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Homer (/ ˈ h oʊ m ər /; Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος [hómɛːros], Hómēros; born c. 8th century BC) was a 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.
- Ὅμηρος
- Homeric Greek
- Who Was Homer?
- The Mystery of Homer
- When Was Homer born?
- Where Was Homer born?
- What Was Homer like?
- 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey'
- Legacy
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
The Greek poet Homer was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, possibly somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. He is famous for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have had an enormous effect on Western culture, but very little is known about their alleged author.
Homer is a mystery. The Greek epic poet credited with the enduring epic tales of The Iliad and The Odysseyis an enigma insofar as actual facts of his life go. Some scholars believe him to be one man; others think these iconic stories were created by a group. A variation on the group idea stems from the fact that storytelling was an oral tradition a...
Much speculation surrounds when Homer was born because of the dearth of real information about him. Guesses at his birth date range from 750 BC all the way back to 1200 BC, the latter because The Iliadencompasses the story of the Trojan War, so some scholars have thought it fit to put the poet and chronicler nearer to the time of that actual event....
Once again, the exact location of Homer’s birth cannot be pinpointed, although that doesn't stop scholars from trying. It has been identified as Ionia, Smyrna or, at any rate, on the coast of Asia Minor or the island of Chios. But seven cities lay claim to Homer as their native son. There is some basis for some of these claims, however. The dialect...
Virtually every biographical aspect ascribed to Homer is derived entirely from his poems. Homer is thought to have been blind, based solely on a character in The Odyssey, a blind poet/minstrel called Demodokos. A long disquisition on how Demodokos was welcomed into a gathering and regaled the audience with music and epic tales of conflict and heroe...
Homer's two epic poems have become archetypal road maps in world mythology. The stories provide an important insight into early human society, and illustrate, in some aspects, how little has changed. Even if The Iliad itself seems unfamiliar, the story of the siege of Troy, the Trojan Warand Paris’ kidnapping of Helen, the world’s most beautiful wo...
"Plato tells us that in his time many believed that Homer was the educator of all Greece. Since then, Homer’s influence has spread far beyond the frontiers of Hellas [Greece]….” wrote Werner Jaeger in Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture. He was right. The Iliad and The Odysseyhave provided not only seeds but fertilizer for almost all the other art...
Learn about the mysterious and influential poet Homer, who wrote the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey around the 8th century BC. Explore the questions of his identity, birthplace, blindness, and legacy in Western culture.
Apr 22, 2024 · Homer is the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two hugely influential epic poems of ancient Greece. If Homer did in fact compose the works, he is one of the greatest literary artists in the world, and, through these poems, he affected Western standards and ideas.
- Was Homer a real person?Scholars are uncertain whether he existed. If real, he is believed to have lived about the 9th or 8th century BCE and was a native of Ionia. A poet...
- Did Homer write the Odyssey?The authorship of the Odyssey and the Iliad is disputed. While some scholars believe Homer is solely responsible, others claim that the poems were...
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Jan 22, 2020 · Explore the mystery of Homer, the legendary poet of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and his possible origins, identity and blindness. Learn about the ancient sources, the oral tradition and the historical background of the Trojan War and the heroic age.
Jun 19, 2013 · Learn about Homer, the legendary author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two of the most influential works of Western literature. Explore his life, his poems, and his legacy in Greek and beyond.
Jan 11, 2022 · Learn about Homer, the legendary author of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", the first extant works of Western literature. Explore his biography, writings, style, influence and legacy in this comprehensive guide.
Learn about Homer, the legendary blind Greek poet who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, two of the most influential epics in Western literature. Explore his life, legacy, and poems at the Poetry Foundation website.
