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Ulysses asked that his shipmates bind him fast so as to protect him from chasing after the sirens. We refer to this event now as the Ulysses Pact. Similarly, the author of the first book of Nephi felt his character must also be tied down. Likely, the author felt vulnerable to his own inadequacies in etiquette around the ladies, particularly at balls and holiday festivities. The author felt that if he were exposed to "rude" dancing for too long, he would give in to his own rudeness. I feel this story portrays a Ulysses Pact made by the author of the Book of Mormon. It is a pact silently and secretly made to help remind him to avoid his weaknesses in social gatherings.

The criticism I lay at the feet of the author is this: You do not need to tie yourself down in order to avoid your temptations toward rudeness. You can learn to find that joy is not made by taking rudely. It comes more from sharing and expressing with compassion. Under the tight bands you restrain yourself with, you will begin to tarnish your vision. You will begin to feel that without forced restraint, you must give into selfishness.

Here are some depictions of Ulysses:

Ulysses and the Sirens ~ John William Waterhouse 1891


Ulysses and the Sirens by Herbert James Draper


Mosaic of Ulysses tied to the mast of a ship to resist the songs of the Sirens, from Dougga, Bardo museum


Archaic Greek Vase painting Sirens and Odysseus tied to the mast 340 BCE - Gresk vase med Odysseus og Sirens


Odysseus and the Sirens. Intarsia 19th century. Museo Correale di Terranova, Sorrento.


Claire Watson, flickr

Here are some depictions of Nephi for comparison:


Lost source! Can someone help me find the artist name?


Jeremy Winborg


Unknown artist


Helpmeet, oil on canvas, by K. Sean Sullivan, St. Cloud Ward, Orlando Florida South Stake


source

That's pretty cool, zee.

I can't believe Nephi wears clothes that show nipple. Someone should alert his SP.

zeezrom wrote:
Unknown artist

That one looks like an illustration of some kind of modern Book of Mormon reenactor. I don't think Nephi would have had a regulation "elder" haircut. The clothes also look like modern makeshift: denim, cotton chamois, etc.

Blixa wrote:
That one looks like an illustration of some kind of modern Book of Mormon reenactor. I don't think Nephi would have had a regulation "elder" haircut. The clothes also look like modern makeshift: denim, cotton chamois, etc.

I thought the same thing! Had to have been done fairly recently.

I love the Ulysses done by John William Waterhouse. So awesome. The beard, the hat, the tunic. All of it!

zeezrom wrote:I love the Ulysses done by John William Waterhouse. So awesome. The beard, the hat, the tunic. All of it!

I like the Draper.

just me wrote:

Blixa wrote:
That one looks like an illustration of some kind of modern Book of Mormon reenactor. I don't think Nephi would have had a regulation "elder" haircut. The clothes also look like modern makeshift: denim, cotton chamois, etc.

I thought the same thing! Had to have been done fairly recently.

Had this painting been authentic, the artist would have rendered Nephi's haircut and clothing in the 19th Century manner.

just me wrote:That's pretty cool, zee.

I can't believe Nephi wears clothes that show nipple. Someone should alert his SP.

And someone should alert Shades.

Nipples (and the uncircumsized unpronounceable of Michelangelo's David) caused my fate...

Wait. There is a David with foreskin?!