Beaverland Powwow home logo (beavhom2.jpg--170x150) Beaverland
Cold War Years

sidebar.jpg (140x76)

Beaverland Cold War Years logo (coldwrbn.jpg--140x320)

Beaverland Mythology Menu logo (mythmenu.jpg--140x120)

malta.jpg (120x80)

sphinx.jpg (299x300)

cretgal2.jpg (371x277)

Camels on the sunset mesopota.jpg (280x200)

Paleolithic Age caveart2.jpg (230x230)

granary2.jpg (200x200)

pantheon.jpg (181x135)

In search of Amazon amazon.jpg (260x296)

Human origin2.gif (172x132)

Chinese warriors.jpg (420x259)

Japanese 
statuettes mirodogu.jpg (420x300)

Lost civilization lostwrld5.jpg (281x295)

Beaverland Home logo beavhome.jpg (140x113)


onstore.gif (140x93)

beavbook.gif (120x160)

beavcomp.gif (120x160)

beavmovi.gif (120x160)

beavgift.gif (120x160)

beavtrav.gif (120x160)

music.gif (50x50) Beaverland Music

Aristotle Onassis
(1906 - 1975)
June 4, 2003

Brief Biography

Aristotle Onassis (onassis2.jpg--253x166) Aristotle Socrates Onassis was a Greek shipowner and financier. Born in Turkey, he left Turkey after the Turkish defeat of Greek forces at Smyrna in 1922. He revived the family tobacco business in Argentina. In 1925 he received Argentinian and Greek citizenship.

Onassis purchased his first ships in the early 1930s and soon became the first Greek shipowner to enter the tanker business.

In 1946 he married the daughter of the influential Greek shipowner Stavros Livanos, and he later became the brother-in-law of Stavros Niarchos, another Greek shipowner.

Together the three men formed the most powerful shipping clan in the world.

Later, however, considerable rivalry developed among them. After divorcing his first wife in 1961, Onassis gained special prominence in the United States when in 1968 he married Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy—widow of President John F. Kennedy.

Some people believe that Onassis took part in the JFK assassination. (See the Gemstone file for this.)

A controversial figure in world finance, Onassis was formerly the principal stockholder of the company that controlled the Monte Carlo casino. He also founded Olympic Airways of Greece in 1957.

Mentality & Personality
and his Odyssey

If you take a peek at the above Gemstone file, you probably wonder what kind of person Aristotle Onasis was. This is how I started to look into this man’s background—his mentality and personality.

Ari (often called by his friends) was brought up in an environment consumed by the rigorous principles of the Orthodox Church. But inside him, as he grew older, there seems to have remained only a deep religious sense—a sense that respects the strength of superior events while de-mystifying the will of a god in determining most matters. Ari was one to never escape the fight and to spend all his energies in an eternal struggle.

His outstanding performance as a businessman certainly resulted from the above components of his character. He possessed the aggressiveness of a man who must win at any price. He was born in Smyrna (present-day Izmir), where in ancient times Homer came to this world and left for us the two great epics—the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Aristotle Onassis' famous cruise ship Christina (yacht13.jpg--283x151)

Christina Onassis (christie.jpg--93x116) Onasis’ famous cruise ship “Christina”
named after his daughter

Library on Aristotle Onassis' famous cruise ship Christina (library2.jpg--312x233)

Spacious library on Christina

This seems coincidental, yet this ancient man influenced Ari greatly by way of his work—the Odyssey, which Ari loved to read. In his famous cruise ship “Christina”, Ari set up even a luxurious and spacious library to read his favorite books, though many people considered it to be simply another form of decoration.

When you come to know the names of his family, you probably have the impression that they all loved the ancient epics as well as the philosophical side of the Greek culture. His father’s name was Socrates and his mother’s, Penelope. One of his uncles was called Homer and another, Alexander—of course, named after Alexander the Great, and Ari had Aristotle and Socrates as his first and middle names.

After the Turks occupied Smyrna in 1927, Ari sailed to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here he succeeded in a few years to gain his fated first million. He frequented exclusive night clubs and restaurants. Whether over the phone or on a cruise ship, Ari fostered a profitable business with his flair and vibrant personality. Although he created an opulent surrounding and impressed his guests and associates with luxuries and novelties, it was his personality that fascinated those around him.

Ari seemed to tread the fine line between self-egocentrism and vulnerability. This unique combination formed the nucleus of his character and resulted in a remarkable mix of vitality and melancholy. He presided as a king in the financial world, but fate was not to permit him to reap only happiness from his wealthy life.

The Odyssey, which he loved to read, described the punishment of the man who had challenged the omnipotence and authority of the lords, who got infuriated and prevented Odysseus from returning to his homeland.

Like Odysseus, Ari seemed to have reached the climax at the Trojan War—his business dealing and wheeling. Then, as if by the punishment of the Olympian lords, he seemed to wander away from the main course of actions to way station.

After their struggle with the Cyclops, Book Ten of Odyssey describes that Odysseus and his men land at Aiolia—land of Aiolos, the wind king—where they stay for a month. Aiolos bags the storm winds for Odysseus, but his men are tempted and open the bag. The resulting winds drive them to Laistrygonia, whose cannibal giants destroy eleven of his twelve ships. They land at Aiaia, where Circe turns his men into animals. Odysseus is protected by the moly—a magic plant given to him by Hermes.

Odysseus confronts Circe and eventually subdues her, and has her restore his companions, and enters her bed after she swears an oath not to enchant him. After a year, his men convince him to leave. Circe releases him and directs him to consult Tiresias in Hades.

Maria Callas (callas01.jpg--200x195) Like Odysseus, Ari disembarked at land of Opera and seemed to get enchanted by the diva—Maria Callas. He had to spend some time with Callas. His men or some friends might have convinced Ari to leave. Like Circe, Callas eventually released Ari and directed him to consult the Peeping tom in the underworld.

Book Eleven tells us about Odysseus, who makes a trip to Hades, where he encounters Achilles and Agamemnon. Odysseus also sees his mother. he had not known she was dead.

Unlike Odysseus, however, Ari lost his mother in his childhood. In 1909, during a time of nationalist hostility at the hands of the Turks, a personal tragedy struck his family. Penelope, Ari’s mother, died of kidney failure, leaving a sad void in the family. His father, Socrates, later remarried, bringing a stepmother to Penelope’s sons. But to Ari, no one would ever love him as his mother Penelope did.

In retrospect, Ari had never been satisfied with any one of his women. Is this because he had been looking for the lost love from his deceased mother?

Book Twelve states that Odysseus reaches Thriancia, where his men kill the cattle of Helios, despite warnings against this. This brings about the destruction of his ship and his company. Odysseus is diverted by the wreckage to Ogygia, the island of Calypso—a nymph who is to detain Odysseus for seven years.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (jackie01.jpg--87x126) Was Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Ari’s Calypso? Unlike Odysseus, Ari seemed to have never returned to his “homeland”. Ari lost his beloved son in the plane clash, and spent the last two years of his life fighting without enthusiasm and devoid of hope.

And the Gemstone file!   Is this Ari’s “Odyssey”?
Maybe, you can find it out in Part 2.

To Part 2

the Gemstone File
(Introduction)

Related Links:

Betty upper part (betty6de.gif--118x125)
Betty lower part (betty6d.gif--118x173)




Rate article:
Excellent Good Neutral Poor Worst

Your Name:
Your Email Address:
Comments:


Copyright Akira Kato
About this author:
  • Educated both in Canada and Japan
  • Traveled extensively in Europe, Far East, and North America
  • Worked as management consultant, computer systems analyst, college instructor and freelance writer.
Akira Kato

 

 

Beaverland Powwow home logo (beavhom2.jpg--170x150)
Copyrights © 2000-2003 Beaverland International Press
eroanim3.gif (284x104) An animated Erotica Odyssey banner
theater.gif (470x89)
inserted by FC2 system