Homeric

the Homeric worldview. The Greeks were in self-governing cities called poleis, or city-states, that held them extremely apart creating controversy and competition. Regardless of their differences, they all allied and viewed foreigners as “barbarians”; they viewed themselves as the center of the world whereas the rest of world was considered uncivilized. Nonetheless, through the great stories of Homer written in heroic verses, or rhythm, we are able to expand our understanding on the Homeric worldview

To most scholars, Homer is a familiar name, typically associated with two epic poems from ancient Greece: the Iliad and the Odyssey. But Homer is also, to many scholars, a mystery. The Homeric Question is the name of a group of questions that have been around for nearly two centuries. These questions surround the history of Homer (who he is, when he was alive, where he may have lived) and the origins of the poems associated with him (how were they originally composed, and whether both poems were

The Homeric Device of “inset narrative” The Homeric Device of inset narrative is evident in the “Tale of Bellerophon” and is revealed through Glaukos’ personal philosophy and the theme of divine intervention. In the latter, the reader gets to understand more about Glaukos’ way of thinking. Conversely, the theme of divine intervention is manifested in the text and reveals more about the relationship between man and the gods. The tale of Bellerophon as told by his son to Diomedes reflects the rhetorical

A Homeric epic hero is considered to be above a normal human being. The traits of a typical epic hero are strength, loyalty, courage, and intelligence. In fact, the Macmillan Dictionary for Students defines a hero as "one who is admired and looked up to for valor, achievements, and noble qualities" (483). Odysseus fulfills all of the requirements for an epic hero and more. He demonstrates his ability to be an articulate speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless curiosity has gotten

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter addresses the fate of Persephone is in the hands of others and is removed from freedom of choice as she is portrayed as a minor. In effect, it is symbolic of the power family holds as the actions of her mother, her father Zeus and her husband Hades determine her path. The text accustoms nickname Persephone throughout the passage as the ‘Core’, the ‘Girl’, or ‘Virgin’. These nicknames assume her role as an underage girl not responsible for her life decisions. The Hymn begins

The shield can be considered to be a microcosm of the larger story going on. Achilles’s depicts real battles that have happened, and may happen in the future, but also a battle between Homeric society versus Archean Greek society: heroes versus real people. To be clear, Homeric society generally consists of lavish and extraordinary fictionalized heroes and gods that live by a martial code and Archean Greeks are simply normal citizens of Greece that live by the civil code. The martial code is what

The Odyssey of Homer, a Homeric epic translated by Richmond Latimore, has an abundance of women, all of whom fulfill various roles within the narrative. In The Odyssey, women are portrayed as obstacles, or, more specifically, temptations that men need to surmount in order to obtain what they truly desire. As a result, women are associated with negativity in the reader’s mind; however, it is this depiction as negative temptations that grants them power within the epic. Women, such as Penelope, Circe

It is known that both Hector and Achilles are both Homeric Heroes in their own right. Both men are fighting for various paralleled reasons. However, both men have very different motivations fueling them and these motivations cause them to make rash decisions in extenuating conditions. Each man is motivated simultaneously by family, honor, and pride. Achilles and Hector both clearly value family. For Achilles his family is the men who fight beside him. When one of them is killed in battle he makes

authors of the Homeric Hymns help readers cast an interestingly subtle light on Zeus that is both consistent across these texts as well as beyond that which was previously seen in Hesiod's Theogony. Such light subtly alludes to Zeus as more than just ruler of the gods, but as an arbitrator of mortal sexuality and one to endow women with properties of mortal sexual beings. The first and most obvious indicator of this is the story of Persephone in which, "by the design of Zeus" (Homeric Hymns 170), Hades

Zeus’s role in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter has him being shown as someone who can be seen as thoughtless, but still highly regarded. While Zeus is being put in the spotlight for giving Persephone to his brother, Demeter is wreaking havoc on the mortal world trying to find Persephone with Hekate. Demeter is Persephone’s mother and Zeus has given her to Hades to be his wife. Zeus’s prominence is being displayed as he is shown to be an important figure in both Persephone’s rape and the Hymn itself,