Αρχαϊκή επική ποίηση [Archaic epic poetry]

The book is an introduction to archaic epic poetry, focusing on the two Homeric epics, and is intended as an aid to their teaching in junior high school. The Introduction sets out the wider context of Homeric poetry: it traces Homer’s identity and the epics’ putative relationship to history. It provides commentary on the style and the language of the epics, their mode of composition, presentation and reception as well as commentary on the similarities and differences between the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Part One of the book identifies the terms and suggests definitions of the Homeric narrative. It distinguishes myth from the plot of the two epics and technique from their artistry. It presents the well- and lesser-known singers (aoidoi) of the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are the precursors of rhapsodists. The authors delineate the features of traditional singing in comparison with and in contradistinction to the external narrative of the poet and the internal accounts of the heroes.

Part Two discusses the narratological problem of the role of the Homeric gods, i.e., whether, in addition to their religious role, they fulfil a poetic function as well by determining (or co-determining along with the poet) the unfolding of the myth and, most importantly, of the plot of the Homeric epics. The poetic role of the Muses is investigated first, followed by that of the Olympian gods.

Part Three of the book is devoted to Homeric virtuousness. Virtue, the most significant indicator of the Homeric heroes’ ethos, defines the level of Homeric culture both in a war and a post-war context. Finally, glory emerges as a core element of Homeric virtue, which is transformed in the passage from warlike and dramatic Iliad to post-war and post-dramatic Odyssey.