Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

failed embrace of a ghost

failed_embrace_of_a_ghost

A motif of the Afterlife Navigation and Passage family, within the sub-family Ghostly Encounters, Failed Embraces, and Animal Sight. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


greek

  • The Iliad ARGUMENT. / THE DEATH OF HECTOR. / BOOK XXIII. / ARGUMENT.; lines 21072-21199 confidence: high

    Achilles asks for a last embrace; his arms cannot grasp the shade, which flies away like smoke. He wakes and says that the dead retain an immortal mind, an aerial semblance, and an empty shade.

    Achilles reaches for Patroclus' shade but cannot grasp it, and the spirit flies away like smoke.

    read in the book