The Burden of Truth #4
From Iliad by Homer, Trans. E.V. Rieu (London: Penguin, 1950), pp. 174:
Do you not know that prayers [Litae] are Daughters of almighty Zeus? They are wrinkled creatures, with a halting gait and downcast eyes, who make it their business to follow Sin about. But Sin is strong, and quick enough to leave them all behind. Stealing a march on them, she [Sin] roams the world and brings mankind to grief. They [Prayers] come after and put the trouble right. The man who receives these Daughters of Zeus with humility when they approach him, is greatly blessed by them and has his own petitions granted.
In my mind, Helen, the face that could launch a thousand ships, cannot and should not be held responsible for her actions. Her fate was decided without her consent when she was already promised to Paris by Aphrodite and placed under a spell. Her mind, like a marionette, was controlled by external forces. In some accounts, Helen was said to have been abducted. I know I've been critical of Paris, but I can't help but wonder why he’d be OK living with a woman who was essentially under a spell. It's akin to kidnapping and keeping someone in your basement, and claiming they love you. Or using witchcraft to manipulate someone into being your partner. It's nothing but cowardly and cruel. One of the features that sets romantic love apart from all other emotions is its spell-binding quality. That's why it can be difficult to separate our friends from toxic partners they're in love with. Even when we can see that our friends are going through a difficult time, and we try to intervene, they keep returning to the very person who is causing them harm. Our friends themselves may recognise how corrosive the relationship is, but they just can't seem to leave. If they're lucky, after a decade or so, they eventually break up with their toxic partner. Often, one of the things they say after the ordeal is, “I should have left a long time ago, but I was blinded by love.” It's as if love is a form of madness, a departure from sense, or perhaps even a new way of perceiving and making sense of the world. It's a kind of possession that can be both good and bad. These days, I find myself considering the stakes in certain situations. It's fascinating that I can forgive Helen for her actions, yet find it challenging to extend the same feels to a friend who remains in a toxic relationship for longer than necessary, even though they are both under the spell of love. It's entirely up to my discretion what I consider "longer than necessary." It's possible that I believe Helen's options were limited, while a friend may have more choices, especially in today's world. Having being in one myself, I know the toll it takes on one's soul. That's why it's tough for me to witness a friend I care about going through the same thing in real time. 🐶
In the passage quoted earlier, the term "Sin" is translated as delusion, deception, or folly in other versions of the Iliad. Litae are the daughters of Zeus who are known as the goddesses of prayer. They move slowly, but they are powerful protectors. They keep humans safe from another goddess called Atë, the goddess of mischief and delusion, who is known for making humans and gods do rash and stupid things. I wonder if Atë and Eris are close and spend time together. The latter being the goddess of chaos. Tough luck for whomever is within their vicinity. If you show respect to Litae, they will protect you from Atë. Even though they are slow, they can fix the damage that Atë has caused in your life. But if you disrespect them, they might go to Zeus and ask him to let Atë come and cause chaos in your life. Prayers are an acknowledgement that you can’t do life on your own. That there are weights you alone can’t carry or might not even have the courage to. When you pray, you usually have something specific in mind that you want to ask for or seek clarity on. Prayers can protect you from the ups and downs of life, but that doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen to you. Instead, they can give you the strength and courage to face them. Let me strip prayer of it’s religious context for instance: At it’s core, prayer involves clarity and intentionality. It's like having a roadmap for life, knowing where you're headed and what you're willing to accept or not. This intentionality protects you from distractions, delusions, chaos, sin and stupidity. You have your own compass, and you're not swayed by the applause or censure of other people. If there isn't a clear sense of direction, it's easy to be distracted by shiny things or the alluring melodies of those vicious creatures called Sirens. This crack in one's life is what Atë will exploit. If we can't figure out what goals are worth pursuing or if our life is aligned with what we truly need, we become vulnerable to delusion. Then again, what we truly need is up to us to define — thus clarity. Although Litae may struggle to keep up with delusions at times, it's still valuable to have them in your corner. Similarly, clarity may not always come easily, but it's still worth striving for rather than giving up on it altogether. 🧎
Paris made several assumptions when he took Helen, including his belief in having the backing of a powerful goddess and the impenetrability of Troy's walls. He also assumed that a single goddess could protect him from the wrath of the two others he had humiliated. Surprisingly, these assumptions held up for ten long years. Delusions can hold up for a while, but when they eventually break down, the consequences can be tragic. In the case of Troy, the city was breached, Paris lost his life, and Helen ended up marrying his brother. However, this is not where the story ends. One important factor in this tale is the idea of sunk cost: the Greeks couldn't go back home without sacking Troy, and the Trojans couldn't return Helen because they were already in too deep. This is similar to situations where someone might feel they can't leave a business or relationship despite it being a mess because they've invested so much time and resources into it. Here’s another question: Why would Paris take Helen if he wasn't confident in his ability to keep the Spartans at bay? It would have been the daftest thing to do. This is how delusion begins: with power comes the tendency to overestimate one's competence and take on more risks, leading to rash decisions. The problem is that the more power one has, the more susceptible they are to this delusion. I'm guessing it wasn't the first time Paris had done something brazenly stupid because he was a prince of Troy. Stupidity is a matter of habit, the more you’ve done it, the better you’re at it. The question he would probably have asked himself was, 'What exactly can go wrong?' He likely believed that whatever could go wrong would be handled by either wealth or war. The downfall of prominent people doesn’t happen overnight, it’s from years of getting ‘nothing’ to the question of what could go wrong. They keep misbehaving till Litae tells Zeus to send Atë to come and fuck things up. It makes you wonder how one can or should navigate the challenges of power and influence. 👑
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)