Excerpt
The fact that these writings fulfilled a certain role–above all a
mnemonic one–never entailed the creation of a universally binding
dogma, nor did it give rise to a great religious reformer. Neither
Homer nor Hesiod ever occupied such a position within the horizon
of Greek religious consciousness. Nevertheless, and indeed largely
because of them, there emerged an extraordinary freedom of expression
and Imaginative activity that gave birth to Greek poetry and
philosophical thought.
Owing to this distinctive character of the Greek Imaginative,
whenever we reflect upon the Greek world we speak, volens nolens,
of the world of spirit. More than that, we may speak of the
first youth, even the adolescence, of spirit. For the first time, we
encounter the content of the will of knowledge as manifested in
the state, the family, law, and religion, understood as ends of individuality.
Human beings in general, by contrast, live and create in pursuit
of an end that they pursue with unwavering consistency, even at
the expense of their own individuality.The emblematic figure of
the Greek conception of the world is Heracles–a mythical, poetic
figure fashioned somewhere within the mists of Greek collective
memory–while its historical counterpart is Alexander of Macedon.
Both the former and the latter symbolize, first and foremost,
youthful strength and civilising energy. In the vision of the Greek
Imaginative, each acquires almost fantastic dimensions, although
Heracles embodies the universal meaning of the Greek spirit,
whereas Alexander embodies its individual meaning.
