What if the gods in The Odyssey aren't really about gods at all? What if Athena, Poseidon, Zeus and the other divine forces surrounding Odysseus represent something deeply human: our fears, desires, impulses, ideals and attempts to make sense of forces beyond our control? Join Leon, a psychologist and passionate fan of Greek mythology, for a journey into Homer's Odyssey, one of the foundational stories of Western culture. Rather than simply asking what happens in the myth, we'll explore its psychology: Why did the ancient Greeks imagine gods who could protect humans one moment and torment them the next? What does the strange, complicated relationship between mortals and immortals reveal about how we understand ourselves?

From fate and free will to temptation, pride, suffering, power and the need to believe that somebody, or something, is controlling the chaos, we'll use The Odyssey to explore questions that remain surprisingly modern. What are the "gods" that influence our lives today? Have science and modernity really freed us from mythological thinking, or have we simply given the old forces new names? No knowledge of Greek mythology or The Odyssey is needed, Leon will introduce the essential stories and characters as we go. And while we'll be discussing Homer's ancient poem rather than any film adaptation, anyone who's encountered Odysseus on the page or screen will have plenty to bring to the conversation. Expect mythology, psychology, big ideas and some very flawed gods behaving in very human ways.

如果《奥德赛》里的众神其实根本说的不是神呢？如果雅典娜、波塞冬、宙斯和围绕奥德修斯的那些神性力量，代表的其实是深深的人性——我们的恐惧、欲望、冲动、理想，以及试图理解那些超出我们控制的力量的努力呢？加入心理学家兼希腊神话爱好者Leon，一起走进荷马的《奥德赛》——西方文化的奠基故事之一。我们不会只问“神话里发生了什么”，而是探索它的心理学：为什么古希腊人想象出的神，前一秒能保护人，后一秒就折磨人？凡人与神祇之间那种奇怪而复杂的关系，又揭示了关于我们自身理解的什么？

从命运和自由意志，到诱惑、骄傲、痛苦、权力，以及“相信某人或某物正在掌控混乱”的需求，我们会通过《奥德赛》来探讨一些出奇现代的问题。今天影响我们生活的“神”是什么？科学和现代性真的把我们带出了神话思维，还是我们只是给那些古老的力量换了新名字？不需要任何希腊神话或《奥德赛》的知识储备，Leon会在过程中介绍必要的故事和人物。虽然我们讨论的是荷马的古老诗篇而不是任何影视改编，但任何在纸上或屏幕上遇见过奥德修斯的人，都会有很多东西可以带来分享。期待神话、心理学、大思想，以及一些有非常人性化缺陷的神祇做着非常人性化的事。