… Ithaca belongs to a large geographical unit from which a wandering beggar can arrive both by ship and by land on FOOT.
This is the main argument for Lefkada and it completely refutes the theories of Thiaki and the Paxoi. The theories of Poros and Assos simply survive, while the only theory that can even challenge Lefkada 'within its own home,' within its own argument, is Paliki! And the reason is the following:
Crossing to Ithaca on foot is mentioned as something difficult, both in Rhapsody α'(1) for a Taphiote leader from the far end of the island, and in Rhapsodies ξ'(14) and π'(16) twice, for a wandering beggar. And while for Lefkada approaching from the opposite side is very easy, ...
The easy crossing to Lefkada from across...
...In Paliki, the transition from the rest of Kefalonia is very difficult because of the cliffs and rocks of Skavdolitis.
...The difficult passage from across to Paliki.
e. DOES ANYONE GO ON FOOT TO ITHACA? A new, very strong argument against the theories of Lefkada being Homeric Ithaca.
Odysseus's friend, Mentis, leader of the Taphians, coming from Taphos, that is Taphios today, to the city of Ithaca and the palace to inquire and find out if his friend has returned from Troy, meets Telemachus, who asks him whether he came on foot or by ship.
ἤγαγον εἰς Ἰθάκην; τίνες ἔμμεναι εὐχετόωντο;
οὐ μὲν γάρ τί σε πεζὸν ὀΐομαι ἐνθάδ’ ἱκέσθαι. ..»
Odyssey α΄ 171-173
... How could the sailors
have brought you to Ithaca? Who were the ones praying for this?
For I do not think you could have arrived here on foot. ...
Thus, Homeric Ithaca is Paliki in Kefalonia, since the Taphians are located at a southwestern region of Paliki, and from there there is road access to the Livadi Bay, where inside it was the harbor of Homeric Ithaca (our port - ημέτερος λιμένας) and the city of Odysseus.
Therefore, for those who are from Kefalonia or know these specific locations, the search for Homeric Ithaca has come to a successful conclusion, because the toponym Taphius has been preserved by historical sources, necessities, and maps unrelated to Homeric matters and local interests. For the rest, we will simply wait for them to open a map and then come to Kefalonia to see it with their own eyes.
At some point, almost a month later, a beggar (who is Odysseus transformed by Athena) arrives at Eumaeus' pigsty in Atheras, Cephalonia, and he asks him whether he arrived on foot or by ship:
bring you to Ithaca? Who were the ones praying?
For I do not imagine that you came here on foot." ...
Odyssey ξ΄ 188-190
Telemachus arrives from Pylos two days later, sees the beggar, and asks the same question about the stranger:
ἤγαγον εἰς Ἰθάκην; Τίνες ἔμμεναι εὐχετόωντο;
Οὐ μὲν γάρ τί ἑ πεζὸν ὀίομαι ἐνθάδ’ ἱκέσθαι». ...»
Odyssey π΄ 57-59
... 'Atta (Papa), from where did this stranger come? How did the sailors
bring him to Ithaca? Who did they expect him to be?
For I don't think anyone could arrive here on foot.' ...
An important aid in our research is provided by Lefkada's main argument: Homer gives the possibility of visiting ITHACA BY LAND.
Let's first take a look at CORFU. How is SKHERIA described, that is. If it is an ISLAND surrounded by the sea, how there—on an island like this, for example—do they welcome a stranger and what do they ask him:
ἀνδρῶν τηλεδαπῶν, ἐπεὶ οὔ τινες ἐγγύθεν εἰσίν· ...»
... Nausicaa wonders, before Odysseus, what opinion people will form if they see him beside her:
that was being dragged along, since no one is here near us; ...
Odyssey ζ΄(6) 278-279
Just before, while speaking to the maidservants, she answers our question about whether Scheria - Corfu is an island:
at the edge, and no other person at all 'tangles at our feet'...
Odyssey ζ΄ 204-205
Scheria, therefore, is an island, and thus the question posed by Queen Arete to Odysseus, whom she sees for the first time and on whom she notices clothes she herself had sewn, is similar:
WHO, FROM WHOM, WHERE? Who gave you these clothes?
So you weren't claiming LOST IN THE SEA THAT YOU REACHED HERE?"...
Odyssey η'(7) 237-239
We point out at this point that for the island that Menelaus had been stranded on, the description is similar:
of Egypt ahead, which they call Pharos, ...
Odyssey δ΄(4)354,355
So, four times in the Odyssey, at α' 173, ξ' 190, π' 59, and π' 224, contrary to Scheria and Pharos which are islands, the possibility, however difficult, of reaching Ithaca on foot appears, because Ithaca, as we approach in our research, is a land protrusion, like an island, adjoining a large mainland, that is, a PENINSULA.
Let us see what Telemachus says, the fourth time, with emotion to his father Odysseus whom he has just recognized:"
in a ship to Ithaca, what did they claim it was?
For I do not think that you could have come here on foot.' ..."
Odyssey π' 222-224
The probability of traveling BY LAND to Homeric Ithaca is a DAILY REALITY and IS NOT HOMERIC HUMOR! ...
So here we have the BASIC ARGUMENT OF LEFKADA as HOMERIC ITHACA.
However, there is a subtle point that the Homeric enthusiasts of Lefkada had not noticed all these years. The reference: «Οὐ μὲν γάρ τί σε πεζὸν ὀίομαι ἐνθάδ’ ἱκέσθαι», that is, BECAUSE I DO NOT THINK YOU ARRIVED HERE ON FOOT, emphasizes the DIFFICULTY of such a journey and possibly its DANGER.
Before Kypselos of CORINTH in 734 B.C. created the CANAL that cut off Lefkada, arriving on the island was very easy, even for herds and carts, etc. Unlike many small islands near Lefkada, pirates probably made the sea approach risky!...
Therefore, the question to Odysseus would have been better phrased regarding Lefkada as follows: '... Dear Father, from which LAND did you come on foot? From ACARNANIA, EVRYTANIA, AETOLIA, from EPIRUS, THESPROTIA on foot, ... ON FOOT discussing with friends. Alone or WALKING TOGETHER (=walking along) with someone else … For I cannot IMAGINE, with so much piracy, sailors daring to BRING YOU HERE!...'
On the contrary, in Homer's Ithaca of Paliki, as we have seen, the question in the text is perfectly valid, because the difficult Skavdolitis, when passing from main Cephalonia, necessitates passage with FERRYMEN, while from elsewhere with SAILORS.
For PALIKI, the PEDESTRIAN applies. When we come from the tour past the cliffs (Skavdolis, map numbering, 1), the marshes (ευρώεντα κέλευθα, 2), and the hollow beach (3), if we turn towards Athera, we reach Eumaeus by land!
And even if this road was made two hundred years ago, there are ancient paths through which one can come from KROKYLEIA (4) and from AEGILIPA (5), and from the MUNICIPALITY OF KEPHALLINES (6), from the Magnificent NIRITO (7), from NIRIKO City (8) and from the OPPOSITE SHORES (9). Even from grain-bearing DOULICHI (10) as well as from the Epeians of KATELEIO (11).
ANOTHER REASON that removes this argument from the theories of Lefkada as Homeric Ithaca is that the well-known reference to traveling on foot concerns visitors to Ithaca from distant places, yes, but possibly not from foreign lands, unlike other kingdoms and territories. However, if someone is a foreigner who has stated that they come from far away, then for Kefalonia they would always arrive by ship, but never on foot, whereas for Lefkada both possibilities remain: they could arrive either by ship or on foot.
But where do we find such a case in the Odyssey?
It is the case of Odysseus's distant friend, Epiritus, who is searching for him in Laertes himself, stating from the outset that he is from elsewhere, so Laertes does NOT ask him if he arrived on foot!
ποῦ δὲ νηῦς ἕστηκε θοή, ἥ σ᾿ ἤγαγε δεῦρο
ἀντιθέους θ᾿ ἑτάρους; ἦ ἔμπορος εἰλήλουθας
νηὸς ἐπ᾿ ἀλλοτρίης, οἱ δ᾿ ἐκβήσαντες ἔβησαν;»...»
Odyssey ω'(24) 298-302
... Who are you among men? From where is your city and your parents?
And where does the swift ship stand that brought you here,
along with your companions? Have you come as a trader
aboard another's ship, and those who disembarked, where did they go? ...
... So if Lefkada were Homer's Ithaca, this exception would not exist, and therefore EVEN LAERTES would ask if the stranger came on foot, just as Mentis and the beggar were asked by Telemachus and Eumaeus in rhapsodies α’, ξ’, π’, and π’ that we mentioned earlier. In any case, on Thiaki on foot from somewhere, there is no room for anyone to arrive, nor can distant territories of southern Ithaca fit, compared to the Ithaca of Stavros. Therefore, there is no need for any Thiaki resident to take heart, as we have found this overwhelming argument against Lefkada.
The strong argument regarding coming on foot for our theory was, unfortunately, attempted to be destroyed in 2005 by British researchers in their effort to prove that Cephalonia at the time of Odysseus was divided in the region of Thinia, with their only reasoning being that they were so eager to conduct geophysical surveys.
PEDESTRIAN VISITOR IN ITHACA.
Temporary refutation of theories that use this argument for Homeric Ithaca.
A posteriori confirmation of our study as a whole.
Having studied in depth the word 'pedestrian' in the Odyssey, in the rhapsodies α', ξ' and π', until now we have overlooked yet another striking presence, just as it has escaped all other researchers so far. After all, where would anyone's mind go to think that even in the Underworld one travels on foot? Before we examine this unique instance, let us recall that, in a certain sense, we have encountered the geographical location of the Underworld in the book "THE ISLAND WITH STRAIGHT LINES":
... There is no doubt that any attempt to place Hades and its entrance on the map is beyond reason. However, the year I decided to approach Calypso's Ogygia in the Maltese archipelago, aside from the island of Gozo and Ggantija, I noticed both on the map and on site some other extremely striking things.
On the left of the island of Malta, there is the northwest peninsula of Cirkewwa!
There is nothing circular like a circus there, but in the Maltese dictionary, it has the word which means 'fish tail.'
Malta is like a fish and Cirkewwa is like its tail, and also that Circe's son Telegonus killed his father Odysseus with a fishbone!
Northwestern peninsula Cirkewwa, in Malta
To think that Calypso and Circe live so close to each other and yet do not know each other!...
However, both are indications of a Matriarchal Society in the Odyssey, each manifesting in a different way, but sharing the common denominator of men's dependence on their power.
The islands are full of Megalithic Monuments, and everywhere whatever was once found and is now in the Museum, relates to a Matriarchal Society.
But there is also something different. Just a few hundred meters from Malta’s commercial port, south in Valletta, where the satellite photo suggests, in the distance of the bay that looks like a river, there is the Hypogeum, a vast underground space created by removing the yellowish rock.
The way it was constructed with reverse logic also reveals a Matriarchal Society.
The Hypogeum space is empty, and scientists cannot speculate on its real purpose, and if it was a temple, what kind of temple it was. Its ends have not been explored; during a school trip, a teacher and a student disappeared. Some believe it is a 'gateway' to somewhere, others that it leads underwater to Sicily. Among the few findings are some elongated skulls of 'other' civilizations... To me, however, it resembles a nuclear shelter! I personally believe that an entrance to it had been discovered since ancient times, and for the reasons I mentioned and many others, it was considered an Entry Gate to the Underworld, and the few who had the courage and audacity to enter, even for a few meters, saw it as a natural representation of the Metaphysical Underworld.
Odysseus's journey going to the Underworld.
Indeed, traveling by ship to Malta, first passing near the castle of the Saint Elmo peninsula - a corruption of Hermes who dwells on elongated hills - we will move past Valletta on our right, leaving to the left the heroic Birgu and Senglea, the castle of Saint Angelo, known for resisting the Turks in 1565, and we will eventually reach Malta's commercial port.
Indeed,... This entire path through this multi-bay port in ancient prehistoric times, when everything around was covered with willows, eucalyptus, poplars, and possibly plane trees, whose leaves watered the waters of the shore and the streams, created an almost otherworldly image, creating that atmosphere that we all experience when reading about the Underworld in the Odyssey.
And one more thing. Around the Hypogeum today there are houses and apartment buildings, because it is located in the urban area of the port, and it was discovered by chance when the roof collapsed during the construction of a building. There is no material from there comparable to what has been found elsewhere:
Around the well-known Megalithic Monuments, small holes have been discovered, let's say about half a meter deep, roughly dug, and at the bottom of them some offerings, remnants of possible rituals.
I am sure that they were dug with a sword and used in exactly the same way that Odysseus acted to descend into the Underworld.
The locals, and even archaeologists, are unaware of all this...
The megalithic monument Mnajdra, in Malta
So I had completed the study on the pedestrian in Rhapsody ξ' and before I reached the end, the commentary on Rhapsody π', —Rhapsodies ξ' and π' which were published together—from Homeric intuition? Did Elpenor come to me in a dream? Was it my friend Makis Lykoudis's question about the use of the oar in Homeric tombs? In any case, taking another look at the encounter of the unburied Elpenor in the Underworld with Odysseus, I beheld with awe the following:
ἔφθης πεζὸς ἰὼν ἢ ἐγὼ σὺν νηῒ μελαίνῃ.» ...»
Odyssey λ'(11) 57-58
... "... 'Elpenor, how did you come under the misty gloom?
You arrived on foot, while I came with my black ship.' ..." ...
What you just read, while it seems to refute every theory that uses the pedestrian as an argument, since the Underworld cannot communicate with an island by road.
Mother Anticlea asks Odysseus:
while you are alive? For it is difficult for even the living to see these things,
because great rivers and rough coastlines intervene.
And first of all, Oceanus (immense), which cannot be crossed
when one is on foot, unless someone has one of the good ships. ...
Odyssey λ' 155-159
... For this gate of the Underworld is located on a water-surrounded island.
What you have just read, while it seems to refute every theory that uses the pedestrian as an argument, since the Underworld cannot communicate with an island by road, is what forced me, knowing that Malta's Cirkewwa was Circe's Aia (Ewwa), to search for road communication in 2003 between Circe and the Underworld, and to finally conclude that the unknown 'Underworld' of the Hypogeum and the pits with offerings around Malta's Megalithic Monuments were a source of inspiration for Homer, enabling him to also place the Underworld on the map!
Odysseus' journey from Circe to the Underworld and back
When I discovered this fact and discussed it with fans of Lefkada as Homeric Ithaca, they began to doubt Dörpfeld's theory, because we essentially 'blew up' the 'on foot' connection as an argument with reality. Therefore, since we are the only ones who provided this on-the-map explanation, we are consequently the only ones who have the right to use the "Does anyone go to Ithaca on foot?" as an argument for its application in Homeric Ithaca!
whether someone can go on foot – PEDESTRIAN – to the Ithaca of Homer and the Odyssey.
1. The theory of Lefkada, as Homeric Ithaca, is based on the fact that the Odyssey mentions four times that someone can go to Ithaca ON FOOT.
2. Carefully examining the four times this was mentioned, we found that one referred to a distant place, on Ithaca itself, which the Lefkadians associated with the other three instances of coming from afar to Ithaca.
3. We forgive them for this, but we will never forgive that there is also a 5th time when someone goes ON FOOT to the Underworld from somewhere. Ignorance of this fact among the experts of Lefkada.
4. After anxious efforts, we approached the statements and realized that a gateway to the Underworld was on the island of Circe, from the other side, and potentially the deceased Elpenor COULD go on foot to the Underworld before Odysseus could reach by ship.
5. And we come to the final blow. Just a few days ago, in Rhapsody λ', we heard Anticleia, the mother of Odysseus, wondering how her child came on foot to meet her in a place that can only be reached by ship. 6th time and 'worth every penny' The Gate of the Underworld is on an island. THE END.
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED, I TOLD YOU
Tειρεsias...
In which situations and in which locations CAN or CANNOT someone go ΟΝ FOOT in the Odyssey?
We will continue tomorrow with the chapter: Why Homeric Ithaca cannot be in Lefkada - THE POINTS OF THE HORIZON.
