Greek MythologyThe Epic, Homer, and the

Odyssey

Review: What Is a Myth?

• Myths are traditional stories• Rooted in a particular culture• Deal with:

• Gods• Goddesses • Other supernatural beings• As well as human heroes

• Often embody religious beliefs and values• Explain natural phenomena• Every early culture has produced its own myths• A popular writer of myths was Ovid.

Ovid

What is an epic

• Long story, often told in verse, involving heroes and gods.

• Often have been passed on orally.

• May have anonymous authors.

• Grand in length and scope

• Provides a portrait of an entire culture• Of the legends, beliefs, values, laws, arts, and

ways of life of a people.

Why the epic

• The people of early ancient Greece wanted to be entertained by the many different tales of the past.

• Since their were no books, they turned to the great poets to hear these tales.

The Epic Poet

• Poets were also known as bards.

• They were masterful storytellers who would travel from village to village, singing or reciting long poetic epics.

• These epics were partly memorized, and also partly improvised depending on the poet and his skills.

• Regardless, epics were about the gods and heroes of days gone by.

• According to legend, Homer was the greatest of the ancient Greek bards.

The Epic poem

• Since Homer’s time, the epic has been recognized as a distinct genre.

• The characteristics of Epics are:

1.Narrative poems- Tell a story in verse, typically one taken from history or legend.

2.Grand in length and scope and provide a portrait of a culture- its beliefs, values, laws, arts, and ways of life.

3.Tone and style are serious and formal.

4.Subject is a battle or a great journey undertaken by a hero. Gods or other supernatural beings participate in the action.

The Epic Hero

• The center of the epic includes a larger-than-life hero.

• Has great, even superhuman, strength and courage.

• Undertakes a difficult journey or quest.

• Often the hero:

1.Travels to diverse, exotic settings around the world or the universe in the course of a quest or journey.

2.Aided by gods or other supernatural beings.

3.Struggles against gods, monsters, or other antagonists that test his or her strength and wit, and must complete several difficult tasks before returning home.

The Epic narrator

• Some epics, The Odyssey for example, were not written but narrated by a poet who would chant or sing the tales to the tune of a lyre.

• The poet-narrator often improvised details. However, he would typically follow:

1.He would start with an invocation, which was a plea to the Muse, (goddess of poetry) for inspiration.

2.Began telling the tale in medias res, (in the middle of things) filling in earlier details later, often in the form of speeches given by the main characters.

Narrator Cont.

1. Narrator used many stock expressions, (words formulas) such as epithets and epic similes.

• Epithets: brief descriptive phrases that emphasize an important characteristic of a person or thing. Expressions were easy to remember and helped the oral poets improvise on a poem as it was sung.

• Epic Similes: also known as Homeric similes: extended comparisons that go on for several lines. These long descriptive passages were probably memorized and repeated by poets each time they told the story.

• Example: Homer referring continually in The Odyssey to Odysseus as the “versatile Odysseus,” “that man [Odysseus] skilled in all ways of contending,” and “Dawn with finger tips of rose

Homer

• Greek

• Lived and wrote around apprx. 8th Century BC (800)

• Author of The Iliad and The Odyssey

• Writer from Western literature

• Homer and his life is surrounded by differing theories and legends. Some even question whether her actually existed.

• Could have come from Chios or Ionia.

The odyssey

• Epic Poem

• Falls after the Trojan War tale in The Iliad.

• Starts with Odysseus being released by Calypso, who held him captive for 7 years.

• Overall, is about Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan War.

• Journey took 10 years!

• During the 10 years, Odysseus faces many antagonists, including the Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis, and Circe.

• Showcases Odysseus’s heroic qualities of: strength, courage, leadership, and craftiness, as well as devotion to his home and family.

• Odysseus’s journey is a metaphor or allegory for the journey of life we go through, with its triumphs and heartbreaks.

Works cited/Standards

• Information taken directly from: Mirrors & Windows: Connecting with Literature, Level IV SC Edition.

• South Carolina State Standards for English I Curriculum:• E1-1.1,E1-1.4, E1-1.5,E1-1.6,E1-1.7, E1-2.2, E1-

2.4, E1-2.6 E1-3.1, E1-3.2,