Winnowing Oar
The Winnowing Oar (athereloigos - Greek ἀθηρηλοιγός) is an object that appears in Books XI and XXIII of Homer's Odyssey.<ref>The Odyssey, Perseus Project</ref> In the epic, Odysseus is instructed by Tiresias to take an oar from his ship and to walk inland until he finds a "land that knows nothing of the sea", where the oar would be mistaken for a winnowing shovel. At this point, he is to offer a sacrifice to Poseidon, and then at last his journeys would be over.
In popular culture
- In 2003 the artist Conrad Shawcross created a work, Winnowing Oar, based on the object. Sculpted in oak, spruce and ash, it is an imaginary tool with a winnowing shovel at one end and an oar blade at the other.<ref>Winnowing Oar, Conrad Shawcross, Victoria Miro Gallery</ref> It formed part of the Shawcross' 2004 Continuum exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.<ref>Continuum, Nmm.ac.uk</ref>
- The metaphor is used in the TV series Black Sails.
- The song "Marching Inland" by Tom Lewis is a modern interpretation of the concept:<ref>"Marching Inland", tomlewis.net</ref>
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left: 3em;"> I'm marching inland from the shore, over m' shoulder I'm carrying an oar, When someone asks me: "What - is that funny thing you've got?" Then I know I'll never go to sea no more, no more, Then I know I'll never go to sea no more! </poem>