Argos Redux:
Introduction:
…[H]ow can we feel sure that an old dog with an excellent memory and some power of imagination, as shewn by his dreams, never reflects on his past pleasures or pains in the chase? And this would be a form of self-consciousness.
Charles Darwin
The Descent of Man
Lassie came home, but compared to the steadfast Argos in Homer’s Greek epic The Odyssey, she proved a slacker. While our canine celluloid celebrity with a propensity for straying (based on the theme of many movie and TV episodes), outwitted kidnappers, tangled with mountain lions, served bravely in battle and unfailingly found gangly kids in hollow or hole, Lassie always returned to a fawning family, healthful food, fireside warmth.
For 20 years, Argos barely survived on tossed scraps while lying on tepid, fetid excrement.
Lassie was the wanderlust Odysseus of dogs, an adventurer in lands foreign and domestic. Like Odysseus, the shrewd hero of the Trojan War, Lassie exemplified canine canniness to the masses. Interestingly, both employed deception for their derring-do — Odysseus frequently disguised as an old beggar; Lassie really a transgendered “male”.
Homer’s mention of Argos in Western literature’s first blockbuster seems almost an afterthought.
Many commentators highlight the Argos-Odysseus homecoming as the first literary portrayal of the human-animal bond. Many scientists say canines awareness remains only in the present moment, thus Argos would have held no thoughts about past or future. For them, Argos just spent most of his life on the dung pile doors, snapping at fleas and sniffing for food.
In our three-part essay series Argos Redux, we interpret Homer’s narrative quite differently. Argos immediately recognized his long-lost master, which we believe proves the canine (as would any canine) held memories of their history together. We, then, wonder about Argos’ memories and thoughts during his 7,300 days waiting for Odysseus to come home:
Did he recall on their past together? Did he muse on his training days with Odysseus? Did he remember his hunting outings in the forest? Did he wonder why his beloved master and family neglected him? Did he stay from a sense of loyal duty to family or merely because he lacked anywhere else to go? Did he dream of ever reuniting with his lost king?
We examine what we refer as the Argos Redux in three essays. First, in “The Waiting Game,” we review our own dogs’ Argos-like vigil for our return from our daily human ventures. “The Threshold Dog” discover meaning today in the mythical role of the canine custodian to other worlds and territorial protector, as Argos served. Finally, in “The Other,” we question the traditional scholarly interpretation of the human-animal bond in The Odyssey and show how the long anticipated Odysseus-Argos reunion remained unfulfilled and empty. We follow with an appendix that includes some interesting notes about dogs in the lives of The Odyssey author Homer and famous translator Alexander Pope.
We hope you enjoy Argus Redux Part 1: “The Waiting Game.” The next chapters will be posted shortly.
Audrey Schwartz Rivers, MS
Editor
asrivers
