（二）史詩英雄是渣男
荷馬曾經提到，古希臘的戰士在打仗前用香芹來喂戰馬，馬兒食用香芹後體力和精力大增，可以跑得更快。
荷馬的《奧德賽》第五卷中，香芹生長在女神卡呂普索（Calypso）居住的奧傑吉厄島（Ogygia）。這個島是虛構的，像個美妙的仙境，被限製在那裏的女神卡呂普索所受到的懲罰就是：命運女神每過一段時間就送一個需要幫助的英雄，卡呂普索每次都陷入愛河，但送來的英雄都不可能留下。
她救了不幸沉船的奧德修斯（（Odysseus），與他在島上過著天堂一般的生活，用魔力誘惑他，還為他生了一個兒子。他們一起生活了七年，可奧德修斯一心想離開，回到妻子的身邊。卡呂普索想盡一切辦法留住他，最後雅典娜女神看不下去了，到宙斯那兒告狀，要求他幹預。宙斯給赫爾墨斯下了命令。現將部分詩文翻譯如下：
“宙斯說罷。他的信使，殺死百眼巨人阿爾戈斯的赫爾墨斯
謹遵不違。他立刻係好那雙可愛的永不過時的
金色涼鞋的鞋帶，穿著它們，快如暴風，
跨過海洋和無邊無際的土地。
他拿著蛇杖，隻要他願意，
可讓任何一個人閉眼或睜眼。
手握這根蛇杖，殺死阿爾戈斯的威武的赫爾墨斯
飛奔而去- 在皮埃裏亞上空飛速前進，
然後從高空躍入大海，
疾馳於波浪中，像魚鷹一樣
在危險的海灣的水麵下捕魚，
濃密的羽毛被海水打濕 – 赫爾墨斯在波峰裏如是穿行。
當他到達那座遙遠的島嶼時，站了起來，
踏出藍紫色的海麵，走向陸地，
來到一個巨大的岩洞裏，那是
金發女神卡呂普索的家。他在那兒找到她，
爐膛裏燃著熊熊柴火，
劈開的雪鬆和燃燒的檀香木的香氣，
彌漫在整座島嶼。卡呂普索用迷人的嗓音
在岩洞裏唱著歌，走來走去，
在布機前，她用一支金梭在紡織。
洞穴內開花的樹環繞在她四周，還有榿木，
白楊和芳香的柏樹，長著修長翅膀的鳥在樹上築巢，
有貓頭鷹，鷹和嘰嘰喳喳的海鳥
在水上消磨時間。洞穴的四周爬滿
成熟的青藤，上麵掛著串串葡萄。
四口泉水成排挨連，
朝著不同的方向流出清澈的水，
四周柔軟的草地上滿是
盛開的嫩紫香堇和香芹。即使
永生的神來到此地，也會讚賞
此情此景，內心充滿愉悅。
阿爾戈斯的殺手，神的信使，站在那兒，
驚歎於奇景。但他
飽覽了所有美妙的景象後，
走進了寬敞的洞穴。可愛的女神卡呂普索
一眼望見，馬上認出他來。
眾神能夠互相辨識，
即使一些仙人的家可能相隔遙遠。
但是赫爾墨斯沒有在洞穴裏找到奧德修斯-
那個高尚勇敢的男人正坐在沙灘上哀歎，
和以前一樣，心碎流淚痛苦低吟，
當他望著不平靜的海洋時，充滿了悲傷，
淚流滿麵。”
（Once Zeus finished speaking. The killer of Argus,
his messenger, obeyed him. At once he laced up
on his feet those lovely golden ageless sandals
which carry him as fast as stormy blasts of wind
across the ocean seas and boundless tracts of land.
He took with him the wand he uses to put to sleep
or wake up the eyes of anyone he chooses.
With this in hand, the mighty killer of Argus
flew away—speeding high above Pieria,
then leaping from the upper sky down to the sea.
Across the waves he raced, just like a cormorant,
a bird which hunts for fish down in the perilous gulfs
below the restless sea, soaking his thick plumage
in the brine—that how Hermes rode the crowded waves.
But when he reached the distant island, he rose up,
above the violet sea, and moved in onshore,
until he came to an enormous cave, the home
of the fair-haired nymph Calypso. He found her there,
a huge fire blazing in her hearth—from far away
the smell of split cedar and burning sandal wood
spread across the island. With her enchanting voice
Calypso sang inside the cave, as she moved round
back and forth, before her loom—she was weaving
with a golden shuttle. All around her in the cave
trees were in bloom, alder and sweet-smelling cypress,
and poplar, too, with long-winged birds nesting in them—
owls, hawks, and chattering sea crows, who spend their time
out on the water. A garden vine, fully ripe
and loaded with rich grapes, trailed through the hollow cave.
From four fountains, close to each other in a row,
clear water streamed out in various directions,
and all around soft meadows spread out in full bloom
with fresh violets and parsley. Even a god,
who lives forever, coming there, would be amazed
to gaze at it, and his heart would fill with pleasure.
The killer of Argus, god’s messenger, stood there,
marvelling at the sight. But after his spirit
had contemplated all these things with wonder,
he went inside the spacious cave. And Calypso,
that lovely goddess, when she saw him face to face,
was not ignorant of who he was, for the gods
are not unknown to one another, even though
the home of some immortal might be far away.
But Hermes did not find Odysseus in the cave—
that great-hearted man sat lamenting on the shore,
just as before, breaking his heart with tears and groans,
full of sorrow, as he looked out on the restless sea
and wept.）
（注：詩文中的Argus即百眼巨人，有一百隻眼，這些眼睛遍布渾身上下，即便在睡著的時候，也有兩隻眼始終警惕地睜著。赫爾墨斯誘其入睡並割下他的頭顱，宙斯之妻赫拉把他的眼睛剜出，安在孔雀的尾部，所以孔雀才會有如此美麗的尾巴。）
當赫爾墨斯當著卡呂普索的麵宣布宙斯的命令時，女神狂怒，對男神們隨意與凡間女子發生關係、卻限製女神與凡間男子的交往表示了強烈的不滿。荷馬是這樣描述的：
“赫爾墨斯說完這番話，可愛的女神卡呂普索
渾身顫抖，開口答他- 用長了翅膀的言語：
‘你們這些男神殘酷，無比嫉妒-
比任何的生靈都善妒。你們不樂意
女神和凡間男子交往，
並帶他們上床。當擁有玫瑰色手指的黎明女神
選配了俄裏翁，你們這些生活得悠閑自在的男神嫉妒她，
直到享用金寶座的聖潔的阿耳忒彌斯
來到奧提伽，用她的溫柔羽箭
射死了他。同樣的，
當金發的得墨忒耳在激情驅使下，
與伊阿西翁在耕過三次的田裏
做愛，宙斯很快聽說此事，
扔出閃亮的霹靂
把他炸死。
現在你們這些男神又嫉妒了，
因為一個凡間男人與我同居。
是我救了他，當他孤立無援，獨自騎在船的龍骨上-
他的快船被宙斯熊熊的閃電擊毀了，
在酒綠色的海中央，
他的所有勇敢的同伴葬身海底，
風浪把他送到了這裏。
這是一個我珍惜和愛護的男人，
我會讓他長生不老，
在未來所有的日子裏永恒不滅。
然而沒有一個神靈可以改變
或取消宙斯的計劃，
讓他在動蕩不安的海上航行吧，
如果這是宙斯的意願和命令。
而我無法護送他離開這裏，
我既沒有帶槳的海船，
也沒有什麽夥伴幫他跨越寬闊的海麵，
但我會給他真誠的建議，
絕無保留，使他平平安安，
回到自己的家園。’”
（Hermes finished. Calypso, the lovely goddess,
trembled as she replied to him—her words had wings:
“The gods are cruel and far too jealous—
more so than others. They are unhappy
if goddesses make mortal men their partners,
taking them to bed for sex. That’s how it was
when rose-fingered Dawn wanted Orion—
you gods that live at ease were jealous of her,
until golden-throned sacred Artemis
came to Ortygia and murdered him
with her gentle arrows. In the same way,
when fair-haired Demeter was overcome
with passion and had sex with Iasion
in a thrice-ploughed fallow field, soon enough
Zeus heard of it and utterly destroyed him
by throwing down his dazzling lightning bolt.
Now once again you gods are envious,
because a mortal man lives here with me.
I saved him when he was all by himself,
riding his ship’s keel—his swift ship was smashed
by a blow from Zeus’s flaming lightning,
while in the middle of the wine-dark sea,
where all his other brave companions died.
Wind and waves brought him here. This is a man
I cherished and looked after, and I said
I would make him ageless and immortal
for all days to come. But since there’s no way
another god can override the plans
of aegis-bearing Zeus or cancel them,
let him be off across the restless seas,
if Zeus has so commanded and decreed.
But I’ll have no part of escorting him
away from here—I have no ships with oars
nor any crew to take him on his way
across the broad back of the sea. But still,
I can make sincere suggestions to him
and keep nothing hidden, so he can reach
his native land and get back safe and sound.”）
在這段憤怒的言語反擊中，卡呂普索舉了兩個男神嫉妒女神的例子。第一個例子：阿波羅的孿生姐姐阿耳忒彌斯（Artemis）戀上了年輕英俊的獵人俄裏翁（Orion），為了保住姐姐的貞潔，阿波羅對俄裏翁起了殺意。有一次，阿波羅見到俄裏翁在水中行走，水麵上隻浮出了他的頭頂。他就指著俄裏翁的頭頂和阿耳忒彌斯打賭說，她一定無法射中漂在水麵上的這個東西。阿耳忒彌斯不服氣，射出了萬無一失的致命一箭，命中了目標。隨即波浪將俄裏翁的屍體衝到了岸邊。阿耳忒彌斯發現後，悲痛欲絕，知道自己犯下了無法挽回的過失。為了贖罪，她把俄裏翁安置到了天上，成為了獵戶座。第二個例子：宙斯的兒子伊阿西翁（Iasion ）與農業女神得墨忒耳（宙斯的姐姐和妻子之一）在耕過三次的田地裏性交，結果生出了財神普路托斯（Plutus，意為“財富”）。宙斯出於嫉妒用閃電將伊阿西翁劈死。
這裏再給大家補充兩個知識點。詩文中的Ortygia（奧提伽島）是希臘一個著名的小島，荷馬史詩說到提洛的阿波羅時，說女神勒托停留在奧提伽島，先生下了阿耳忒彌斯，然後阿耳忒彌斯幫助勒托穿過海洋，到提洛島，勒托在那裏生下了阿波羅。《奧德賽》第11卷第572行，來到冥府的奧德修斯見到了俄裏翁，“在他（米諾斯）之後，我見著了碩大的俄裏翁，趕著他在荒僻的山上殺死的野獸，穿過水仙花平原，手握一根永遠不會斷裂的青銅棍棒”。（And after him I marked huge Orion driving together over the field of asphodel wild beasts which he himself had slain on the lonely hills, and in his hands he held a club all of bronze, ever unbroken.）
《奧德賽》第五卷，卡呂普索在宙斯的命令下不得已放走了奧德修斯。她給奧德修斯提供工具和自己親手紡的布，奧德修斯隻用五天時間就造成了小船，揚帆離開了小島。他的精湛的造船工藝和獨自航海的能力都是令古希臘人佩服的。
值得一提的是，奧德修斯的性格比任何刻板的史詩英雄都複雜的多，而且現代讀者（特別是女性讀者）對史詩中明顯的男女雙重道德標準可能感到強烈的不滿。奧德修斯的妻子佩內洛普（Penelope）最大的價值體現在她的忠貞癡情，守身如玉苦等丈夫二十年，拒絕了所有的追求者。而奧德修斯在歸程中至少與兩位女神同居過，一位是卡呂普索，一位是瑟西，還分別同她們生了孩子。他的私生活並不檢點，卻被荷馬塑造成了英雄。這個故事如果發生在當今社會，當一個男人對妻子說：“我離家二十年，在外麵睡了幾個女人，還有一堆私生子，可我最愛的還是你，最後戰勝各種情欲誘惑回到你和嫡子身邊”，妻子會原諒他嗎？
你認為奧德修斯是個渣男嗎？
