Ruth

Season: 3, Episodes: 1, Faction: N/A

Overview

Ruth was Desmond’s girlfriend for six years in Scotland, not far from the monastery in Eddington. They eventually made plans to marry, but Desmond disappeared one week before their wedding. Desmond got drunk and had an experience that led him to become a monk. Her brother, Derek, located him at the monastery and punched Desmond in the face for deserting his sister.

Fertility (Water)

Fertility (Vegetation)

Childbirth

3×17 – Catch-22

Desmond visited Ruth to explain he realized he had a greater calling and for it he would sacrifice everything else. Ruth didn’t believe him and thought that he was just too scared to go through with their wedding. (“Catch-22”)

Ruth: Next time you want to break up with someone, Des, don’t join the monastery. Just tell the girl you’re too bloody scared.

– (“Catch-22”)

Images Source | Source

Related Character Images

Decoded Family Members

Derek (Brother)

Decoded Season 1 Characters

Jack Shephard

Kate Austen

Decoded Season 2 & 3 Characters

Desmond Hume

Penelope Hume

Juliet Burke

Key Episode(s) to Decoding the Character

3x17 "Catch 22"

Wiki Info

Calypso was a nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, where she detained Odysseus for a number of years. She is generally said to be the daughter of the Titan Atlas.

Hesiod mentions either different Calypsos or the same Calypso as one of the Oceanid daughters of Tethys and Oceanus, and Pseudo-Apollodorus as one of the Nereid daughters of Nereus and Doris.

The Odyssey

Calypso is remembered most for her role in Homer’s Odyssey, in which she keeps the fabled Greek hero Odysseus on her island so she could make him her immortal husband. According to Homer, Calypso kept Odysseus hostage at Ogygia for seven years. while Pseudo-Apollodorus says five years and Hyginus says one. During this time they sleep together, although Odysseus soon comes to wish for circumstances to change.

Odysseus can not be away from his true love Penelope any longer and wants to go to Calypso to tell her. His patron goddess Athena asks Zeus to order the release of Odysseus from the island, and Zeus sends Hermes to tell Calypso to set Odysseus free, for it was not his destiny to live with her forever. She angrily comments on how the gods hate goddesses having relationships with mortals for this. Then being worried for her not-meant-to-be love Odysseus, Calypso sends him on his way with a boat, wine, and bread. Odysseus tells her he knows she is more beautiful than his wife, but he wants to get home for other reasons.

Homer does not mention any children by Calypso. By some accounts, which come after the Odyssey, Calypso bore Odysseus a son, Latinus, though Circe is usually given as Latinus’ mother. In other accounts Calypso bore Odysseus two children, Nausithous and Nausinous.

Name

The etymology of Calypso’s name is from καλύπτω (kalyptō), meaning “to cover”, “to conceal”, “to hide”. It is the opposite of apocalypse, meaning to reveal, which suggests that Calypso may have originally been a death goddess. According to Etymologicum Magnum her name means καλύπτουσα το διανοούμενον, i.e. “concealing the knowledge”, which combined with the Homeric epithet δολόεσσα, meaning subtle or wily, justifies the hermetic character of Calypso and her island.

The spelling of Calypso music reflects a later folk-etymological assimilation with the mythological name and is not otherwise related to the figure from the Odyssey.