Character Catalog

Epic poem in 24 books and 15,693 verses recounting 51 days of the Trojan War, centered on the wrath of Achilles. Considered the first monument of Western literature, it defined the canons of heroic epic poetry for two millennia.

Epic poem in 24 books and 12,110 verses tracing Odysseus's return to Ithaca after the fall of Troy, through ten years of adventures and trials. It founded the genre of the 'adventure novel' and the literary motif of the initiatory journey.

A collection of 33 hymns in hexameters dedicated to the Greek gods, attributed to Homer in Antiquity but composed by anonymous bards in his tradition. They constitute a precious source for archaic Greek mythology and religion.

A short parodic epic recounting the war between the frogs and the mice, imitating the Homeric style for comic purposes. Attributed to Homer in Antiquity, it is today considered a late parody.

"Sing, goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that ruinous anger which brought countless sufferings upon the Achaeans, hurled many mighty souls of heroes down to Hades, and made their bodies prey for dogs and all manner of birds."

"Tell me, Muse, of that ingenious man who wandered so long after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy, who saw the cities of many peoples and came to know their ways of thinking, and who suffered many sorrows at sea in his heart."

"Hector stretched out his arms toward his son, but the child shrank back crying against the breast of his fair-girdled nurse, frightened by the sight of his father, terrified by the bronze and the horsehair crest swaying dreadfully atop the helmet."

"Remember me in time to come, if any mortal stranger who has suffered many hardships comes here and asks you: Who is, O young maidens, the sweetest of the bards who come here, and in whom do you take the greatest pleasure?"

"Cyclops, you ask my famous name — I will tell it to you; but give me the guest-gift you promised me. My name is Nobody; Nobody is what my mother, my father, and all my companions call me."

Aegean island that most strongly claims to be the birthplace of Homer. A guild of poets claiming descent from him, the 'Homeridae', was established there in Antiquity.

Ionian city of Asia Minor, the other main contender for the title of Homer's birthplace. Its geographical position between the Greek and Oriental worlds fits well with the cultural context of the epics.

Archaeological site in present-day Turkey identified in the 19th century by Heinrich Schliemann as Homeric Troy. Excavations revealed a city destroyed around 1200 BC, partially confirming the historical basis of the Iliad.

Small Cycladic island where ancient tradition placed the tomb of Homer. According to certain ancient accounts, the poet died there of grief after failing to solve a riddle posed by fishermen.

Panhellenic sanctuary of Apollo, patron god of the arts and poetry. Bards invoked the Muse, associated with Apollo, before each recitation, and the sanctuary of Delphi represented the spiritual center of this poetic tradition.

A stringed instrument used by bards to accompany themselves during the recitation of epics. In the Iliad, Achilles himself plays the phorminx in his tent to sing of the heroes' exploits.

A staff or scepter held by the poet-singer during his recitations, a mark of his authority and particular status in archaic Greek society. The staff symbolized the link between the poet, inspired by the Muses, and his audience.

The medium on which the Homeric epics were gradually transcribed from the 8th–7th century BC onward. Athenian scribes used these scrolls to permanently fix texts that had circulated orally for centuries.

These ceramic vases, typical of the Greek archaic period, frequently depicted scenes from the Iliad and the Odyssey, attesting to the omnipresence of Homeric narratives in Greek material culture.

At aristocratic banquets (symposia), bards recited Homeric passages while guests drank from these cups. Such gatherings constitute the primary social context for the transmission of epic poetry.

A wax-coated tablet on which one could write and erase, used to note down passages or memorize epic formulas. A working tool of the scribes and rhapsodes who learned the epics by heart.