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A characteristic of Homer's style is the use of epithets, as in "rosy-fingered" Dawn or "swift-footed" Achilles.Epithets are used because of the constraints of the dactylic hexameter (i.e., it is convenient to have a stockpile of metrically fitting phrases to add to a name) and because of the oral transmission of the poems; they are mnemonic aids to the singer and the audience alike.
An epithet (from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton) 'adjective', from ἐπίθετος (epíthetos) 'additional'), [1] also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 17 February 2025. Legendary Greek king of Ithaca For other uses, see Odysseus (disambiguation). See also: Ulysses Fictional character Odysseus Head of Odysseus from a Roman period Hellenistic marble group representing Odysseus blinding Polyphemus, found at the villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga, Italy In ...
The name of the land, inspired by the plant Asphodelus, appears in the literature as far back as Homer's Odyssey, where it features in Odysseus' survey of the underworld. Many ancient Greek poets and Homeric commentators understand the adjective asphodelòs to mean 'flowery', 'fragrant', or 'fertile'. [4]
The suitors behave badly in Odysseus' home, drinking his wine and eating his food. Odysseus' son, Telemachus, now a young man, is frustrated with the suitors. Telemachus laments to Athena (disguised as Mentes, one of Odysseus' guest-friends) about the suitors' behavior. In return, Athena urges Telemachus to stand up to the suitors and set out ...
An example of Odysseus testing the loyalties of others is when he returns home. [38] Instead of immediately revealing his identity, he arrives disguised as a beggar and then proceeds to determine who in his house has remained loyal to him and who has helped the suitors.
An example of direct assistance by Athena includes when she leads Odysseus to the Phaeacian palace in the disguise of a beggar. She also helps him by transforming him into an old beggar in the later books of the Odyssey , by planting helpful ideas into his head and by causing the javelins of the suitors to miss their target when Odysseus ...
Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus (1670) is a painting by Gerad de Lairesse shows the god Hermes intervening & forcing Calypso to free Odysseus from her island. Xenia is an important theme in Homer's Odyssey. Every household in the epic is seen alongside xenia: Odysseus' house is inhabited by suitors with demands beyond the bounds of ...