Homer’s Odyssey Text Collection with Odysseus Wanderings Illustration and Early‑20th‑Century Spigelia Homeopathic Case Studies

Overview

This digital archive brings together two distinct scholarly resources curated by the Arke Institute. The primary component is a modern‑English transcription of eight consecutive books (V–XII) of Homer’s Odyssey, presented as plain‑text files and supplemented by a JSON index of characters, places, and motifs. A single high‑resolution illustration depicting Odysseus’s wanderings accompanies the epic texts. The secondary component is a German‑language manuscript page (scanned as odysseuswanderings1.jpg) and its OCR transcription, documenting eight homeopathic case studies (cases 66–74) that employ various Spigelia species as remedies.

Background

The Odyssey is an 8th‑century BCE Greek epic traditionally attributed to Homer. The transcriptions were prepared for public‑domain scholarly use and catalogued in the PINAX repository (ID 01KCJ6P3A8DK31EXCSTX67W689). The illustration, referenced in the epic’s narrative, was digitised as a visual supplement.

The Spigelia collection originates from a circa 1900 German manuscript compiled by an unidentified author who recorded observations from Surinam and Germany on the homeopathic use of Spigelia (including S. anthelmintica and S. marylandica). The material was also deposited in PINAX (ID 01KCJ6PE8NDXG5QZTN0VGZJW36) and reflects early‑20th‑century interest in American medicinal plants within European homeopathy.

Contents

• Odyssey Books V–XII: Eight plain‑text files (book05.txt – book12.txt) covering Odysseus’s departure from Calypso, his encounters with the Phaeacians, Circe, the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun‑god’s cattle, and his return to Ithaca.
• Relationships JSON: An index of 78 entities (gods, mortals, locations, objects) linking narrative elements.
• Odysseus Wanderings Illustration: One JPEG image (odysseuswanderings1.jpg, ~439 KB) visualising the hero’s voyages.
• Spigelia Case Studies Manuscript: High‑resolution scan of the original handwritten page.
• OCR Transcription: German text of cases 66–74, detailing patient symptoms, aggravating factors, and outcomes after Spigelia administration, with occasional reference to mercurial pills.
• Entity List (relationships.json): 22 identifiers connecting the manuscript to plant species, geographic tags (Surinam, Germany), and individual case numbers.

Scope

The archive spans two unrelated domains:

Literary – The latter half of the Odyssey (c. 800–700 BCE), covering mythic Mediterranean locales (Ithaca, Ogygia, Scheria, Aeaea, etc.) and themes of divine intervention, hospitality, and heroism.

Medical History – German‑language homeopathic case narratives from the late 19th/early 20th century, focusing on Spigelia’s therapeutic use for headaches, dental, facial, and systemic complaints, without broader pharmacological analysis.

Together, the collection provides researchers with primary literary texts, a visual aid, and a rare glimpse into historical plant‑based homeopathic practice.