Four Variations on the Nausicaa Theme

Abstract

In my study, I present four adaptations of the myth of Nausicaa, representing four variations of a theme of archetypal significance. These four versions are Homer’s Odyssey, the Munich vase by the Nausicaa Painter, Goethe’s fragment titled Nausikaa, and Zoltán Kodály’s song composed to the poem of Aranka Bálint. By comparing these four versions, which are considered here as equal in status, I examine how each work shapes the myth. In the epic poem, we encounter for the first time – in the figure of Nausicaa – the archetypal story of “stille Liebe” (silent love). On the vase painting by the Nausicaa Painter, the hopelessness of the relationship is made explicit by the presence of Athena. Goethe’s project is a tragedy in which the girl chooses death. In the Bálint–Kodály song, tension is created by the fact that Nausicaa lives on with a sense of inconclusiveness and incompleteness. The difference between epic and drama is required for Nausicaa’s story to end in tragedy. The difference between drama and song is required for us to hear Nausicaa’s inner, lyrical voice speak. Finally, the difference between text and image is required for Athena’s presence to receive such a strong emphasis in the visual representation of the story.