The Road to Ithaca

Last June, we decided to take a family vacation by the lakeside, about an hour's drive from Toronto, Canada, in a place not too far from our daughter’s home. While planning the trip, I thought it would be a good opportunity to drive back and forth, even though it meant a long journey. Although I was worried about whether my wife, who would be driving, could handle the trip, I thought it wouldn't be too burdensome to drive for about six hundred miles (960 km) one way, taking a break every two hours or so, so I chose to drive instead of taking a plane.

 

We left New Jersey and passed through Pennsylvania and New York to get to Canada. Looking at the map, we didn't hesitate to choose the road through Ithaca in New York instead of the one through Syracuse. Perhaps it was because I had a deep memory of Odysseus (or Ulysses in Latin), who is the hero of Greek mythology and the lord of Ithaca, among other things. He is the protagonist of Greek epic poems named after him and known for his role in the Trojan War (the inventor of the Trojan horse). He is a legendary figure who returned home after twenty years of eventful wandering and took revenge on the suitors who had overshadowed his wife.

 

The poem "The Road to Ithaca" by Constantine P. Cavafy begins like this: "When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of learning..."

 

Rather than choosing an adventurous and learning-filled long journey to Ithaca, we had planned to arrive there quickly and rest comfortably. However, our plans went awry when we left the highway as instructed by the GPS and found ourselves on narrow and steep roads, made even more tedious by the rain, arriving in Ithaca much later than planned.

 

Although renowned for being home to Cornell University, a prestigious institution in the United States, there isn't much else to boast about in the small city of Ithaca. Spending a night there and continuing on to Toronto via Cayuga Lake felt stifling as the narrow and steep road continued after passing through Syracuse, New York. I couldn't help but think that Cornell University students must have nothing else to do in such a remote place but study. Eager to leave Ithaca and rest by the lakeside, I urged my wife, who wanted to rest longer, to hasten our departure and vowed to myself, "I will never come back to Ithaca again."

 

Although we had originally planned to pass through Ithaca both ways and had booked a hotel, upon arriving in Canada, we decided to cancel the reservation and change our hotel to one in Syracuse for the return trip. The route back through Syracuse mostly consisted of highways, so not only did it shorten the journey, but the wider roads also put my mind at ease. Come to think of it, Syracuse also indirectly relates to Greek mythology.

 

There are many place names in New York State that are related to Greek mythology. When you find and list the data, you will be surprised by the considerable number. Ithaca, Syracuse, Troy, Leucandro, Hector, Marathon, Delphi, Ulysses, Apollo, Athena, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Zeus... etc.

 

Considering that many descendants of Greek immigrants live in New York State, did they have a significant influence on the naming of these places? No. Considering that there are about 370,000 Greek residents in New York State, which is not a remarkable number compared to the 220,000 Korean residents, it is not a significant number. Perhaps the influence of Greek civilization on Western civilization played a major role in naming these places.

 

(January 14, 2024)