43 flax

43 flax

flax

亞麻

Linum usitatissimum

亞麻科

Linaceae

λίνον

古代地中海區域，除了羊毛，基本上用亞麻製作針織品。(我推論棉花應該在亞歷山大大帝之後才可能出現。開始運用可能是西元十世紀之後。Herodotus記載著印度有一種長在樹上的羊毛，就是棉花 (Htd. 3.106.3)。)

  約莫1900-1700 BCE就可能發現亞麻子，伊朗甚至在西元前5000年就有種植亞麻。

  荷馬史詩中提到用亞麻製作衣服和編織魚網等。

___________

命運與亞麻

Alcinous覺得應該幫助Odysseus返鄉，《奧德賽》第七卷186-206行，他提出了他的觀點。他決定要幫助Odysseus順利返回故土家園，之後，Odysseus就得自己承受一出生命運女神們早已織好的命運線。從荷馬史詩開始，古希臘觀念的命運(Μοῖραι (apportioners, Latinized as Moerae) 就是「命運女神們」，英文譯成fates, 有三位: Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter) and Atropos (cutter).古希臘神話的命運觀點很特別，這三位女神分別有紡織，分配與切斷的意思，每個人的生命線絲，出生時就織好，然後慢慢分配使用，時間到了就切斷。而命運已定的，連宙斯都無法改變! 線，也就成了生命的比喻，有趣的是，λίνον這個字就是指亞麻。

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D7%3Acard%3D152

        ἔνθα δ᾽ ἔπειτα

πείσεται, ἅσσα οἱ αἶσα κατὰ κλῶθές τε βαρεῖαι

γιγνομένῳ νήσαντο λίνῳ, ὅτε μιν τέκε μήτηρ.

(Odyssey 7.196-198)

Κλῶθες Goddesses of fate

κλώθω twist by spinning, spin

νέω  spin

λίνον anything made of flax; thread of destiny spun by the Fates; the plant flax, Linum usitatissimum; 亞麻（學名：Linum usitatissimum）是在全球各地廣泛栽培的植物，可能原產於西亞

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey7.htm

After that he’ll undergo all those things    

Destiny and the dreaded spinning Fates

spun in the thread for him when he was born,

when his mother gave him birth.

    

命運 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fates The Fates were three mythological goddesses and may refer to: l   Moirai, the Fates of Greek mythology l   Parcae, the Fates of Roman mythology l   Sudice (mythology), the Fates of Slavic mythology l   Norns, numerous female beings who determine the fate or future of a person in Germanic paganism l   Three Witches, characters in Shakespeare's Macbeth l   The Fates, characters in Disney's Hercules l   Fates (album), a 2006 album by Erik Mongrain

 下面圖片與資料出處:  

Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen - List of Koehler Images

42 pomegranate

41

pomegranate

石榴

Punica granatum

千屈菜科

Lythraceae

ῥοιά, ῥόα

石榴，就是海蒂斯 (Hades)給Persephone吃下的水果，也決定Persephone變成地府女王的命運。石榴也是Hera的聖果，象徵多子多孫多福氣。

下面圖片與資料出處: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persephone

Persephone opening a cista containing the infant Adonis, on a pinax from Locri

Persephone or "the deceased woman" holding a pomegranate. Etruscan terracotta cinerary statue. National archaeological museum in Palermo, Italy

_______________________
Alcinous’ palace and the nearby orchard

第七卷78-132行仔細描述Alcinous的宮殿與果園，一個富霸一方又神秘的仙境。雅典娜帶Odysseus到Scheria，然後她回Marathon，到雅典城，進入堅固的Erectheus屋宇。

   而Odysseus走到Alcinous的宮殿門口，青銅的光輝震攝，似有太陽與明月的璀璨，特別注意，這宮殿兩側矗立青銅牆壁，牆脊(θριγκός, topmost course of stones in a wall, cornice, coping)則是琺瑯材質(κύανος dark-blue enamel) (Odyssey 7.86-87)。黃金打造大門，青銅門檻，銀質門柱，白銀門楣，還有黃金門環 ((Odyssey 7.88-90)，真是超級大豪宅! 這些金屬與材料，價值不斐。

  宮門兩側還有神匠Hephaestus用金與銀澆鑄的狗，守衛Alcinous的王宮，也是永恆與不朽的象徵(Odyssey 7.91-94)。

   宮內，由門檻開始到裡面，擺設椅子，上面鋪婦女手工製的精緻毯子，Alcinous的首領們常常一起出席宴會(Odyssey 7.95-99)。太富有了，「國宴」都是高檔的。

  燈光設備也創意十足。古代沒有電燈，用的是火炬，這王宮裡，用黃金打造「金童」拿火炬(Odyssey 7.100-102)，宴會到深夜還可以燈火通明，而且，火光下的黃金反光，應該有特別的效果。

   宮殿內五十名女奴，有的把小麥磨成麵粉，有的織布，她們婀娜多姿，詩人還用兩種植物比喻：白楊與橄欖。如楊柳之夜風中舞動，又如橄欖油光亮的滑在河面 (Odyssey 7.103-107)。這裡的男人善於海上航行，多是優秀的船員，婦女手巧，因為雅典娜送給他們這些才華(Odyssey 7.108-111)。我讀到這兒，就發現史詩中傳奇的Phaeacians和古代腓尼基人真是雷同啊。

   院外一座大果園，推測約莫四公頃，主要的果樹有:

l   梨 (黃梨): ὄγχνη pear-tree, Pirus communis  http://homegplant.blogspot.tw/2014/08/33-pear.html

l   石榴: ῥοιά or ῥόα pomegranate-tree, Punica Granatum

l   蘋果: μηλέα apple-tree, Pyrus malus http://homegplant.blogspot.tw/2014/08/34-apple.html

l   無花果: συκέα fig-tree, Ficus Carica http://homegplant.blogspot.tw/2013/11/17-fig.html

l   橄欖樹ἐλαία olive-tree, Olea europaea http://homegplant.blogspot.tw/2014/03/26-olive.html

 當然到處都有葡萄藤: http://homegplant.blogspot.tw/2013/08/blog-post_27.html

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D7%3Acard%3D107

ὅσσον Φαίηκες περὶ πάντων ἴδριες ἀνδρῶν

νῆα θοὴν ἐνὶ πόντῳ ἐλαυνέμεν, ὣς δὲ γυναῖκες

ἱστῶν τεχνῆσσαι: πέρι γάρ σφισι δῶκεν Ἀθήνη

ἔργα τ᾽ ἐπίστασθαι περικαλλέα καὶ φρένας ἐσθλάς.

ἔκτοσθεν δ᾽ αὐλῆς μέγας ὄρχατος ἄγχι θυράων

τετράγυος: περὶ δ᾽ ἕρκος ἐλήλαται ἀμφοτέρωθεν.

ἔνθα δὲ δένδρεα μακρὰ πεφύκασι τηλεθόωντα,

ὄγχναι καὶ ῥοιαὶ καὶ μηλέαι ἀγλαόκαρποι

συκέαι τε γλυκεραὶ καὶ ἐλαῖαι τηλεθόωσαι.

τάων οὔ ποτε καρπὸς ἀπόλλυται οὐδ᾽ ἀπολείπει

χείματος οὐδὲ θέρευς, ἐπετήσιος: ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ αἰεὶ

Ζεφυρίη πνείουσα τὰ μὲν φύει, ἄλλα δὲ πέσσει.

ὄγχνη ἐπ᾽ ὄγχνῃ γηράσκει, μῆλον δ᾽ ἐπὶ μήλῳ,

αὐτὰρ ἐπὶ σταφυλῇ σταφυλή, σῦκον δ᾽ ἐπὶ σύκῳ.

(Odyssey 7. 108-121)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey7.htm

Just as Phaeacian men have more skill than anyone at sailing a fast ship

across the sea, so their women have great skill    

at working on the loom, for Athena gave them,

above all others, a knowledge of fine handiwork

and keen intelligence. Beyond the courtyard,

but near the door, stands an enormous orchard,

four land measures, with a hedge on either side.

Huge and richly laden trees grow there—pomegranates,

pears, and apple trees with shining fruit, sweet figs,

and fertile olive trees. And in this orchard

no fruit gets destroyed or dies in winter time

or during summer. It lasts all year long. West Wind,

as he blows in, always brings some fruits to life

and ripens others—pear growing above pear,  

apple upon apple, grapes in cluster after cluster, and fig after fig.

_____________________

下面圖片出處http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate

41 date palm

41 date palm

date-palm

中東海棗, 椰棗、棗椰、棗椰子、棗椰樹、番棗、波斯棗、伊拉克棗、仙棗、海棕、無漏子、沙漠麵包、綠色金子

Phoenix dactylifera

棕櫚科

Arecaceae

φοῖνιξ

主題: 美若天仙的公主

一群年輕的女孩，天真浪漫地在河邊洗衣，唱歌跳舞，突然全身赤裸的Odysseus出現，大家嚇得四處逃。只有公主非常鎮定，因為雅典娜給她勇氣與理性面對。

  Odysseus一見面就開始使出巴結人的絕技，先嘆氣眼前這位不知是凡人還是天神，因為實在太美了。即使是凡人，父母比一般人三背幸運，才有如此美若天仙的女兒。此外，Odysseus用阿波羅神殿的椰棗樹的幼枝比喻Nausicaa如神仙一般的美貌。原來，說這麼多好聽的話，Odysseus求的是一件遮體的衣服，當然，內心期待最好能找到方法回鄉。

date-palm, Phoenix dactylifera, a Phoenician，腓尼基人，也有紫色的意思，因為古代腓尼基人擅長製作紫色布料與染料。這裡指的是阿波羅的聖樹之一: 海棗樹 (date-palm, Phoenix dactylifera)。

γουνοῦμαί σε, ἄνασσα: θεός νύ τις, ἦ βροτός ἐσσι;

εἰ μέν τις θεός ἐσσι, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,

Ἀρτέμιδί σε ἐγώ γε, Διὸς κούρῃ μεγάλοιο,

εἶδός τε μέγεθός τε φυήν τ᾽ ἄγχιστα ἐίσκω:

εἰ δέ τίς ἐσσι βροτῶν, τοὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ ναιετάουσιν,

τρὶς μάκαρες μὲν σοί γε πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ,

τρὶς μάκαρες δὲ κασίγνητοι: μάλα πού σφισι θυμὸς

αἰὲν ἐυφροσύνῃσιν ἰαίνεται εἵνεκα σεῖο,

λευσσόντων τοιόνδε θάλος χορὸν εἰσοιχνεῦσαν.

κεῖνος δ᾽ αὖ περὶ κῆρι μακάρτατος ἔξοχον ἄλλων,

ὅς κέ σ᾽ ἐέδνοισι βρίσας οἶκόνδ᾽ ἀγάγηται.

οὐ γάρ πω τοιοῦτον ἴδον βροτὸν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,

οὔτ᾽ ἄνδρ᾽ οὔτε γυναῖκα: σέβας μ᾽ ἔχει εἰσορόωντα.

‘ Δήλῳ δή ποτε τοῖον Ἀπόλλωνος παρὰ βωμῷ

φοίνικος νέον ἔρνος ἀνερχόμενον ἐνόησα:

ἦλθον γὰρ καὶ κεῖσε, πολὺς δέ μοι ἕσπετο λαός,

τὴν ὁδὸν ᾗ δὴ μέλλεν ἐμοὶ κακὰ κήδε᾽ ἔσεσθαι.

ὣς δ᾽ αὔτως καὶ κεῖνο ἰδὼν ἐτεθήπεα θυμῷ

δήν, ἐπεὶ οὔ πω τοῖον ἀνήλυθεν ἐκ δόρυ γαίης,

ὡς σέ, γύναι, ἄγαμαί τε τέθηπά τε, δείδια δ᾽ αἰνῶς

γούνων ἅψασθαι: χαλεπὸν δέ με πένθος ἱκάνει.

(Odyssey 6. 149-169)

“O divine queen, I come here as a suppliant to you.

Are you a goddess or a mortal being?

If you’re one of the gods who hold wide heaven, 

then I think you most resemble Artemis,    

daughter of great Zeus, in your loveliness,

your stature, and your shape. If you’re human,

one of those mortals living on the earth,

your father and noble mother are thrice-blest,

and thrice-blest your brothers, too. In their hearts

they must glow with pleasure for you always,

when they see a child like you moving up

into the dance. But the happiest heart,

more so than all the rest, belongs to him

who with his wedding gifts will lead you home.    

These eyes of mine have never gazed upon   

anyone like you—either man or woman.

As I observe you, I’m gripped with wonder.

In Delos once I saw something like this—

a youthful palm-tree shoot growing up

beside Apollo’s altar. I’d gone there,

with many others in my company,

on the trip where Fate had planned for me

so many troubles. But when I saw that,

my heart looked on a long time quite astonished—

I’d never noticed such a lovely tree

springing from the earth. And, lady, that’s how

I am amazed at you, lost in wonder,

and am very much afraid to clasp your knee.


___________________

其他文獻提到海棗:

Herodotus提到，希羅多德在其名作《歷史》中記載：納撒摩涅司人(Nasamones)，這是一個人口眾多的部落，利比亞游牧民族，本住在北非利比亞的瑟提斯(Syrtis)灣沿岸，不務農，吃野生海棗和蝗蟲維生。海棗樹在那裡生長得又多又大，而且又都是結果子的。他們又捕捉蝗蟲，蝗蟲捉到後放在太陽下曬乾、研碎，然後撒到奶裡飲用。 (Htd. 4.172)

下面圖片來源: http://wtfm.exblog.jp/4089611/

下面圖片來源: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awjila#mediaviewer/File:A_farm_in_Awjilah.JPG

____________________

下面是ET Bear在台灣收集的圖片

 

40 camel grass

40

camel grass, reed

駱駝草

Cymbopogon schoenanthus

禾本科

Poaceae

σχοῖνος

總是千鈞一髮，然後雅典娜出手助Odysseus。第五卷最後一段(382-493行)，我們看見英雄最變成狗熊，落難到了極致，但是，永不放棄的精神，值得讚揚。

   Odysseus在洶湧的波濤當中漂浮二天兩夜，多次瀕臨死亡邊緣，第三天風暴停下，他看見遠方的陸地，一開始還猶豫，但雅典娜不斷幫助他，他也轉向河神祈求，鼓足勇氣，使盡力氣，游到河口，在爬到駱駝草叢，陸地了，安全了，Odysseus親吻大地。但謹慎的他，衡量此地寒冷，可能也有怪獸，所以逼自己再往前走，一直到兩株枝葉交叉的橄欖樹前，用落葉堆床，孤身獨居荒郊野外，就這樣睡著了。

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D5%3Acard%3D451

ὣς φάθ᾽, ὁ δ᾽ αὐτίκα παῦσεν ἑὸν ῥόον, ἔσχε δὲ κῦμα,

πρόσθε δέ οἱ ποίησε γαλήνην, τὸν δ᾽ ἐσάωσεν

ἐς ποταμοῦ προχοάς. ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἄμφω γούνατ᾽ ἔκαμψε

χεῖράς τε στιβαράς. ἁλὶ γὰρ δέδμητο φίλον κῆρ.

ᾤδεε δὲ χρόα πάντα, θάλασσα δὲ κήκιε πολλὴ

ἂν στόμα τε ῥῖνάς θ᾽: ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἄπνευστος καὶ ἄναυδος

κεῖτ᾽ ὀλιγηπελέων, κάματος δέ μιν αἰνὸς ἵκανεν.

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἄμπνυτο καὶ ἐς φρένα θυμὸς ἀγέρθη,

καὶ τότε δὴ κρήδεμνον ἀπὸ ἕο λῦσε θεοῖο.

καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐς ποταμὸν ἁλιμυρήεντα μεθῆκεν,

ἂψ δ᾽ ἔφερεν μέγα κῦμα κατὰ ῥόον, αἶψα δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἰνὼ

δέξατο χερσὶ φίλῃσιν: ὁ δ᾽ ἐκ ποταμοῖο λιασθεὶς

σχοίνῳ ὑπεκλίνθη, κύσε δὲ ζείδωρον ἄρουραν.

(Odyssey 5. 451-463)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey5.htm

At once the god held back his flow, 

checked the waves, calmed the water up ahead of him,

and brought him safely to the river mouth. Both knees bent,

he let his strong hands fall—the sea had crushed his spirit.

All his skin was swollen, sea water flowed in streams

up in his mouth and nose. He lay there breathless,

without a word, hardly moving—quite overcome

with terrible exhaustion. But when he revived

and spirit moved back into his heart, he untied

the veil the goddess gave him and let the river 

take it as it flowed out to the sea. A great wave

carried it downstream, and then without delay

Ino’s friendly hands retrieved it. But Odysseus

turned from the river, sank down in the rushes,

and kissed life-giving earth.

  

σχοῖνος, camel grass, reed: Cymbopogon schoenanthus

下面圖片與資料出處: http://plantillustrations.org/illustration.php?id_illustration=191967

Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Sprengel var. versicolor [as Andropogon schoenanthus L. var. versicolor]

hemp like grass, Motiya grass

Wood, J.M., Evans, M.S., Natal plants, vol. 2: t. 124 (1899-1904)

下面圖片與資料出處: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYSC8

39 thorn

39 野薊

thorn

野薊

Eryngium campestre

傘形科

Apiaceae

ἄκανθα

Eryngium是刺芹屬

希臘眾神真的很忙，鬥來鬥去，還因為憤怒難消，得想法子整人類。海神，也是地震之神Poseidon就是典型的例子，雖然宙斯都宣布要放Odysseus回家，Poseidon就是不甘心，還是要在興風作浪一番，第五卷282-381行，描述Poseidon的威力，海上的風浪，就像他的情緒，而人類就有苦頭吃了。

  Poseidon呼風喚浪，Odysseus呼天搶地，但還是得撐過去。海上巨浪，有如秋風吹過原野上的野薊(ἄκανθα thorn, Eryngium campestre)。後來還是Cadmus的女兒Ino同情Odysseus，教他放棄木筏，才有機會逃生。

   Odysseus被整了半死，為什麼? 因為當初自大，也因為用巧智傷害他人。神話故事活潑地陳述倫理哲學，聰明反被聰明誤，這麼簡單的道理，但，有聰明才智的人就是學不會。

 ἄκανθα thorn, Eryngium campestre

圖片出處: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eryngium_campestre_%E2%80%94_Flora_Batava_%E2%80%94_Volume_v10.jpg

圖片出處: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eryngium_campestre

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D5%3Acard%3D313

ὀψὲ δὲ δή ῥ᾽ ἀνέδυ, στόματος δ᾽ ἐξέπτυσεν ἅλμην

πικρήν, ἥ οἱ πολλὴ ἀπὸ κρατὸς κελάρυζεν.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὣς σχεδίης ἐπελήθετο, τειρόμενός περ,

ἀλλὰ μεθορμηθεὶς ἐνὶ κύμασιν ἐλλάβετ᾽ αὐτῆς,

ἐν μέσσῃ δὲ καθῖζε τέλος θανάτου ἀλεείνων.

τὴν δ᾽ ἐφόρει μέγα κῦμα κατὰ ῥόον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα.

ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης φορέῃσιν ἀκάνθας

ἂμ πεδίον, πυκιναὶ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλῃσιν ἔχονται,

ὣς τὴν ἂμ πέλαγος ἄνεμοι φέρον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα:

ἄλλοτε μέν τε Νότος Βορέῃ προβάλεσκε φέρεσθαι,

ἄλλοτε δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Εὖρος Ζεφύρῳ εἴξασκε διώκειν.

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey5.htm

But finally he reached the surface,

spitting tart salt water from his mouth, as it streamed down

from off his head. But even so, though badly shaken,

he did not forget about the raft. Through the waves

he swam, grabbed hold, and crouched down in the middle,

trying to escape destructive Fate. The huge wave

carried him along its course this way and that.

Just as in autumn North Wind sweeps the thistledown

along the plain, and the tufts bunch up together,

that’s how the winds then drove his raft to and fro 

across the sea. Sometimes South Wind would toss it

over to North Wind to carry. At other times,

East Wind would let West Wind lead on the chase.