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u/the_laurentian

r/OdysseyFilm r/classics r/dice r/Plato r/audacity r/audiobooks r/RenaissanceArt r/ancientgreece r/remotework r/Getnovelink r/EdiblePlants r/TheOdyssey r/mythology r/GreekMythology r/dndmonsters r/AskDND r/HistoricalFiction r/DMAcademy r/ChristianArt
▲ 7 r/Plato

Phaedrus Writing Question

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the Thoth myth in the Phaedrus, and one thing that keeps bugging me is that although Socrates goes on to offer a number of arguments against writing (i.e. it doesn't reply, it doesn't change, etc.), the first thing that Thamus states is that " οὔκουν μνήμης ἀλλὰ ὑπομνήσεως φάρμακον ηὗρες", or "you've found not a recipe for memory, but reminder" or something close. Can someone explain to me the difference between 'memory' and 'reminder/remembrance'? I understand that memory is an internal thing "written in the soul" and "reminder" is an external thing, but given the importance of ἀνάμνησις, isn't a 'reminder' also helpful? Dialogue itself is a reminder, i.e. a trigger to un-forget what we know. I'm sure there's a more nuanced etymological explanation here, so I would appreciate some help.

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u/the_laurentian — 1 day ago
▲ 6 r/EdiblePlants

Ground Cherry?

I've never seen the lanterns as red as this. Any idea whether this is ground cherry or something else? We're in Michigan if that helps

u/the_laurentian — 2 days ago
▲ 6 r/GreekMythology

Nauplius "the Wrecker"

"Which is to say that whether by turning the wives of the kings against them or wrecking ships as they returned to Greece, it is because of Nauplius’ revenge that almost no one makes it home from Troy alive. The Nostoi, and dramas of the Classical era based on this part of the Trojan Epic, might as well be called “The Tale of Nauplius’ Rage”.

...

It could have been anyone that [did these things]. But it wasn’t. It was Nauplius, a man the classical tradition consistently portrays as wise and just, driven to become the last judge, jury, and executioner of the heroic age by the murder of his son."

open.substack.com
u/the_laurentian — 15 days ago
▲ 152 r/TheOdyssey+3 crossposts

The Death of Reason in Nolan's Odyssey

https://substack.com/home/post/p-208873778

"One of the oddest moments in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey lasts only a few seconds. Near the end of the film, Odysseus predicts something that seems to come out of nowhere: the death of literacy. When Penelope asks him what he means, he replies that in the world to come, everything will have to be communicated through the spoken word, that systems of reading and writing are going to fade into memory.

It’s a throwaway line, said almost in passing, but my ears perked up when I heard it. Mostly because of my love for the mythical inventor of writing in Odysseus’ world: his rival, Palamedes. But even more than that, it just seemed so strange in this movie which on its surface had nothing to do with reading or writing."

u/the_laurentian — 21 days ago
▲ 4 r/Plato

Charmides

I can't seem to find an original Greek text of the Charmides. Can anyone tell me what Charmides' first definition of sophrosyne is? My translation has "a kind of orderliness and quietness", but that seems wrong. I'm guessing it's something like "reservedness"? Thanks in advance

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u/the_laurentian — 23 days ago
▲ 10 r/Getnovelink+4 crossposts

The Death of Palamedes - A Novel of the Trojan War

https://deathofpalamedes.substack.com/

Hello! I've been writing and editing this novel over the course of the last five years, and after trying to get an agent for a while have just decided to self publish. I thought this sub might be interested in it. Here's a 'back of the novel' summary:

'The Death of Palamedes is a novel about the life of Palamedes, a figure remembered in Greek mythology as Odysseus’ intellectual rival, but absent from Homer’s epics. Credited in myth with the invention of games of chance and the spread of writing among the Greeks, Palamedes was executed by his own commanders for opposing the Trojan War. Told from the perspective of the war’s often forgotten rank-and-file soldiers, the novel explores the role that Palamedes’ death and subversion of heroic ideals played in the collapse of the mythic age through a polyvocal narrative concerned with writing, memory, and justice in a world defined by war.

In the aftermath of the Trojan War, five soldiers who survive the wreckage of the returning Greek fleet wash ashore on a desolate coast and are taken in by a reclusive hermit. Over the course of a week, an idealistic youth and a cynical pragmatist reconstruct the stories of Palamedes and the war for their host alongside the other survivors. They do so through layered, unreliable testimony: their own memories, myths, fragments of written accounts, and a series of dreams that blur the boundary between the mortal and divine. What emerges is the story of a long rivalry between Palamedes and Odysseus, a dangerous game that begins in their childhood and escalates throughout the war. At its center stands Achilles, whose understanding of honor and greatness both men seek to shape and whose choices will determine the fate of the conflict. As the heroes and soldiers telling their stories reflect on the politics of memory and confront the atrocities of war, they attempt to process their grief and guilt in a world ruled by violence and revenge. Through these accounts, the novel asks whether peace stands a chance in a world built on violence, whether compassion can endure against “necessity”, and whether memory preserves truth, or only remakes it in the telling.'

u/the_laurentian — 1 month ago
▲ 1 r/audacity

Second track issues

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but I've read through numerous posts and can't seem to find the exact problem I'm having.

I've recorded my first track, and then create a 'Track 2', click on it/highlight it, but when I record, it just starts recording on 'Track 1' at the end of the previous recording. I've watched the vids, read the stuff, I feel like I'm going crazy. Any help?

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u/the_laurentian — 1 month ago
▲ 1 r/DMAcademy

Need help balancing for a party of 4 level 4 PCs

This is a boss fight that I was trying to get around CR 5. I did the thing where I borrowed from a few different CR 5 creatures, but was unsure if I overdid it by borrowing too much. Any input is appreciated

Myxmatis

Large fiend, Neutral Evil

Armor Class

 

17 (natural armor)

Hit Points

 

110

Speed

 

30 ft., swim 45 ft.

STR

18 (+4)

 

DEX

15 (+2)

 

CON

12 (+1)

 

INT

10 (+0)

 

WIS

12 (+1)

 

CHA

18 (+4)

Saving Throws

 

Con +3

Damage Vulnerabilities

 

lightning

Damage Resistances

 

fire, poison

Senses

 

blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages

 

understands Abyssal, telepathy 60 ft.

Challenge

 

1 (200 XP)

Magic Resistance.

 Myxmatis has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects

Demonic Restoration.

 If Myxmatis dies outside the Abyss, its body dissolves into ichor, and it gains a new body within 1d6 days, reviving with all its Hit Points somewhere in the Abyss

Actions

Multi-Attack.

 Make 2 Claw and 1 Tentacle attack (Tentacle may be replaced with Leech Bite)

Claw.

 Melee: +6, reach 5 ft: Hit: 9 (2d8) slashing

Tentacle.

 Melee: +6, reach 15 ft: Hit: Target is grappled (escape DC 15) and 11 (2d10) bludgeoning

Leech Bite.

 Melee: +6, reach 15 ft. Hit: 9 (2d8) piercing - or 13 (3d8) piercing if grappled - and Myxmatis gains HP equal to damage

Spellcasting.

 Myxmatis casts one of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14):

At Will: Firebolt, Mind Sliver, Ray of Frost

2/Day Each: Shield (self only), Charm Person

1/Day Each: Darkness, Crown of Madness

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u/the_laurentian — 2 months ago
▲ 11 r/AskDND+1 crossposts

Need help balancing this for a party of 4 level 4 PCs

It's a boss fight, so I was hoping for this to be around a CR 5. I did the recommended thing and borrowed from a few CR 5 creatures, but I just wanted to see if others thought I'd overdone it or if this feels right

u/the_laurentian — 2 months ago
▲ 6 r/classics+1 crossposts

The Ghost of Palamedes in Achilles' Tent - on Book IX of the Iliad

Thought I'd share this link here for anyone that's interested. It's a little reflection on the embassy that Agamemnon sends to Achilles' tent in book IX of the Iliad, bringing in some later commentaries to make a case that Palamedes should be read in the background of the scene. Anyway, hope it's interesting to someone!

u/the_laurentian — 3 months ago
▲ 2 r/remotework

Advice for former professor/PhD

Hi, I've been a (adjunct, visiting, etc.) professor for the last 12 years and now that my current contract is ending I'm looking to pivot because I just can't deal with another limited term/precarious position at my age and with two kids. I have a PhD in Philosophy and have been teaching in Philosophy, Liberal Studies, and Environmental Studies departments for more than a decade. Besides the standard "wow why'd you get such a useless degree" advice, does anyone have thoughts on a direction I might be looking in that isn't training AI?

reddit.com
u/the_laurentian — 3 months ago