“Then came the ghost of Achilles, son of Peleus,
And those of Patroculus and peerless Antilochus
And Ajax, who surpassed all the Danaans,
Except Achilles, in looks and build.”
(11.486-489).
You would be hard pressed to find a strong, brave warrior who isn’t some sort of peerless beauty. Even in this passage, where Odysseus is talking to ghosts, we need to still be reminded of how physically attractive they are.
This is an interesting clash of beauty and brawn. As warriors and soldiers going in and out of wars, there is a valid justification for why these men should look beaten, sweaty and unshaven. Earlier in the above passage, Odysseus even describes how the men who died in battle still look the way they died as ghosts, blood stains and all (11.38-39). However, somehow their beauty is not tarnished. Ajax and Achilles are apparently some pretty sexy ghosts despite their potentially looking like skewered shish kebabs.
The interesting thing is that the reality of war and the unrealistic maintenance of physicality may seem contrary and improbable, but at the same time they completely work together well.
A good looking appearance seems to be a sign that someone is trustworthy and good. When Athena helped Odysseus be accepted by the Phaeacians in Book 8, she did so by upgrading his appearance. Suddenly, he was a taller, more muscled man covered by a “shimmering grace.” Even the rituals hosts do for their guests: bathing them, oiling them and putting them in fine clothes, seems somewhat reminiscent of what might occur on a spa day.
Why is it that warriors are also typically beautiful? Or is is that because they are warriors, they are also beautiful? Perhaps appearance is so praised, especially in a warrior, because that shows the favor of a god, or multiple ones. Athena, who favors Odysseus, also makes him more attractive. Other heroes, many considered “godlike,” also tend to be distinguished as good looking.
This is something described very often, and it is unusual to see these “manly” men resort to praises and compliments on the physical appearances of their fellow warriors. Despite seeming contrary to each other, it might make more sense if an attractive appearance was also considered “manly” for a warrior. If a hero was born with skill and might, and thus a god favored them and also blessed them with attractiveness, those good looks may show to everyone they are someone to be respected. It would go full circle. Which is why beauty and brawn would play such a large role in a world where appearance demonstrates the warrior just as much as his talents do.
On the other hand, attractiveness can automatically be taken as a sign of a good, strong person, just like how appearance in the 21st Century can make an impact on job interviews, friends and strangers now. Perhaps even warriors live off assumptions produced by appearance rather than character. Regardless, beauty seems to be important, or at least distinguished upon, in a warrior and can therefore be the deciding factor in who someone decides to trust.
This post picks up on a fascinating thread in the Odyssey–the presentation of male beauty (periodically), which seems to be linked to ‘masculine’ qualities of valor, bravery, ability to withstand hardship. I think what you point out, ultimately, is that our (whoever “we” are–but, let’s say, 21st century, living in New York) commonsense distinction between beauty and brawn may in fact not be a distinction for the Greeks. You are right to connect this moment to Odysseus’ arrival in Phaeacia, where he actually WORRIES about his appearance–he’s been so battered by the sea he fears he may present a frightening aspect.
LK
PS Your opening line made me laugh out loud–as did the idea of Hades’ sexy ghosts.
I love that you focused on the “beauty” aspect of The Odyssey. Typically, in our world today, we would believe that the last thing we would call heroes and soldiers is beautiful. However, in the world of The Odyssey, beauty is incredibly important, mainly because gods are known to be incredibly beauty and they tend to have beautiful kids (not really in the case of Poseidon and his cyclops son, or maybe cyclops are beautiful too?). When someone is attractive, mortals in The Odyssey automatically assume that they are closer to the gods or in some way related to them. I never realized how important attractiveness has been in this epic.
Awesome Analysis! Reading your post made me realize how I simply overlooked such a big aspect of the books we have been reading. Even though there are multiple referrals to character’s appearances I had never payed much attention to it or actually tried to figure out why that was there. The idea you brought up makes complete sense, how “A good looking appearance seems to be a sign that someone is trustworthy and good.” And you are right to relate it to the 21st century and our society today. We are much more likely to trust, respect, and admire someone who is good looking than someone who isn’t nicely dressed and doesn’t look properly groomed.