Odyssey 24 看見年邁的父親

Odyssey 24. 205-301

下面場景轉到Odysseus走道田莊探視年邁的父親。這田莊是Laertes親手打造，旁邊還有住屋、棚舍，所以老人家可以遠離城市生活。但是，Odysseus並不打算馬上和父親相擁相認，他想看看父親是不是還認得他，所以Odysseus走進父親的果園，遠遠地看父親孤零零一人，川著骯髒的衣服，衣服全是補丁，帶著牛皮護腿，頭戴羊皮帽。站在一棵梨樹下，Odysseus望著年老的父親，不禁悲從中來，淚潸潸：

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D24%3Acard%3D232

ὣς εἰπὼν δμώεσσιν ἀρήϊα τεύχε᾽ ἔδωκεν.

οἱ μὲν ἔπειτα δόμονδε θοῶς κίον, αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς

ἆσσον ἴεν πολυκάρπου ἀλωῆς πειρητίζων.

οὐδ᾽ εὗρεν Δολίον, μέγαν ὄρχατον ἐσκαταβαίνων,

οὐδέ τινα δμώων οὐδ᾽ υἱῶν: ἀλλ᾽ ἄρα τοί γε

αἱμασιὰς λέξοντες ἀλωῆς ἔμμεναι ἕρκος

ᾤχοντ᾽, αὐτὰρ ὁ τοῖσι γέρων ὁδὸν ἡγεμόνευε.

τὸν δ᾽ οἶον πατέρ᾽ εὗρεν ἐϋκτιμένῃ ἐν ἀλωῇ,

λιστρεύοντα φυτόν: ῥυπόωντα δὲ ἕστο χιτῶνα

ῥαπτὸν ἀεικέλιον, περὶ δὲ κνήμῃσι βοείας

κνημῖδας ῥαπτὰς δέδετο, γραπτῦς ἀλεείνων,

χειρῖδάς τ᾽ ἐπὶ χερσὶ βάτων ἕνεκ᾽: αὐτὰρ ὕπερθεν

αἰγείην κυνέην κεφαλῇ ἔχε, πένθος ἀέξων.

τὸν δ᾽ ὡς οὖν ἐνόησε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς

γήραϊ τειρόμενον, μέγα δὲ φρεσὶ πένθος ἔχοντα,

στὰς ἄρ᾽ ὑπὸ βλωθρὴν ὄγχνην κατὰ δάκρυον εἶβε.

(Odyssey 24. 219-234)

γηράσκω grow old

βλωθρός tall

ὄγχνη pear-tree, Pirus communis

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey24.htm

Odysseus spoke,

then gave his battle weapons to his servants.

They quickly went inside the house. Then Odysseus,   

walking out to test his father, came up beside

the fruitful vineyard and from there continued down

to the extensive orchard, where he failed to find

Dolius or any sons of his father’s slaves.

They’d gone off to gather large rocks for the wall

around the vineyard, with the old man in the lead.

In the well-established vineyard he found his father.

He was digging round a plant, all by himself,

dressed in a filthy, shabby, patched-up tunic.

Around his legs he’d tied shin pads stitched from ox-hide

to protect himself from scratches, and on his hands  

he had on gloves, since there were thistles in that spot.

On his head he wore a goatskin hat. In these clothes

he was dealing with his grief. When lord Odysseus,

who had endured so much, saw him worn down with age

and carrying so much heavy sorrow in his heart,

he stood under a tall pear tree and shed a tear...

第244-248行會在提到Laertes的果園除了梨樹，還有無花果、葡萄、橄欖、和蔬菜等等。雖然，離家二十年的Odysseus看見這幕很感傷，但是我也看見，老年的Laertes在自己的田地與果園中，自得其樂，至少，還有體力忙著田裡的事。

       父與子的故事，特別是闊別後重逢的一幕，在《舊約》有一些例子，最有名的就是Jacob and Joseph (Gen. 37.34)。英文中的sackcloth and ashes的典故源自《舊約》。老人家穿著破爛，表示哀悼而兒子已死。這裡有點出荷馬史詩和近東地區古文化的相似之處。

下面資料出處: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionary-of-bible-themes/6742-sackcloth-ashes sackcloth and ashes Sackcloth is a coarse, black cloth made from goat’s hair that was worn together with the burnt ashes of wood as a sign of mourning for personal and national disaster, as a sign of repentance and at times of prayer for deliverance. Sackcloth and ashes worn as a sign of mourning for the dead By Jacob for Joseph Ge 37:34 By David, Joab and the people for Abner See also 2Sa 3:31 Sackcloth and ashes worn as a sign of mourning for personal or national disaster Job 16:15; Job 42:6 See also Est 4:1; La 2:10; Joel 1:8 Sackcloth and ashes worn as a sign of repentance for sin By Ahab 1Ki 21:27 By David and the elders See also 1Ch 21:16 By the Israelites Ne 9:1 By the Ninevites and their king See also Jnh 3:5-9 Even the animals were to wear sackcloth. By others Isa 15:3; Jer 49:3; Eze 27:31; Mt 11:21 pp Lk 10:13 Sackcloth and ashes worn at times of prayer for deliverance By Hezekiah and his companions 2Ki 19:1-2 By Daniel Da 9:3 Sackcloth was worn in many different ways See also 1Ki 20:31; 2Ki 6:30; Isa 3:24; Isa 58:5; Joel 1:13 Sackcloth used figuratively Isa 50:3

Odysseus又編一個故事騙父親，但終究父子要相認，Odysseus 說出實情，但是愛說謊的人，實在令人難以相信，Laertes要他拿出具體證據說明，Odysseus舉兩個例子，一個是腳傷，一個是果園的果樹數目，13棵梨子樹，10棵蘋果樹，和40 棵無花果樹，還有50棵葡萄藤：

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D24%3Acard%3D1

οὐλὴν μὲν πρῶτον τήνδε φράσαι ὀφθαλμοῖσι,

τὴν ἐν Παρνησῷ μ᾽ ἔλασεν σῦς λευκῷ ὀδόντι

οἰχόμενον: σὺ δέ με προΐεις καὶ πότνια μήτηρ

ἐς πατέρ᾽ Αὐτόλυκον μητρὸς φίλον, ὄφρ᾽ ἂν ἑλοίμην

δῶρα, τὰ δεῦρο μολών μοι ὑπέσχετο καὶ κατένευσεν.

εἰ δ᾽ ἄγε τοι καὶ δένδρε᾽ ἐϋκτιμένην κατ᾽ ἀλωὴν

εἴπω, ἅ μοί ποτ᾽ ἔδωκας, ἐγὼ δ᾽ ᾔτεόν σε ἕκαστα

παιδνὸς ἐών, κατὰ κῆπον ἐπισπόμενος: διὰ δ᾽ αὐτῶν

ἱκνεύμεσθα, σὺ δ᾽ ὠνόμασας καὶ ἔειπες ἕκαστα.

ὄγχνας μοι δῶκας τρισκαίδεκα καὶ δέκα μηλέας,

συκέας τεσσαράκοντ᾽: ὄρχους δέ μοι ὧδ᾽ ὀνόμηνας

δώσειν πεντήκοντα, διατρύγιος δὲ ἕκαστος

ἤην: ἔνθα δ᾽ ἀνὰ σταφυλαὶ παντοῖαι ἔασιν—

ὁππότε δὴ Διὸς ὧραι ἐπιβρίσειαν ὕπερθεν.

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey24.htm

“First, let your eyes inspect this scar—a boar

inflicted that on me with its white tusk,

when I went to Parnassus, sent there

by you and by my honourable mother,

to her cherished father, Autolycus,

so I could get the gifts he’d promised me,

what he’d agreed to give when he was here.

Come, I’ll tell you the trees you gave me once

in the well-established vineyard—back then

I was a child following you in the yard,

and I asked about each one. It was here—we walked by these very trees. You named them

and described them to me. You offered me

thirteen pear trees and ten apple trees

along with forty fig trees. In the same way,

you said you’d give me fifty rows of vines,

bearing all sorts of different types of grapes,

when Zeus’ seasons load their tops with fruit.

這裡的蘋果樹: μηλέα apple-tree, Pyrus malus，From Latin pirus (“pear tree”) + mālus (“apple tree”)，和梨是同科同屬。

下面圖片資料來源: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Laertes.html

 

Odyssey 23. 181-204 奧德修斯的橄欖樹床

Penelope想出一個證明眼前這位美男子是不是自己的丈夫的方式，考題就是，如何移動主臥室的那張床？知道答案的人，應該只有當初親手打造這個家，這張床的Odysseus。

  這個問題是陷阱題，因為者張床是橄欖樹打造，並精心設計過，根本無法移動。所以Odysseus果真是本尊，他的回答如下：

θάμνος ἔφυ τανύφυλλος ἐλαίης ἕρκεος ἐντός,

ἀκμηνὸς θαλέθων: πάχετος δ᾽ ἦν ἠΰτε κίων.

τῷ δ᾽ ἐγὼ ἀμφιβαλὼν θάλαμον δέμον, ὄφρ᾽ ἐτέλεσσα,

πυκνῇσιν λιθάδεσσι, καὶ εὖ καθύπερθεν ἔρεψα,

κολλητὰς δ᾽ ἐπέθηκα θύρας, πυκινῶς ἀραρυίας.

καὶ τότ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἀπέκοψα κόμην τανυφύλλου ἐλαίης,

κορμὸν δ᾽ ἐκ ῥίζης προταμὼν ἀμφέξεσα χαλκῷ

εὖ καὶ ἐπισταμένως, καὶ ἐπὶ στάθμην ἴθυνα,

ἑρμῖν᾽ ἀσκήσας, τέτρηνα δὲ πάντα τερέτρῳ.

ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἀρχόμενος λέχος ἔξεον, ὄφρ᾽ ἐτέλεσσα,

δαιδάλλων χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἠδ᾽ ἐλέφαντι:

ἐκ δ᾽ ἐτάνυσσα ἱμάντα βοὸς φοίνικι φαεινόν.

οὕτω τοι τόδε σῆμα πιφαύσκομαι: οὐδέ τι οἶδα,

ἤ μοι ἔτ᾽ ἔμπεδόν ἐστι, γύναι, λέχος, ἦέ τις ἤδη

ἀνδρῶν ἄλλοσε θῆκε, ταμὼν ὕπο πυθμέν᾽ ἐλαίης.

(Odyssey 23.190-204)

For built into the well-constructed bedstead

is a great symbol which  I made myself

with no one else. A long-leaved olive bush

was growing in the yard. It was in bloom

and flourishing—it looked like a pillar.

I built my bedroom round this olive bush,

till I had finished it with well-set stones.

I put a good roof over it, then added 

closely fitted jointed doors. After that,

I cut back the foliage, by removing

branches from the long-leaved olive bush.

I trimmed the trunk off, upward from the root,

cutting it skillfully and well with bronze,

so it followed a straight line. Once I’d made

the bedpost, I used an augur to bore out

the entire piece. That was how I started.

Then I carved out my bed, till I was done.

In it I set an inlay made of gold, 

silver, and ivory, and then across it

I stretched a bright purple thong of ox-hide.

And that’s the symbol I describe for you. 

But, lady, I don’t know if that bed of mine

is still in place or if some other man

has cut that olive tree down at its base

and set the bed up in a different spot.

這張床是無法移動的，當然也富有以多象徵意義，從種樹到用這棵橄欖樹打造一張永恆不移動的床，Odysseus原來是如此用心經營自己的婚姻，自己的家。

下面圖片出處: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM1yVOqZADTaIP8d3WwDNEvbplLzBhlVWz2Rm6s8TTyzyadIKGfvOP8BvjQvQZBRHZKzC1a2z3vABUGF3RjCWhhiFv_REOwrH6peui8IINVr7BzE_DZ5PrlsaynSD7_lhFUobix-GtFQ/s1600/demeter_group_web.jpg

 下面圖片出處:

http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/penelope.htm 

 

下面圖片出處: http://www.elfwood.com/~kiwinut/Odyssey-9-The-Great-Rooted-Bed.2917018.html

下面圖片出處: http://hometreehome.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/odysseus/

Odyssey 23. 141-204 Odysseus整形後

Odyssey 23. 141-204

準備一場「假婚禮」，一方面掩人耳目，不讓周遭的人發現家裡開發生的大屠殺；另一方面，闊別二十年，Odysseus和Penelope再相逢的婚禮。

  當然，Odysseus需要盥洗一番，洗去身上汙垢傷口，換上新衣，煥然一新：

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D23%3Acard%3D129

ὣς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκε, τὰ δ᾽ οὐκ ἴσαν ὡς ἐτέτυκτο.

αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ

Εὐρυνόμη ταμίη λοῦσεν καὶ χρῖσεν ἐλαίῳ,

ἀμφὶ δέ μιν φᾶρος καλὸν βάλεν ἠδὲ χιτῶνα:

αὐτὰρ κὰκ κεφαλῆς κάλλος πολὺ χεῦεν Ἀθήνη

μείζονά τ᾽ εἰσιδέειν καὶ πάσσονα: κὰδ δὲ κάρητος

οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.

ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ

ἴδρις, ὃν Ἥφαιστος δέδαεν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη

τέχνην παντοίην, χαρίεντα δὲ ἔργα τελείει:

ὣς μὲν τῷ περίχευε χάριν κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ὤμοις.

ἐκ δ᾽ ἀσαμίνθου βῆ δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος:

ἂψ δ᾽ αὖτις κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζετ᾽ ἐπὶ θρόνου ἔνθεν ἀνέστη,

ἀντίον ἧς ἀλόχου, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε:

(Odyssey 23. 152-165)

κόμη hair of the head

ὑακίνθινος hyacinthine

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey23.htm

That’s what someone would’ve said—he’d never know

what was going on. Meanwhile, Eurynome,

the housekeeper, gave brave Odysseus a bath,

rubbed him with oil, and put a tunic on him,

a fine cloak, as well. Athena poured beauty on him,

large amounts to make him taller, more robust

to look at, and on his head she made his hair

flow in curls resembling a hyacinth in bloom.

Just as a man sets a layer of gold on silver,  

a skillful artisan whom Pallas Athena

and Hephaestus have taught all sorts of crafts,

so he produces marvelous work, that’s how Athena

poured grace onto his head and shoulders, as he came

out of his bath, looking like the immortal gods.

He sat back down in the chair from which he’d risen,

opposite his wife, and said to her:

女僕Eurynome幫Odysseus洗澡，打點，加上雅典娜大力相助，這時男主角似乎接受完美整形手術，變得像偶像劇裡的帥哥。頭髮也經過造型設計，髮捲如盛開的水仙花一般美麗。

   不過，這對夫妻近在咫尺，仍陌生無比，都還是稱對方「怪人」(δαιμόνιος)。Penelope想出一個證明眼前這位美男子是不是自己的丈夫的方式，考題就是，如何移動主臥室的那張床？知道答案的人，應該只有當初親手打造這個家，這張床的Odysseus。

圖片出處: http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=15;t=000608

風信子的花形  

圖片來源  http://www.flowerspictures.org/flower-pictures/hyacinth_1.html

Odyssey 23. 85-150 根本無法相認

Odyssey 23. 85-150

總算成埃落定，完成報仇大業，但是，糗大了，Penelope根本認不出眼前這位老兄是不是自己的丈夫Odysseus。Penelope心中忐忑不安，打量Odysseus，但不知開怎麼開口：

ὣς φαμένη κατέβαιν᾽ ὑπερώϊα: πολλὰ δέ οἱ κῆρ

ὥρμαιν᾽, ἢ ἀπάνευθε φίλον πόσιν ἐξερεείνοι,

ἦ παρστᾶσα κύσειε κάρη καὶ χεῖρε λαβοῦσα.

ἡ δ᾽ ἐπεὶ εἰσῆλθεν καὶ ὑπέρβη λάϊνον οὐδόν,

ἕζετ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ Ὀδυσῆος ἐναντίη, ἐν πυρὸς αὐγῇ,

τοίχου τοῦ ἑτέρου: ὁ δ᾽ ἄρα πρὸς κίονα μακρὴν

ἧστο κάτω ὁρόων, ποτιδέγμενος εἴ τί μιν εἴποι

ἰφθίμη παράκοιτις, ἐπεὶ ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν.

ἡ δ᾽ ἄνεω δὴν ἧστο, τάφος δέ οἱ ἦτορ ἵκανεν:

ὄψει δ᾽ ἄλλοτε μέν μιν ἐνωπαδίως ἐσίδεσκεν,

ἄλλοτε δ᾽ ἀγνώσασκε κακὰ χροῒ εἵματ᾽ ἔχοντα.

   (Odyssey 23. 85-95)

Κήρ: the goddess of death

κῆρ: heart

Penelope spoke, then went down from the upper room,

her heart turning over many things—Should she

keep her distance and question her dear husband,

or should she come up to him, hold his head and hands,

and kiss them? Crossing the stone threshold, she went in

and sat down in the firelight opposite Odysseus,

beside the further wall. He was sitting there  

by a tall pillar, looking at the ground, waiting

to learn if his noble wife would speak to him

when her own eyes caught sight of him. She sat there

a long time in silence. Amazement came in her heart—

sometimes her eyes gazed at him full in the face,

but other times she failed to recognize him,

he had such shabby clothing covering his body.

眼前這位真的是闊別二十年的丈夫？歷經戰爭與海上歷練， Odysseus還是同一個人嗎？變多少？不變的又是甚麼？在兩人四眼交會的這刻，回憶與失憶都一起湧上，如何去掉所有的假裝，如何展現真的自我？如何相認？

   Telemachus心急，責備母親的殘酷無情，居然不馬上和父親相認，但Telemachus不懂，Odysseus卻了解…

   此刻，Odysseus也想到後續的問題：

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D23%3Acard%3D85

καὶ γάρ τίς θ᾽ ἕνα φῶτα κατακτείνας ἐνὶ δήμῳ,

ᾧ μὴ πολλοὶ ἔωσιν ἀοσσητῆρες ὀπίσσω,

φεύγει πηούς τε προλιπὼν καὶ πατρίδα γαῖαν:

ἡμεῖς δ᾽ ἕρμα πόληος ἀπέκταμεν, οἳ μέγ᾽ ἄριστοι

κούρων εἰν Ἰθάκῃ: τὰ δέ σε φράζεσθαι ἄνωγα.

(Odyssey 23.118-122)

Anyone who murders just one person

in the district, even when the dead man

does not leave many to avenge him later,

goes into exile, leaving his relatives

and his native land. But we have slaughtered

the city’s main defence, the best by far

of the young men in Ithaca. I think

you should consider what that means.

現在Odysseus知道自己殺的可是Ithaca當地的菁英分子，他得付出殺人的代價，必須遠離家鄉。他先想個緩兵之計，假裝家裡辦喜事，盡量壓住這群人已死的消息，然後自己逃到深山裡，看神明的啟示，再做下一步打算。

Odyssey 23.1-84 健康康朗的老女人

今天開始寫第23卷筆記，這卷主題是Odysseus和Penelope重逢，但我比較有興趣的是這位健康快樂的老女人。

終於，Odysseus和Penelope要相認了。這卷書，一開始出場的是輕鬆愉快的老奶媽，這老女人，笑聲盈盈，做事敏捷，走路快而有精神，真是好健康的老人。她快步跑到樓上，通知Penelope好消息：

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D23%3Acard%3D1

γρηῢς δ᾽ εἰς ὑπερῷ᾽ ἀνεβήσετο καγχαλόωσα,

δεσποίνῃ ἐρέουσα φίλον πόσιν ἔνδον ἐόντα:

γούνατα δ᾽ ἐρρώσαντο, πόδες δ᾽ ὑπερικταίνοντο.

στῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν:

‘ἔγρεο, Πηνελόπεια, φίλον τέκος, ὄφρα ἴδηαι

ὀφθαλμοῖσι τεοῖσι τά τ᾽ ἔλδεαι ἤματα πάντα.

ἦλθ᾽ Ὀδυσεὺς καὶ οἶκον ἱκάνεται, ὀψέ περ ἐλθών.

μνηστῆρας δ᾽ ἔκτεινεν ἀγήνορας, οἵ θ᾽ ἑὸν οἶκον

κήδεσκον καὶ κτήματ᾽ ἔδον βιόωντό τε παῖδα.

   (Odyssey 23. 1-9)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey23.htm

Old Eurycleia went up to an upstairs room,

laughing to herself, to inform her mistress

her beloved husband was inside the house.

Her knees moved quickly as her feet hurried on.

She stood beside her lady’s head and spoke to her:

“Wake up, Penelope, my dear child,

so you yourself can see with your own eyes

what you’ve been wanting each and every day.

Odysseus has arrived. He may be late,

but he’s back in the house. And he’s killed

those arrogant suitors who upset this home,

used up his goods, and victimized his son.”

γραῦς old woman

καγχαλάω rejoice, exult

ῥώομαι move with speed

聽到老奶媽說Odysseus已回來，還殺死所有的高傲的追求者，Penelope質疑，不相信這是真的。還認為Odysseus逃不過厄運 (Κακοίλιος, evil, Odyssey 23.19)。老奶媽重頭開始解釋，說明Odysseus回來，她幫忙洗腳，還有她親眼目睹大廳屠殺後的場景，比喻血灘中的Odysseus，英勇如獅子；必再次說明目前家中已在用硫磺煙燻消毒 (Odyssey 23. 45-51)。

    Penelope再次警告老奶媽哀矜勿喜，雖然Odysseus平安歸來是大喜之事，但家中血光之災，絕非善事。話雖如此，我們看到的是Penelope的多慮不安，對比的是老奶媽單純快樂，直接表達情緒的泰然態度。

古代乳癌的案例: Queen Atossa

以下資料出處 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atossa
Atossa (Ancient Greek: Ἄτοσσα, from Old Persian*Utauθa, in Avestan: Hutaosā) was anAchaemenid queen and daughter of Cyrus the Great and Cassandane. She lived from 550 BC to 475 BC and probably was a sister of the Persian king Cambyses II.

Atossa married Darius I during 522 BC after he, with the help of the nobleman Otanes, defeated the followers of a man claiming to be Bardiya(Smerdis), the younger brother of Cambyses II.

Atossa married Darius I during 522 BC after he, with the help of the nobleman Otanes, defeated the followers of a man claiming to be Bardiya(Smerdis), the younger brother of Cambyses II.[1]

Herodotus records in The Histories that Atossa was troubled by a bleeding lump in her breast. She wrapped herself in sheets and sought a self-imposed quarantine. Ultimately, a Greek slave, Democedes, persuaded her to allow him to excise the tumor. [2]

Xerxes I was the eldest son of Atossa and Darius. Atossa lived to see Xerxes invade Greece. Being a direct descendent of Cyrus the Great, Atossa had a great authority within Achamenian royal house and court. Atossa's special position enabled Xerxes, who was not the eldest son of Darius, to succeed his father.

Aeschylus included her as a central character in his tragedy The Persians. Atossa is also one of the major characters in the Gore Vidal novel Creation.

In his history of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee imagines Atossa traveling through time, encountering different diagnoses and treatments for herbreast cancer. Atossa becomes emblematic of cancer sufferers through history.

下面資料出處: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/atossa-achaemenid-queen

ATOSSA, Achaemenid queen. The Greek form of the name may reflect Old Pers. *Utauθa ( = Av. Hutaosā), possibly “well trickling” or “well granting” (see M. Mayrhofer, Iranisches Personennamenbuch I, Vienna, 1979, p. I/52, no. 179). The most famous bearer of this name was the daughter of Cyrus the Great—probably his eldest; her mother may have been Cassandane. Atossa lived ca. 550-475 B.C.; Aeschylus’ Persae would indicate that she was still alive when Xerxes invaded Greece. (The fact that her name is not found in the Persepolis fortification tablets certainly does not prove that she was dead at that time as suggested by W. Hinz,Orientalia, N.S. 39, 1970, p. 423.) Atossa was consort to her brother Cambyses II; and, after his death, she somehow passed into the harem of Gaumāta (the Pseudo-Smerdis). Eventually Darius took possession of the harem, married Atossa, and made her his main consort and queen (Herodotus 3.88.2). A prominent motive may have been Darius’ wish to legitimize the accession of his own collateral Achaemenid line by joining with a member of Cyrus’ family. Atossa, according to an anecdote of Herodotus (3.134.1-6), induced Darius to make war on the Greeks, because she wanted to have Attic, Argive, and Corinthian maidservants (see also Aelian, NaturaAnimalium 11.27). At her instigation a Persian expedition reconnoitered the Greek coasts and surveyed Greek naval power. It was guided by Democedes of Croton, her own and Darius’ private physician. (He had treated Darius successfully for a dislocated ankle and Atossa for a breast tumor; Herodotus 3.129.1-130.4, 3.133.1). Although the expedition was successful, Democedes took the opportunity to escape (Herodotus 3.134-138, Timaeus apud Athenaeus 3.152.10ff.).

Atossa had four sons by Darius (Herodotus 7.7.2). Xerxes was the eldest; the others were Hystaspes, leader of the Bactrian and Saka troops in Xerxes’ army, Masistes, one of Xerxes’ commanding generals, and Achaemenes, admiral of the Egyptian fleet (Herodotus 7.3.2, 7.64.2, 7.82, 7.97). Because of her lineage and by her intelligence, Atossa exercised great influence on her husband and at court generally. Ca. 487, in a harem struggle, she won Darius’ support for the succession of Xerxes. Xerxes was the first son born to Darius after his seizure of the kingship, but not the eldest of all. Darius had three sons by his first wife, the daughter of Gobryas (Herodotus 7.2.2). Xerxes’ appointment as commander-in-chief of the Persian army was made to strengthen his position as prospective successor (Herodotus 7.2.1-3.4; Plutarch, De fraterno amore 18). The smooth transition to Xerxes’ rule after Darius’ death must have been due in part to Atossa's great authority. During her son’s reign she held the high status of queen-mother. Her reputation is clearly reflected in Aeschylus’ Persae, where her dignified figure is at the heart of the play’s action (lines 159ff., 290ff., 598ff., 703.). Her personality is impressively represented and drawn with esteem; Darius, called up from Hades by the chorus, explicitly approves of her influence over her son (lines 832ff.).

The name Atossa was apparently a traditional one in the Achaemenid clan. According to the genealogy of the kings of Cappadocia, it was borne by a sister of Cambyses I (Diodorus Siculus 31.19.1). A sister and wife of Artaxerxes II was also so named (Plutarch, Life of Artaxerxes 23.26f.).

The Emperor of All Maladies

下面資料出處:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_of_All_Maladies
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is a book written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, an Indian-born American physician and oncologist. Published on November 16, 2010 by Scribner, it won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction: the jury called it "an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal".