The writing

Heroes of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" in the poems of Homer. AT late XVIII - early XIX century in different countries Western Europe published the first codes folk tales and legends, songs, ballads and literary tales. New branches of science are emerging - folklore and ethnography. During a period of great historical upheaval caused by the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars When the destinies of entire peoples and countries were changing, turning to folk art had a deep social meaning.

In the works of folklore, romantics valued naivety and spontaneity, seeing in them an unclouded mirror of the people's soul. But since romanticism in itself was not a homogeneous trend, some artificially emphasized the features of the patriarchal consciousness, while others (revolutionary romantics) looked primarily for examples of patriotic valor and love of freedom. With the development of advanced thought, a fascination with antiquity was also associated. “In 1827, I was fifteen years old,” A. I. Herzen recalled in his diary, “the ideas of ancient republicanism wandered in my head, I firmly believed that “the dawn of captivating happiness would rise”1. The Decembrists, and after them the revolutionary democrats, saw in ancient history and poetry "aesthetic school of morality".

During this period, teenagers enthusiastically read Plutarch (see p. 20), the Iliad and the Odyssey, expositions Greek mythology etc. A valuable contribution to Russian culture was made by N. I. Gnedich and V. A. Zhukovsky with poetic translations of the Homeric epic. The first belongs to the translation of the Iliad (1829), the second - the Odyssey (1848-1849).

The advantage of Gnedich's translation is in accurate transmission original, strength and vivid imagery of the language. At the same time, his translation is replete with archaisms and is sustained in an elevated rhetorical style that is not characteristic of the original. Zhukovsky, unlike Gnedich, did not care about the exact reproduction of the translated text. “The translator in prose is a slave; a translator in verse is a rival,” said Zhukovsky. His transcription of the Odyssey was made not from the ancient Greek original, but from a German interlinear, but it is distinguished by the same melodiousness and melody as all the poetry of this magician of the word, whom Pushkin called the "genius of translation."

But as the language was updated, the old translations became obsolete. AT late XIX century, the Iliad was recreated according to the original by N. M. Minsky, in Soviet time- V. V. Veresaev, who also achieved philological accuracy in the translation of the Odyssey. Unfortunately, Veresaev is not poetic enough and could not surpass his predecessors. In modern editions for school libraries Homer is printed with abbreviations: "Iliad" - usually translated by Minsky, "Odyssey" - still according to the text of Zhukovsky.

The Homeric epic took shape in the 9th-8th centuries BC. e., during the collapse of the communal-tribal system and the transition to the ancient class society. The myths themselves, which form the basis of the epic, arose much earlier. Mythology was generated by primitive thinking as “unconsciously artistic” (Marx) creativity. At the archaic stages of development, myths were taken for truth - they explained in a naive-fantastic form the origin and causes of real phenomena. Myths simultaneously expressed religious, moral, and "scientific" ideas. Mythology was the universal ideology of primitive tribal society. But in Greece of the era of Homer, it has already turned into "history": without completely losing its connection with religion, it served as an inexhaustible source of inspiration, first for storytellers, and then for poets. The myths have not survived in their original form. We get acquainted with them through literary sources.

The plots of ancient myths were widely used by many writers, artists, sculptors, musicians from different eras and countries. Figurative expressions borrowed from Greek mythology still live in our language. The myths of ancient Greece retain an enduring artistic value. They capture the “childhood of human society”, which, according to K. Marx, developed in Hellas most beautifully and has for us eternal charm, like a step that never repeats2. Poetic tales about gods and heroes reflect the labor experience and aspirations of the masses, the ideas of the ancients about the forces of nature and real historical events three thousand years ago (the Trojan War, the campaign of the Seven against Thebes, etc.).

It is difficult to overestimate the aesthetic and educational value of good children's books that give an artistic presentation. ancient Greek myths and heroic epic.

Of the numerous translated editions, the Book of Wonders (1852) by the American romantic writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was especially popular at one time. The free retelling of myths, supplemented by the creative imagination of the author, turns them into literary fairy tales. “Mythology,” wrote N. A. Dobrolyubov, “served for Hawthorne only as a background against which he completely freely depicted the pictures and events that presented to his imagination. He himself says in the preface that the poetic traditions of the ancient Greeks belong in their poetic side to all ages and peoples, and that therefore every people always has the right to assimilate them not in their dead immobility, but in living processing, in accordance with the conditions of the time. Looking at the matter from this point of view, Hawthorne managed to write some really lively and curious stories ... ”N. G. Chernyshevsky is much more severe in his assessment of the Book of Wonders. While paying tribute to the author's talent, he strongly objected to the distortion of Greek myths.

A systematic retelling of mythological plots is the content of repeatedly published translated books: "Myths of classical antiquity" by Stoll, "Olympus" by Petiscus, "Mythology" by Schwab, "Mythology" by Zeeman. The mentioned books have long been supplanted by the well-known work of the Russian historian N. A. Kun (1877-1940) “What the ancient Greeks told about their gods and heroes.” Improving the text from edition to edition, the author in the artistic presentation of myths tried to stay closer to the sources - works of Greek and Roman literature, which conveyed to us stories in several complementary versions. Kuhn managed to convey the spirit of ancient poetry, but the myths themselves sometimes seem artificially complicated. AT last years Kuhn's book is published under the title: "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece"

We should also mention the work of the Hungarian researcher Imre Trencheny-Waldapfel "Mythology" (M., 1959), which, as stated in the preface by V. I. Avdiev, "seeks to reveal the historical basis of myths, separating the elements of folk myth-making from the later artistic processing of ancient mythological plots and motives. In addition, the Hungarian scientist finds plot correspondences, close motives and images in the myths of other peoples. It is distinguished by the original solution of the concept "Mythology" by Jan Parandovsky (b. 1895), a prominent Polish prose writer, translated by the writer N. Dubov. Not limited to the artistic retelling of myths and legends, Parandovsky, according to the translator, “as far as possible for a person of the 20th century, recreates the spiritual world of the people who create mythology, traces the development of their religious beliefs, the death of some and the emergence of new ones, sketches big picture life, life of the ancient Greeks and Romans, as if takes the reader into the atmosphere of that time.

Other writings on this work

Characteristics of the image of Hector Humanistic pathos of the "Iliad" condemnation of war and its cruelty

The Trojan War is a war, legends about which were widespread among the Greek people even before the composition of the Homeric epic: the author of the first rhapsody of the Iliad assumes in his listeners a detailed acquaintance with the cycle of these legends and counts on the fact that Achilles, Atrids, Odysseus, Ajax the Great, Ajax the Small, Hector are already familiar to them.

The scattered parts of this legend belong to different centuries and authors and represent a chaotic mixture in which the historical truth is connected with the myth with imperceptible threads. Over time, the desire to arouse interest in the listener with the novelty of the plot prompted poets to introduce more and more new heroes into their favorite legends: from the heroes of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Aeneas, Sarpedon, Glaucus, Diomedes, Odysseus and many secondary characters, according to some hypotheses, are completely alien ancient version of the Trojan legend. A number of other heroic personalities, such as the Amazon Penthesilea, Memnon, Telef, Neoptolem and others, were introduced into the legends about the battles of Troy.

The most detailed surviving account of the events of the Trojan War is contained in 2 poems - the Iliad and the Odyssey: the Trojan heroes and the events of the Trojan War owe their fame mainly to these two poems. Homer considers quasi-

Historical interpretation of the epic

Being a very interesting and valuable material in the hands of a literary historian, as examples of folk art, these legends are of great interest to the historian as well. In ancient times, the Trojan War was recognized as a historical event. This view, which dominated until the 19th century as a dogma, is currently accepted by historical criticism, although some of the latest researchers do not allow the attitude to the legend as a historical source.

The myths of most peoples are myths primarily about gods. The myths of ancient Greece are an exception: for the most part they are not about gods, but about heroes. Heroes are sons, grandsons and great-grandchildren of gods from mortal women; they performed feats, cleansed the land of monsters, punished the villains and entertained their strength in internecine wars. When it became hard for the Earth from them, the gods made it so that they themselves killed each other in the greatest war - the Trojan: "... and at the walls of Ilion / the Tribe of heroes died - the will of Zeus was done."

"Ilion", "Troy" - two names of the same mighty city in Asia Minor, near the coast of the Dardanelles. From the first of these names, the great Greek poem about the Trojan War is called the Iliad. Before her, only short oral songs about the exploits of heroes, such as epics or ballads, existed among the people. A large poem of them was composed by the legendary blind singer Homer, and he composed it very skillfully: he chose only one episode from a long war and unfolded it so that it reflected the entire heroic age. This episode is the "wrath of Achilles", the greatest of the last generation of Greek heroes.

The Trojan War lasted ten years. Dozens of Greek kings and leaders gathered on a campaign against Troy on hundreds of ships with thousands of soldiers: a list of their names takes up several pages in the poem. The main leader was the strongest of the kings - the ruler of the city of Argos Agamemnon; with him were his brother Menelaus (for whose sake the war began), the mighty Ajax, the ardent Diomedes, the cunning Odysseus, the wise old Nestor and others; but the most courageous, strong and dexterous was the young Achilles, the son of the sea goddess Thetis, who was accompanied by his friend Patroclus. The Trojans were ruled by the gray-haired king Priam, at the head of their army was the valiant son of Priam Hector, with him his brother Paris (because of whom the war began) and many allies from all over Asia. The gods themselves took part in the war: the silver-armed Apollo helped the Trojans, and the heavenly queen Hera and the wise warrior Athena helped the Greeks. The supreme god, the thunderer Zeus, followed the battles from the high Olympus and carried out his will.

The war started like this. The wedding of the hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis was celebrated - the last marriage between gods and mortals. (This is the same marriage from which Achilles was born.) At the feast, the goddess of discord threw a golden apple, destined for the "most beautiful." Three people argued over an apple: Hera, Athena and the goddess of love Aphrodite. Zeus ordered the Trojan prince Paris to judge their dispute. Each of the goddesses promised him their gifts: Hera promised to make him king over the whole world, Athena - a hero and sage, Aphrodite - the husband of the most beautiful of women. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. After that, Hera and Athena became the eternal enemies of Troy. Aphrodite helped Paris seduce and take away to Troy the most beautiful of women - Helen, daughter of Zeus, wife of King Menelaus. Once upon a time, the best heroes from all over Greece wooed her and, in order not to quarrel, they agreed this way: let her choose who she wants, and if someone tries to recapture her from the chosen one, all the rest will go to war with him. (Everyone hoped that he would be the chosen one.) Then Helen chose Menelaus; now Paris has recaptured her from Menelaus, and all her former suitors have gone to war against him. Only one, the youngest, did not marry Elena, did not participate in the general agreement and went to war only to show off his valor, show strength and acquire glory. It was Achilles. So that still none of the gods interfered in the battle. The Trojans continue their onslaught, led by Hector and Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, the last of the sons of Zeus on earth. Achilles coldly watches from his tent how the Greeks flee, how the Trojans approach their very camp: they are about to set fire to the Greek ships. From above, Hera also sees the flight of the Greeks and, in desperation, decides to deceive in order to divert the harsh attention of Zeus. She appears before him in the magic belt of Aphrodite, arousing love, Zeus flares up with passion and unites with her at the top of Ida; a golden cloud envelops them, and the earth around them blooms with saffron and hyacinths. After love comes sleep, and while Zeus sleeps, the Greeks gather their courage and stop the Trojans. But sleep is short; Zeus awakens, Hera trembles before his anger, and he tells her: “Be able to endure: everything will be your way and the Greeks will defeat the Trojans, but not before Achilles pacifies his anger and goes into battle: so I promised the goddess Thetis.”

But Achilles is not yet ready to “lay down his anger”, and instead of him, his friend Patroclus comes out to help the Greeks: it hurts him to look at his comrades in trouble. Achilles gives him his warriors, his armor, which the Trojans are used to being afraid of, his chariot harnessed by prophetic horses that can speak and prophesy. “Repel the Trojans from the camp, save the ships,” says Achilles, “but do not get carried away with the pursuit, do not endanger yourself! Oh, let everyone die, both the Greeks and the Trojans, - we would have taken Troy together with you alone! Indeed, seeing the armor of Achilles, the Trojans trembled and turned back; and then Patroclus could not resist and rushed to pursue them. Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, comes out to meet him, and Zeus, looking from a height, hesitates: “Should we not save our son?” - and the unkind Hera recalls:

"No, let fate be done!" Sarpedon collapses like a mountain pine, the battle boils around his body, and Patroclus rushes further, to the gates of Troy. "Away! Apollo shouts to him, “Troy is not destined to take either you or even Achilles.” He does not hear; and then Apollo, wrapped in a cloud, strikes him on the shoulders, Patroclus loses his strength, drops his shield, helmet and spear, Hector strikes him the last blow, and Patroclus, dying, says: “But you yourself will fall from Achilles!”

The news reaches Achilles: Patroclus has died, Hector flaunts in his Achilles armor, his friends hardly carried the dead body of the hero out of the battle, the triumphant Trojans are chasing them. Achilles wants to rush into battle, but he is unarmed; he comes out of the tent and screams, and this scream is so terrible that the Trojans, shuddering, retreat. Night falls, and all night Achilles mourns his friend and threatens the Trojans with terrible revenge; meanwhile, at the request of his mother, Thetis, the lame blacksmith god Hephaestus in his copper forge forges a new marvelous weapon for Achilles. This is a shell, a helmet, greaves and a shield, and the whole world is depicted on the shield: the sun and stars, the earth and the sea, a peaceful city and a warring city, in a peaceful city there is a court and a wedding, an ambush and a battle in front of a warring city, and around - rural areas, plowing , harvest, pasture, vineyard, village festival and dancing round dance, and in the middle of it - a singer with a lyre.

Morning comes, Achilles puts on divine armor and calls the Greek army to a meeting. His anger did not fade away, but now he is not directed at Agamemnon, but at those who killed his friend - at the Trojans and Hector. He offers reconciliation to Agamemnon, and he accepts it with dignity: "Zeus and Fate blinded me, but I myself am innocent." Briseis is returned to Achilles, rich gifts are brought to his tent, but Achilles almost does not look at them: he is eager to fight, he wants to take revenge.

The fourth battle is coming. Zeus removes the bans: let the gods themselves fight for whom they want! The warrior Athena converges in battle with the frantic Ares, the sovereign Hera with the archer Artemis, the sea Poseidon must converge with Apollo, but he stops him with sad words: “Should we fight with you because of the mortal human race? / The sons of men are like short-lived leaves in the oak forest: / Today they bloom in strength, and tomorrow they lie lifeless. / I don’t want to quarrel with you: let them themselves be at enmity! .. "

Achilles is terrible. He grappled with Aeneas, but the gods pulled Aeneas out of his hands: Aeneas is not destined to fall from Achilles, he must survive both Achilles and Troy. Enraged by the failure, Achilles destroys the Trojans without counting, their corpses clutter up the river, the river god Scamander attacks him, sweeping the ramparts, but the fiery god Hephaestus pacifies the river.

The surviving Trojans run in droves to escape to the city; Hector alone, in yesterday's Achilles armor, covers the retreat. Achilles attacks him, and Hector takes flight, voluntary and involuntary: he is afraid for himself, but wants to distract Achilles from others. Three times they run around the city, and the gods look at them from the heights. Again Zeus hesitates: “Should we not save the hero?” - but Athena reminds him:

"Let fate be done." Again, Zeus lifts the scales, on which two lots lie - this time Hectors and Achilles. The bowl of Achilles flew up, the bowl of Hector leaned towards the underworld. And Zeus gives a sign: Apollo - to leave Hector, Athena - to come to the aid of Achilles. Athena holds Hector, and he comes face to face with Achilles. “I promise, Achilles,” says Hector, “if I kill you, I will take off your armor, but I won’t touch your body; promise me the same and you. “There is no place for promises: for Patroclus, I myself will tear you to pieces and drink your blood!” Achilles screams. Hector's spear strikes the Hephaestus shield, but in vain; Achilles' spear strikes Hector's throat, and the hero falls with the words: "Fear the revenge of the gods: and you will fall after me." "I know, but first - you!" Achilles answers. He ties the body of the slain enemy to his chariot and drives the horses around Troy, mocking the dead, and on the city wall old Priam weeps for Hector, the widow Andromache and all the Trojans and Trojans weep.

Patroclus is avenged. Achilles arranges a magnificent burial for his friend, kills twelve Trojan captives over his body, celebrates a commemoration. It would seem that his anger should subside, but it does not subside. Three times a day, Achilles drives his chariot with the body of Hector tied around Patroclus' mound; the corpse would have long since smashed against the stones, but Apollo was invisibly guarding it. Finally, Zeus intervenes - through the sea Thetis, he announces to Achilles: “Do not rage with your heart! because you don't have long to live. Be human: accept the ransom and give Hector for burial. And Achilles says, "I obey."

At night, the decrepit king Priam comes to the tent of Achilles; with him is a wagon full of ransom gifts. The gods themselves let him pass through the Greek camp unnoticed. He falls to the knees of Achilles: “Remember, Achilles, about your father, about Peleus! He is just as old; maybe he is being pressed by enemies; but it is easier for him because he knows that you are alive and hopes that you will return. But I am alone: ​​of all my sons, only Hector was my hope - and now he is gone. For the sake of your father, take pity on me, Achilles: here I kiss your hand, from which my children fell. “So saying, he aroused sorrow for his father and tears in him - / Both wept loudly, in their souls remembering their own: / The old man, prostrate at the feet of Achilles, - about Hector the brave, / Achilles himself is about a dear father, then about friend of Patroclus.

Equal grief brings enemies together: only now the long anger in Achilles' heart subsides. He accepts the gifts, gives Priam the body of Hector and promises not to disturb the Trojans until they betray their hero to the ground. Early at dawn, Priam returns with the body of his son to Troy, and mourning begins: the old mother cries over Hector, the widow Andromache cries, Helen cries, because of whom the war once began. A funeral pyre is lit, the remains are collected in an urn, the urn is lowered into the grave, a mound is poured over the grave, a memorial feast is celebrated for the hero. “So the sons buried the warrior Hector of Troy” - this line ends the Iliad.

Before the end of the Trojan War, there were still many events. The Trojans, having lost Hector, no longer dared to go beyond the city walls. But other, more and more distant peoples came to their aid and fought with Hector: from Asia Minor, from the fabulous land of the Amazons, from distant Ethiopia. The most terrible was the leader of the Ethiopians, the black giant Memnon, also the son of the goddess; he fought with Achilles, and Achilles overthrew him. It was then that Achilles rushed to attack Troy - then he died from the arrow of Paris, which Apollo directed. The Greeks, having lost Achilles, no longer hoped to take Troy by force - they took it by cunning, forcing the Trojans to bring into the city a wooden horse in which the Greek knights were sitting. The Roman poet Virgil will later tell about this in his Aeneid. Troy was wiped off the face of the earth, and the surviving Greek heroes set off on their way back.

analysis of the Iliad

Scientists have proved that the first of the Homeric poems - "Iliad" - was created around 800 BC. e.

"Iliad" tells about a short episode during the Trojan War (the title of the poem comes from the Greek name for Troy - Ilion). In popular memory, the real campaign of the Achaean leaders against the rich city, which they destroyed around 1200, was transformed into a great nine-year war. According to the myth, the cause of the war was the abduction by the Trojan prince Paris of Helen the Beautiful, the wife of the Achaean king Menelaus. The plot of the Iliad is based on the great "wrath of Achilles", a quarrel over military booty between the two largest heroes of the Achaeans, the mighty Achilles and the brother of Menelaus, the main commander of the Achaeans, Agamemnon. The Iliad depicts bloody battles, valiant duels and military courage. In the Homeric epic, along with people, gods and other mythological creatures act. III. "Iliad"

In the Iliad, the Olympian gods are the same actors like people. Their transcendental world, depicted in the poem, is created in the image and likeness of the earthly world. Gods from ordinary people were distinguished only by divine beauty, extraordinary strength, the gift to turn into any creature and immortality.

Like people, the supreme deities often quarreled among themselves and even were at enmity. A description of one of these quarrels is given at the very beginning of the Iliad, when Zeus, sitting at the head of the feasting table, threatens to beat his jealous and irritable wife Hera because she dared to object to him. Lame Hephaestus persuades his mother to accept and not quarrel with Zeus because of mortals. Thanks to his efforts, peace and fun reign again. Golden-haired Apollo plays the lyre, accompanying the choir of beautiful muses. At sunset, the feast ends and the gods disperse to their halls, erected for them on Olympus by the skillful Hephaestus.

The poems consisted of songs, each of which could be performed separately, as an independent story about a particular event in the life of its heroes, but all of them in one way or another are related to the Trojan War.

The reason for the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, the wife of King Menelaus, by Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam. Insulted, Menelaus called for help from other kings. Among them were Diomedes, Odysseus, Ajaxnes and Achilles. The Achaean warriors occupied the plain between Troy and the sea, pulled the ships ashore and set up their camp, from which they made sorties, plundering and ruining small settlements. The siege of Troy lasted 10 years, but only the last year of the war is described in the poems. (Here it should be noted that Homer calls the Greeks Achaeans, calling them also Danaans and Argives, and not at all Greeks and not even Hellenes, as the Greeks themselves began to call themselves later).

Beginning with the third song of the Iliad, there is a description of the battles between the Achaeans and the Trojans. The gods actively intervene in these battles between individual heroes. The poem ends with a description of the solemn burial of the heroic leader of the Trojans, Hector.

The Iliad vividly reproduces the phenomena real life and life of the ancient Greek tribes. Of course, the description of wartime life prevails, moreover, the poem is saturated with a realistic depiction of scenes of death, cruel mutilations, and death convulsions. However, the battle is most often depicted not as a mass battle, but as a duel between individual heroes, distinguished by strength, valor and martial arts. But the exploits of the heroes, so colorfully described by Homer, do not obscure all the horrors of war from the poet's gaze. He reproduces scenes of violence and merciless cruelty of the winners with bright and accusatory realistic colors. Homer does not sympathize with the brutality of war. He contrasts them with episodes full of human feelings, such as the farewell of the Trojan leader Hector with his wife Andromache before the decisive battle for his native city, as the crying of Queen Hecuba or the prayers of King Priam in Achilles' tent. Here, the poet forces his beloved hero, Achilles, indomitable in anger, raging in a thirst for revenge, to soften and shed tears along with Priam. An equally serious counterbalance to the vivid depiction of fierce battles between the warring parties is a detailed description of the scenes of peaceful life that were depicted by Hephaestus on the shield of Achilles. With great warmth, the poet speaks of fat fields with ears of grain laden with grain, of numerous herds grazing in the valleys, of lush vineyards, and, most importantly, of hardworking people who created all this abundance, enjoying the fruits of their labors and the peace of a peaceful life.

The duration of the Iliad covers 51 days. But from this number it is necessary to subtract those days on which events are not displayed, they are only mentioned (the plague in the camp of the Achaeans, the feast of the Olympians among the Ethiopians, the burial of heroes, Achilles' abuse of Hector, the preparation of firewood for Hector's fire). Thus, in the Iliad, only 9 days from the last year of the Trojan war are depicted.

The Iliad of Homer is a myth or a priceless document of the heyday of ancient culture.

I have been reading the Iliad since childhood. But only at the age of 50 did I begin to wonder if I understood, and did scientists and writers properly understand, before me, who wrote this poem and why?
Why did children from Siberia, like me in the 80s, stage puppet shows on it?

When understanding came, I realized all the wildness of the attitude of scientists of the 19th century to the legacy of Homer and all their blindness to the self-evident truth lying on the surface, slandered by the absurd epithets "myths" and "legends" of ancient Greece.

What kind of myth, legend can we talk about if the author mentions such material details that the feeling of his own presence on the battlefield of the Trojan War involuntarily creeps in ..
The shield of Achilles is dedicated to a separate description, which occupies 2 pages. But the author of the work himself was not a warrior. He is rather an artist and a priest, serving the deities of beauty and abundance.

He writes about the war many years later, but has a complete detailed description the most important, though not all in ten years, episodes of the Trojan conflict of the Greek island states

The author shows the awareness of the level of the princely court source, enriched with elements of the mythological consciousness of the ancient priests.
Moreover, thinking about who wrote who this person was, I come to the conclusion that he himself was not a king or prince, was not a high-ranking warrior, and judging by the book, the constant flow of a description of the phenomenon of various Greek gods was the only one who could write such a text was ancient Greek priest, of which we know that the priests were closely associated with the centers of writing and literature.

In ancient times, they were chroniclers of events, studied history, and decades later compiled the most important texts of the ancient world that have come down to us.

The material world of these Greeks is presented in photographic detail. Informed by eyewitnesses, the author knows not only who converges on the battlefield, but also every moment of time, even lists relatives and their activities, details of what is happening from all sides, even from the side of the dead. If with all the details, the author literally scientifically studied that war.

According to the stories of eyewitnesses and participants obviously available to him, Homer did a great job. And it happened much in its time and even in the Middle Ages in relation to the forgotten details of that historical time.

The psychology and the world of perception of the ancient priests are vividly represented in the works of Homer. And I am convinced that the Iliad was created by a priest who had a poetic gift, enhanced by the experience of studying the poetry of that era.

The Iliad and the Odyssey support and strengthen the cult of the ancient Greek gods, because even the heroes are shown not free from the will of the great and eternal gods and their predestination of the fate of mortals, everything is decided in heaven. This work, of course, was based on the priestly intellectual literary consciousness.

The author had a lot of time for education, historical scientific description events of antiquity, it is necessary to compare the facts preserved on the pages of the Iliad, from possible sources of these facts, starting from eyewitnesses and ending with witnesses from surviving relatives, from any texts that later perished over the centuries, and were lost or destroyed.

The war is described from both sides with an unbiased opinion, with the utmost objectivity, which suggests a third-party, not internecine, not small-town, but European view of the war, which occurred relatively recently and the people who talked about it knew its heroes themselves and did not lose sympathy and warmth towards fallen heroes and winners.

The mystery of the Iliad is unsolved. And this is a shame for the information society, which has a huge potential for investigating such historical puzzles.

The origin of Homer seems to be a great mystery to specialists, everyone is paralyzed by the fact that twenty Greek cities claim to be the birthplace of the great poet. But twenty cities is also almost like all the cities in little Greece at the same time. But turn on the logic, discovered as a science in the same Greece.

All cities means none. Homer was not a Greek, or at least did not live long enough in Greece for there to be indisputable evidence of his presence there in the form of local lore.
It was this fact that the Greeks tried to hide, for which they arranged this endless carousel of rumors about his hometowns.

The very emergence of such a major personality in ancient culture is logical only in large centers of priestly culture, which were few in ancient world.
It is quite possible to assume that the author was in some powerful cultural center of antiquity, where information about the Trojan War flowed from all sources.

Such a place could be the Library of Alexandria, and before the campaigns of Alexander the Great, other centers of Mediterranean culture with large libraries of their time.

Otherwise, we will have to assume the existence of extensive memoirs about the Trojan War, which did not reach us, or existed in a single copy, and was not copied as often as the texts famous authors antiquity.

I can say that the Iliad is a serious chronicle of events, although in literary form with a great influence of the Greek cult consciousness, but with a huge amount of factual material that is not characteristic of the primitive early epic. We do not find any stylization of the images of heroes, any exaggeration and distortion of reality in Homer and we were surprised at his fidelity to the facts and the harmonious style of an impartial presentation of the events of the tragic period of the war.

Returning to the question of the origin of Homer or the geography of the mature period of his life, the poem of Odysseus may be a clue here - it could most likely be created from the stories of the hero himself, Odysseus the Cunning himself.

Two projects, because the Iliad is the meaning of the Odyssey and its stone pedestal, the pedestal of its hero - Odysseus. In the Iliad, the small king Odysseus is almost equal to Agamemnon, he opens the gates of invincible Troy for him, because, in fact, a siege of 10 years is a lost siege. The vaunted power of Agamemnon is powerless, and only the cunning of his ally Odysseus saves the war of the son of Atreus from an inglorious retreat.

And of course, look for a woman, and not just a simple one, but Queen Cerceus, a little queen, the strongest sorceress, she is to blame for everything, and she bewitched and fell in love with herself, and detained her in her palace for many years ...

The cunning king Odysseus talks so beautifully about the reason for the long stopover on the island of Queen Cercea. But the local people remember that, and it turns out that the princess of the small island had a different opinion about the cunning Odysseus and their son, born probably from a forced and involuntary marriage of politicians, did come to Ithaca to also rob and cause "by negligence" and "accidentally" death to the vile tormentor of her mother Cercea, who did not have an army to drive away the impudent guests of the pirates and had to endure them for many years, for the sake of political decency.

It is very likely that Odysseus guessed that the queen of the island, who so easily yielded to the detachment of military guests and inherited by their leader, is insidious and exposes him and the soldiers to chronic poisoning, mixing an unknown poison into the wine. And I had to raise the sails again. And their son remained on the island, the vengeful Telemachus and later a parricide.

Homer was the only salvation, the light at the end of a terrible tunnel with a tragic result - the loss of everything - and power over Ithaca, and his wife Penelope and himself, former hero The Trojan War of the cunning Odysseus, and therefore mournful world longing, world sorrow, about which all the sad music of the planet, about which the Armenian duduk cries to us ... listen to him ... and you will imagine the sunset of Odysseus ... Returning to the question of the origin of Homer or the geography of the mature period of his life, here the poem of Odysseus may be a clue - it could most likely be created from the stories of the hero himself, Odysseus the Cunning himself.

But since he lived on a small lost island in the Mediterranean, it can be assumed that Homer was closer precisely to Odysseus and to his island - Ithaca.

Dozens of such small kings are described in the Iliad, but no one was honored with a poem named after him, isn't it strange?

And now let's think about why Odysseus did not go into oblivion like the others, and the Odyssey appeared, almost the only document of that era, except for Virgil's Aeneid.

Let us imagine an island king, small in terms of resources, for whom all means of influence are good.

From the Odyssey we learn that he disappeared after the capture of Troy for eight years or more, plus keep in mind that he sailed from Ithaca for ten years near Troy, for a total of at least 18 years the islanders did not know where their king was.

And this is with greedy neighbors ready to attack and not disappearing for decades, but real ones? It is strange that at all Odysseus was able to return from myth to history.

That is, even after his return, the power of Odysseus was extremely weak and part of the people became his enemies or could seriously doubt him. How, under such conditions, to strengthen one's precarious position and one's successor?

Moreover, it is necessary to gain a foothold both in Ithaca itself and in the international situation, so to speak, to justify and wash off the shame of disappearance.

And Odysseus is looking for the best poet and finds Homer, as the most talented of the priests of Apollo, and instructs him to create two grandiose state projects - not in reality, for which there is no money on the island, but in the minds of contemporaries and descendants.
Two projects, because the Iliad is the meaning of the Odyssey and its stone pedestal, the pedestal of its hero - Odysseus.

In the Iliad, the small king Odysseus is almost equal to Agamemnon, he opens the gates of invincible Troy for him, because, in fact, a siege of 10 years is a lost siege. The vaunted power of Agamemnon is powerless and only the cunning of his ally Odysseus saves the war of the son of Atreus from an inglorious retreat.

The conqueror of Troy itself, Odysseus, and his son, a descendant, receive all rights and eternal power in their Ithaca. Here is the specific meaning of the Iliad and the reason for the strange for the ancient world the secondary role of the king of kings Agamemnon, who is more convicted in the Iliad than a glorified, flawed tyrant, according to Homer. At the very least, a suspicious assessment given by the poet through Achilles.

Odysseus is not even afraid of Agamemnon, because long before the war he found a powerful ally-hero and king Achilles in weak Ithaca!

Who only because of Odysseus participates in the conflict, limits the ambition and claims of Agamemnon, being the killer of murderers, the boogeyman and the super-killer of the ancient world. Power is only a part of life, and taking away life, you take away power.

Moreover, flowing and being born from the great Iliad, the strange and magical Odyssey creates a halo, the image of the king, in its own way advanced, leading in those political technologies.
Odysseus is not Agamemnon for you, fat and greedy, Odysseus is the best of his ruling class, an irreplaceable and invincible leader in mind, that there is Ithaca, and who has not found opponents equal in the world.

And half a lifetime to be absent from the workplace of the king - but forget it, so the king needed it, all the fabulous creatures of Greece, witches and monstrous storms prevented him from sailing to Ithaca about three hundred kilometers, and it took not a couple of weeks, but almost twenty years.

Probably create this whole set male excuses for 18 years of absence it was easier than to confess the real and bitter reasons for the disappearance of Odysseus.

As a person who was in the war, I can guess where the veterans of the great wars disappear. Imagine 10 years of siege in the coastal camp of the Greeks. The psychological trauma of an endless 10-year slaughter, life on a meager ration, without a family - all this gives rise to a huge depression even among the heroes, which cannot be cured even by a brief bright victory.

Hence the destruction of already hated Troy. The atrocities in Troy born of this depression, the sexually violent orgies after the victory, combined with wild drinking bouts - all this disfigured the heroes of the war.

The warriors went berserk and drank themselves during these ten years of war. Imagine the melancholy of a military camp, where all the jokes have already been told a hundred times and everything is tired - both sleep and battles, and conversations in the evenings, except for wine ... Here is the answer - everyone has a severe alcohol addiction ...

We know from the Iliad that part of the army left the walls of Troy to devastate the surrounding cities, receiving slaves and turning that country into a desert.

And wisdom says - in a lot of wisdom there is a lot of sadness ...

And Odysseus is the very wisdom of antiquity, its quintessence - as a result, the black great depression of the king for many years, but in reality, unrestrained drunkenness with undiluted wine from ship holds. Or maybe piracy in order to extract wine supplies and reload them onto a fast ship ...

All this had to be covered with decent vestments, a fig leaf of poetry, and many other circumstances ...

Homer was the only salvation, the light at the end of a terrible tunnel with a tragic outcome - the loss of everything - and power over Ithaca, and his wife Penelope and himself, the former hero of the Trojan War, the cunning Odysseus, and therefore mournful world longing, world sorrow, about which all sad the music of the planet, about which the Armenian duduk cries to us... listen to it... and you will imagine the sunset of Odysseus...

TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE ILIAD

In the ancient world, there is still little literature, few literate people, and only a fairly rich person, priest, courtier, city dweller, successful artisan or warrior can enjoy writing.

And creating the Iliad, Homer fully takes into account the needs of these categories of readers. He gives the priests large inserts with the participation of the Gods in the events of the war, the royal affairs and details of the royal meetings to the courtiers, examples of the courage, patience and military cunning of Odysseus and other heroes to the soldiers.

Behind all this, we see a purpose. The Iliad and the Odyssey based on it are designed for influential and wealthy people of all kinds to affirm in their minds the strength and wisdom of the Greeks, their gods and in particular the great king of Ithaca, Odysseus, as a folk hero and favorite.

Who could give considerable funds for the creation and mandatory replication of such a huge text even for modern times on expensive parchment-skins of special bodies?
I think the grandiose Iliad and Odyssey were created and replicated for five to ten years.

I note that it does not contain any remarks by Homer himself at all, which are quite acceptable in the independence and freedom of the author and quite understandable in the important royal order, intended to be read at the courts of kings throughout the ancient world.

Homer does not tell a single line about himself and the purpose of such a huge work, and yet even in the Gospel of Luke we read at the beginning the name of the author Luke and the customer Theophilus.

One can assume the inappropriateness of mentioning the circumstances of the creation of this new ideological weapon and project.

THE FATE OF ITHACA AND THE POWER OF THE ODYSSEY DYNASTY

Threats to the power of Odysseus in Ithaca were more than real, because today in Ithaca tourists see only the foundation excavated by archaeologists on the site of the modest palace of the local ruler.

Obviously, the dynasty of King Odysseus was not long, one of the defeats was fatal. The palace hated by someone was demolished, the walls with frescoes were smashed into fragments, and the riches were plundered so that we read about the most famous king of Greece only in those 2 books that, I believe, he decided to order about himself.

And you don’t have to look for enemies for a long time, Odysseus, according to the facts from the end of the poem “Odyssey”, massacred more than a dozen noble contenders for the throne of Ithaca with military cruelty, and what, none of their relatives thought of revenge on the hated tramp and bloody pirate?

But in ancient times, revenge was served cold and decades passed until the embittered neighbors united and attacked the weak army of Ithaca and erased the memory of the hero of Troy, cruel to them. And so that another such king would not start on the island, they were deprived of administrative independence and annexed to another kingdom simply as a territory, without the right to a local office.

Why am I so sure?

He knew how to choose the best people of his time, chose the best of the kings, King Agamemnon. He entered into an alliance with him, and, due to military necessity, invited him to become allies best warrior King Achilles, and it is logical to create a poem about the war, but for the hidden essence of himself, he invited the best poet-priest Homer.

In ancient times, books were intended, first of all, for kings, then for the nobility, and the kings accumulated manuscripts in libraries. The cost did not allow ordinary people to have them.
Street singers and storytellers performed for the common people, and when he lost his sight, Homer himself went blind in old age, moonlighting as a street performance of his poems - the Iliad and the Odyssey.

The blind man was also invited to ancient corporate parties - multi-day feasts, and he performed singing a poem in parts for a couple of hours a day, and so on for a week.

To be continued…

To be continued…

Details Category: Myths, fairy tales and legends Posted on 19.07.2016 19:09 Views: 2666

AT mid-nineteenth in. science denied the historicity of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

But the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann showed that this was not the case. The world of Homer's poems reflected a realistic picture of the life of the last time of the ancient Greek period. dark ages". This period is also called "Homeric" due to the fact that Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" are the main written sources about this time.
Dark Ages- a period in the history of ancient Greece, covering the XI-IX centuries. BC e., which began after the decline of the Mycenaean civilization and ended with the beginning of the heyday of the Greek policies.

Heinrich Schliemann(1822-1890) - German entrepreneur and self-taught archaeologist, one of the founders of field archaeology. He became famous for his finds in Asia Minor on the site of ancient (Homeric) Troy, the discoverer of the Mycenaean culture.

Homeric question

Who is Homer and did he really exist? Was Homer the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey? Some researchers of the XVIII century. it was believed that these poems were separated from each other by at least a century and arose from separate songs composed by the people. For example, the German scientist F. A. Wolf came to the conclusion that they arose in the form of separate songs back in the pre-literate era and were the fruit of not individual, but collective folk art: for centuries they lived in oral form and only after the emergence of writing were they systematized and recorded.
Many scholars have argued that the Iliad and the Odyssey in their present form are not the works of Homer. And many even assumed that Homer did not exist at all, and the works were created in the 6th century. BC e., when the songs of different authors transmitted from generation to generation were collected and recorded.
But modern computer analysis of the text of both poems has shown that they have one author. Presumably this poet (or poets) was one of the aeds(singer, ancient Greek narrator of folk songs that formed the basis of the most ancient epic), who passed on from generation to generation the memory of the mythical and heroic past. There was a certain set of established plots and a technique for composing and performing songs. These songs became the material for the author (or authors) of both epics. The most famous aed was Homer, and so it is considered to this day.
So Homer.

Homer (VIII century BC)

Bust of Homer (Louvre, Paris)

Legendary ancient Greek poet-storyteller.
Nothing is known for certain about the life and personality of Homer. Homer's birthplace is also unknown. Usually Homer is portrayed as blind, but there is no clarity on this issue either: many outstanding singers and soothsayers of antiquity were blind, so it is quite possible that Homer, who had a poetic and divinatory gift, was also, according to ancient logic, blind.
The innovation in Homer's work was the free processing of many epic traditions and the formation of a single whole from them with a carefully thought-out composition. Many modern scientists believe that this whole could only be created in writing.
If Homer really existed, then he was, admittedly, one of the greatest European poets.

"Iliad"

The Iliad tells about one of the central episodes of the Trojan War - the anger of Achilles and the consequences of this anger.
The name "Iliad" - by the name of the capital of the Trojan kingdom of Ilion (another name for Troy). Troy (Ilion) is an ancient fortified settlement in Asia Minor on the Troad peninsula off the coast of the Aegean Sea, not far from the entrance to the Dardanelles in the Turkish province of Canakkale. The action of the Iliad refers to the last months of the 10-year siege of Troy by the Achaeans, describing an episode from history that covers an insignificant period of time.
The poem is written in hexameter (the most common size in ancient poetry):

Anger, goddess, sing to Achilles, the son of Peleus,
Terrible, who did thousands of disasters to the Achaeans
(“Iliad”, I, 1-2; translated by N. Gnedich)

For 9 years the Greek army has been besieging Troy. In one of the raids, the Greeks captured Chryseis, the daughter of the priest of the god Apollo. Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief of the Greek army, made the captive his concubine. An angry Apollo sends pestilence to the Greeks.
Achilles, the bravest of the Greeks, offers to return Chryseis to her father. Agamemnon agrees, but demands Briseis, the captive of Achilles, in return. Offended, Achilles grabs his sword, but the goddess Athena holds him back. She is on the side of the Greeks. Achilles calls Agamemnon a shameless self-serving coward and announces that he is no longer involved in hostilities.
The diplomatic Odysseus takes Chryseis to his father, Agamemnon takes Briseis, and Achilles asks his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, to beg the king of the gods Zeus to grant victory to the Trojans so that the Greeks feel how much they all depend on his prowess. Zeus agrees. He sends Agamemnon a dream, and he convenes a council of leaders. Wanting to find out the mood of the troops, Agamemnon offers to return home. The warriors immediately run to the ships, but Odysseus, obeying Athena, stops them with a convincing speech. The entire army, with the exception of Achilles and his companions, is built for battle.
To repel the onslaught of the Greeks, the Trojan army, led by the noble and brave son of King Priam, Hector, enters the battlefield.
Hector's brother Paris kidnapped Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, i.e. in fact, he is the cause of the war. Now he calls Menelaus to single combat, so that the winner takes possession of Elena completely and the war stops. Immediately, the advantage was on the side of Menelaus, then the goddess Aphrodite, the patroness of Paris, intervenes in the martial arts and saves her pet.
The Trojans, at the insidious instigation of Athena, violate the truce and thereby become the guilty party. At the moment when the Trojans are pushing the Greeks, Agamemnon sends an embassy to Achilles with a proposal to return Briseis and reward him with rich gifts if the hero goes into battle again. Achilles refuses.
The Trojans attack the Greek camp, Hector seems unstoppable. Hera fears that the Trojans will win the final victory. She dresses up and adorns herself, wanting to divert Zeus's attention from the battle. The Greeks are taking over again. Zeus wakes up, in a rage discovers the tricks of Hera and once again assists the Trojans. The Greeks flee in terror. Patroclus, the closest friend of Achilles, puts on his armor, but Hector enters the single combat and kills Patroclus.

Menelaus with the body of Patroclus
Author: Marie-Lan Nguyen - Own work, from Wikipedia
Achilles must avenge the death of a friend. Thetis begs Hephaestus, the god of blacksmithing, to forge a new weapon for her son. Armed with new armor, Achilles enters the battlefield and kills many Trojans and meets with Hector, whom he has to pursue for a long time. With the help of Athena, Achilles mercilessly cracks down on him, ties Hector's body to his chariot by the legs and, triumphantly, takes him to the Greek camp.

Franz von Much "Achilles pulling the body of the slain Hector behind the chariot"
Priam, his wife Hecuba and Andromache, the faithful wife of Hector, mourn his death.
Achilles buries Patroclus as a hero. The body of Patroclus is laid on a fire, funeral rites are performed, the bones are collected in a golden urn. The day ends with athletic games in honor of the deceased.
The next day, Achilles drives the chariot to which Hector's body is tied around the burial mound of Patroclus. Apollo demands to stop this outrage, Hera objects to him. Zeus agrees to allow Priam to ransom his son's body. Irida, the messenger of the gods, informs Priam about the will of Zeus. Hecuba tries to dissuade Priam, but he goes to Achilles' tent with rich gifts for ransom. Achilles respectfully receives Priam, returns the body of his son to him. Priam returns to Troy with the body of Hector, where Andromache mourns her husband, Hecub mourns her son, and Helen mourns her friend. The Trojans pay their last respects to Hector, and the poem ends with the verse:

« So they buried the horse-riding Hector's body».

Characteristics of the poem

The characters of the Iliad are depicted vividly and vividly. Agamemnon is majestic, but self-centered. Achilles is terrible in anger, quick-tempered, ambitious, but prone to generosity and sympathy. Odysseus is inventive, courteous, well in control of his own feelings. The giant Ajax is brave and generous, etc.
Among the Trojans are memorable images of the betrayed but doomed Hector; the decrepit but undefeated Priam; noble Andromache (Hector's farewell to Andromache is one of the most touching scenes in world poetry).

A. Losenko "Farewell of Hector to Andromache" (1773). State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)
The gods are also depicted very colorfully, although they do not cause sympathy. They behave like ordinary people: they quarrel, intrigue, deceive and even fight. Only Zeus is depicted majestic.
Minor characters are also remembered: warriors, heroes, captives, servants, peasants.

"Odyssey"

The poem is about adventure. mythical hero named Odysseus during his return to his homeland at the end of the Trojan War, as well as the adventures of his wife Penelope, who was waiting for Odysseus in Ithaca.
Odysseus, king of the island of Ithaca in western Greece, after long and dangerous wanderings and adventures, returned home to his wife Penelope. In The Odyssey, the scene often changes: Troy, Egypt, North Africa and the Peloponnese, Ithaca and the far west of the Mediterranean.

The action begins in the 10th year after the capture of Troy. The gods, in anger, did not allow Odysseus to return home. He lives with the sea nymph Calypso on a violet island in the far west.

Arnold Böcklin "Odysseus and Calypso"
Athena is the intercessor of Odysseus, she seeks permission from Zeus to rescue Odysseus. Athena in a different guise arrives at Ithaca, where Odysseus' wife Penelope and their son Telemachus remained. There, 108 suitors force the queen to choose one of them as her husband, because. believe that Odysseus died, but Penelope hopes for his return. Athena encourages Telemachus to go on a journey and try to get any news about his father. Telemachus sets sail for Pylos, the western outskirts of the Peloponnese.
Nestor friendly accepts Telemachus and leaves the guest for the night in his palace. The next morning, Telemachus leaves in a chariot to Sparta, to the kingdom of Menelaus and Helen, who again live in peace and harmony. They arrange a magnificent feast in honor of Telemachus and tell him about the adventures of the Greek kings, including the trick with a wooden horse - an invention of Odysseus that led to the death of Troy, and how Menelaus managed to catch the magician Proteus in Egypt. But they have no information about Odysseus.
On Ithaca, Penelope mourns the separation from her son, suitors prepare an ambush to kill Telemachus. The gods on Olympus gather for advice. Athena again speaks of the deliverance of Odysseus, and Zeus sends Hermes, the messenger of the gods, to convey the command to Calypso to release Odysseus. Calypso reluctantly obeys. Odysseus sails on a raft towards Ithaca.
The god of the seas, Poseidon, hates Odysseus because he blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, and sends a cruel storm. Odysseus' raft is shattered, but with the help of Athena, Odysseus makes it to shore.

V. Serov "Odysseus and Nausicaa"
In the morning he wakes up from girlish voices - this is Nausicaa, the princess of Scheria, with her maids. Odysseus begs them for help, and Nausicaa helps him, gives him food and clothes, and tells him about himself. She admits to the maids that she would gladly marry such a person. Nausicaa shows Odysseus the way to the capital of the feacs (a people in ancient Greek mythology who lived on the island of Scheria. They were considered one of the blessed peoples close to the gods). There he begins his story from the moment of sailing from Troy. He talks about his meetings with many amazing peoples and monsters: about vengeful kikons; about the one-eyed giants of the Cyclopes; about Eol, the god of the winds, who lives on a floating island; about cannibals lestrigons; about sirens enchanting travelers with their singing; about the all-devouring sea monster Scylla and about the formidable whirlpool Charybdis emerging in the neighborhood, etc. Odysseus talks until late at night. Having generously endowed their guest, they send him home on a high-speed ship. Odysseus falls into a deep sleep, and after coming out of oblivion, he discovers that he has returned to Ithaca, where he has not been for almost 20 years.
Here Odysseus is already waiting for Athena and warns him of the danger (a pack of suitors who intend to kill him), gives Odysseus the image of an old beggar, and sets off on her own to call Telemachus from his trip to Greece.

John Flaxman "Athena in the guise of a Mentor accompanies Telemachus"
Odysseus comes to the well-behaved swineherd Eumeus, who does not recognize his master, but treats him kindly. Telemachus returns and, with the help of Athena, recognizes his father. They make a plan to destroy the suitors. Telemachus goes to the palace, and Odysseus goes there a little later, still in an altered guise. Some of the servants and grooms treat Odysseus rudely, and he has to fight with the professional beggar Ir. Odysseus talks to Penelope and misleads her with his fiction. Eurycleia's old nanny recognizes her pet by the scar on her leg, but Odysseus forbids her from talking about it. Penelope tells Odysseus, whom she still does not recognize, about her amazing dream and warns that she intends to hold a competition among suitors to determine which one she will marry.
The next day, Penelope arranges a competition among suitors: her husband will be the one who can bend the tight bow of Odysseus, tie a bowstring on it and shoot an arrow so that it passes through 12 rings - holes for the handle in axes lined up. Many suitors fail, but Odysseus does. He throws off the rags from his shoulders, stands on the threshold of the hall and, with the help of Telemachus and two faithful slaves, destroys the suitors. Penelope welcomes her long-lost husband with joy.
The next morning, Odysseus goes to visit his elderly father Laertes, but the relatives of the grooms follow him. Athena, with the permission of Zeus, intervenes and restores peace and prosperity to Ithaca.

Characteristics of the poem

The plot of the Odyssey is more like a fairy tale, although the style and characterization of the characters of the Odyssey is similar to the Iliad.
The main character Odysseus is a real hero. But he performs his main feats among wizards, monsters and enemies in his homeland, and not on the battlefield. Therefore, his main qualities were useful to him: resourcefulness and cunning.
Odysseus' wife Penelope also endures a heroic struggle. She is smart and resourceful, just like her husband. Telemachus matures before our eyes under the guidance of Athena.
The secondary characters are varied: honest servants (Eumeus and Eurycleia); arrogant leaders of suitors; gentle Calypso; the insidious and beautiful Kirk; simple-minded and wild Cyclopes; kings, queens and their daughters, sailors, slaves, souls of the dead, wizards, monsters. The gods of the Odyssey are more majestic and noble, especially Athena.
At the end of the Odyssey, justice triumphs: the good are rewarded, the bad are destroyed.

2) "Iliad"

The action of the Iliad (that is, the poem about Ilion) is dated to the 10th year of the Trojan War, but neither the cause of the war nor its course are described in the poem. The story as a whole and the main acting figures are assumed to be already known to the listener; the content of the poem is only one episode, within which a huge material of legends is concentrated and a large number of Greek and Trojan heroes are deduced. The Iliad consists of 15,700 verses, which were subsequently divided by ancient scholars into 24 books, according to the number of letters of the Greek alphabet. The theme of the poem is announced in the very first verse, where the singer addresses the Muse, the goddess of song:

Anger, goddess, sing to Achilles, son of Peleus.

Achilles (Achilles), the son of the Thessalian king Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis, the bravest of the Achaean knights, is the central figure of the Iliad. He is "short-lived", he is destined for great glory and a quick death. Achilles is depicted as such a powerful hero that the Trojans do not dare to leave the walls of the city while he is participating in the war; as soon as he appears, all other heroes become unnecessary. The "wrath" of Achilles, his refusal to participate in hostilities, thus serves as an organizing moment for the entire course of the poem, since only Achilles' inaction allows us to unfold the picture of the battles and show the full splendor of the Greek and Trojan knights.

The Iliad opens with an exposition (i.e., showing the setting and initial events) of "anger." supreme chief Achaeans Agamemnon rudely refused the priest of Apollo Chris, who came to the Achaean camp with a ransom for his daughter, who was taken prisoner during the ruin of neighboring areas and given as booty to Agamemnon. The upset priest turned to his god with a prayer, the text of which was given above.

And the silver-armed Apollo listened: Quickly rushed from Olympus peaks, bursting with anger, Carrying a bow over his shoulders and a quiver with arrows closed; Loudly winged arrows, beating behind the shoulders, sounded In the procession of an angry god: he walked, like the night. Sitting at last before the courts, a feathered fast mosque; A terrible ringing is emitted by the silver-shining bow of Apollo. At the very beginning, he attacked the Mesks and the idle dogs; After comprehended the people, with deadly pimple arrows; Frequent fires of corpses constantly blazed around the camp.

Book. 1, art. 43 - 52.

At a military meeting, the arrogant authority of Agamemnon collides with the irascibility of Achilles. Agamemnon agrees to return the daughter of Chris to her father, but in return takes away his captive Briseis from Achilles. Insulted, Achilles excuses himself from participating in battles:

He was no longer in the councils, adorning men with glory. Was not in formidable battles; crushing the heart with sorrow, Idle sat; but in his soul he was hungry for both war and battle.

Book. 1, art. 490 - 492.

The plot of the "Iliad" is not limited to this: the action of the poem takes place in two parallel plans, human - under Troy and divine - on Olympus. The Trojan War also divided the gods into two hostile camps, between which there are constant rough squabbles, depicted not without a significant admixture of a comic element. However, the mother of Achilles Thetis receives a promise from Zeus that the Achaeans will suffer defeats until they make amends for the offense inflicted on her "short-lived" son (book 1). Fulfilling this promise, Zeus sends a deceptive dream to Agamemnon, foreshadowing the imminent fall of Troy, and Agamemnon decides to give battle to the Trojans.

Here a peculiar scene of the "test" of the troops is played out. Agamemnon makes a mock speech, offering to end the war and return home. The people immediately rush to the ships, and the "cunning" Odysseus only with difficulty pacifies the excitement. At the same time, an interesting image of the “insulter of kings” Thersites is given, who calls on the soldiers to return home and not waste their efforts on enriching the mercenary Agamemnon. Against the background of the general benevolent attitude of the epic poet to his figures, Thersites' sketch stands out for its malicious, caricature character. Already the name Thersitas resembles the word "insolent" (thersos - "impudence"); he is endowed with a disgusting appearance and is distinguished by obscene behavior; The speech of Thersites, according to the Iliad, is not the voice of the masses and arouses only indignation among the troops. Everyone laughs happily when Odysseus pacifies the "violent scolder" by hitting him with a scepter "on the ridge and shoulders." The bearer of the protest of the lower classes is given the features of a folkloric figure of a freak jester who was beaten, chased away or thrown off a cliff to “purify” the community during fertility holidays. The second book of the Iliad ends with a long list of ships, tribes and leaders of the Greek army (“catalog of ships”), as well as the Trojan forces coming out of the city under the leadership of their bravest knight Hector, son of King Priam.

The military successes of the Trojans, promised by Zeus, were achieved by them immediately. The next books of the Iliad (3 - 7) depict the military exploits of the Achaean leaders and create an atmosphere of doom for Troy. This part of the poem contains a number of scenes that, starting from the Renaissance, aroused the admiration of European criticism. The third book introduces the perpetrators of the war - Paris, Menelaus, Elena. The handsome Paris “before the start of the battle calls the bravest of the Achaeans to single combat, but in fear retreats before the offended husband of Elena; .only reproaches of Hector make him return back; single combat conditions: Elena will remain with the winner.

Both peoples were filled with joy, Tea to rest at last from the labors of exhausting battle.

Book. 3. Art. 111 - 112.

While preparations are underway for the duel and the conditions of single combat “are sealed with a solemn oath, a passing description of the main Achaean knights is given in the scene“ looking from the wall ”. On the wall of Troy, where King Priam and the Trojan elders are, Helen appears, full of "sweet feelings", thoughts "about the first wife, about the city of birth and blood."

The elders, as soon as they saw Elena going to the tower. The quiet ones spoke winged speeches among themselves: “No, it is impossible to condemn that the Troy sons and the Achaeans War for such a wife and endure such troubles for so long: Truly, she is like the eternal goddesses in beauty! But, and so beautiful, let her return to Gelada; May death depart from us and from our beloved children! So they said; Priam called her in a friendly way: “Walk, my dear child! sit closer to me. You will see from here the first husband, and blood, and neighbors. You are innocent before me; the only gods are guilty: the gods with a deplorable war directed the Achaeans at me.

Book. 3, Art. 154 - 165.

In Priam's questions and Helen's answers, a number of images arise - the majestic Agamemnon, the "multi-minded" Odysseus, the mighty Ajax (Ayant).

In single combat, Menelaus almost turns out to be the winner, but the goddess Aphrodite, who patronizes Paris, kidnaps him from the battlefield (book 3).

While people on both sides delude themselves with the hope of a near end to the war, the gods, hostile to Troy, are dissatisfied with the possibility of a peaceful outcome. Hera, the wife of Zeus, and his daughter Athena are especially vicious. At the instigation of Athena, an ally of the Trojans, Pandarus, shoots an arrow at Menelaus. The truce is broken; perjury on the part of the Trojans creates confidence among the Achaeans in the final victory:

There will be some day when the high Troy will perish, the Ancient Priam and the people of the spear-bearer Priam will perish.

Book. 4. Art. 164 - 165).

The central place in the description of the first day of the battle is occupied by the 5th book, "the exploits of Diomedes." Diomedes kills Pandarus and injures the gods of Ares (Area) and Aphrodite, who patronize the Trojans. This book is of a very archaic nature and contains a number of "fabulous" features, usually alien to the narrative of the Iliad (for example, the motif of the cap of invisibility). Gods and humans are presented here fighting as equals.

Book 6 has a completely different character, the action of which takes place mainly within the walls of besieged Troy. The doom of the city is shown in two scenes. The first is the procession of the Trojan women to the temple of Athena the city ruler with a plea for salvation, -

But Athena rejected the prayer.

Book. 6. Art. 311.

The second - Hector's farewell to his wife Andromache and baby son - gives a picture of family happiness, destroyed by a premonition of future disasters. Fearless Hector, depicted as a gentle father and husband, loving Andromache, a child who is frightened by a horse's mane on his father's helmet, causing his parents to smile with his crying and thereby defusing the tension of their conversation - all of them are overshadowed by the tragedy of the impending death of Troy. This scene enjoys well-deserved fame in world literature and is one. from bright examples of Homeric "humanity".

The first day of the battle ends with the unsuccessful single combat of Ajax and Hector (book 7).

From the 8th book, the decision of Zeus to help the Trojans comes into force, and they begin to overcome the Achaeans. Then Agamemnon equips an embassy to Achilles (9th book), promising the return of Briseis and rich gifts if he agrees to take part in the war again. Achilles amiably receives the ambassadors, but neither the skillful eloquence of Odysseus, nor the strong and straightforward words of Ajax, nor the story of Achilles' old mentor, Phoenix, about a similar past event, the ill-fated "wrath" of Meleager, can force Achilles to change his mind.

Standing apart in the general course of the narrative of the Iliad is the 10th book - a story about the night expedition of Odysseus and Diomedes to the Trojan flock, three of which they capture the Trojan scout, Dolon, and massacre the newly arrived ally of Troy, the Thracian Res.

Book 11 and following paint new Trojan successes. The description of the battle is divided into a series of episodes dedicated to the "exploits" of various Achaean heroes, and is interspersed with action in the "Olympic" plan, where gods friendly to the Achaeans try to help them by deceiving the vigilance of Zeus. Particularly interesting is the scene of the "seduction of Zeus" in the 14th book: Hera distracts Zeus with the help of love charms and puts him to sleep. The love of Zeus and Hera is depicted as a cosmic act.

Quickly under them, the earth grew flowering herbs, dewy lotus, safran and hyacinth flowers thick.

Book. 14, Art. 347 - 348.

Waking up, Zeus makes the gods stop all help. Achaeans. By the end of Book 15, the position of the Greeks is almost hopeless:

they are driven back to the seashore, and Hector is already preparing to set fire to their ships and thus cut off the path to returning home.

From the 16th book begins a turn in the course of events. Worried about the Trojan advance, Achilles agrees that his beloved friend Patroclus put on his armor and repel the immediate danger. Patroclus, at the head of the squad of Achilles, drives the Trojans away from the ships, and then, carried away by his victory, drives them further, to the very walls of Troy; here, disarmed by Apollo, he dies at the hands of Hector.

Quietly the soul, having flown out of the body, descends to Hades, Weeping at the sorrowful lot, throwing away both strength and youth.

Book. 16, Art. 856 - 857.

A fierce battle flares up around the body of Patroclus, but Hector has already taken possession of the armor, and the Achaeans, not hoping to defend the body, send to Achilles to report what happened (book 17).

Achilles is shocked by the death of a friend; "anger" is replaced by a thirst for revenge. Having no armor, he goes out without weapons and with his one cry drives the Trojans away from the body of Patroclus. At the request of Thetis, Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, makes new armor for Achilles. The images on the shield of Achilles are described in detail. In the center are depicted objects of a cosmic order - earth, sky, sea, sun, moon, stars; along the edges of the shield is the “Ocean stream” flowing around the earth, and in the middle are a number of pictures of human life, peace and war, fun and strife, work and rest (book 18).

Book 19 brings "renunciation of anger." Achilles returns to military action of his own free will, as an avenger; he reluctantly accepts the apologies and "gifts" of Agamemnon, even Briseis, and only rushes into battle, although he knows that he is destined for an imminent death.

The narrative, which takes place under the sign of Achilles' revenge, takes on a gloomy character. A formidable slaughter takes place, in which the gods participate on both sides; Achilles covers the field with the bodies of enemies, but has not yet met Hector, and Aeneas, who is destined to reign over the Trojans, is saved by the god Poseidon from Achilles (Book 20).

From now on, Aeneas will reign over the Trojans powerfully, He and sons from sons, who have a late birth.

Book. 20, Art. 307 - 308.

Laden with corpses, then Xanthus vainly convinces Achilles to weaken his zeal and even falls on him with his waves, but Hephaestus comes to the aid of Achilles, turning the devouring flame against the waters (Book 21). The story reaches its greatest tension in the 22nd book (“the killing of Hector”) The Trojans hide behind their walls, and only Hector remains in the field. In vain, his father and mother cry out to him from the top of the Trojan wall, urging him to return to the city. Hector wants to fight the enemy, but

Achilles was approaching him, Grozen, like the god Enialius, flashing his helmet across the cut. The ash of the fathers of Pelion on his right shoulder he shook Terrible; around him the copper shone with a dazzling light, Like a blazing fire, like the rising sun. Hector saw, and fear seized him.

Book. 22, Art. 131 - 136.

Hector takes off running, Achilles chasing him.

The strong one ran ahead, but the strongest pursued much, Rushing violently; they are not about the sacrifice, not about the skin of an ox They argued on the run: the usual bribe is then at the feet of the fighters; No, Hector, the cavalryman of Troy, was painted about life.

Book. 22, Art. 158 - 161.

Three times they ran around the walls of Troy. All the gods were looking at them. Here, in the Olympian plan of the poem, the fate of Hector is decided.

Zeus spread out, the provider, golden scales; on them he cast two lots of death, plunging into a long sleep. The lot is one of Achilles, the other of Priam's son. He took it in the middle and raised it: Hector's lot fell, Heavy fell to Hades.

Book. 22, Art. 209 - 213.

At the insidious instigation of Athena, who appeared in the form of Hector's brother, as if to help him, Hector takes the fight, but the goddess helps Achilles, and Hector dies. Achilles ties Hector's body to his chariot and drives the horses, dragging the enemy's head along the ground. The Achaeans sing a victorious paean, and the lamentations of Priam, Hecuba (Hector's mother), Andromache are heard from the Trojan wall.

Achilles has fulfilled his duty of vengeance, it remains to bury the dead. 23rd book, very interesting for the history of the Greek religious beliefs, dedicated to the funeral of Patroclus. The soul of Patroclus appears to Achilles in the form of a ghostly shadow and requires an early burial. The funeral rite and competitions arranged for this occasion by Achilles are described.

A reconciling note is introduced into the poem by the last, 24th book. Achilles continues daily to tie Hector's body to the chariot and drag him around the tomb of Patroclus. But one night Priam comes to him with a ransom:

Falling at his feet, he hugs his knees and kisses his hands, - Terrible hands, his children have killed many.

Book. 24, Art. 478 - 479.

Priam at the feet of Achilles, and Achilles, holding Priam by the hand, both weep for the sorrows of human existence. Achilles agrees to accept the ransom and return the body. The Iliad ends with a description of Hector's burial.

The exposition of the Iliad thus leads through the victories of the Achaeans to their defeats, to the death of Patroclus, which demands vengeance, and to the death of Hector at the hands of Achilles. And at the moment when the funeral rites were performed over Patroclus and Hector, all the consequences of the "wrath of Achilles" were exhausted, and the plot was brought to an end. The further course of the Trojan War, not connected with the wrath of Achilles, is as little affected in the poem as the beginning of the war, and is assumed to be known to the listener.

A large number of names and episodes from the field of Greek heroic legends are strung on this plot rod; some of them are not even put in a plot connection with the Trojan cycle, but are told by the characters as legends of the past. The Trojan campaign is one of the latest events in the system of Greek myths, and the bearer of the memory of the past, as if a living link between different generations of heroes, is the aged Pylos king Nestor in the Iliad; many heroic traditions of the Pylians (in the western Peloponnese) are put into his mouth; there are also references to other mythological cycles, the “campaign against Thebes”, the exploits of Hercules, etc. All this huge material is concentrated within one episode, the story of the “wrath of Achilles”.