What does prepaying a year at the gym have to do with ‘The Odyssey’? … Why Odysseus escaped the Sirens unscathed [Two Birds, One Stone Storynomics] - 경향신문

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What are the originals behind ‘Star Wars’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘Interstellar’, and ‘Galaxy Express 999’? One can point to Homer’s <Iliad> and <Odyssey>. The <Odyssey>, which means the song of Odysseus, is a tale of wandering and homecoming. It recounts the ten-year journey of Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War, as he returns to Ithaca where his family lives.

At the heart of that journey lie adventure, temptation, trust, betrayal, growth, waiting, and family love. For that reason, adventure novels, road movies, coming-of-age tales, and fantasy literature are generally seen as inheriting the journey structure of the <Odyssey>.

The Trojan War is thought to have actually taken place in the early 13th century BCE. Because there was no suitable script at the time, the Greeks passed down the detailed course of the war as eight long songs, that is, epics, from mouth to mouth. Of these, the two songs that survive intact today are <Iliad> and <Odyssey>. The two works were written down, and after the 5th century BCE Greece and Rome adopted them as official recitation pieces. This was even before Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje were founded on the Korean Peninsula. The <Iliad> and <Odyssey> became school texts that students recited, copied, annotated, and were tested on.

In Hermann Hesse’s novel <Beneath the Wheel>, one of the main subjects Hans studies to pass the seminary entrance exam is the Odyssey. The two works became the roots of Western language and literature, ways of thinking, and values.

The <Iliad> and <Odyssey> are oral literature in which a storyteller sings to rhythm and melody while playing an instrument, a structure similar to Korea’s chang or pansori. It is not certain whether Homer, known as the author, was a real person. Some say he was a blind bard, while others claim that the oral tradition passed from mouth to mouth was called Homer.

The <Odyssey> is a long epic of 12,110 lines. Especially well known are the story of the Cyclops, the one-eyed giant and son of Poseidon; the story of Circe, who turned Odysseus’s men into pigs; the story of the blind prophet Teiresias; the story of the goddess Calypso, who loved Odysseus; and the story of the Sirens, who lure sailors.

Among these is a scene that draws the attention of behavioral economics: the story of the Sirens. Circe warns Odysseus, “You must pass the place where the Sirens sing, and if you hear the Sirens’ song, you will be bewitched, abandon your ship, and meet your death.” Odysseus orders his men to plug their ears with earplugs made of wax, but he does not do so himself. Out of curiosity, he wants to hear the Sirens’ song.

Instead, Odysseus orders the sailors to tie him tightly to the mast. He tells them that even if he begs to be released, they must not listen and should bind him even more firmly.

At last the ship passes the Sirens. Hearing their song, Odysseus screams to have the ropes untied. But the sailors, with earplugs in, cannot hear him, and, following his prior command, they cinch the ropes restraining him even tighter. In the end, Odysseus’s ship escapes the Sirens safely. From this comes the term ‘Ulysses Contract’.

Ulysses is the Latin name for the Greek Odysseus, changed as the Romans adopted Greek mythology. A Ulysses contract, in other words an Odysseus contract, refers to the act of imposing constraints in advance on one’s current self so that one’s future self cannot act impulsively or irrationally.

People’s present and future preferences often diverge. For example, one resolves to diet but gives up after three days. Vows to quit smoking or drinking often do not last even a few days. Is there a way to avoid giving up so easily midway? One can prepay a year of gym fees, or promise family members to pay 100,000 won if one drinks or smokes.

The Ulysses contract is often mentioned as a way to solve the problem of weak self-control that easily wavers before temptation. In behavioral economics this is called a commitment device (Commitment Device). Economists consider that, to achieve long-term goals, binding oneself through a Ulysses contract can be more effective than relying on personal willpower alone. In short, do not trust your future self; bind your future self now.

Filing in advance to refuse life-sustaining treatment is also a kind of Ulysses contract. It is a way to bind oneself now so that one’s mind does not change later.

So, what kind of song did Odysseus hear from the Sirens?

“Come this way. Lend your ear to all the world’s knowledge distilled in our beautiful song.”

The Sirens’ song was not merely beautiful. It was a temptation aimed at intellectual desire. Humans harbor a strong desire to possess more knowledge than they need, and when such desire becomes excessive, they may lose the path they ought to take. In other words, the Sirens’ song can be read as a warning to modern civilization that science and technology, once out of control, may drive humanity toward ruin.

After untold hardships, Odysseus returns to Ithaca. But this is not the end. In his absence, outsiders have occupied his palace, and he must protect his wife, Penelopeia, and his son, Telemachus. Disguised as a beggar, Odysseus uses his wits to drive out the intruders and complete his homecoming.

The film <Odyssey> by director Christopher Nolan has surpassed 11 million viewers. It is heartening that the <Odyssey>, the root of Westernindeed moderncontent, is gaining full-scale recognition at home.