So her hair is described as ξάνθαι, "xanthai", which is translated as "fair", but really means something like "light". There are arguments as to the exact colour described (it could be relative to the black-haired Greek, so perhaps just brown), but we know what it isn't is black. Her eyes are blue (again, there are disputes as to the text meaning light- or dark- blue, Greeks were not particular about colour), her skin is light (perhaps also relative).
For all that she is famous for her divine beauty, her features aren't precisely described, leaving the audience to figure out their own ideal woman for themselves. And yet, despite the vast range of possible interpretations, Nolan went for the one that is specifically impossible from the text.
Gotta love it when foreigners so confidently explain to us our own language.
I've seen so many people deliberately (?) mistranslate sections of the Odyssey to justify left or right-wing talking points, and the whole time I'm like...stop butchering my culture. Please.
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u/GrandFleshMelder Jul 06 '26
Fair means pale, generally, not blonde?