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"Hepatocentrism was a medical doctrine that considered the liver the center of the whole human being." Puts a different light on prometheus's punishment. His l

"Hepatocentrism was a medical doctrine that considered the liver the center of the whole human being." Puts a different light on prometheus's punishment. His liver devoured by eagle and then grown back to be devoured again. It's like his soul/essence is reborn or reincarnated daily to be destroyed again.

ljlolel 3y ago
[flagged]
samstave 3y ago
[flagged]
- simpletone 3y ago
  That's fine and all, but I don't think the ancient greeks knew about DNA, alcohol processing, etc? I always assumed it was the liver because the liver physically grows back. But that is also modern medical knowledge. I'm just saying that prometheus legend reads differently when viewed from the ancient greek context. There is a richer, deeper layer that is missing without this context. As is the case with most literature.
  - wddkcs 3y ago
    Livers were considered instruments of prophetic foretelling. It was the eagle that consumed Prometheus is liver during his punishment, and that eagle was the embodiment of Zeus. Zeus sought to consume the liver of foresight, in order to fortell who would ursurp his throne, as he had overthrown Chronos. The story is a symbol of the succession mythos that defines all Mediterranean religions.
    - samstave 3y ago
      >>"I ate his liver with a nice Chianti" let that sink in u/spez
- mort96 3y ago
  [flagged]
- op00to 3y ago
  A very nice Just So Story. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/liver#:~:text=the%2520human%2520liver-,Etymology%25201,be%2520sticky%252C%2520glide%E2%80%9D https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/liver#:~:text=the%2520human...).
- samtho 3y ago
  I’m not sure if you are serious about this argument or using it as a rhetorical one for purposes of a historical argument, given GP’s context. Regardless, I would hope that onlookers do not believe in these ideas scientifically because we know an lot about the liver and it’s place within the body. > The liver is the store of your Emotions. Emotions are not stored, they are experienced by way of the Amygdala within the brain. It is sensitive to neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. > Thats why its called "The Liver" This organ was given its name long ago and its origin is debated (toss up between old Germanic/Norse languages or PIE). The true nature of this organ was unknown when it was named, however. > Its where all that you intake, including food and alcohol get processed. The liver does not process everything you “intake” but it does do a great deal, mainly acting as a catalyst for the decomposition of many types of molecules into useable substances. > Alcohol is consumed to either enhance or suppress experiences. Ethanol is a neurological depressant (as opposed to a stimulant) and prevents the normal operation of the brain for which the symptoms include impulsivity, reduction in reactivity, motor function impairment, memory loss, etc. it’s a poison that your liver is really good at breaking down. > This is also why Alcohol has been a prevalent substance forever. Alcohol has been prevalent because it’s easy to make, sterilized food while still being safe to consume, and (at high enough concentrations) would give you an altered state of mind that has had both cultural and religious significance throughout history.
  - asveikau 3y ago
    TFA talks about the etymology of the word for liver in various European languages. I think part of the point of this article is how people thought of its function before, and part of their argument is in fact the name and etymology. Anyway I think when you are in different emotional states your body does seem to feel it in ways that have probably not been fully studied or understood. Obviously for example your heart reacts to emotion. I know that therapists and others who talk about trauma talk about it as something impacting your body. Not to mention all the physical ailments which are documented to be aggravated by stress or have it as a major factor. So while it may seem naive to say your liver stores emotion, I don't think the idea is completely ridiculous. Your whole body probably has some form of reflected record of your health history, even if you can't really call it a literal "memory".
- larvaetron 3y ago
  Can HN get rid of the light gray text on light background please? It is annoying and user-hostile. I shouldn't have to squint to read a comment just because I arrived here later than those who think they deserve a better reading experience than I do.
  - bazoom42 3y ago
    If you click on the “X hours ago” header, you get the text in black.
  - anigbrowl 3y ago
    Seconded, it's incredibly user hostile. The mid-gray text in the comment header is sufficient to distinguish a flagged comment while maintaining readability.
    - samstave 3y ago
      [flagged]
- ohreelly 3y ago
  I know somebody who had a liver transplant. They didn't gain any new memories or lose their old ones. Unless the doctors used a liver memory transfer device, I don't think memories are stored there. And, I'm not an astrobiologist but I don't think DNA stores your memories and experiences.
  - samstave 3y ago
    First, astrobiologist is a really cool word.... DNA exactly stores experiences. thats why its DNA.... What makes you a person.
  - samstave 3y ago
    Bio-behaviors are what is stored. They are BUILT by experience and memories.
adrian_b 3y ago
What is interesting is that the liver is one of the few human organs which are really able to regrow after an injury. Therefore even if this may be just a coincidence that the legend of Prometheus includes the periodic regrowth of his liver after being wounded, there is also the possibility that some ancient people were aware of some cases of liver regeneration, though it is not clear how they could have discovered that.
- marci 3y ago
  Warfare may have helped. When you see often enough some injuries and how people recover (or not) from them, some may see patterns and intuit recovery mechanism: - Injuries to the lungs aren't always fatal but patients tend to have lasting breathing problems. - Liver injuries... hmmm, make your eyes turn yellowish, and it seems like those who come from the region where they drink hot water with some plant inside tend to fare better than those who don't, and if you survive, eyes return to normal and you can make a full recovery.
  - mohaba 3y ago
    To me, it is clear you are referencing jaundice for the second one, but I am not sure what plants are good for that.
    - sincerely 3y ago
      I think they're talking about coffee, iirc there are some studies that show it helps with liver cirrhosis which can cause jaundice
      - hcarvalhoalves 3y ago
        Plectranthus barbatus
    - astrange 3y ago
      Milk thistle is the historical one. NAC is the modern one.

ljlolel 3y ago

[flagged]

samstave 3y ago

[flagged]

simpletone 3y ago
That's fine and all, but I don't think the ancient greeks knew about DNA, alcohol processing, etc? I always assumed it was the liver because the liver physically grows back. But that is also modern medical knowledge. I'm just saying that prometheus legend reads differently when viewed from the ancient greek context. There is a richer, deeper layer that is missing without this context. As is the case with most literature.
- wddkcs 3y ago
  Livers were considered instruments of prophetic foretelling. It was the eagle that consumed Prometheus is liver during his punishment, and that eagle was the embodiment of Zeus. Zeus sought to consume the liver of foresight, in order to fortell who would ursurp his throne, as he had overthrown Chronos. The story is a symbol of the succession mythos that defines all Mediterranean religions.
  - samstave 3y ago
    >>"I ate his liver with a nice Chianti" let that sink in u/spez
mort96 3y ago
[flagged]
op00to 3y ago
A very nice Just So Story. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/liver#:~:text=the%2520human%2520liver-,Etymology%25201,be%2520sticky%252C%2520glide%E2%80%9D https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/liver#:~:text=the%2520human...).
samtho 3y ago
I’m not sure if you are serious about this argument or using it as a rhetorical one for purposes of a historical argument, given GP’s context. Regardless, I would hope that onlookers do not believe in these ideas scientifically because we know an lot about the liver and it’s place within the body. > The liver is the store of your Emotions. Emotions are not stored, they are experienced by way of the Amygdala within the brain. It is sensitive to neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. > Thats why its called "The Liver" This organ was given its name long ago and its origin is debated (toss up between old Germanic/Norse languages or PIE). The true nature of this organ was unknown when it was named, however. > Its where all that you intake, including food and alcohol get processed. The liver does not process everything you “intake” but it does do a great deal, mainly acting as a catalyst for the decomposition of many types of molecules into useable substances. > Alcohol is consumed to either enhance or suppress experiences. Ethanol is a neurological depressant (as opposed to a stimulant) and prevents the normal operation of the brain for which the symptoms include impulsivity, reduction in reactivity, motor function impairment, memory loss, etc. it’s a poison that your liver is really good at breaking down. > This is also why Alcohol has been a prevalent substance forever. Alcohol has been prevalent because it’s easy to make, sterilized food while still being safe to consume, and (at high enough concentrations) would give you an altered state of mind that has had both cultural and religious significance throughout history.
- asveikau 3y ago
  TFA talks about the etymology of the word for liver in various European languages. I think part of the point of this article is how people thought of its function before, and part of their argument is in fact the name and etymology. Anyway I think when you are in different emotional states your body does seem to feel it in ways that have probably not been fully studied or understood. Obviously for example your heart reacts to emotion. I know that therapists and others who talk about trauma talk about it as something impacting your body. Not to mention all the physical ailments which are documented to be aggravated by stress or have it as a major factor. So while it may seem naive to say your liver stores emotion, I don't think the idea is completely ridiculous. Your whole body probably has some form of reflected record of your health history, even if you can't really call it a literal "memory".
larvaetron 3y ago
Can HN get rid of the light gray text on light background please? It is annoying and user-hostile. I shouldn't have to squint to read a comment just because I arrived here later than those who think they deserve a better reading experience than I do.
- bazoom42 3y ago
  If you click on the “X hours ago” header, you get the text in black.
- anigbrowl 3y ago
  Seconded, it's incredibly user hostile. The mid-gray text in the comment header is sufficient to distinguish a flagged comment while maintaining readability.
  - samstave 3y ago
    [flagged]
ohreelly 3y ago
I know somebody who had a liver transplant. They didn't gain any new memories or lose their old ones. Unless the doctors used a liver memory transfer device, I don't think memories are stored there. And, I'm not an astrobiologist but I don't think DNA stores your memories and experiences.
- samstave 3y ago
  First, astrobiologist is a really cool word.... DNA exactly stores experiences. thats why its DNA.... What makes you a person.
- samstave 3y ago
  Bio-behaviors are what is stored. They are BUILT by experience and memories.

adrian_b 3y ago

What is interesting is that the liver is one of the few human organs which are really able to regrow after an injury. Therefore even if this may be just a coincidence that the legend of Prometheus includes the periodic regrowth of his liver after being wounded, there is also the possibility that some ancient people were aware of some cases of liver regeneration, though it is not clear how they could have discovered that.

marci 3y ago
Warfare may have helped. When you see often enough some injuries and how people recover (or not) from them, some may see patterns and intuit recovery mechanism: - Injuries to the lungs aren't always fatal but patients tend to have lasting breathing problems. - Liver injuries... hmmm, make your eyes turn yellowish, and it seems like those who come from the region where they drink hot water with some plant inside tend to fare better than those who don't, and if you survive, eyes return to normal and you can make a full recovery.
- mohaba 3y ago
  To me, it is clear you are referencing jaundice for the second one, but I am not sure what plants are good for that.
  - sincerely 3y ago
    I think they're talking about coffee, iirc there are some studies that show it helps with liver cirrhosis which can cause jaundice
    - hcarvalhoalves 3y ago
      Plectranthus barbatus
  - astrange 3y ago
    Milk thistle is the historical one. NAC is the modern one.