| The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Very little is known about Homer, he was thought to be a blind bard from Ionia (present-day Turkey), but modern scholars have been unable to confirm any of the legends about him. His other major epic poem is called The Iliad. The poem is divided into 24 books. It follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. After the war, which lasted ten years, his journey lasted for ten additional years, during which time he encountered many perils and all his crew mates were killed.
The Odyssey was originally composed in around the 8th or 7th century BCE. Contemporary scholarship mostly believes that the stories formed part of an oral tradition. Given widespread illiteracy, the poem was usually performed by a professional performer and was more likely to be heard than read. The poem is composed in dactylic hexameter, also called Homeric hexameter.
Translated by Samuel Butler.
Image: head of Odysseus from a sculptural group. Marble, Greek, probably 1st century AD. |
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