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Homer Facts

Homer Facts
Homer, the ancient Greek poet who wrote Iliad and Odyssey, was born approximately in the 8th or 9th century B.C. He was the son of Telemachus and Epikaste, and is believed to have been a story teller and court singer. Although there are various accounts of when Homer lived, he is credited as the first and the greatest epic poet, and the author of Europe's first known literature. It is believed that Homer lived in Iona, based upon his dialect but others suggest he lived on the island of Chios. It is also believed that Homer was blind, but proof one way or the other does not exist. Homer's epic poems Iliad and Odyssey were written during the era of the Trojan War, owing to their importance in Greek culture.
Interesting Homer Facts:
Homer's poem Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, including the battle of Troy. In Greek mythology the battle of Troy is one of the most important historical events.
Iliad tells the story of Achilles and his wrath against King Agamemnon, who was the leader of the Greeks. Characters in the poem include Hector, Zeus, Helen of Troy, and Aeneas. The story highlights Achilles' bravery and the glorification of war.
Odyssey is the sequel to Iliad, in which Odysseus returns home following his cunning destruction of Troy. In this story Odysseus escapes Calypso, battles the Cyclops, survives Hades, and endures a number of trials before returning home to his wife Penelope.
It is said that Homer's Odyssey inspired many further highly acclaimed pieces of literature including Inferno (by Dante Alighieri), Don Quixote (by Miguel de Cervantes), Heart of Darkness (by Joseph Conrad), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (by L. Frank Baum), and Ulysses (by James Joyce).
In Plato's work Republic, Homer is portrayed as the leader of Greek culture.
In Aristotle's work Poetics, he refers to Homer as unique when compared to the poets of his time in that he focused on a single theme.
Approximately 50 percent of all of Homer's work was in the form of speeches.
Homer is credited with the Homeric Hymns. These poems range from only a few lines to hundreds, and are composed with the same dialect as Iliad and Odyssey. His other notable work includes Epic Cycle, a book of poems about the Trojan War.
Scholarly studies of Homer and his work are some of the oldest, dating back hundreds of centuries.
In Homer's time, his poetry would have been spoken aloud as opposed to being written down. It was only later that they would have been written down. It is believed that Homer's poems were recorded soon after the alphabet was invented.
There is a statue of Homer in Munich, Germany outside the Bavarian State Library.
In the British Museum there is a marble relief created by Archelaus of Priene, believed to be from the 3rd century BCE, called the 'Apotheosis of Homer'. It was found in Italy but it is believed it was sculpted in Egypt.
Homer is believed to have died on the island Ios, but the year is unknown, just as his exact date of birth is unknown.


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