Homer Biography

Homer was a renowned Greek poet who lived during the 8th century BCE. He has authored the two most epic stories in the history of Greek literature- “ The Iliad “ and “ The Odyssey.” He was known for his exceptional literary works and his philosophies. His works have not only led to the foundation of ancient Greek literature but also contributed a lot in understanding the way of the ancient greeks. The impact of these works is still evident in western literature. Homer is considered to be a shadowy figure by many scholars and historians. There are a lot of controversies regarding the real identity of this Greek poet. In this article, we will discuss some of those and talk about the biography of Homer in detail.

Birth of Homer

Homer was born between the 12th century to 8th century BCE somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. Generally, it is believed that Homer was a native of Ionia, Smyrna, situated on the western coast of Asia Minor or the island of Chios. Due to the absence of hard facts, scholars and historians have not been able to pinpoint his birth location and date of birth. All this information has been speculated from various descriptions in his works.

The use of Indian dialect in his works has helped historians to narrow down the location further. As the Iliad is based on the Trojan War, some people narrow down the birth of the poet around that time. However, some scholars believe that the way of Homeric literature is similar to the works of a much later period in Greek history. As stated by the poet Pindar in the 5th century BCE, the cities of Ionia, Smyrna, and Chios were competing for the honor to prove Homer as their native son; the exact birth location of Homer remains unknown to date.

The famous Greek historian Herodotus ( 484 BCE - 425 BCE), also known as “Father of History,” placed Homer around 850 BCE, which is several centuries ahead of himself. In a nutshell, it can be said that Homer was born around the 8th century BCE on the western coast of Asia Minor.

Identity of Homer 

The identity of this Greek poet Homer is a mystery himself. Some scholars believe Homer to be a single person, whereas some historians believe that Homer is a group of people. Some people believe that these iconic stories were created by a group considering various facts regarding the oral poetry and storytelling practice of the ancient Greeks. Some scholars think that the full name of Homer is not actually “Homer.”

The poet Homer is believed to be the son of the river Meles and a nymph named Kreis. According to the Greek writers' Homer’s father is the river Meles and his mother is the nymph, Kreis. Also, the actual full name of Homer is believed to be “Melesigines.”In ancient Greek, the word “Homer” refers to a hostage or a captive. Any accurate exact Homer biography does not exist due to the wide speculations about his identity and origin.

Homer is believed to be a blind wandering bard. This was inferred from a self-referential passage that described a blind bard Demodocus. The most appropriate and established biographies of Homer are “ Life of Homer” and “ Contest of Homer and Hesiod.”

The death of Homer is as mysterious as his birth. There are several speculations regarding the death of this famous Greek poet. Some believe that Homer died on the island of Ios as a blind, wandering bard. However, some scholars believe that Homer died after failing to solve a riddle by a fisherman.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Works Attributed To The Greek Poet Homer 

“The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” are considered to be the greatest works of Homer. Apart from these two epic stories, a lot of other literary masterpieces collectively known as “ The Homerica” also exist. However, the authenticity of this claim has not been verified as of today. Moreover, it was never accepted in the ancient world. 

Some of the works from the Homerica include the Homeric Hymns, the Little Iliad, the Nostoi, the Thebia, the Cypria, the Epigoni, and the Phocas. The mini-epic Batrachomyomachia is also included in the Homerica. 

All these works portray the centrality of Homer towards ancient Greek literature. Homer’s work contains lots of repetitive verses or phrases which indicate the presence of musical elements. The style resembles that of minstrel poetry or a balladeer. The poet’s works are designated as epics rather than lyrical poetry.

Homeric Language and Style 

The Homeric language is fundamentally based on Ionic Greek. However, it shows features of various other local Greek dialects and periods. Homeric Greek is an artificial language used only in epic hexameter poetry. The epic poems were written in this Homeric Greek. Various linguistic analysis shows that ‘The Iliad’ was written before ‘The Odyssey.’ However, the Homeric formula can be observed in various verses of these epic poems.

The Homeric style is based on an arrhythmic dactylic hexameter. The ancient Greek meter was more quantity-based than stress-based. His oral poetry was cumulative. It was built by stacking verses upon verses. This also provided a musical element to the poems. The style of the poems can be deemed as “formulaic” as it involves excessive use of stock epithets and repetitive verses.

The Iliad and The Odyssey 

These are the two greatest works of Homer. ‘ The Iliad’ is about the siege of Troy, the Trojan war, the kidnapping of Helen -the most beautiful woman in Paris. This epic poem also includes the story of the wrath of Achilles. Even though the story might seem a bit unfamiliar, all the characters and scenarios can be observed in ancient Greek history. It can be said that Homer was familiar with Troy owing to the geographical accuracy of the poem.

‘The Odyssey starts after the fall of Troy. It is about the journey of Odysseus as he returns to his home after the war. This epic poem has a bit of a novelistic approach, which can be associated with an aged Homer. The difference in the writing style arouses a doubt regarding the authorship.

However, it can not be denied that these two poems built the foundations of Greek culture and education in the classical age. ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ are still considered amongst the most significant poems of European literature.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Final Words

Homer can be considered to be the Godfather of the Greek culture. The impact of his works still resonates in the modern world. His works provide a deep insight into Greek society. During Plato’s time, Homer was regarded as the educator of all Greece. Such was the influence and impact of Homer’s works on ancient Greece. In a nutshell, it can be said that Homer laid the foundations of Greek literature. Even in modern literary works, we can see the use of Homeric style and formula. However, the several speculations regarding the identity of Homer make the matter even more mysterious and intensify the Homeric question.