Decoding Homer's Odyssey: An Exploration of Self, Myth and Poetic Art

Live from Santorini, Greece

Travelers, get ready for a journey. Discover the language and symbolism of Greek Myth in Homer’s Odyssey, an epic poem that has shaped human history - with VAWAA artist, storyteller, musician, and master instrument artisan, Yannis Pantazis. 

Weaving storytelling and music from handcrafted ancient flutes and the ancient Greek Lyre, we will hear a tale of wandering and returning home. Whether we travel near or far, wandering presents complicated existential questions and helps us to figure out who we truly are. Perhaps no story of wanderlust is more filled with meaning and metaphor than that of Odysseus' epic adventure.

Join us on Sunday 27th June at 1:30PM EST for this storytelling-style talk, in which we will become familiar with the language of mythology. We'll hear how Odysseus escaped a one-eyed monster's clutches, defended himself against a siren's lethal song, and fell in love with a beautiful island nymph. We will come to understand the hidden meaning behind the complex and absurd narratives the ancient Greeks told as we explore every point of Odysseus' journey. We will admire the poetic art of the ancient mythographers who created timeless "statues of memory,” which inspire every field of social, artistic and scientific expression today. 

In studying ancient Greek Mythology, we will not only admire the creative spirit of the ancient Greeks, but will also learn valuable lessons about humanity’s relationship with its natural environment, which can offer perspective on our planet’s environmental problems, and its echoes in our social realms and individual lives. And we just might find in Odysseus’ journey, a mental state that we can relate to in this present day.

This session is for anyone who loves music, storytelling, and the art of existential exploration.

If you are not in EST time zone, be sure to convert the time.

How to join

We'll be hosting this VAWAA Online on Zoom. We'll send the link and details to join via email 1 day and again 1 hour before it begins.

About Yannis

Yannis Pantazis is a wind instrument artisan and musician with a special interest in mythology and the role of music in Greece's past and its relevance to the present. As a child, he was particularly drawn to the sound of the tsabouna, an ancient Greek bagpipe. He later traveled throughout Greece to study, construct, and play the instrument, reawakening interest in a sound that hadn’t been heard on the island of Santorini in a generation. His deep study of historical musical philosophy and his own instrument-making techniques compelled him to turn a 19th-century winery on Santorini into SYMPOSION, a cultural center dedicated to music and mythology. He says he invents because innovation keeps tradition alive, and he plays because it's a way for him to communicate with himself and others. 

Sessions are ticketed to support artists, makers and our small team. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, please do reach out. We may have a generous participant who has paid it forward and would ask that you pay the love forward by sharing online sessions with 3 new friends.