THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY: PARALLELS WITH THE ILIAD Michael M. Nikoletseas THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY Copyright ©2014 by Michael M. Nikoletseas ISBN-13: 978-1500934729 ISBN-10: 1500934720 Published in USA No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from the author. 2 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY To my mother who dressed me up as a klepht 3 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 4 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 5 Contents Preface Introduction The male totem in klepht songs Totemic principles in klepht songs Animals Cannibalism The hero klepht Warrior societies Armor Horror feminae Death, lamentation Homer and klepht songs Epilogue Bibliography Appendix p. 07 p. 11 p. 15 p. 16 p. 23 p. 28 p. 30 p. 36 p. 47 p. 52 p. 54 p. 58 p. 65 p. 71 p. 77 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 6 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 7 Preface This is a brief study on the warrior theme in klepht* songs (Κλέφτικα τραγούδια, klephtica tragoudia), a category of Modern Greek demotic (folk) songs. The klephts, (Greek κλέφτης, plural κλέφτες), were marauding groups of men who took to the mountains allegedly in order to live free from the subjugation of the Ottomans. 'Klepht' means 'thief', 'robber'. These bands (μπουλούκια, singular μπουλούκι) of rebels robbed and committed other acts of violence including murder and rape; however they were exalted by the Greek communities, not only for the damages they inflicted on the Turks but mainly for their manliness (λεβεντιά, ἀνδροτῆτα in Homer, IL. 22.363). The glorification of klephts survives in Greece to date. The theme of the male warrior I have explored in two previous books: The Iliad - Twenty Centuries of Translation (20012), and The Iliad: The Male Totem (2013). Long before I embarked on the study of this theme in Homer, at a moment that I may describe as irruption of the unconscious, I wrote: I met you again as on the first time stench of blood and war cries in far pitched tents (Nikoletseas, M. M., Far Pitched Tents, 2011). My motivation for systematically exploring this theme using more structured conceptual schemes such as ethnology, neuroscience and psychoanalysis, stemmed from my poetic insights. I turned to studying the Iliad because for me the Iliad is a probe into the male "hero's soul, an unadulterated picture of ---------*Most of the specialized words used in klepht poems are explained in the Vocabulary section in the Appendix. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 8 the psyche of man." This quotation from "The Iliad, the Male Totem" (Nikoletseas, M. M., 2013, p. 6) expresses amply my perspective in the present study. It is not surprising that criticism of the klepht songs has stayed on the manifest level, on issues relating to chronology, history, and versions1 (see Beaton, R., 2004). Philological analyses are, after all, often characterized by such activities. For example, C. P. Cavafy's review of the book of Nikolaos Politis on klepht songs does not make reference to Homer; this is surprising, indeed, since in his work Cavafy ad nauseam exploits ancient history to his benefit, a loud case of an overdose of aureation. However, it is not surprising that he is not moved by the theme of camaraderie, of man-to-man love and admiration, if we consider his own relation to other men. Although I do not espouse nationalistic perspectives in my analyses of Homer or klepht songs, I feel compelled to confess that the degree of emotions generated in me by these songs may be inflated by the fact that as a boy I dressed as a klepht and played protagonist roles of klephts in school plays. I remember the rare emotions that conquered me when I participated, in full klepht dress and armor, in the reenactment of the taking of Kalamata by the Maniots. Having confessed this, I must say that my work so far, literature, philosophy, criticism, has not been tinted with nationalistic themes or arguments. Although this book is on klepht songs, songs praising Greek men who fought the Turks, my interest lies in the soul of man the warrior, and that includes Turks; my study could have been on Turkish songs of the same era. ---------1 For versions of klepht songs read Passow, A. (ed.). Τραγούδια Ρωμαίικα, Popularia carmina Graeciae recentioris, in aedibus B.G. Teubneri, Lipsiae, 1860 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 9 The emotions generated in me in my analyses of Homer and the klepht songs go beyond the local patriotic stirring of the soul. My esthetic as well as intellectual curiosity have led me to projects oriented towards getting a glimpse of man, and here I mean the male of our species, phyletically. The makeup of the male, the fears and yearnings residing in the darkness of his soul have interested me even from my college years, when I wrote my first poems. Pro patria mori frames of mind, noble as they are, have prevented even great poets as Goethe to see universal themes, the core of poetic creation. In Jannis Stathas (Goethe, W. von., 1885, pp. 163-167; see poem in Appendix) Goethe fails to see the eternal theme of male fighting male, a greater drama than a scene of a Greek stabbing Turks; instead he is dominated by his dislike for Turks and his obsession for punishment (see also Almond, I. 2009, pp. 79- 88). The present work would not have been possible had I not, at an early age, been imbued by the spirit of Nikos Gatsos and the eternal Amorgos of the lost comrades ἐν νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ. November 2014 Michael Nikoletseas THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 10 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 11 Introduction In addition to the true freedom-loving1 Greeks, a wide assortment of social outcasts, impoverished peasants and criminals fleeing from the law joined the ranks of the klephts. These vagabond warriors made their living by robbing travelers and small communities. The klephts preyed upon anyone that they could reach, especially the weak, regardless of religion or nationality. At times Greek peasants even joined forces with the Turks in order to fight them. The idealized image of the klephts as a Greek Christian freedom-lover who took to the mountains to fight the despot Turks is far from fact. During the war of independence, klephts along with armatoloi (paid bands of peasants employed for protection) played a crucial role, a fact that added to the popular feeling and glorification of the klephts. The klephts' deeds were not motivated by any nationalistic ideals. "What is sung in the klepht songs is individual bravery: nowhere will we find either national or social consciousness” (Alexis Politis, 1973 p. li). In a frequently referenced critique, that by Giannis Apostolakis (Γιάννης Αποστολάκης, 1983), the klepht is seen as a man who lives and dies as a man independent of nationalistic restrictions. Ο γνήσιος όμως κλέφτης του δημοτικού τραγουδιού είχε αίμα στις φλέβες του και πέθαινε με ασάλευτη πίστη στη ζωή. Ό,τι φλόγιζε την καρδιά του, ζωντανός που ήτανε, τη φλόγίζει ακόμη στα τελευταία της ζωής του (Apostolakis, G., 1983). ---------1 "As long as it snows on the mountains, let us not bow to Turks Come let us stake our hideout where wolves nest Όσο χιονίζουν τα βουνά, Τούρκους μην προσκυνούμε. Πάμε να λημεριάζωμε όπου φωλιάζουν λύκοι. (Του Στεργίου, N. G. Politis 1924, poem 54) THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 12 "However, the genuine klephts of the folk song had blood in their veins and died with steady faith in life. All that burned in his heart, while alive, burned also at the end of his life." (Apostolakis, G., 1983, translation by M. N.). The behavior of klephts is motivated by their sense of manliness and not nationalistic criteria. Μ¨αυτός [Zacharias] Τούρκους δε σκιάζεται, Ρωμιούς δεν προσκυνάει (Πετροπουλος, 1958, p. 198, 12Β). "But he [Zacharias] Turks he is not afraid of, Greeks he does not bow to" In the following poem, forty klephts are setting out to burn down towns and islands: Forty brave lads from Levadeia, good and in full armor go out to rob they go to take Kalo Chorio they go to burn towns and islands. Σαράντα παλληκάρια από τη Λεβαδειά, καλά κ’ αρματωμένα πάνε για κλεψιά, πάνε για να πατήσουν το Καλό Χωριό, πάνε και για να κάψουν χώραις και νησιά. (N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 22) In song "Το μάθημα του Νάννου", The lesson of Nannos (Fauriel, C. C., 1824, poem IE', XV), Nannos teaches the young klephts what appears as ethical code, however the group subsequently robs and rapes. In Ο Ιώτης πληγωμένος, Iotis wounded, (Fauriel, C. C. 1824, poem ΚΓ', XXIII) the wounded klepht is praying that his wound heal so he can fight again; however, he is not thinking of ideals THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 13 like fatherland or family, but of killing and money. In Του Σκυλοδήμου (Fauriel, C. C. 1824, poem KH', XVIII) Demos has abducted a woman from an important family and spends the night with her on the mountains. The literature on the history, transmission, translation and criticism of klepht songs is voluminous and is beyond the scope of the present book. In the present analysis, it is of little importance whether the klephts were bandits or patriots, as it is of little importance when or by whom a particular klepht song was composed, or whether it was subsequently altered. As is the case with Homer's Iliad, what is of importance from the present perspective is the tracing in the manifest content of the poem the eruption of the unconscious of the male, the latter phyletically conceived. In folk songs that speak of manliness, we find that the bursting out into a song is an attempt to adumbrate the fears and desires of the male soul. Klepht songs represent a segment of Greek folk poetry. M. E., Legrand (1876) published a collection, the product of his 1875 visit to Greece and Istanbul, of no less than eighteen thousand verses, most in fifteen syllable. He categorized these songs into historical, religious, romanesque, funerary and amorous. The meter of klepht songs is fifteen-syllable iambic: τατά-τατά-τατά-τατά, / τατά-τατά-τατά-τα Note that the accent is on the even numbered syllable. Further, the verse is divided into two half-verses, the first consisting of eight syllables and the second of seven. The second half of the verse ads something to first such as an explication. Κοιμα- ται αστρι - κοιμα -ται αυγη/ κοιμα - ται το - φεγγα - ρι THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 14 Accents as requited by grammar are at times violated for the sake of meter: Μή μέ θωρείτε νιόνυφη, νύφη νά προσκυνήσω meme, thore, tenio-nefe/ nefe, napro, skene, so In the above examples bold-faced syllables are accented; / separates the two half-verses A question even rhetorical or a statement is echoed almost verbatim (echolalia). This creates an atmosphere of myth, a detachment from the specific situation the poem relates. Δύνεσαι, μαύρε μ', δύνεσαι να βγάλης την κυρά σου; -Δύνομαι, αφέντη μ’, δύνομαι να βγάλω την κυρά μου, (Της Λιάκαινς, N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 59; see also Του μικρού βλαχόπουλου, N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 70). You have the strength, my horse, you have, to free your mistress? I have the strength, my master, I have, to free my mistress. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 15 The male totem in klepht songs THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 16 Totemic principles in klepht songs An introduction to the history of totemism as well as how its principles apply to poetry can be found in The Iliad, The Male Totem (Nikoletseas, M. M., 2013, pp. 62-112). In the totem1 scheme of manhood, the warrior does not relate his own physical abilities and deeds only but also resorts to boosting his position in the totemic scale by association. He thus mentions his relation, by blood, marriage or other association, to males high in the scala totemica2. In many of the songs, klephts refer to their relatives in self-praise: Εγώ είμαι ο Γιάννης του Σταθά, γαμπρός του Μπουκουβάλα (N. G. Politis, 1924) I am Giannis of Stathas, son-in-law of Boukouvala The totemic attraction toward the male higher in the hierarchy (scala totemica) is complemented by a desire to subjugate competing males. This theme is present in almost all klepht poems and certainly in the Iliad where the entire work is devoted to this theme and not as traditionally stated to the wrath of Achilles or the War of Troy (see analysis by Nikoletseas, M. M., 2013). In poem Tou Gianni tou Statha, we have a vivid reenactment of the totemic dynamics of the male soul, similar to that in the Iliad. ---------1 2 For a general introduction see Nikoletseas, M. M. 2013, pp. 62-78 Nikoletseas, M. M. 2013, pp. 15-23 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 17 Stathas Giannis, (1758-1812), oil, painter Trikoglides, I. (1891-1962). National Historical Museum, Greece National Documentation Centre (EKT) Μαύρο καράβ' αρμένιζ 'ς τα μερη της Κασάντρας. Μαύρα παννιά το σκέπαζαν και τουρανού σημαία. Κι’ ομπρός κορβέττα μ' άλικη σημαία του προβγαίνει. "Μάινα, φωνάζει, τα παννιά, ρήξε τοις γάμπιαις κάτου. -Δεν τα μαϊνάρω τα παννιά κι' ουδέ τα ρήχνω κάτω. Μη με θαρρείτε νιόνυφη, νύφη να προσκυνήσω; Εγώ είμαι ο Γιάννης του Σταθά, γαμπρός του Μπουκουβάλα Τράκο, λεβένταις, δώσετε, απίστους μη φοβάστε. " Κ' οι Τούρκοι βόλτα έρρηξαν κ' εγύρισαν την πλώρη. Πρώτος ο Γιάννης πέταξε με το σπαθί 'ς το χέρι. 'Σ τα μπούνια τρέχουν αίματα, το πέλαο κοκκινίζει, κι' αλλά! αλλάχ οι άπιστοι κράζοντας προσκυνούνε. N. G. Politis, 1924 Black ship was sailing around Kassandra Black sails covered it and a sky blue banner And ahead a corvette with a red flag appears "Bring down, they yell, the sails, throw the sails down". "I do not bring down the sails neither do I throw them down. What, you think I am a newlywed bride, a bride to bow down? I am Giannis of Stathas, the son-in-law of Boukouvala" The rope, brave lads, throw it, the infidels do not fear." And the Turks sailed around and turned the stern. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 18 First Yannis sprang, sward in hand. Down deep in the ship flows the blood, the ocean turns red, and alla! alla the infidels cry and they bow down (N. G. Politis, 1924, translation) The symbolism of the fear of the male to be associated with femininity is striking: The image of two ships running across each other, the red flag; the command "Maina, drop the sails and the gabia down"; the response "What, you think I am a newlywed bride, a bride to bow down? I am Giannis of Stathas, the son-in-law of Boukouvala", and immediately the image of boarding the vessel, the fight with knifes, and finally the enemy bowing down. The psychoanalytic symbolism of the ship points to sexuality, to parts of the female body. Proposing that in this poem the boat stand for body may appear inappropriate and unlikely, given the heroic nature of the poem, and klepht songs in general. However, such an interpretation receives support from another poem: Ροβόλα κάτω 'ς τον γιαλόν, κάτω 'ς το περιγιάλι Βάλε τα χέρια σου κουπιά, τα στήθη σου τεμονι, Και το λιγνόν σου το κορμί, βάλε το σαν καράβι (Τελευταίος αποχαιρετισμός του κλέφτη, Friedemann, F. T. 1825) Come down to the sea, down to the seafront Make your arms oars, your breast the tiller, And your slender body, use it as a ship "The male agathon totem is energized and sustained by the horror of contamination by the feminine. Feminine fantasies occasionally emerge in the conscious of the warrior. Hector comes out of this fantasy back in the practical world and decides to stand and fight Achilles. In the chase that follows, THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 19 Homer takes us back again in the world of sexual fantasies. Achilles is a male hawk, κίρκος, chasing Hector who is a shy, timid female dove, τρήρωνα πέλειαν." (Nikoletseas, M. M., 2013, p. 96). ἠΰτε κίρκος ὄρεσφιν ἐλαφρότατος πετεηνῶν ῥηϊδίως οἴµησε µετὰ τρήρωνα πέλειαν, ἣ δέ θ' ὕπαιθα φοβεῖται, ὃ δ' ἐγγύθεν ὀξὺ λεληκὼς ταρφέ' ἐπαΐσσει, ἑλέειν τέ ἑ θυµὸς ἀνώγει: IL.22.139-142 While in a reconciliatory mood, Hector fantasizes that he and Achilles are lovers (woman and man respectively) whispering the words that lovers whisper to each other! (Nikoletseas, M. M., 2013, pp. 98). οὐ µέν πως νῦν ἔστιν ἀπὸ δρυὸς οὐδ' ἀπὸ πέτρης τῷ ὀαριζέµεναι, ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τ' ὀαρίζετον ἀλλήλοιϊν. βέλτερον αὖτ' ἔριδι ξυνελαυνέµεν ὅττι τάχιστα: IL.22.126-129 "In the Iliad, the outstanding goal is to achieve manliness [...]. The ultimate horror for a warrior, even in death is to be infected by the female mana (horror feminae)." (Nikoletseas, M. M. 2013, p. 121). The ethic of the klephts is that of the male warrior; it is not in accord with organized societies. It is the ethic of the vagabond male who runs off with other males under a dominant male and robs, burns, kills and rapes. This ethic is glorified: "Εχάσαμε την κλεφτουριά και το λεβέντη Κώστα, οπού χε δώδεκα αδερφούς και τριανταδυό ξαδέρφια, πού φερνε σκλάβαις παπαδιαίς με τοις παπαδοπούλαις, THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 20 πού φέρνε και τοις μπέΐσσαις μ' αυταίς τοις μπεϊοπούλαις." (Του Κώστα, N. G. Politis 1924, poem 45) We lost klephthood and brave (levendis) Kosta. who had twelve brothers, thirty-two cousins, who brought priest's wives and daughters slaves, who brought three beys with their daughters In the klepht songs selected in N. G. Politis' book (1924), women are almost absent, although women figure prominently in numerous demotic songs speaking of love and family. The feminine expresses itself in self-preservation and the practicalities of life, the antipode of which is the warrior ethic. In the Iliad, Hector's mother displays her breast to her son Hector, and asks him to feel awe and respect to it, and avoid the duel with Achilles. "Ἕκτορ τέκνον ἐµὸν τάδε τ' αἴδεο καί µ' ἐλέησον αὐτήν, εἴ ποτέ τοι λαθικηδέα µαζὸν ἐπέσχον: τῶν µνῆσαι φίλε τέκνον ἄµυνε δὲ δήϊον ἄνδρα τείχεος ἐντὸς ἐών, µηδὲ πρόµος ἵστασο τούτῳ" IL.22.82- 85 The klepht' s mother, similarly, admonishes her son to settle to a family life: Βασίλη, κάτσε φρόνιμα, να γίνης νοικοκύρης, για ν' αποχτήσης πρόβατα, ζευγάρια κι' αγελάδες, χωριά κι' αμπελοχώραφα, κοπέλια να δουλεύουν. -Μάννα μου εγώ δεν κάθομαι να γίνω νοικοκύρης, να κάμω αμπελοχώραφα, κοπέλια να δουλεύουν, και να μαι σκλάβος των Τουρκών, κοπέλι 'ς τους γερόντους. Φέρε μου ταλαφρό σπαθί και το βαριό τουφέκι, (N. G. Politis 1924, poem 25) THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 21 In both cases, the male totem drives the warrior to fight the male: οὐδ' Ἕκτορι θυμὸν ἔπειθον, ἀλλ' ὅ γε μίμν' Ἀχιλῆα πελώριον ἆσσον ἰόντα. IL.22.91-92 but could not persuade the spirit in Hector, but he awaited gigantic Achilles as he came on. Similarly, the klepht's response to his mother's supplication is: Φέρε μου ταλαφρό σπαθί και το βαριό τουφέκι, Bring me my light sward and my heavy rifle. (N. G. Politis 1924, poem 25) The female does not agree with the life of warriors, and it often leads to disaster. In poem Ο βοσκός και η λάμια, which is not included in the klepht selections of klepht songs, Giannis disobeys his mother's advice not to stand under single trees and not play his flute on the seashore. Lamia (a monster that hunts and devours children) beats him in a contest, she gets his flock, and he ends up a servant to another man. Και βγήκ' η λάμια του γιαλού και λάμια του πελάγου λάλα το Γιάννη μ΄ λάλα το, λάλα το το σουράβλι1 (Kind, T, Anthologie neugriechischer volkslieder, 1861, XVIII) ---------1 Note the alliteration on lamda, λ, l: Και βγήκ' η λάμια του γιαλού και λάμια του πελάγου λάλα το Γιάννη μ΄ λάλα το, λάλα το το σουράβλι la lou la la lala lala lala vli (continued on next page) THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 58 Homer and klepht songs The question of a possible relation of Homer's Iliad to klepht songs does not have a simple answer. Firstly, there is a direct relation of Homer's Iliad with Modern Greek demotic songs as they both are motivated by the diachronic admiration of males for warriors, bravery, and masculinity in general. This assertion must be cleansed of any nationalistic hues. Homer’s Iliad relates to comparable genres of any national group and is not peculiar to Greece. It is unfortunate that the early work of laudable scholarship such as that by Nikolaos Politis is tinted with a nationalistic perspective ("the unique character of the nation", 1914, p. 5). Secondly, that there are verbal and image affinities of demotic songs to Homer cannot be disputed since the language of Homer has, thankfully, survived to an impressive degree to our days in Modern Greek. However, there is no substantial evidence that klepht songs are in some direct relation to Homer's work or the material that preceded the Iliad, Klea andron. Homer's richness of imagery and impressive insight into the male soul is admirable; klepht songs, by comparison, are poor in many respects, e.g. number of imagery, shallow insight into the male soul, poverty of vocabulary. One could summarize these differences in the following phrase: another people, another place. It is remarkable, however, as despite the relative poverty of klepht songs, they can stir torrents of emotions in the male, regardless of nationality. It is worth pointing out that out of a simple uneventful scene high drama is generated: THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 59 Scene one: An eagle refuses to give up his manly hideout in the mountains when winter comes; scene two; the eagle battered by winter sits on a rock in the sunshine and calls the sun to shine and warm him up. Κ’ έρρηξε χιόνια 'ς τα βουνά και κρούσταλλα 'ς τους κάμπους, εμάργωσαν τα νύχια του κ' επέσαν τα φτερά του. Κι' αγνάντιο βγήκε κ' έκατσε, 'ς ένα ψηλό λιθάρι, και με τον ήλιο μάλωνε και με τον ήλιο λέει. (N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 24) And it snowed on the mountains and ice fell on the plains, his nails froze and fell his wings And he came out to the lookout and sat on a tall rock and with the sun struck an argument and with the sun he says The use of και, κι' is used in the same mode as by Homer's δέ. We know a lack of long convoluted sentences attempting to attribute causal connection; instead, there is a succession of images, presented without explanatory connection. After a brief presentation of the circumstances, that the proud eagle does not forsake his masculinity by leaving the rough mountain terrain for the winter, we are bombarded by brief images of action, which are introduced by και, and (δέ in Homer). This use of και functions as a trumpet that announces the next event; it is different from και that connects two events or nouns, as for example in εμάργωσαν τα νύχια του κ' επέσαν τα φτερά του (his nails froze and fell his wings). There is music, movement as in a musical quartet, in the repetition generates a ritualistic environment. The effect transports the listener from the particular to the universal. The poet is pulling the listener into a vortex, he is not talking about the eagle any longer, he is not singing of the klepht, he is THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 60 singing of the listener himself, man, the male, phyletically cast. We see this hypnotizing effect in other instances not involving και, as in the following: να λειώσουνε τα κρούσταλλα, να λειώσουνε τα χιόνια, να γίνη μια άνοιξη καλή, να γίνη καλοκαίρι, να ζεσταθούν τα νύχια μου, να γιάνουν τα φτερά μου, να ρθούνε τάλλα τα πουλιά και τάλλα μου ταδέρφια". (N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 24) to melt the ice1, to melt the snow. to happen a good spring, to happen summer, to get warm my nails, to be cured my wings, to come the other birds and my other brothers. In the following verses, δὲ is used in the same function as και in klepht songs. It is used as a loose connection in a sequence of images of objects or acts. ὥς ἔφατ᾽ εὐχόμενος, τοῦ δ᾽ ἔκλυε Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων, βῆ δὲ κατ᾽ Οὐλύμποιο καρήνων χωόμενος κῆρ, τόξ᾽ ὤμοισιν ἔχων ἀμφηρεφέα τε φαρέτρην: ἔκλαγξαν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὀϊστοὶ ἐπ᾽ ὤμων χωομένοιο, αὐτοῦ κινηθέντος: ὃ δ᾽ ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς. ἕζετ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἀπάνευθε νεῶν, μετὰ δ᾽ ἰὸν ἕηκε: δεινὴ δὲ κλαγγὴ γένετ᾽ ἀργυρέοιο βιοῖο: IL 1.43-49 In klepht songs, as in Homer, there is a man-to-man respect and liking for the warrior enemy. ---------1 For the ice to melt. I have translated these verses verbatim in order to convey the stylistic device. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 61 'Στον Αρμυρό τον έφτασε κι' ως φίλοι φιληθήκαν. Ολονυχτίς επίνανε όσο να ξημερώση. Και όταν έφεξε η αυγή πέρασαν 'ς τα λημέρια. (Του Χρήστου Μηλιόνη, N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 49) He caught up with him at Armyro and they kissed like friends all night they drank till daybreak; And when light came with dawn they passed to the hideouts. There they draw their guns and shoot each other dead. However, in klepht songs the enemy is not always referred to in praise. For example, in "Του Κατσαντώνη" (N. G. Politis, 1924, poem 65), the two warriors, unlike in the Iliad, use abusive epithets for their opponent: Veli Gekas refers to Katsantonis as σκύλο, dog, (κι’ ο σκύλος Κατσαντώνης), κερατά, shamed by his wife, or 'filthy' klepht, παλιοκλέφτη ('Σ εσέν' Αντώνη κερατά, 'ς εσένα παλιοκλέφτη). In the Iliad, warriors praise their opponents. Even at the moment of death, Hector praises his own killer, Achilles, as "valiant, brave" (IL. 2.361). Achilles refers to the young Trojans he slaughtered on Patroclus' pyre with honor and praise: δώδεκα µὲν Τρώων µεγαθύµων υἱέας ἐσθλοὺς. IL. 23.175 In the totemic scheme, male warriors behave in a hierarchical society in which each man measures up to the other men and strives for climbing up the scala totemica. Bravery is one of the means by which a warrior climbs up this scale. At the extreme of these means lies killing of a man, especially an esteemed warrior. Killing is therefore an extreme form of subjugation. Killing with the notion subduing, of subjugation is often expressed by Homer by the verb δαμάω (δάμνημι). The verb occurs over 160 times in the Iliad, while the verb to kill, κατακτείνω, κτείνω, occurs approximately as many times. It is THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 62 instructive that the original meaning of verb δαμάω is taming, subjugating, also breaking as in animals (IL. 17.77). ἀλλ᾽ ἐδάμη ὑπὸ χερσὶ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο IL.2.874; IL.2.860 but he was killed under the hands of swift-of-foot Aiakides The theme of sensuality that we have traced in previous sections of this book is present in this case also. Wife is a woman that a man has subdued, tamed, with apparent associations to sexual acts: δάμαρ, η γαμητή, παρα τον γάμον, γάμαρ και δάμαρ. η παρά το δαμάζεσθαι και εποζευχθαι ανδρί. γυνή, φίλη ἀδαμαστος or ἀδάματος means virgin, παρθένος, άζυγος νῦν δ᾽ ἡ Διὸς γοργῶπις ἀδάματος θεὰ (Sophocles, Ajax 450) In klepht songs, the theme of subjugation is all too apparent. The klephts took to the mountains and staged battles against their Ottoman masters. A clear expression of the theme of subjugation we find in poem XX in T. Kind, 1861: Αφέντης σου και κύρης σου κι αφέντης τ αφεντός σου Your master and lord, and master of your master In the following poem, in the scene of the two mountains arguing, N. G. Politis (1924, p. 39) does not see anything beyond an ornamental function: "is used for the purpose of poetical praise of the klephts". Ο Όλυμπος κι ο Κίσσαβος, τα δυό βουνά μαλώνουν· Γυρίζει τότ’ ο Όλυμπος, και λέγει του Κισσάβου· THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 63 Μη με μαλώνεις, Κίσσαβε, κονιαροπατημένε! Εγώ είμ’ ο γέρος Όλυμπος, στον κόσμο ξακουσμένος. Έχω σαράντα δυό κορφαίς, εξήντα δυό βρυσούλαις· Πάσα βρύση και φλάμπουρον, παντού κλαδί και κλέφτης· Και στην ψηλή μου κορυφήν, αετός είν’ καθισμένος, Και εις τα νύχια του, κρατεί κεφάλ’ ανδρειωμένου· «Κεφάλι μου, τι έκαμες, κι είσαι κριματισμένον;» «Φάγε, πουλί, τα νειάτα μου, φάγε και την ανδρειά μου, »Να κάμης πήχυν το φτερόν, και πιθαμήν το νύχι. »'Σ τον Λούρον, 'σ το Ξηρόμερον αρματωλός εστάθην, »'Σ τα Χάσια και 'σ τον Όλυμπον δώδεκα χρόνους κλέφτης· »Εξήντ’ αγάδαις σκότωσα, κ' έκαψα τα χωριά τους· »Κ' όσους 'σ τον τόπον άφησα και Τούρκους κ’ Αρβανίταις, »Είναι πολλοί, πουλάκι μου, και μετρημόν δεν έχουν. »Πλήν ήρθε κ' η αράδα μου ’σ τον πόλεμον να πέσω.» Politis does not only fail to see the poetry and even deeper significance of this song, he goes one step further and criticizes scholars, including Fauriel, for "diagnosing deep ideas [..] and conceptualizing a totally distorted meaning of it." Politis refers to the following passage of Fauriel, which he paraphrases. "celle-ci est incontestablement la plus belle de poésie. peut-être même est-elle, de toutes les pièce klephtiques de ce racueil, celle dans la composition et les détails de laquelle on trouve le plus de cete hardiesse sauvage de conceptions, de ce brusque élan d'imagination, et de cette énergique simplicité de style, qui les caractérisent toutes plus ou moins." (Fauriel, 1825, p. 35). It is apparent that N. G. Politis, although an accomplished laographos, he lacks poetic sensitivity and ethnological concepts. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 64 Perhaps the opening verses in which the two mountains argue and a picture of a hierarchy (scala totemica, Nikoletseas, M. M., 2013) is painted, is significant. The stage is set for the theme of the poem, which is one of superiority inferiority and a struggle for the male to climb higher on the male totem scale. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 65 Epilogue The fact that both the Iliad and klepht songs are folk songs, would necessarily lead to certain similarities. Indeed the style of both is dry and direct, with little linguistic adornment or convoluted syllogism gasping to concatenate events in causeand-effect chains. They are both motivated by the love and admiration of the male, masculinity. One of the factors that makes the Iliad a great work, allegedly the greatest, is the piercing insights of Homer in analyzing the male soul, coupled with the absence of superego-like censorship that prevailed with the spread of Christianity. "Homer is therefore profoundly literal, concrete, and imagistic. The poet's ability to create past worlds and travel through obscure regions of the cosmos associate him with the prophet and seer." (Bennett, M. J., 1997, p. 157). "Yet Achilles and Alexander are symbols that have triggered immense storms in the psyche of men of all epochs. Understanding what men yearn for lies not at the lectic level, not even at conscious levels." (Nikoletseas, M. M. 2013, p. 128). “The Iliad is about ‘klea andron’, the glorious and terrible deeds of men in relation to other men, the raw content of the soul of man, but not of woman. It is a vast lagoon of dream fragments of the male unconscious, haunted with eternal shadows that compete, strut, fight, kill and rape, and above all seek the approval of other men.” (Nikoletseas, 2012, p?). Klepht songs are expressions of the same shadow lagoon. Klepht songs cannot match Homer's Iliad neither in poetic value nor in depth of insights regarding the male soul. However, they THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 66 sing of the same theme, the male totem, the immutable core of man the warrior. The turmoil that this core exercises in the male is timeless and cannot be bridled. Even in our days of advancements in the dissemination of knowledge and high levels of technology, the male totem, crude, majestically rides across continents breaking through the walls that ignorant politicians of a feminine worldview have erected. My thesis has been (Nikoletseas, M. M., 2012; 2013) that the Iliad is not about the Trojan War nor about the wrath of Achilles. In the Iliad Homer’s main concern was to explore the male soul, man the warrior. In these books, I painted a phyletic picture of the male soul, the diachronic male, the warrior. In the present book, I traced the same picture in klepht songs. The male totem has been energizing and guiding males, and civilization, through the ages; this has been the backbone of history. In our times, the male totem is riding majestically across all continents, staging the same act it staged in the Iliad and in klepht songs. It is alarming that while this majestic and horrific eternal torrent has been shaping civilization across the face of the earth, narrow-minded political science and sociological analyses proliferate in ignorance. "The impact and merit of the Iliad does not depend upon interpretations and other scholastic work by critics. As all great works of art, it stands on its own, arrogant and enigmatic, stirring the souls of men across millennia. From this perspective, probing by scholars carries an element of absurdity and sacrilege. From times immemorial, the spirit of the Iliad has been burning and howling in the innermost spaces of men of all time, howling over the pyre of Patroclus, µέγα δ' ἴαχε θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ, raging with Achilles as he piles freshly slain cattle, horses, and men into the primordial flames. The spirit of the Iliad and the spirit of all great art is impervious to analysis." (Nikoletseas, M. M. 2013, p. 122). THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 67 The immutable drive of the male totem guides man to admire man and at the same time to measure up to man and constantly attempt not only to emulate but also to surpass, to conquer the man higher in the hierarchy of masculinity. The cause of the War of Troy or the Ottoman oppression were only the excuse for males banding together to fight, burn and rape. The core of the cause for male aggression is internal, instinctual. In the absence of an external cause, instincts spill over and the instinctual act (Fixed action pattern, in the terminology of ethologists) occurs. The male thus sets the stage himself for the act to take place. “Behavior can occur even in the absence of the stimulus, if drive has piled up in great amounts. This is called vacuum activity (leerlaufreaktion). Animals may engage in imperfect, fragmentary ...” (Nikoletseas, M. M., 2010, p. 172). This phenomenon is evident in klepht songs: βάρει μου συ, να σου βαρώ, κρούε με, να σε κρούω (Poem XX, Kind, T., 1861) You hit me so that I hit you, knock me, so that I knock you War occurs not in response to external contingencies; it is triggered by internal, instinctual forces. Man creates war for the sake of war. Football games and the aggression that we witness inside and outside football stadiums are prime examples of this phenomenon. A more disquieting global example is the formation of armies and even states by men ostensibly in the name of religion or race. In conclusion, the present book does not provide evidence of a THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 68 historical, linguistic or philological continuity with Homer’s epos. Instead, it should be seen as a statement that the soul of the male, the male totem, expresses itself universally and diachronically, the degree to which it does so depending on the cultural structure of a particular era. The period of the occupation of Greece by the Ottomans provided the stage for the ancient drama of the male totem to unfold once again. In our pasteurized society, the male is floundering in Circean palaces, turned into eunuch by a state (politeia) that invents laws by vacuous reason in absentia of the male totem, poetry and science. The ills and pain of the emasculated male as well as the smoke of revolts watch daily across the face of the earth. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 69 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 70 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 71 BIBLIOGRAPHY Almond, I. History of Islam in German Thought: From Leibniz to Nietzsche, Routledge, 2009 Asopios, K. Της ὑπο Κ. Ἀσωπίου εἰς Πίνδαρον εἰσαγωγής, 1863 Baud-Bovy, S. Etudes sur la chanson cleftique : avec 17 Chansons cleftiques de Roumelie transcrites d' apres les disques des Archives musicales de folklore, Athènes, Inst. Francaises d'Athe`nes, 1958 Beaton, R. 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Symbolic scenes and significant objects, 1980 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 73 Hedreen, G. "The Cult of Achilles in the Euxine" Hesperia 60.3, 1991, pp. 313–330 Heslin P. J. The transvestite Achilles: gender and genre in Statius' Achilleid, Cambridge University Press, 2005 Homer. Homeri Opera in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920 Jelavich, C., and Jelavich, B. The Establishment of the Balkan National States: 1804-1920, University of Washington Press, 1977 Jung, C. G., Hinkle, B.M. Psychology of the unconscious, New York, 1916 Jung, C. (ed.) Man and His Symbols, Doubleday Anchor Books, 1964 Jung. C. G. The archetypes and the collective unconscious, Vol. 9, Princeton University Press, 1981 Kamerbeek, J. C. Plays of Sophocles Commentaries Part 1: The Ajax, BRILL, 1963 Καβάφης, Κ. Π. Άπαντα τα δημοσιευμένα ποιήματα, 2002 Karagiannis-Moser, E. Le bestiaire de la chanson populaire grecque moderne. Presses Paris Sorbonne, 1997 Kind, Theodor. Anthologie neugriechischer volkslieder. Im original mit deutscher übertragung hrsg. von dr. Theodor Kind. Leipzig, Veit & comp., 1861 Lazar, D. Carl Gustav Jung - Man and His Symbols, 1964 Lattimore, R. The Iliad of Homer, 1962 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 74 Legrand, M. E. Chansons populair grecque, un Annuaire de l'Association pour l'encouragement des études grecques en France, A. Durand et Pedrone Lauriel, 1876 Μακρυγιάννης, Ι. Ιστορία Ελληνικού Έθνους, 1975, pp. 147148 Mittheilungen aus der Geschichte und Dichtung der NeuGriechen, Zweiter Bände, Historische Volksgesange der Neu Greichen nach C. Fauriel. Zweite Abtheilung. Klephtische und andere historische Gesange, dann Lieder Suliotenkrieg. Mit Fauriel's Einleitungen, Koblenz, 1825 Murray, G. Five Stages of Greek Religion. Courier Dover Publications, 2003, originally published in 1912 Nea Hellēnikē anthologia: periechousa ta eklektotera erga tōn neōterōn poiētōn tēs Hellados apo tou Rēga Pheraiou mechri tōn hēmerōn mas, Atlantis, 1913 Nikoletseas, M. M. Behavioral and Neural Plasticity, 2010 Nikoletseas, M. M. Far Pitched Tents, 2011 Nikoletseas, M. M. The Iliad, Twenty Centuries of Translation, 2012 Nikoletseas, M. M. The Iliad: The Male Totem, 2013 Νικοτσάρας και Γιάννης Σταθάς, Η εποποιία της Ζίχνας και οι πειρατές του Αιγαίου, newspaper Έθνος, 12.8.1997 Owen, W. The Collected poems of Wilfred Owen, Edmund Blunden, New Directions Publishing, 1965 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 75 Passow, A. (ed). Τραγούδια Ρωμαίικα, Popularia carmina Graeciae recentioris, in aedibus B.G. Teubneri, Lipsiae, 1860 Politis, A. To dimotiko tragoudi "Kleftika", (Το δημοτικό τραγούδι. Κλέφτικα), Athens, 1973 Politis, N. G. Selections from the songs of the Greek people (Ν. Γ. Πολίτης, Εκλογαί από τα τραγούδια του Ελληνικού λαού), second edition, 1924; First edition 1914 Pope, A. The Iliad of Homer, 1813 Sophocles. Sophocles. Vol 2: Ajax. Electra. Trachiniae. Philoctetes With an English translation by F. Storr. The Loeb classical library, 21. Francis Storr. London; New York. William Heinemann Ltd.; The Macmillan Company, 1913 Sturz, F. W. Etymologicum graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta, J. A. G. Weigel, Lipsiae, 1818 Suidas. Suidae Lexicon, ex recognitione I. Bekkeri, 1854 Tsagalis, C. Epic grief: personal laments in Homer's Iliad. Walter de Gruyter, 2004 Wundt, W. M. Elements of folk psychology: outlines of a psychological history of the development of mankind. G. Allen & Unwin, London, 1916 Ζαμπέλιος, Σπυρίδων, 1815-1881.Άσματα δημοτικά της Ελλάδος. Ερμής Α. Τερζάκη και Θ. Ρωμαίου, 1852 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 76 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 77 Appendix Notes on poem Giannis Stathas Fauriel's version Μαύρον καράβι έπλεε 'ς τα μέρη της Κασάντρας· Μαύρα παννιά το σκέπαζαν και τ' ουρανού παντιέρα. Εμπρός κορβέτα μ' άλικην σημαία του εβγήκε· «Μάινα, φωνάζει, τα παννιά, ρήξε τα, λέγει κάτω!. «Δεν τα μαϊνάρω τα παννιά, ουδέ τα ρήχνω κάτω! »Μη με θαρρείτε νεόνυμφην, νύμφην να προσκυνήσω; »Εγώ 'μ' ο Ιάννης του Σταθά, γαμβρός του Μπουκοβάλλα »Τράκον, λεβένταις, ρηξετε στην πρώραν το καράβι· »Των Τούρκων αίμα χύσετε, απίστους μη ΄ψυχάτε. » Οι Τούρκοι βόλταν έρρηξαν κ' εγύρισαν την πρώραν. Πρώτος ο Γιάννης πέταξε με το σπαθί 'σ το χέρι. 'Σ τα βούνια τρέχουν αίματα, θάλασσα κοκκινίζει· κι' αλλά! αλλά οι άπιστοι κράζοντες, προσκυνούνε. (Fauriel, C. C., 1824) Fauriel (1824)) translates βούνια as "le lest" i.e. the ballast; an alternative Greek word is έρμα. I here offer a possible translation of this word: In Modern, Greek seamen use the expression "μέχρι τα μπούνια", e.g. the ship was loaded "μέχρι τα μπούνια", i.e. all full. Although Greeks today understand this as "all the way up" i.e. "all full", the actual seaman's meaning is all the way down to the very bottom of the ship, the inside of the keel; I propose that in this case, blood flew all the way to the deepest parts of the ship, where ballasts at time were placed. This rendition receives support from Passow, A. whose version is ποτάμι τρέχουν instead of 'Σ τα βούνια τρέχουν αίματα. I propose therefore that this verse is to be understood as Ως τα βούνια τρέχουν αίματα. Τράκον, ο τράκος, funis= rope, cord, line. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 78 (trahere? Passow, A., 1860)|. Fauriel renders Τράκον ρηξετε as 'Jetted le cable'. In view of Passow’s version Τράκο λεβέντες ρήξετε ςτη πλώρη το καράβι, may be translated as The rope, brave lads, throw on the ship's stern. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 79 Goethe's translation of poem Giannis Stathas Jannis des Stathas Schwarzes Fahrzeug theilt die Welle Nächst der Küste von Kassandra, Ueber ihm die schwarzen Segel, Ueber ihnen Himmelsbläue. Kommt ein Türkenschiff entgegen, Scharlachwimpel wehen glänzend. »Streich die Segel unverzüglich, Nieder laß die Segel du!« Nein, ich streiche nicht die Segel, Nimmer laß' ich sie herab. Droht ihr doch, als wär' ich Bräutchen, Bräutchen, das zu schrecken ist. Jannis bin ich, Sohn des Stathas, Eidam des Bukovalas. Frisch Gesellen, frisch zur Arbeit! Auf zum Vordertheil des Schiffes! Türkenblut ist zu vergießen, Schont nicht der Ungläubigen. – Und mit einer klugen Wendung Beut das Türkenschiff die Spitze; Jannis aber schwingt hinauf sich, Mit dem Säbel in der Faust; Das Gebälke trieft vom Blute Und geröthet sind die Wellen. Allah! Allah! schrein um Gnade Die Ungläubigen auf den Knieen. Traurig Leben, ruft der Sieger, Bleibe den Besiegten nun! Goethe, W. von. Johann Wolfgang Goethe: Gedichte Neugriechisch-Epirotische Heldenlieder, Gedichte, II. Theil, Philipp Reclam jun., Leipzig, ca. 1885, pp. 163-167 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 80 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 81 Vocabulary afendi, αφέντης, Turkish: Efendi, master, lord. From the Medieval Greek αφέντης, from ancient Greek αὐθέντης. antidoro, αντίδερο, αντίδωρο, a small piece of bread given by the priest as holy communion; host, wafer. armatolos, αρματωλός, member of a group of armed men, which the Ottomans hired for the protection of an area, akin to jandarmerie in post Ottoman Greece. bairaki, μπαϊράκι plural μπαϊράκιa from Turkish bayrak, small flag. Μπαϊράκι also called φλάμπουρο. They were used by the klephts and armatoloi. It was usually the bravest of the group that carried these flags. beis, μπέης, Turkish bey, lord, aşik, âsik, lover, bard, ασίκης. bouloukia, μπουλούκι, plural μπουλούκια, groups of klephts, from Turkish bölük, company (army). flabouron, φλάμπουρoν, plural φλάμπουρα, from Byzantine φλάμουλο; Latin flammulum, a liitle banner, a little flame; a triangular banner used by the klephts. Flouri, φλουρίον, φλωρίον, κωνσταντινάτο, golden coin. Gabia, Γάμπιες, τετράγωνα ιστία, square sails, trapezoid sail, upper and lower gabia, hanging on the main mast. Klepht (κλέφτης, plural κλέφτες), a thief; groups of men that lived on the mountains during the Ottoman occupation of Greece; highwaymen, brigand, men belonging to a gang that ambushes and robs people in remote places, to be differentiated from ληστής which is not used in THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 82 klepht poetry. kariofili, καριοφίλι (from Italian Carlo e figli, the maker of guns), rifle with short barrel. Kolokotronis, Kolokotronaioi, important klephts during the Greek revolution against the Ottomans. koumparoi, singular koumparos, κουμπάρος, relatives through baptism or wedding (best man); used to indicate loose, vague relationship. lagadi, λαγκάδι, narrow valley; φαράγγι. lavaron, λάβαρον, plural λάβαρον. Latin labarum is a kind of flag. leventis, λεβέντης, plural λεβένταις. In Turkish 'levend' refers to a professional sailor, a pirate, and generally a seaman. In Modern Greek it came to mean brave young man, strong good looking youth. Interestingly, Friedemann translated this as λησταί (robbers) and άριστοι, ανδρείοι (Friedemann, F. T., 1825, p. 64); he translates 'παλληκάρια' as 'νεανίαι' ΄στρατιώται΄. Maniots, Greek Μανιάτες. residents of the dry peninsula in southern Peloponnese, south of Kalamata. palaska, παλάσκα, μπαλάσκα, powder flask, ammunition bag; Turkish palaska, μπαλάσκα, φυσιγγιοθήκη. seferi, σεφέρι, στράτευμα, εκστρατεία, πόλεμος, ταξίδι. sefer, ταξίδι, εκστρατεία, σεφέρι expedition. taburi. ταμπούρι, tabur, τάγμα, οχύρωμα, χαράκωμα. THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 83 tsaprazia, τσαπράζια, Turkish çapraz, cross, diagonal, golden or silver ornaments worn crosswise, diagonally on the chest. vezir, vezier, βεζίρης, counselor, high rank officer, minister yataki, γιατάκι, Turkish yatak, bed, place where one sleeps THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 84 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 85 Credits Cover: Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863). Vor dem Blitz scheuendes Pferd. Date 1824. Museum of Fine Arts. Budapest. Public domain, Wikipedia August 2014 THE MALE TOTEM IN KLEPHT POETRY 86