Abstract

Ancient Greek thought was not simply rational and analytic but also mythical and intuitive, originating as it did from a fine intellectual and perceptual versatility where myth instigated but also crowned both philosophical thought and poetry. This chapter tests the above hypothesis in the case of Sappho, combining poetry, philosophical and geographical theory, plus mythology, to explore, more particularly, the following themes: Μyth as a bridge to wisdom, collective as well as multifaceted; the dynamism of the archaic poetic genius, namely, how the cosmogonic philosophical and scientific atmosphere of Sappho’s time is reflected in her poetry; her interaction with Homer’s poetic tradition; her own poetic self and milieu; fragmentation in Sappho’s poetics as a characteristic shared with modernism; analogy and nature in her poetry, plus the bonds between Sappho and Modern Greek poets like Odysseus Elytis. Space in Sappho accrues not just as a theoretical concept, but also as seat of sacredness and social participation, while nature reflects immediately the human condition, both personal and collective.