『50: The River Forgets: The Spirit of Lethe』のカバーアート

50: The River Forgets: The Spirit of Lethe

50: The River Forgets: The Spirit of Lethe

無料で聴く

ポッドキャストの詳細を見る

このコンテンツについて

 This week is all about the Greek goddess Lethe. Lethe is not typically considered a "goddess" in the traditional sense, but rather a personification of one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld. However, in some later traditions and poetic interpretations, she is referred to as a goddess or spirit (daimona) associated with forgetfulness, oblivion, and the loss of memory. Name meaning: The word Lethe (Λήθη) in Greek literally means "oblivion," "forgetfulness," or "concealment."Domain: Lethe is the river of forgetfulness in the Greek underworld (Hades).Souls of the dead would drink from the River Lethe to forget their past lives before reincarnation, according to Orphic and Platonic traditions. Lethe is one of five rivers in the underworld, the others being: Styx (river of oaths)Acheron (river of sorrow)Phlegethon (river of fire)Cocytus (river of wailing) Lethe as a Deity or Spirit Though rarely worshipped as a formal goddess, Lethe is personified in some ancient sources as a female spirit (daimona) or minor goddess. In Hesiod’s Theogony (a foundational mythological text), Lethe is mentioned as one of the children of Eris (Strife), aligning her with other negative or disruptive forces like Pain, Lies, and Quarrels. In later Orphic mysteries, which explored themes of reincarnation and soul purification, Lethe is paired with Mnemosyne (Memory), forming a duality: to forget (Lethe) and to remember (Mnemosyne). Lethe is rich in philosophical and psychological symbolism: Oblivion vs. Memory: Lethe embodies the tension between forgetting and remembering, particularly in death and rebirth.Escape from Suffering: Drinking from Lethe offers release from the pain and burdens of mortal life.Danger of Forgetting: Philosophers like Plato warned that true knowledge requires remembering (anamnesis), so forgetting can be a kind of spiritual death. Summary Lethe is best understood as: A mythical river of forgetfulness in the Greek underworld,A symbol of oblivion, the erasure of memory, and the preparation for rebirth,Occasionally personified as a goddess-like figure, though not one worshipped in a traditional sense. Citations for this Episode: GreekBoston. (n.d.). Lethe in Greek mythology. https://www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/lethe/ Homer. (1996). The Odyssey (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century BCE) Mythical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Lethe. https://mythicalencyclopedia.com/lethe/ Mythology Source. (n.d.). Lethe: The spirit of forgetfulness. https://mythologysource.com/lethe-spirit-forgetfulness/ Mythology Worldwide. (n.d.). Lethe: The river of forgetfulness and its dark secrets. https://mythologyworldwide.com/lethe-the-river-of-forgetfulness-and-its-dark-secrets/ Mythology.net. (n.d.). Lethe. https://mythology.net/greek/greek-concepts/lethe/ Mystery in History. (n.d.). Lethe: River of forgetfulness in Greek mythology. https://mysteryinhistory.com/lethe/ Ovid. (2004). Metamorphoses (D. Raeburn, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published 8 CE) Pausanias. (1918). Description of Greece (W.H.S. Jones & H.A. Ormerod, Trans.). Harvard University Press. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.%201.1.1 (Original work written ca. 2nd century CE) Seneca. (2010). Oedipus (E. F. Watling, Trans.). In Four tragedies and Octavia (pp. 97–144). Penguin Classics. (Original work published ca. 1st century CE) Statius. (2003). Silvae (D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Trans.). Harvard University Press (Loeb Classical Library). (Original work published ca. 93 CE) Theoi Project. (n.d.). Lethe. https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Lethe.html Virgil. (2009). Georgics (P. Fallon, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published 29 BCE) Virgil. (n.d.). Aeneid (T. C. Williams, Trans.). Tufts University: Perseus Digital Library. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Verg.+A.+6.703 (Original work published ca. 19 BCE)
まだレビューはありません