Winnowing Oar

The Winnowing Oar ("athereloigon" - Greek "ἀθηρηλοιγόν") is an object that appears in Books XI and XXIII of Homer's Odyssey. [ [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hom.+Od.+1.1 The Odyssey] , Perseus Project] 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 fan. At this point, he is to offer a sacrifice to Poseidon, and then at last his journeys would be over.

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 fan at one end and an oar blade at the other. [ [http://www.victoria-miro.com/artworks/detail/31,14/ Winnowing Oar] , Conrad Shawcross, Victoria Miro Gallery] It formed part of the Shawcross' 2004 "Continuum" exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. [" [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.17962 Continuum] ", NMM]

References

External links

* [http://vunex.blogspot.com/2006/11/unknown-object-part-ii.html An essay on the winnowing-fan and its meaning]