The Winnowing Oar: A Symbolic Journey in The Odyssey
Introduction
Homer’s Odyssey is a tale rich in symbolism and layered meaning, and among its most
evocative symbols is the “winnowing oar.” This essay explores the motif of the oar as it
transforms from a tool of seafaring into a funerary and agricultural sign, signaling not
only the end of Odysseus’s literal journey but also his metaphoric transition from hero to
man. This transformation, framed by encounters with characters such as Elpenor and
Teiresias, invites an exploration of narrative closure, symbolic reinterpretation, and the
promise of transcendence beyond the confines of storytelling.
Odysseus and His Companions
Tell me, O Muse, of that many-sided hero who traveled far and wide after he had
sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the people
with whose customs and thinking he was acquainted; many things he suffered at sea
while seeking to save his own life and to achieve the safe homecoming of his
companions; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished
through their own sheer recklessness in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Helios; so the
god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, as you have told those who
came before me, about all these things, O daughter of Zeus, starting from whatsoever
point you choose. (Homer, 1.1–11).¹
Immediately after the invocation to the Muse and the introduction to the epic, the poet
informs us that Odysseus is on Calypso's island. It is the ninth year after the fall of Troy,
from when Odysseus and his companions began their journey back to Ithaca, and the
seventh year since Odysseus was stranded on Calypso's island, having lost all his
companions. Some were killed in the conflict with the Cicones, others were eaten by the
Cyclops, most were devoured by the Laestrygonians, others were torn apart by Scylla,
while the last of them were lost at sea when Zeus struck them down with lightning bolts.
Of all Odysseus's companions, Elpenor alone died a worthless, ordinary death. He woke
to the sound of the hurried departure from Circe's island. Dizzy from the previous night's
drunkenness, he forgot he was on the roof of the palace, causing him to fall and break his
neck.
If Elpenor had followed Odysseus to Troy, he must have been at least 20 years old when
he left Ithaca, meaning he would have died around 30 or 32. However, Odysseus himself
says that Elpenor was young and not particularly brave or intelligent. So, perhaps he was
the son of one of Odysseus's companions, fathered with a Trojan captive. Or maybe both
of his parents were captives, and he was conscripted against his will.
Whatever the case, Elpenor lived a relatively short life full of adventures and fleeting
pleasures, perhaps like a mercenary or adventurer. However, he is the only one of
Odysseus's companions, and the only character in the Odyssey, who dies and receives
funeral honours.
Elpenor’s Death and the Oar as Sêma
In contrast to Odysseus, Elpenor is an anti-hero: without royal blood, without the strength
or intelligence that would make him stand out, without even a family waiting for him.
Yet, Odysseus honours him as a comrade by giving him the necessary funeral rites.
We first learn about him and his comical death in Book 10. In Book 11 (The
Underworld), Elpenor is the first shade that Odysseus encounters. He describes the way
he lost his life and begs Odysseus, when he returns to Circe's island, to bury him so that
his soul may find rest in the underworld, and to plant on his tomb (sêma, σῆμα) the oar
that he rowed with while he was alive alongside his comrades.
After Elpenor’s shadow fades away, Teiresias prophesies the following to Odysseus: [...]
I will give you this certain token (sêma, σῆμα) which cannot escape your notice. A
wayfarer will meet you and will say it must be a winnowing shovel that you have got
upon your shoulder; on this you must fix the oar in the ground and sacrifice a ram, a
bull, and a boar to Poseidon. Then go home and offer hecatombs to the gods in heaven
one after the other. As for yourself, death shall come to you from the sea, and your life
shall ebb away very gently when you are full of years and peace of mind, and your people
shall be prosperous. All that I have said will come true.²
Teiresias’s Prophecy and the Transformation of the Oar
Let's pay attention to the dual meaning of the word 'σῆμα' (sêma). Elpenor uses it to refer
to his tomb, while Teiresias uses it to mean a sign. After all, a tomb is the ultimate sign of
a hero.³
As a word, 'oar' has the usual meaning. In Teiresias's prophecy, the object 'oar' takes on a
second meaning: it becomes a winnowing shovel. For Odysseus to establish this second
meaning, he must journey until he finds a land where the word 'oar' has no meaning, and
the object 'oar' is recognized only as a winnowing shovel. Planting the oar on Elpenor's
tomb is the sign that the sailor is dead, that he will never row at sea again. Planting the
winnowing shovel in the earth is the sign that the cycle from sowing to harvesting is
complete. For Odysseus, the planting of the oar-winnowing shovel is the sign, on the one
hand, that his life as a sailor is over, and on the other, that his life's cycle is complete, and
he will return happily to the earth, entering the hero cult. But before this can happen,
Odysseus must travel far, as he recounts to Penelope.⁴
As in many points of his narrative, Odysseus claims to speak with absolute honesty, yet
what he says often differs slightly from how it is presented in other places. Such small
differences often go unnoticed but hold great significance. [...] In a way, we as audience
hear the promise of another epic about to start anew.⁵
Escaping the Story's Bounds
To look for the experiences of the life beyond the story we are living is to look for the
promise that our story will not end. And, again, in that oar we find a promise of
transformation, as the relationship between signifier and signified breaks down. The oar
becomes a thing it was not, when it is transported into different lands and, once planted, it
is a 'clear sign,' a sêma of what has been accomplished.⁶
If Elpenor hadn’t fallen from the roof, perhaps Scylla or Charybdis would have killed
him, or he would have eaten from the Sun's cattle and perished at sea. But if he had slept
heavily and missed the departure from Circe's island, he might have lived to a ripe old
age – and we wouldn’t know anything about him; he would have left no sign of his
presence in the world.
For each one of us, our story ends with our death. The story of Elpenor ends within the
Odyssey and within Odysseus's story. And his oar, placed on his grave by the seashore,
will be recognized by sailors and those who live near the sea. However, Odysseus's story
does not end in the 24th book of the Odyssey. And the oar is the key to this: by becoming
a winnowing shovel, it becomes a symbol both of death and of the escape from narrative
itself. In its transformation, then, it may model a promise of liberation from paradigmatic
thinking.⁷
References
¹ Homer. (1900). The Odyssey (S. Butler, Trans.).
² Homer. (1900). The Odyssey (S. Butler, Trans.).
³ Nagy, G. (2013). The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours. Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press.
⁴ Homer. (1919). The Odyssey (A. T. Murray, Trans.).
⁵ Christensen, J. (2020). The Many-Minded Man: The 'Odyssey,' Psychology, and the
Therapy of Epic. Cornell University Press.
⁶ Christensen, J. (2020). The Many-Minded Man: The 'Odyssey,' Psychology, and the
Therapy of Epic. Cornell University Press.
⁷ Christensen, J. (2020). The Many-Minded Man: The 'Odyssey,' Psychology, and the
Therapy of Epic. Cornell University Press.