Sallyportal: Madly Blogging Reed

"Libations!" They Cried

By Chris Lydgate '90 on August 27, 2012 09:40 AM

FirstHumLectureLibations.jpg

Monday morning, 8:45 a.m. First day of class. As the new crop of freshlings streamed towards Vollum for their first real Hum lecture, laden with backpacks, and clutching coffee cups and water bottles, they were greeted by an unusual spectacle: a veritable pantheon of Greek gods hooting and hollering on the steps outside the lecture hall.

"Libations!" cried the gods. "Libations to honor mighty Zeus!"

At some colleges, this would be frat-speak for beer or jello shots. At Reed, however, the gods (cunningly disguised as upperclassmen) were beseeching freshlings to re-enact an ancient ritual they've been reading about in the Odyssey—namely, pouring a drink on the ground to honor the superhuman inhabitants of Mount Olympus.

Some freshlings had nothing to offer—or preferred to keep their drinks for themselves. ("Hubris!" sang the gods in mock consternation.) But many others poured out a few drops of water or coffee on the concrete steps, provoking bellows of thanks and welcome.

President John Kroger, who has enrolled in Hum 110 as a student, initially seemed to be walking on a course to bypass the brouhaha, but then appeared to change his mind, marched back into the hurly-burly, and with a steady hand, poured a generous quantity of black coffee onto the steps. The gods erupted in howls of delight.

Inside, students were treated to a rare delight: singing the opening lines of the Odyssey with Professor Wally Englert [classics 1981-]. (Many thanks to the Reed Switchboard for spreading the word through cyberspace.)

Tags: Homer, Hum 110, Kroger, student life, traditions