The Enigma of Homer: The Origins and Attributes of Greek's Greatest Poet

When and how did our idea of Homer as the great poet develop? Was the Iliad and Odyssey always ascribed to Homer in the Classical Era, and if so, how was his persona presented?

Early Sources and Attribution

The earliest sources we have refer to Homer as the author. Other works were attributed to him but now are doubted. No one is entirely sure if the original story was true. The stories probably developed early, and several men may have worked on them. This complexity is evident in my comic story, "Young Homer Changes the Songs of Troy."

The Development of the Epic Tradition

Modern scholars understand that the Indian epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, had a lot of extra verses added. These epics were not written until late, but early counts recorded fewer lines than were later found. This suggests a gradual development over time, rather than a sudden origin.

Gender and Authorship

There has been a long-standing speculation about whether Homer was a woman. Clues in the text, like the conversation with Nausicaa or the presentation of Calypso, have fueled this debate. For instance, Calypso means "hidden"; would a man write about this person, especially in Ancient Greece? While these speculations continue, no definitive evidence has emerged to support either side.

The Historical and Literary Context

The author of the Iliad and the Odyssey could not read or write. Almost nothing else is known about Homer. It used to be thought that he never existed, and that the two poems that come down to us from antiquity were the work of generation after generation of different poets. Now, scholars are agreed that someone who may or may not have been called Homer created the Iliad and the Odyssey sometime in the 8th or 9th century B.C.

Whoever he was, and whenever he lived, he was the supreme poet of all. The stories of these two epics happened fairly frequently in the 12th century B.C., and it is not entirely clear why the Greeks remembered the siege of Troy as they remembered no other expedition, successful or not. At any rate, they remembered this story with religious intensity. The Homeric poems were considered to have been divinely inspired, and the tale they told was interpreted as containing the true story of the gods in their relation to men.

The Nuances of Homer's Poetry

Later epics, such as The Song of Roland or The Saga of Burnt Njal, are primitive in the sense that they present scenes of heroic warfare unalloyed with profound or subtle emotions. They are about raw courage, raw fear, raw revenge, and other strong feelings. Homer's Iliad deals with these feelings too, but it is not primitive. An astonishing thing about it is that although Homer obviously knew nothing about the amenities and comforts of our modern life, he knew most of what we know about the human heart!

To view human life from the point of view of a man running for his life from an implacable foe is to see it tragically. To see it from the point of view of Mount Olympus is to see it comically. Homer alone among all poets was able to see it both ways.

Conclusion

The story of Homer the poet continues to fascinate scholars and readers alike. The enigmatic figure of the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey remains a crucial part of our literary and cultural heritage, and his work continues to provide deep insights into the human condition.