Greek poet homer biography poet

Homer was the most important and earliest of the Greek and Roman writers. Greeks and Romans didn't count themselves educated unless they knew his poems. His influence was felt not only on literature but on ethics and morality via lessons from his masterpieces. He is the first source to look for information on Greek myth and religion. Yet, despite his prominence, we have no firm evidence that he ever lived.

" Homer and Hesiod have ascribed to the gods all things that are a shame and a disgrace among mortals, stealing and adulteries and deceiving on one another."
—Xenophanes (a Pre-Socratic philosopher)

The Life of the Blind Bard

Because Homer performed and sang he is called a bard. He is thought to have been blind, and so is known as the blind bard, just as Shakespeare, calling on the same tradition, is known as the bard of Avon.

The name "Homer," which is an unusual one for the time, is thought to mean either "blind" or "captive". If "blind," it may have to do more with the portrayal of the Odyssean blind bard called Phemios than the poem's composer.

Homer's Birthplaces and Date

There are multiple cities in the ancient Greek world that lay the prestigious claim of being the birthplace of Homer. Smyrna is one of the most popular, but Chios, Cyme, Ios, Argos, and Athens are all in the running. The Aeolian cities of Asia Minor are most popular; outliers include Ithaca and Salamis.

Plutarch provides a choice of Salamis, Cyme, Ios, Colophon, Thessaly, Smyrna, Thebes, Chios, Argos, and Athens, according to a table showing ancient authors who provided biographical information on Homer, in "Lives of Homer (Continued)," by T. W. Allen; The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 33, (), pp. Homer's death is less controversial, Ios being the overwhelming favorite.

Since it's not even clear that Homer lived, and since we don't have a fix on the location, it should come as

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 ( BCE - BCE), also known as “Father of History,” placed Homer around 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

Homer was one of the greatest early poets of Ancient Greece. Legend has it that he was blind and recited his poems as he traveled from one place to another. For this reason, people say that he called himself a singer, as opposed to a writer. It is said that after his death on the island of Ios, others kept his work alive by reciting them wherever they traveled and eventually scribes wrote them down.

Life of Homer

Homer created fabulous poetry expressing deep human emotions. The Greeks put him on a very high pedestal proclaiming him their greatest poet and almost worshipping him. His most acclaimed works include the epics Iliad and Odyssey. The Iliad is written in twenty four books and talks of Achilles wrath caused by the Greek commander Agamemnon and its disastrous consequences in the Trojan War. It was considered by many as a symbol of unity and heroism, as an anti-war poem actually, altough it is set in the last 50 days of the Trojan War.

The Odyssey, again written in twenty four books, deals with incidents connected with the return of Odysseus to his homeland. Homer drew inspiration from history and real life blending it with his fascinating imagination to create them. The plot of both epics consist of a series of exploits and adventures that help shape the protagonist and give the message of heroism, wisdom and other desirable qualities that set an example for lay people to follow.

Not a lot is known about this mysterious figure except for bits and pieces of information obtained from here and there. Beyond that one can only speculate about his life. In fact, we do not even know what century he lived in for sure, though on the basis of linguistic, geographical and historical evidence we can say that he lived considerably before B.C.

Herodotus places the age of Homer about years before his own time which would be about B.C and that date has been accepted as the most probable by many scholars. Almost all the legendary evidence point

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Who Was Homer?

The Greek poet Homer was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, possibly somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. He is famous for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have had an enormous effect on Western culture, but very little is known about their alleged author.

The Mystery of Homer

Homer is a mystery. The Greek epic poet credited with the enduring epic tales of The Iliad and The Odyssey is an enigma insofar as actual facts of his life go. Some scholars believe him to be one man; others think these iconic stories were created by a group. A variation on the group idea stems from the fact that storytelling was an oral tradition and Homer compiled the stories, then recited them to memory.

Homer’s style, whoever he was, falls more in the category of minstrel poet or balladeer, as opposed to a cultivated poet who is the product of a fervent literary moment, such as a Virgil or a Shakespeare. The stories have repetitive elements, almost like a chorus or refrain, which suggests a musical element. However, Homer’s works are designated as epic rather than lyric poetry, which was originally recited with a lyre in hand, much in the same vein as spoken-word performances.

All this speculation about who he was has inevitably led to what is known as the Homeric Question—whether he actually existed at all. This is often considered to be the greatest literary mystery.

When Was Homer Born?

Much speculation surrounds when Homer was born because of the dearth of real information about him. Guesses at his birth date range from BC all the way back to BC, the latter because The Iliad encompasses the story of the Trojan War, so some scholars have thought it fit to put the poet and chronicler nearer to the time of that actual event. But others believe the poetic style of his work indicates a much later period. Greek historian Herodotus (c. – BC), often called the father of history, placed Homer several centuries