Homeric Epics Research Articles

The myth of Gorgo/Medusa in ancient written sources

The present article reports all ancient writers and poets who dealt with the Gorgoneian head and the Gorgon-Medusa related myth presented in a chronological order basically during the 1st millennium B.C. from Homeric epics to late antiquity of Fabius Planciades Fulgentius and Ioannis Malalas in the 5th and 6th c. A.D. Essentially it is a discussion on the ancient written sources, based on the original texts. Especially for the most ancient sources - such as Homer, Hesiod, Cyclic epics – and references were made to known scholars in the field of philology. Particularly critical discussion and comments are made, along with the investigation of the primary ancient writing sources, as well as the related iconography. The final conclusions show the degree of influence of ancient written sources on art, but also vice versa, that is, how much art influenced ancient texts.

From the Orphic texts to the Homeric Epics and to the Dramatic Poetry:

Logos is the most important requested thing, because this is the internal joint which unites beings and their evolution. We think of Logos as a gnosiological and not ontologiacal factor. We are making mention of Logos as a real process and not as a simple manner, because we believe that human Logos could be known by the man of thought and action. Orphic texts rasionalize the universe as a kind of movements and as a dynamic evolution. They can see inside the universal forces the very cause, manner and the purpose of proceeding and improvement, so far these forces are not naughtily thrown any more. Homer’s epics offered an invaluable service to the Humane spiritual arsenal: They connected men with the macrocosm powers, Odysseus, Achilles are made of the same universal powers. These powers are the very God’s content, twelve Gods evolve kosmos according to these universal powers in a humane manner. Human qualities which are attributed to the gods help men to imitate this anthropomorphic way of the gods in order human Logos slowly intervene to the universe world. All these interventions could be transferred through Logos inside human society, inside human organizations. Odysseus learns to use Logos through his contact with the human form of goddess Athena – who represents the Wisdom. So, he can justify his actions, he is able of categorizing his life, he manages to complete his Nostos, the very purpose of Him. In the 5th century a.d. Athens was the sum of people like the Odysseus. The glory City of Athens was an aggregate of thinking people like a Kingdom of wisdom, which is projected in the poetical work of tragic poetry. The reasonable Subject of the Athenean Democracy came up through the Orphic texts and Homeric Epics (we should not forget that Peisistratus (an Athenean tyrant) introduced the Homeric Epics because he thought that these texts could cultivate Athenean adolescents). This reasonable Subject believed that he could transform the universal powers (which influence the earth movement) into ideal social forces, which are able to produce atomic and social happiness and eydaimonia. The bitter denial, which happened through Peloponnesian War, disappeared this kind of human individualism as a piece of universal power. So far kosmic forces separated into two parts: what I can think (idea) and what I could act (praxis). Humanity proceeded glorifying not the sense of what there really exists but glorifying the sense of what I am thinking that there really exists. Plato and Aristotle supported this appreciable process because they thought that idea and not what there really exist is the basis of Human skepsis and praxis.

Literary approaches to wine in the texts of the Odyssey and the role of digital culture in cultural preservation

This paper deals with the position and role played by wine in the case of an important text of ancient Greek literature, the Odyssey. Reading the Homeric epic reveals its importance, as it is revealed by the multitude of references to wine in the work. Through the detailed description of the various verses and episodes, the multiple roles of wine in the epic are demonstrated. With the methodology of text analysis, it is proven that wine is a daily habit of the life of the lords, either at meals or at special moments, considering it an important asset. It also played an important role in the religious life of that time, both because mortals offered it to the gods, and because the latter treated it as they saw fit. Also, the familiarity with wine becomes evident from its use as a means, either to achieve one's goal, or to advance the plot.

The significance of wine and the vine in the odyssey, suggestions for new technologies and experiential teaching approaches

The following study tries to present the multidimensional culture and importance of wine, analyzing examples from the Odyssey as one of the greatest heroic epics of antiquity. Through his epics, Homer deals with important values such as faith, a person's love for the country, as well as the power to overcome difficulties. However, the institution that seems to be of utmost importance, especially in the Odyssey, is that of “filoxenia” (hospitality), since the words “xenos” (foreigner) and "filoxenia” (hospitality) had great value in antiquity. All of the above is highlighted through the events and adventures that take place, with wine having an important place in terms of the development of the plot of the Homeric epic. Education is one of the areas, where New Technologies can be applied, and, therefore, have brought a variety of changes, perspectives and possibilities, both in teaching and learning. Similar efforts have been made to teach the "Odyssey" in schools, as well as use experiential approaches to attract adult cultural tourists.

REGARDING EXPLANATION OF INTERNATIONAL TERM ELEMENTS IN THE UZBEK DICTIONARIES

This article explores the historical evolution of linguololklore studies, tracing its origins back to ancient Greece and ancient India, where scholars have analyzed language variations in literary and spoken forms. This section discusses the efforts of Greek thinkers to interpret the language of Homer's epics and the work of Indian grammarians such as Panini in distinguishing between Sanskrit and Prakrit. Furthermore, it highlights the contributions of Arab scholars in interpreting Islamic texts and the emergence of linguistics as a distinct field in the 19th century, particularly through the works of Wilhelm von Humboldt and Jacob Grimm. The article also delves into the philological study of Russian folklore, with scholars such as A. Kh. Vostokov and A. A. Potebnyamade significant contributions. It examines debates on the relationship between folklore language and dialect, along with the efforts of contemporary scholars such as A. T. Khrolenko, E. B. Artemenko, and S. E. Nikitina in advancing linguo-folkloristics. This article underscores the interdisciplinary nature of linguo-folklore studies and their role in understanding language, culture, and societal dynamics.

HOMER: ἄσβεστος γέλως (două episoade: Iliada, I, 597; Odiseea VIII, 459)

I have often wondered, like many others, where the expression “Homeric laughter” comes from and what is hidden behind it. The spectacular career of the expression, which naturally does not appear in the Homeric epics, can be traced right back to the Iliad and Odyssey. I have insisted on two episodes in which the expression occurs (ἄσβεστος γέλως), one at the end of book I of the Iliad, the second in the Odyssey, book VIII. The gods are involved, Hephaestus in both situations, Ares and Aphrodite in the episode of the Odyssey, and people are also involved for whom this kind of laughter is not characteristic. What is Homeric laughter? The classical expression is ἄσβεστος γέλως, it can be translated by “inextinguishable” or “irrepressible mirth”. The phrase seems to come in English from German – “Homerisches Gelächter”, “unauslöschliches Gelächter” and in German from French: “le rire homérique”, as it appears for the first time in the memoirs of Baroness d’Oberkirck: “le rire inextinguible”. Homeric laughter is, therefore, “inextinguishable”, “unquenchable”, we owe the Latin formula to Ovid, the one from Metamorphoses - superi risere. As for Homer, we know he had no good reason to laugh, Homer couldn’t laugh in a Homeric manner anyway.

The Influence of Neurosciences on Understanding the Bodily Conditioning of Cognitive Processes: a Socio-Anthropological Aspect

The study presents a conceptual analysis of the main approaches to the study of the human brain and consciousness from the standpoint of modern domestic and foreign neuroscience. Relevant interpretations of such problematic issues and concepts as “the boundary of the human body”, “embodied knowledge”, “general artificial intelligence”, “self”, etc. From the standpoint of a body-oriented approach, the problem of co-evolution of the body, consciousness, technology and social environment is considered. The idea of the body as an artifact is updated in the context of technological change in human nature, which entails the elimination of the living human body. On the example of the Homeric epic, it is shown that attempts to overcome vulnerability demonstrate one of the fundamental human needs. The realization of the need to expand and push the boundaries of the body in the anthropotechnological environment is presented in the form of a cyborg. It is suggested that, in terms of content, the idea of the “embodied mind”, as well as the project of creating a Hybrid reality and pan-communication, stem from the immanent human need for bodily involvement in the surrounding world. The features of the creation of Artificial Intelligence and Artificial General Intelligence at the present stage are revealed. The expediency of studying the results of neuroscientific comprehension of the organization of mental processes, first of all, in the field of visualization of brain processes and the mapping method, is noted. The main modern projects for the study of the brain, as well as the most effective methods for obtaining data on brain structures, are considered. The actual results of the research are described in such areas of neuroscience as: the study of mirror neurons and their systems; “reading the brain”, the study of neural correlates of consciousness. The results of studies of representatives of domestic neuroscience are presented. The human “I” is considered as a unique structure of the Ego-system of the brain (“self”). In conclusion, a conclusion is made about the significant influence of modern neuroscience on understanding the features of the functioning of the human brain, consciousness and cognitive processes; the effectiveness of applying the body-oriented approach to comprehending the integrity of “body-consciousness-technologies-social environment” is revealed.

„Orbii care cântă cântece cu poveşti şi minuni” sau despre intertextualitate la Cervantes şi Homer

In this article I deal with some small fragments from the renowned novel Don Quixote by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. I argue that significant connections can be established with the universe of the Homeric epics and, subsidiarily, with a passage from the writings of the French philosopher Blaise Pascal. These connections represent, by definition, the level of intertextuality, particularly challenging the imagination of those who approach and let themselves be conquered by the universe of the most famous errant knight. Intertextuality is a central concept in the theory of literature, without being limited to this – it is applicable to various other artistic fields: cinematography, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, etc. This concept has been proposed and developed during the second half of the 20th century, through the founding contributions of specialists and thinkers such as Julia Kristeva (1969, 1974), Gérard Genette (1982), or Michael Riffaterre (1971, 1979).

Teaching Greek mythology through a scenario-based game

AbstractIn this article, we showcase the pilot scenario of The Trojan War, an educational self-directed game that combines text inspired by ancient Greek (as well as Roman) literature with graphics based on the ‘Geometric style’, an authentic Greek style of painting contemporary with the composition of the Homeric epics. Our game uses interactive scenarios to support active learning strategies of students interested in Classical Studies in both tertiary and secondary education. Players can take on the role of key characters, making choices that can prevent, start, or stop the Trojan War, as well as determine their own personal outcomes. The learners are thus presented with the opportunity to explore alternative pathways to rewrite the history of the War. In the process, they can apply their subject knowledge and develop their intellectual and critical skills. They also become familiar with a distinctive and expressive early Greek artistic style, the so-called Geometric. Rather than focusing on winning, the game aims to give students the opportunity to engage with important ideas and values of ancient Greek culture by exploring multiple perspectives on the topic. It also provides a valuable lesson on the potentially wide-ranging consequences of individual choices, which is a core element of responsible citizenship.

호메로스 문제와 한국 구비문학 연구

This article aims to comprehensively examine the Homeric Questions, which are treated as the most important issues in Western classical philology, in relation to the tasks of Korean oral literature research. The modern debates on Homer's problem began, developed, deepened, and has continued to today as analysts came forward to refute the traditional Unitarianism that Homer was the author of the two epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. Analysts have divided and analyzed the works in detail, arguing that the two epics are a combination of poems by several writers, not by one author, in the process of oral and literal transmission. On the other hand, there appeared the 『new analysis』 that inherited the research results of analysis theory while advocating the position of unitarians. It argues that a single author like Homer could be acknowledged, but he imitated and combined the creations of several previous writers. Unlike them, scholars who explored the creation process of Homer's epic from the perspective of oral literature tried to explain Homer's epic as a product of collective creation, putting the tradition in the foreground than a poet as the author. In addition, as the perspectives of narratology and cognitive science are applied to Homer's problem, the researches are developing increasingly diversely. It is a very important task for us to consider how to deepen and develop discussions related to the preservation, research, and creation of our oral literature, while examining such Homer issues.

Orality, Textuality, and the Homeric Epics: An Interdisciplinary Study of Oral Texts, Dictated Texts, and Wild Texts

Orality, Textuality, and the Homeric Epics: An Interdisciplinary Study of Oral Texts, Dictated Texts, and Wild Texts

Shedding light on Odysseus’ companions

Seen in the framework of the classical reception, this paper discusses the use of the ancient sources by modern poets highlighting some main aspects of the dialogue between past and present. It focuses on the examination of four poems that present an interesting reworking and appropriation of themes drawn from the Homer’s Odyssey: Ezra Pound’s Canto XX (1928) and Yannis Ritsos’ three selected short poems, included in the collection Testimonies 2 (1966), where myth, history and politics interweave. Although they were written by poets engaged in different ideologies these poems have a key element in common: the focus on Odysseus’ companions instead of Odysseus himself, a choice which reveals both their aesthetic and ideological choices. The way myth is used here brings out the association between aesthetics and politics, thus illustrating the views of the two poets on the position and function of literature in society and their critical intervention in the in the current socio-political developments of their time. The consideration of the poems in the context of Pound’s and Ritsos’ work at this stage of their poetic careers suggests an ideological reading of the myth linked το contemporary concerns, and also confirms the importance and lasting impact of the Homeric epics, providing yet another example of the modernists’ reception of the classical tradition.
 Keywords: classical reception, mythical method, modernist poetry, E. Pound, Y. Ritsos

Burying the Heros: Identifying the Archaeological Background of the Homeric Burial

Abstract For centuries the Homeric epics, especially the Iliad, have fascinated and attracted the attention of the academic community and the wider public alike. Many scholars throughout the centuries endeavored to prove the historicity of the Iliad through the archaeological evidence. Though current academic research has long departed from those approaches, the epics contain important historical and cultural elements that were part of the reality not only of Homer’s contemporary (Iron Age) society but also, to an extent, of the Late Bronze Age. This paper argues that the Homeric funerary customs are not a purely literary creation, but rather the result of a mixture of traditions, contemporary customs and collective memory. This will be achieved through a survey of archaeological and written evidence pertaining to Late Bronze Age and Iron Age burial traditions, ranging from Hittite Anatolia to Central Europe, and in doing so suggest the possible origins, both geographically and chronologically, of ‘Homeric’ mortuary practices.

Virgilian Criticism and the Intertextual Aeneid

Abstract This review article of Joseph Farrell’s 2021 monograph on Virgil’s Aeneid (Juno’s Aeneid: A Battle for Heroic Identity, Princeton and Oxford) takes the cue from Farrell’s analysis of Virgil’s intertextuality with the Homeric epics and provides a methodological re-assessment of intertextuality in Virgilian studies and Latin literature more broadly. It attempts to retrace the theoretical history and some of the main applications of Latin intertextual studies and suggests some possible ways for Latinists to engage more profoundly with deconstructive criticism and post-critique.

Shaken Not Stirred: The Name of the Game in the Post-Truth Condition

ABSTRACT The post-truth condition is just as much about naming a meta-game as winning it. This condition can be tracked across Western intellectual history from the Homeric epics to popular culture. The common thread is that players are more likely to succeed in this meta-game if they have a certain consistency of character, which Thomas More called “integrity.” The presence of integrity means that the historical losers have often had an advantage in defining for subsequent generations the name of the game because the steadfastness of their characters may make them be regarded as the agents of history, for better or worse. Further, naming the game tends to be stabilized by a variety of mental and material conditions, including “modal power”—control over what people think is and is not possible. Modal power is related to both Machiavellian politics and Kantian transcendentalism, and to the phenomenon of “truthiness.” The character of the post-truth player is epitomized by Thomas More, the “man for all seasons,” who remained consistent as he moved between multiple games, and ultimately to his execution.

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Orthopaedic surgery as seen by artists and by surgeons: science or art?

Artists, including painters, are interested in capturing the essence of the world around them, including surgery. Therefore, we explored the world of orthopaedic surgery through the eyes of artists. We asked how artists and painters have captured the artistic vision of orthopaedic surgery by describing the operation, tools and techniques used, and the patients and surgeons involved. The evolution of medical science and the importance of an orthopaedic surgeon art in society during different centuries were evaluated from ancient civilizations to the modern world. The symbolic representation of orthopaedic surgery and orthopaedic surgeons was analyzed over time, to reflect changes in medical practice and societal attitudes towards orthopaedic surgery. Ancient Egypt is where the first instances of painting a shoulder dislocation reduction were discovered. The first report of organized surgical care is found in Homer's epic poem "Iliad," even if executing surgical operations and artistic representation was undoubtedly done in many ancient civilizations. Orthopaedic surgeons according to the period were represented as gods, saints, monks, heroic figures, military surgeons, and sometimes politics. However, the orthopaedic surgeon was rarely considered an artist by those who are real artists. Paintings often showed orthopedists in action, with blood and tools, emphasizing the gritty reality of the surgical profession, sometimes with some stereotypes (gargantuan figure, gorilla). However, the common thread is the recognition of the skill, knowledge, and dedication required to be a surgeon and the importance of their work in helping people live healthier and more active lives. Overall, painters have depicted orthopedic surgeons as skilled professionals who are dedicated to helping their patients achieve better health and mobility. Their depictions have evolved over time, reflecting changes in medical practice and the wider culture. However, the essential message remains the same: orthopaedic surgeons play a vital role in helping people live healthier, more active lives.

The Good Shepherd: Image, Meaning, and Power

The Good Shepherd: Image, Meaning, and Power

De los dioses de Homero al "evemerismo" cinematográfico

"In this paper we address the relationship between the treatment of the gods in the Homeric epic, specifically in the Iliad, and the treatment given to them by the cinema in films based on this poem, demonstrating that the cinema mostly tries, despite the weight that the gods have in the Trojan War, to eliminate any supernatural aspect of their films, and relegating the Homeric gods, physically present in one way or another in the epic, to the dialogues, sacrifices, omens, dreams, etc., in order to adapt their results to the prevailing rationalist vision of our time.."

AI Narratives: A History of Imaginative Thinking about Intelligent Machines ed. by Stephen Cave, Kanta Dihal, and Sarah Dillon

Reviewed by: AI Narratives: A History of Imaginative Thinking about Intelligent Machines ed. by Stephen Cave, Kanta Dihal, and Sarah Dillon Ronald R. Kline (bio) AI Narratives: A History of Imaginative Thinking about Intelligent Machines Edited by Stephen Cave, Kanta Dihal, and Sarah Dillon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. 424. The strength of this edited volume, which grew out of a series of interdisciplinary workshops organized by the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Society of London, lies in its comprehensiveness. The book's twenty contributors, representing a wide range of disciplines, mostly in the humanities, consider an impressive spectrum of technologies and time periods. Part 1 ("Antiquity to Modernity") covers clockwork, self-regulated automata, and early robots in Europe from Ancient Greece to the industrial revolutions of [End Page 223] the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Part 2 ("Modern and Contemporary") focuses on the electronic computer systems, including neural-net machine learning, that came to be known as "artificial intelligence" in the United States and Europe in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The variety of narratives is equally impressive. Part 1 deals with a wide range of texts, from Homeric epics to books on natural magic and experimental science in the Renaissance and early modern period, and from Victorian fiction to Karel Čapek's classic play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which premiered in 1921. Part 2, organized by themes, focuses on the rise of modern science fiction in books, films, and television, often contrasting that with futuristic predictions, both utopian and critical, made by AI practitioners. AI Narratives thus resembles a scholarly handbook that summarizes recent work in a new field of study. As with most handbooks, its strength of being comprehensive contributes to its weakness of not presenting a unifying argument or perspective about these narratives. The history and sociology of science and technology is represented in the volume by references to such well-known scholars as Jessica Riskin, Simon Schaffer, David F. Noble, N. Katherine Hayles, Judy Wajcman, and Sheila Jasanoff. But the omissions are notable too, such as Adelheid Voskuhl on automata and fiction in eighteenth-century Europe and Donna Haraway on cyborgs. Although the editors state that the "work of this book contributes to establishing the importance of narratives as constituent parts of any sociotechnical imaginary" (p. 7), a concept introduced by Jasanoff, none of the authors engage with this concept, nor with historian of technology David Nye's influential work on technological narratives. In part 2, I would have liked to have heard more about the relationship between the writers of science fiction and AI researchers. Beth Singler mentions this mutual influence in her nice chapter on AI, anthropomorphism, and the parent-child narrative. But the fact that Marvin Minsky, a founder of computer-based AI, was a consultant to the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), or that John W. Campbell Jr., the editor of Astounding Science Fiction magazine, corresponded with his former MIT professor Norbert Wiener, a founder of cybernetics who is cited several times in AI Narratives, suggests that much more could be done to explore the permeable boundary between the creators of science fiction and the inventors of AI systems in the twentieth century. All of the chapters are well researched, well argued, and informative, whether they recount a recent book by the author or present new research. An idea of the richness of the topics and themes can be seen from the titles of some outstanding chapters. These include Minsoo Kang and Ben Halliburton's "The Android of Albertus Magnus: A Legend of Artificial Being," Julie Park's "Making the Automaton Speak: Hearing Artificial Voices in the Eighteenth Century," Kanta Dihal's "Enslaved Minds: Artificial Intelligence, Slavery, and Revolt," and Anna McFarlane's "AI and Cyberpunk Networks." [End Page 224] These virtues make AI Narratives a path-breaking book that surveys the important place of narrative in the long history of the interaction between humans and intelligent machines in Europe and the United States. Ronald R. Kline Ronald R. Kline is Bovay Professor of History and Ethics of Engineering, Emeritus, at Cornell University. He...