Nepenthe

Nepenthe is a drug of forgetfulness mentioned in Greek mythology, depicted as originating in Egypt.

The word "Nepenthe" first appears in the fourth book of the Odyssey of Homer. Literally, it means "the one that chases away sorrow" (ne = not, penthos = grief, sorrow). In the Odyssey, "Nepenthes pharmakon" (i.e. a philter that chases away sorrow) is a magical potion given to Helen by an Egyptian queen; it quells all sorrows with forgetfulness.

It is thought by some that nepenthe might have referred to a real-life opium preparation, perhaps similar to laudanum [link]. Alternately, some believe it referred to coffee or marijuana.

Later References

In Edmund Spenser's The Fairy Queen, book 4, canto 3, the effect of the drink is extended: "such as drinck, eterall happinesse do fynd" (verse 43). Spenser likens Nepenthe to the magic potion from Ariosto's Orlando furioso.

George Chapman refers to Nepenthe in Ovid's Banquet of Sense, stanza 10, line 1: "Sacred Nepenthe, purgatiue of care".

In Milton's Comus, lines 675-8, Comus says of his julep that "Not that Nepenthes which the wife of Thone/In Egypt gave to Jove-born Helena /Is of such power to stir up joy as this".

Alexander Pope made the reference "Lulled with the sweet nepenthe of a court" in his poem An Essay on Man.

In The Raven, a poem by Edgar Allan Poe there is a reference to "quaffing nepenthe" in order to forget a lost love: "Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!".

H. P. Lovecraft referenced nepenthe in one of the famous final lines from his story "The Outsider": "For although nepenthe has calmed me, I know always that I am an outsider..."

Nepenthe is also the name of a collection of poetry published in 1921 by Greek poet Kostas Karyotakis. It was his second collection.

When the Spacer woman Gladia Delmarre makes love to the detective Elijah Baley in Isaac Asimov's science fiction novel The Robots of Dawn, the exhausted Bailey finds "this utterly soft end of a hard day... as soporific as the fabled nepenthe...."

In Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 901 'The Projected Man,' nepenthe is used (somewhat satirically) to describe a plea from ghosts: Observer: "I'm sensing the presence of several disembodied souls… wandering these dark halls in search of surcease, an end to their endless night… a howl of quiet desperation… towards an indifferent universe. Nepenthe! Nepenthe!"

Nepenthe is a restaurant in Big Sur, known for its breathtaking views of the rugged coastline. It is a short distance from the residence of Henry Miller, a prominent writer who lived there in the mid-20th century. His home is now a small museum where literary and artistic workshops are held.

See also Nepenthes, a carnivorous plant genus.

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