Homer

Outside of his poems, little is known of Homer. The Odyssey was composed around 725BC, and is largely set in the Mycenaean era (ca 1400-1100BC) the destruction of "Homeric" Troy is believed to have occurred around 1184BC.

There is a notion that Homer was a blind bard (partially derived from the character Demodocus) who was born on the Isle of Chios. However there is little concrete evidence to support this. Although the composer does not appear directly in the poem, many scholars feel that Demodocus is something of a self-portrait. Certainly, it is thought that if nothing else Demodocus gives us an insight into how Oral Poetry was transmitted.

There are no contemporary portraits of Homer, those that exist (such as one in the British Museums collection) date from long after his death so are somewhat fanciful.

Furthermore over the years, a number of scholars, most notably M.I. Finley have argued that Homer as a single entity never existed. The separatist argument is that the Iliad and the Odyssey are the work of two or more bards, that the structure of the Odyssey supports this and that the two poems are sufficiently different stylistically that composition by one Bard is unlikely. However, when one considers that the poems could well have been composed anything up to thirty years apart, that they are about different characters and different subjects it is still possible to argue for a single composer.

One other major work has been attributed to Homer a long hymn called the "Homeric Hymn" This belongs to another genre and need not concern us. Ancient writers attributed a large amount of other work to Homer, however it is now believed that most of this is the work of a guild of hereditary Bards called the Homeridae or "Sons of Homer".

The Epic

Epic Poetry is the earliest surviving form of Greek literature. It existed before drama, history or philosophy. Its origins are based in the oral tradition of story telling.

An Epic Poem is:

Narrative poetry in exalted style.
Celebrating heroic adventures; mythical or historical.
It is on a great and serious subject.
The setting of the poem is broad, and may be worldwide - or even larger! For example, Odysseus wanders over the Mediterranean, which was the extent of the known world at that time. In the Odyssey, we go beyond the bounds of the earth; we travel to the home of the gods on Mt Olympus and journey with Odysseus to the Underworld.
Gods and supernatural beings play an important role.
The narration begins at a climactic point.

In its original form, epic poems were composed and recited orally. Often, but not always, the bard might actually have been illiterate. One of Homer's bards (Demodocus) was blind - there is of course the tradition that Homer was blind.¹ The poem was recited in a chant to the listening audience. The bard composed directly before his audience.²

The bard often repeated phrases, lines and whole groups of lines, this is not meant as a criticism, but enhances the poem. Repetition of the familiar is essential for both the bard and audience. To follow a long and many faceted tale, perhaps told over several days and nights, repetition provides a link with what has gone before. It helps remind the audience of events, character development and themes of the poem. It reinforces the familiar (watch any soap opera for the use of this technique)

The Epic is not totally repetitious; it must also consist of a series of self-contained episodes or incidents, which are complete within themselves. The reason for this is that people cannot listen non-stop, but must have pauses.

The Epic Hero

He is a mythical figure. He may have originally been a historical figure, but the stories that accrue to him break the bonds of history. Whether he actually lived or not does not matter. After all, the emphasis is on providing an entertaining and instructive story.

He always:

Seeks honour and glory.
Possesses qualities of intelligence, courage and physical strength.
Needs public recognition for his deeds.
Travels widely.
Is helped by the gods; gods help men because they are heroes. The gods do not always make them heroes in the first place.
Does not have to be perfect; he can and does possess faults. This is because he is a man and not a god.
Displays excellence in debate and action.

1 It would appear that in Ancient Greek the name Omeros or Homer means blind one.

2 The structure of the Epic, which used a familiar outline, stock phrases, repetition and so on allowed the poet to improvise around an existing framework.