HOMER’S ODYSSEYBACKGROUND NOTES
Epic Poetry, Epic Hero, Trojan War, The Iliad, Greek Culture and Mythology, The Odyssey
THE LIFE OF HOMER
Homer was the poet who wrote the two primary Greek epic poems known as The Iliad and The Odyssey.
He wrote these poems about 800BCE
However, the Trojan War took place 400 years earlier in 1200BCE.
Homer is believed to have been blind.
He memorized the entire poem and sang it for hours, as a kind of entertainment for people to hear and enjoy.
This type of poem-singer was called a Rhapsodoi (professional reciter) similar to minstrels of Medieval England.
Minstrels borrowed material from legends, epics, and myths already known by the people.
CLASSIC IMAGES OF HOMER
RHAPSODOI
The traveling storyteller or the royal storyteller
has a long history.
People have always wanted entertainment and these epic stories were some of the best entertainment of the day.
People have always enjoyed being told a good story by someone who really knows how to get attention.
Homer, if there even was a Homer, must have been one of these.
RHAPSODOI
Remember that none of these stories were
written down.
Each storyteller would have had to memorize the
entire work and told it in such a way as would be part
performance.
Very likely they did not memorize the story word for
word, but would know the basic story and improvised on
the spot, following a basic rhythm of the words.
Think of the rhapsodoi as the first rapper in history: he created his or her song for the immediate audience.
THE GREEKS: A BRIEF
INTRODUCTION
The word “Greek” did not exist then; the people from Greece were called Achaens,
Argives, or Danaans.
Greek households grouped together to form city-states.
Each city-state tried to win the favor of a particular god or goddess by
giving offerings.
Classical Greeks believed in hero worship involving a person who
displayed honor, bravery, hospitality, loyalty to home, intelligence,
and respect for the gods.
Greeks traveled mainly by sea because Greece was so mountainous.
They traded with countries who had alphabets and began to develop
their own about the time of Homer.
The stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey were passed down from generation to generation until it was written down about 850 BC.
THE BRONZE AGE
Greek life during the Bronze Age (1200 BCE)
It was an era ruled by tribal chiefs
At this time in history, the idea of “king” must be taken with a grain of salt.
The king of an area might simply by the person who owned the most goats. Treasure was really just anything that might have a use to the people taking it.
It was a violent life in hard times
Greece consisted of small city-states
Ithaca: Odysseus’ home was an island city-state
Athens (named after Athena) was a larger city-state
MAP OF MAJOR GREEK/ROMAN
CITY STATES
CLASSICAL GREEK VALUES/BELIEFS
1. It was wrong for any man to have hubris
(excessive pride or self-confidence)
2. The character of a man was very important
The critical quality in a man was courage
Loyalty to both home and family was the most
important
CLASSICAL GREEK VALUES/BELIEFS
3. Man was not master of his own destiny or fate
He was like a “pawn in a chess game.”
4. Man could not control his own fate, but he could
control how he reacted to the gods’ interfering or
meddling
How someone reacted was an important character
quality.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The Greeks respected and revered their religious prophets called oracles.
Polytheism: The belief in many gods
Ambrosia: the food of the gods
Nectar: the drink of the gods
Gods are immortal: they live forever
Greek gods shared the following characteristics:
They had many human qualities (anger, love, jealousy, etc…)
They were conniving and devious
They were quarrelsome
The Greeks believed that the gods lived in northern Greece on Mt.
Olympus.
They believed that the gods came down to earth disguised as wandering strangers
They treated all wandering travelers with their best hospitality. To treat a stranger badly was a risk at offending a god.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Myths
Stories that use fantasy to express
ideas about life that cannot be
expressed in realistic ways.
For the Greeks, myths were considered
religious because they were concerned
with the relationship between mortals
and gods.
MOUNT OLYMPUS
MAJOR GREEK GODS (OLYMPIANS)
Zeus
Chief Olympian – King of Gods
Chases women and tries to hide his infidelity from
his wife.
Also called Lord of the Sky, The Rain God, and The
Cloud Gatherer.
He assigned the gods their various roles and duties
Wields the thunderbolt as a weapon.
ZEUS
HERA
Hera
Wife to Zeus – Goddess of women and marriage
Known for her jealous and vengeful nature, most
notably against Zeus's lovers and offspring, but also
against mortals who crossed her.
Paris offended her by choosing Aphrodite as the
most beautiful goddess, earning Hera's hatred.
Her sacred animals are the peacock and cow.
HERA
POSEIDON
Poseidon
Brother to Zeus
Lord of the Sea
Also responsible for earthquakes
Notable for his hatred of Odysseus, who blinded
Poseidon’s son, the cyclops Polyphemus.
The enmity of Poseidon prevents Odysseus's return
home to Ithaca for many years.
POSEIDON
HADES
Hades
Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
Ruler of the Underworld and the dead
He and his brothers defeated the Titans and claimed total rule over the universe ruling the underworld, air, and sea.
Often portrayed as passive rather than evil; his role was often maintaining relative balance.
The five rivers of the Realm of Hades, and their symbolic meanings, are Acheron (the river of sorrow, or woe), Cocytus (lamentation), Phlegethon (fire), Lethe (oblivion), and Styx (hate).
HADES
He sits on an ebony throne with his three-headed
dog (Cerberus) by his side.
When the Greeks propitiated Hades, they banged
their hands on the ground to be sure he would hear
them.
Black animals, such as sheep, were sacrificed to him.
The blood from all sacrifices to Hades dripped into
a pit or cleft in the ground.
The person who offered the sacrifice had to avert his
face.
HADES
ATHENA
Athena
Daughter of Zeus ONLY –no mother.
She sprang from Zeus’ head
She created the olive
Described as a fierce battle goddess, protector of
civilized life
Goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill
Though Athena was a goddess of war strategy, she disliked fighting without a purpose and preferred using wisdom to settle predicaments. The goddess would only encourage fighting if it was for a reasonable cause or to solve conflict.
The Athenians built the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honor.
ATHENA
ATHENA
APOLLO
Apollo
Son of Zeus – has a twin sister named Artemis.
Patron God of Troy
Described as the beautiful god of music; plays a
golden lyre
Also seen as the Archer-god & a healer
Recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and
prophecy; medicine, healing, and plague; music, poetry,
and the arts.
APOLLO
ARTEMIS
Artemis
Twin sister of Apollo, daughter of Zeus
Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, and young girls
She was known to relieve disease in women
Often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows
ARTEMIS
APHRODITE
Aphrodite
Daughter of Zeus
Goddess of Love and Beauty
Used her wiles to hypnotize men
Could have a deadly/destructive power over them.
In every image and each reference she is born as an adult - infinitely desirable.
In many myths, she is characterized as vain, ill-tempered and easily offended.
Extremely beautiful
Without her…no joy or loveliness anywhere
APHRODITE
HERMES
Hermes
Son of Zeus
Graceful and swift
Wore winged sandals - had wings on his hat, and carried a magic wand
Hermes often helped travelers have a safe and easy journey. Many Greeks would sacrifice to Hermes before any trip.
He was Zeus’ messenger and also guided the dead to the Underworld.
His symbols include the tortoise, winged sandals, the winged hat, and the caduceus (given to him by Apollo in exchange for the lyre).
HERMES
ARES
Ares
Son of Zeus
God of war, blood thirst and slaughter
Described as a “murderous curse” who was also a coward; a symbol of war
Ares had a quadriga – a chariot drawn by four gold-bridled fire-emitting immortal stallions
Recognized by his bronze armor; he brandished a spear in battle
Half-brother (and enemy( to Athena
While Athena’s stance is one of strategic and necessary warfare, Ares’ is one of unpredictable violence.
ARES
HEPHAESTUS
Hephaestus
God of the forge, crafts, and fire
He uses a volcano as his forge
Served as the blacksmith of the gods
Kind and peace loving
Rumored to be present at the birth of Athena, seen to be wielding the hammer with which he had split Zeus' head to free her.
The only god to be unattractive and crippled (has deformed feet.)
Ironically, he is married to the most beautiful of the goddesses, Aphrodite.
HEPHAESTUS
HESTIA
Hestia
Sister to Zeus, Poseidon and Hades
Goddess of the Hearth; the symbol of home
Meals began and ended with an offering to
her
Tends the sacred fire on Mount Olympus
Each city had a public hearth sacred to her
where the fire was never allowed to go out.
HESTIA
LESSER GODS OF EARTH
Aeolus
King of the Winds; lived on Earth on the island of Aeolia
Included as a character in The Odyssey
The Sirens
3 bird-like female creatures with enchanting voices;
Would sing & lure sailors to their death.
Included as characters in The Odyssey
THE MUSES
The Muses preside over the arts and sciences,
inspire all artists (especially poets), philosophers
and musicians.
Their name denotes “memory” or a “reminder” since
epic poets relied on their memories to retell the
stories.
The nine muses are the daughters of Zeus and of
Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory)
Apollo is considered the leader of the Muses.
THE MUSES
THE TROJAN WAR
12th~ 13thCentury B.C.
Fought between the Greeks and the people of
Troy in W. Asia Minor (present-day Turkey)
The events of this war were celebrated in
Homer’s The Iliad & The Odyssey
The Trojan prince, Paris, runs off with the
beautiful Helen, wife of King Menelaus of
Sparta (Helen was said to be the most
beautiful woman in the world.)
THE TROJAN WAR IN THE ILIAD
King Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, led an
expedition to retrieve her, which led to the war that
spanned 10 years.
He recruits Odysseus, King of Ithaca, to help bring
back his wife
The Greeks fight the Trojans for nine years before
Odysseus comes up with the idea for the Trojan
horse in the 10th year.
This idea ends the war and they regain Helen.
EPIC POETRY
Epic Poem
A long narrative poem that tells of the adventures of
heroes across great spans of time and place.
Because an epic covers so much territory, it contains the ideas,
morals, themes and values of a culture from which it is created.
It is literally like a cultural bible.
Epic poems united all the Greek city-states into one being
and served as a form of nationalism / patriotism for
Greece
Rules for the epic poem were based on The Iliad & The
Odyssey.
EPIC POEM CHARACTERISTICS
A vast setting involving not only the known world, but also the underworld.
Action such as a quest or journey requiring superhuman ability and courage.
Evidence of supernatural forces / Intervention of the gods
A hero and his quest or journey
The fate of an entire people is often at stake
An invocation of the muses for inspiration in the recitation of the poem
Combat / Sacrifice or prayer to the gods for victory in battle
EPIC POEM CHARACTERISTICS
Deus Ex-Machina–“god from the machine”
A seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly fixed with the sudden and unexpected intervention of some new character, ability, or object.
Often, a god comes down at the end of the story to solve the conflict
Visit(s) to the Underworld
In many epics, the hero is a demigod (born to one human parent and one divine parent.)
EPIC POEM CHARACTERISTICS
The epic poem must begin in medias
res, or “in the middle of things”
The poet must write in a dignified
style that begins with an “invocation”
in which he asks a Muse for divine
inspiration.
THE EPIC HERO
A physically impressive hero of national or historical importance
He reaches a low point where he nearly gives up his quest or appears defeated.
He gains restitution: this often takes the form of the hero regaining his rightful place.
He encounters numerous mythical beings, magical and helpful animals, and human helpers and companions.
His travels take him to a supernatural world, often one that normal human beings are barred from entering.
He is tested, often to prove the worthiness of himself and his quest.
He receives help OR hindrance by divine beings along the way.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
To become a hero, the initiate must
complete all of the steps of the
journey.
If the initiate fails to cross over the
abyss, heroic status is not reached.
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE ONE
PHASE ONE: SEPARATION FROM THE KNOWN:
Step #1:The Call
Invites us into the adventure
May be a sudden traumatic change
May be a vague sense of discontent.
Can take many forms:
Something is taken away
Something is lacking in life
There is a desire to restore honor
There is a need to restore rights for a people
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE ONE
Step #2: Threshold of Adventure
When called to adventure, we must cross the Threshold.
The Threshold is the “jumping off point”
This is the gateway to the unknown
Threshold Guardians
People, beings or situations that block passage
They have two functions:
1. Protect us from journeys we are unready for
2. Pointing the way / guidance
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE ONE
Step #2: Threshold of Adventure (continued…)
Helpers
At the threshold, we will encounter helpers.
Often they bring a talisman to help us through the
ordeal.
The most important of these helpers is the mentor,
who provides wisdom, not just help.
Helpers and guides appear throughout the journey
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
PHASE TWO: THE INITIATION
Step 3: The Challenges (Tests &Ordeals)
Once past the threshold, we begin the
journey into the unknown.
The journey can be outward into a physical
unknown.
The journey can be inward to a
psychological unknown.
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
Step 4: The Abyss (the UltimateTest)
This is the low point for the hero
Here the hero must do battle with his or her greatest internal or external fear
At this point, the hero is often alone
Here the hero must “slay the dragon,” which often takes the shape of something he dreads, or has repressed, or needs to resolve.
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
Step 5: Transformation
As the hero conquers the Abyss, his
transformation is complete.
Like the mythical Phoenix, a part of the
hero must die so that a new part can be
reborn.
Fear must die to make way for
courage, Ignorance for enlightenment,
dependency for independence
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
Step 6: The Revelation
Part of the Transformation is a
revelation, a sudden, dramatic
change in the way the hero thinks or
views life.
This change makes him truly a
different person.
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
Step 7: The Atonement
After the Transformation the hero
achieves Atonement, that is he is “at
one” with his new self.
The hero has incorporated the
changes caused by the Journey and
is “reborn”
HERO’S JOURNEY: PHASE THREE
Step 8: The Return
After Transformation and Atonement, the hero
faces the final stage of his journey:
The Return to everyday life.
Upon the return, the hero discovers his gifts –
Become richer and stronger
Become a great leader
Become spiritually enlightened.
HOMER’S ODYSSEY
This is the first archetype of the story of a long journey and the hero.
Archetype = an original model on which all others are based and/or copied.
Because the long journey can be seen as a metaphor for living one’s life, this story has been examined more closely.
The Odyssey contains the morals, themes and values of the Greek society about adventure, hardship, and life.
The Odyssey is about Odysseus’ ten-year journey back home after the war.
The Iliad and The Odyssey poems were lost during the Dark Ages (beginning in the 9th century),but were re-discovered in Constantinople (present-day Turkey) during the Renaissance (14th century).
ODYSSEY CHARACTERS
Odysseus is a very human hero.
More than his strength, which was great, Odysseus was known for his clever and agile mind.
Remember that it was he who thought of using the Trojan Horse to gain entrance to the impregnable walls of Troy.
Odysseus…
Feels the effects of life after the great war and is searching for:
Balance in his life.
His own identity.
His reputation does nothing for him against the unthinking monsters he faces in his journey home.
He does not have the respect he once had even from the citizens of Ithica, his home.
He has the love and loyalty of his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus.
He did not want to leave his wife and family to go to war in the first place.
ODYSSEY CHARACTERS
Telemachus, Odysseus’ son…
Is in danger of losing his inheritance
with his father’s absence as king of
Ithaca.
Needs father for guidance and help.
Is desperately in search of his father.
THE ODYSSEY AND ITS GODS
In The Odyssey, the gods can be an alter ego, another version of a character’s personality, or a reflection of the character’s best or worst qualities.
The god who is on Odysseus’ side will reflect his better or stronger qualities.
The god who opposes Odysseus will reflect the darker, more negative side of Odysseus’ personality.
Poseidon is the god who opposes Odysseus
Poseidon, the god of the sea, tempestuous, violent and cruel.
Odysseus is also quick to anger, violent and cruel at times.
Athena is a goddess who favors Odysseus
Athena is the goddess of wisdom
Athena is a war goddess who fights to protect the homeland.
LITERARY FEATURE: HOMERIC SIMILE
Homeric Simile
A Homeric or heroic simile is one that compares heroic events to everyday occurrences.
Examples:
"And the ship like a four-horse team careening down the plain, all breaking as one with the whiplash cracking smartly, leaping with hooves high to run the course in no time..."
"The heart inside him growled low with rage, as an itch mounting over her weak defenseless puppies growls, facing a stranger, bristling for a showdown--so he growled from his depths, hackles raised at their outrage."
LITERARY FEATURE: EPITHET
Epithets
A word or phrase used to
characterize someone or something
Examples:
“Raider of Cities” meaning Odysseus
“Lord of the Clouds” meaning Zeus
MAP OF ODYSSEUS’ WANDERINGS
PRESENT-DAY MAP OF ODYSSEUS’
WANDERINGS