Homer (Ancient Greek Poet) (Ancient Literature)

 Homer

(Probably between 12th and 8th centuries BC)

Homer (Ancient Greek Poet):

An ancient Greek poet credited as the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are foundational works of ancient Greek literature.

He is traditionally portrayed as a blind, wandering bard, though little is definitively known about his life, and the sole authorship of the poems is debated by scholars.

 Homer is best known as the author of Iliad and Odyssey.

 He was believed by the ancient Greek to have been the first and greatest of all the epic poets.

 Author of the first known literature of Europe, he is central to the Western Canon.

 The importance of Homer to the ancient Greeks is described in Plato’s Republic which portrays him as “first teacher” of tragedies and “Leader of Greek culture”.

 The satirist Lucian in his “True History” describes him as Babylonian called Tigranos, who assumed the name Homer when taken “Hostage”.

Notable works of Homer

1-Odysey

 The poem mainly focuses on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths), king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the fall of Troy.

 It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed Odysseus has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.

 George Chapman (1616) translated it to English.

 It is written in dactylic hexameter.

 It is sequel to the Iliad.

2-Illiad

 Referred as the Song of Ilion or Song of Ilium.

 It is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, set during Trojan War between King Agamemnon and the Warrior Achilles (15,693 lines).

3-Homeric Hymn: A collection of 33 anonymous ancient Greek Hymns celebrating individual god in dactylic hexameter.

4-Epic Cycle: A collection of ancient Greek epic poems that related the story of Trojan War which includes the Cypria, the Aethiopes, the so called Little Iliad, Ilupersis, the Nostoi and the Telegoni in dactylic hexameter.