“And What About the Shade of Heracles?”

When Odysseus makes his trip to meet the souls of the famous dead, he encounters the “shade of Heracles,” while “Heracles himself” is dining with the gods. This passage has inspired many poets and philosophers. A notable case is Plotinus who generally uses the term eidôlon along with other terms to define the “image of the soul” which is responsible for basic forms of ensoulment. The Homeric passage complicates matters: “Heracles himself” stands for the so-called undescended soul, but the “shade of Heracles” seems to encompass more than the lower forms of ensoulment—the eidôlon of Heracles thinks, remembers and talks. Plotinus’ take on the story is unique. Instead of allegorizing the story in a general fashion, he seems driven to explain all its details, not from some general need for exegesis but because these challenge his ideas on the undescended soul, the image of the soul and the concept of self.