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Who was Homer really?

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mj_toronto8

mj_toronto8

Active member
I didn't know whether to put this in history or mythology and chose mythology because of the stories he told.

Who was Homer really? I honestly can't find much. He is listed as the "presumed" author of the Iliad and Odyssey, and no on knows where he is from or anything. I have heard different theories, that Homer was actually multiple people, etc. What do you guys think?
 
mj_toronto8 said:
I didn't know whether to put this in history or mythology and chose mythology because of the stories he told.

Who was Homer really? I honestly can't find much. He is listed as the "presumed" author of the Iliad and Odyssey, and no on knows where he is from or anything. I have heard different theories, that Homer was actually multiple people, etc. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Presumably Homer or the author of the ILIAD used the Aeolian and the Ionian languages. As I am not a glottologist, i do not know. If that is true, i presume that he employed poetic ballads from those two states. The extant work includes Attic redactions.
The ODYSSEY is in the Homeric epical style, though not an epic. According to a British author I read years ago, it was probably composed by a woman -- possibly by a character in the story: Nausikaa.

Presumably Homer lived in the 8th century BC. He could not have written the last chapter of the Odyssey... about Sicilians, i.e., before the Hellenic colonization. So say I.
 
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amygdalE said:
Presumably Homer or the author of the ILIAD used the Aeolian and the Ionian languages. As I am not a glottologist, i do not know. If that is true, i presume that he employed poetic ballads from those two states. The extant work includes Attic redactions.
The ODYSSEY is in the Homeric epical style, though not an epic. According to a British author I read years ago, it was probably composed by a woman -- possibly by a character in the story: Nausikaa.

Presumably Homer lived in the 8th century BC. He could not have written the last chapter of the Odyssey... about Sicilians, i.e., before the Hellenic colonization. So say I.
Click to expand...
Fascinating - I love mysteries. I feel like the true identity of Homer is a mystery. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter! They make sense...
 
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About Theogony by Hesiod

This poem has been one of my favorites for a while. I think everyone interested in Greek Mythology should read it! I thought I'd give you a summary:

Hesiod begins by invoking the Muses to guide him in recounting the story of the origins of the gods. He describes Chaos as the initial void from which the first gods emerged. From Chaos came Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the Underworld), and Eros (Love), setting the stage for the creation of the cosmos.

Gaia gives birth to Uranus (the Sky), who becomes her husband and the father of the Titans, Cyclopes, and Hecatoncheires (Hundred-Handed Ones). Uranus, fearing the power of his offspring, imprisons them within Gaia's womb. Gaia urges her children to rebel, and her Titan son Cronus castrates Uranus, seizing power for himself.

Cronus becomes the ruler of the cosmos but fears a prophecy that one of his children will overthrow him. To prevent this, he swallows each of his children upon their birth, except for Zeus, who is saved by his mother Rhea and hidden away. Zeus grows up and defeats Cronus, establishing himself as the king of the gods.

The poem then describes the Titanomachy, the epic battle between Zeus and the Titans, which ends with the Titans' defeat and their imprisonment in Tartarus. Zeus and his siblings, the Olympian gods, become the rulers of the cosmos.

The narrative continues with the story of the Gigantomachy, the battle between the gods and the Giants, and other myths surrounding the gods' interactions with mortals and each other.

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I love mythology and I thought I'd make list of the 12 Olympian Gods and Goddesses. This is my best guess. Do you know that I have seen different versions of this? What do you think?
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  2. Hera: The queen of the gods, Zeus's wife and sister, and the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
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  5. Athena: The goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, and crafts, often associated with strategic warfare and civilization.
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  7. Artemis: The goddess of the hunt, wilderness, childbirth, and virginity, often depicted with a bow and arrows.
  8. Ares: The god of war, violence, and bloodshed, embodying the brutal aspects of conflict.
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greek-gods.jpg

Question about the Fates of Greek Mythology

I am helping someone gather information for a school project on Greek Mythology so your input is much appreciated. This is more like, to help the person know enough information to be able to research it.

The project is about the Fates. These mysterious beings, often depicted as three sisters—Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos—were believed to control the destiny of every mortal and god alike. Their thread-spinning, measuring, and cutting symbolized the weaving of each individual's life, from birth to death.

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Were the Fates merely impartial observers, executing predetermined destinies without interference? Or did they possess agency, actively shaping the lives of those they governed? Furthermore, what implications did their existence hold for concepts of free will and determinism in ancient Greek thought?

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I found this video - has anyone watched these?

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