odyssey-
Explanation
The Joke
The comic depicts a scene from Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus is shown on his ship approaching the island of the Sirens, and he commands his crew: "We approach the island of the Siren! They will tempt me with their songs and beauty! Quick, tie me to the mast!" In the foreground, one of the Sirens watches from the shore, sighing and saying "Okay, boss" in a resigned tone.
The caption reads: "Historical Fun Fact: Odysseus had a fetish for erotic denial." The joke reinterprets the famous mythological episode -- in which Odysseus has himself tied to the mast so he can hear the Sirens' song without being lured to his death -- as being motivated not by prudent self-restraint, but by a bondage and denial kink. His insistence on hearing the song while being physically restrained is reframed as the point, not the precaution.
The Humor
The comic is funny because the original story already contains all the elements of the reinterpretation: a man who insists on being tied up and exposed to irresistible temptation while being unable to act on it. Weiner simply points out that this sequence of events, presented seriously in the Odyssey as heroic wisdom, maps perfectly onto a very specific fetish. The Siren's weary "sigh... okay, boss" suggests this is not the first time, adding to the comedic reframing. The faux-academic "Historical Fun Fact" framing delivers the punchline in the style of an educational footnote, which makes the absurd claim even funnier.
References
- In Homer's Odyssey (Book XII), Odysseus has his crew fill their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast so he alone can hear the Sirens' song without succumbing to their lethal allure. He orders them not to release him no matter how much he begs.