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Homer

Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation), Homerus (disambiguation), and Homeric (disambiguation).

Homer
Marble terminal bust of Homer. Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic original of the 2nd c. BCE.
Marble terminal bust of Homer. Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic original of the 2nd c. BCE.
Native name
Ὅμηρος
Bornc. 8th century BCE
DiedIos[1]
LanguageHomeric Greek
GenreEpic
SubjectEpic Cycle
Notable works

Homer (/ˈhoʊmər/; Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος [hómɛːros], Hómēros; born c. 8th century BCE) was an Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.[2]

Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The epics depict man's struggle, the Odyssey especially so as Odysseus perseveres through punishment of the gods.[3] The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic.[4][5] Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally.[6] Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.[7]

Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor.[8] To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν, tēn Helláda pepaídeuken).[9][10] In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets;[11] in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets".[12] From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.[13]

The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars generally regard the two poems as the works of separate authors. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BCE.[14] Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity, the most widespread that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey.[15] Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.[16]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lefkowitz2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Learn about Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Odysseus: the First Western Man". 16 April 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  4. ^ Hose, Martin; Schenker, David (2015). A Companion to Greek Literature. John Wiley & Sons. p. 445. ISBN 978-1118885956.
  5. ^ Miller, D. Gary (2013). Ancient Greek Dialects and Early Authors: Introduction to the Dialect Mixture in Homer, with Notes on Lyric and Herodotus. Walter de Gruyter. p. 351. ISBN 978-1614512950. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  6. ^ Ahl, Frederick; Roisman, Hanna (1996). The Odyssey Re-formed. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801483356. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  7. ^ Bell, Robert H. "Homer’s humor: laughter in the Iliad." hand 1 (2007): 596.
  8. ^ Rutherford, R. B. (2010). Homer: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide. Oxford University Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-19-980510-5.
  9. ^ Too, Yun Lee (2010). The Idea of the Library in the Ancient World. OUP Oxford. p. 86. ISBN 978-0199577804. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  10. ^ MacDonald, Dennis R. (1994). Christianizing Homer: The Odyssey, Plato, and the Acts of Andrew. Oxford University Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0195358629. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  11. ^ Divine Comedy, Inferno, Canto IV, 86–88 (Longfellow's translation):

    Him with that falchion in his hand behold,
    ⁠Who comes before the three, even as their lord.
    That one is Homer, Poet sovereign;

  12. ^ Alexander Pope's Preface to his translation of the Iliad:
    "Homer is universally allowed to have had the greatest invention of any writer whatever. The praise of judgment Virgil has justly contested with him, and others may have their pretensions as to particular excellencies; but his invention remains yet unrivalled. Nor is it a wonder if he has ever been acknowledged the greatest of poets, who most excelled in that which is the very foundation of poetry."
  13. ^ Latacz, Joachim (1996). Homer, His Art and His World. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472083534. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  14. ^ Croally, Neil; Hyde, Roy (2011). Classical Literature: An Introduction. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN 978-1136736629. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  15. ^ Daisy Dunn (22 January 2020). "Who was Homer?". British Museum. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  16. ^ Wilson, Nigel (2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. Routledge. p. 366. ISBN 978-1136788000. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
    Romilly, Jacqueline de (1985). A Short History of Greek Literature. University of Chicago Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0226143125. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
    Graziosi 2002, p. 15
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