ancient Greek literature Ancient Greek literature is literature written in the Ancient Greek language from the earliest texts until the time of the Byzantine Empire. The earliest surviving works of ancient Greek literature, dating back to the early Archaic period, ar ...

, an eidolon (; 'image, idol, double, apparition, phantom,

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

'; plural: eidola or eidolons) is a spirit-image of a living or dead person; a shade or phantom

look-alike A look-alike, or double, is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of Family resemblance (anthropology), family resemblance. Some look-alikes have been notable individua ...

of the human form. In the Homeric epic, it plays two functions: one as an image of the dead; and, as the deceased ''in propria persona''.

Literary use

The concept of

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

's eidolon was explored both by

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

and

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

. Homer uses the concept as a free-standing idea that gives Helen

life after death ''Life After Death'' is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. ...

. Euripides entangles it with the idea of ''

kleos ''Kleos'' () is the Greek word often translated to "renown" or " glory". It is related to the English word "loud" and carries the implied meaning of "what others hear about you". A Greek hero earns ''kleos'' through accomplishing great deeds. Ac ...

'', the one being the product of the other. Both Euripides and

Stesichorus Stesichorus (; , ''Stēsichoros''; c. 630 – 555 BC) was a Greek Greek lyric, lyric poet native of Metauros (Gioia Tauro today). He is best known for telling epic stories in lyric metres, and for some ancient traditions about his life, such as hi ...

, in their works concerning the

Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...

, use the concept of the eidolon to claim that Helen was never physically present in the city at all. The concept of the eidola of the dead has been explored in literature regarding

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

, who in later works was constantly laboring against the eidola of

Clytemnestra Clytemnestra (, ; , ), in Greek mythology, was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the half-sister of Helen of Sparta. In Aeschylus' ''Oresteia'', she murders Agamemnon – said by Euripides to be her second husband – and the Trojan p ...

and later of Helen herself. Homer's use of eidola also extends to the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'' where, after the death of the

suitors of Penelope In Greek mythology, the suitors of Penelope (also known in Latin as the ) are one of the main subjects of Homer's ''Odyssey''. Role in the ''Odyssey'' In the ''Odyssey,'' Homer describes Odysseus' journey home from Troy. Prior to the Trojan War ...

Theoclymenus In Greek mythology, Theoclymenus (; Ancient Greek: Θεοκλύμενος) was a prophet from Argos. He is a character in the '' Odyssey'', in which he accompanies Telemachus from Pylos back to Ithaca. In the ''Odyssey'', he foresees Odysseus ...

notes that he sees the doorway of the court filled with them. In '' Dream-Land'', an 1844 poem by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

, an eidolon rules over a realm haunted by "ill angels only" and reserved for the ones whose "woes are legion" and who "walk in shadow".

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

's 1876 poem, Eidolon, used a much broader understanding of the term, expanded and detailed in the poem. In Whitman's use of the term, we can see the use broaden to include the concept of an oversoul composed of the individual souls of all life and expanding to include the Earth itself and the hierarchy of the planets, Sun, stars and galaxy.

Sandeep Parmar Sandeep Parmar is a contemporary poet, who was born in Nottingham, England, and raised in Southern California. She currently lives in London. Parmar is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool. She is a Fellow of the Royal ...

's Eidolon won the Ledbury Prize for a second collection. Eidolons are prominently featured in Kazuhiro Fujita’s manga “ The Ghost and the Lady”. Here, they are featured as demonic entities that attach themselves to living humans and gain power from the negative emotions of the living.

References

{{reflist Ancient Greek religion Helen of Troy Spirits

Literary use

See also

References