), holp appears as hope. The correct translation of Ellis is "help". Help was in the jar as the coping mechanism for the deep seeded depression associated with a primordial existence. Pandora closed the lid on help, which maintained the suffering. HELP is what the world needed to combat the onslaught of sickness in body and disease of mind. Thanks again!

[@HannahsBooks]

Reginald Taylor Thank you! How interesting. But still: why was help in a container of evils?

[@reginaldtaylor6026]

Help was in the jar because the jar, and all its contents were provided by the "Master of The Universe" i.e. Zeus who was omniscient. Since Zeus was "all knowing" he knew that suffering was inevitable, so too was coping with suffering. Suffering is the key. All today like then people are suffering, its inevitable. What our world needs like theirs is more help than hope. Hope goes with "dope" hence the suffering. Help personifies genuine therapy and healing. If we all help rather than hope, the world and its inhabitants can be healed.
Love, Peace, and Respect.

[@reginaldtaylor6026]

P.S. hope that HELPS...

[@HannahsBooks]

Reginald Taylor Thank you!

[@jennisrandom42]

So far I’ve only encountered Hesiod as a reference point for other books about mythology, never directly through his work. It’s one of my goals to correct that this year.

[@josmith5992]

Hannah, I feel like I’ve gained a few new brain cells just from listening to you, fascinating stuff.

[@HannahsBooks]

Oh, goodness, Jo! Thanks so very much for the compliment. I don’t know what to say, except that it is almost embarrassing to be complimented when I am now hanging around with all you brilliant folks. Thanks so much for being here.

[@theoldbasser4645]

Kind of a racy topic (just kidding). Was surprised my schools web filter didnt catch it. I think you saved me from jumping into Hesiod. My son has a copy though so maybe someday.

[@HannahsBooks]

Ha! Yes, I thought using a total clickbait line after the colon was...perfectly reasonable... (BASSer is Bookish, yes?)

[@theoldbasser4645]

@@HannahsBooks Yes! Ha! I forgot to switch back to my Bookish account.