Topic 2: Odyssey
2.1 Introduction to Odyssey
2.1.1 Homer the Man
th
● lived somewhere in Ionia in the 8 Century BCE
● was he really a blind bard (a bard travels around telling stories)
● composed two famous epics: Iliad and the Odyssey
● epic means verse
● the Iliad tells the story of the Trojan war (10 year period)
● the Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus's return (10 year period)
● the epics were part of an oral tradition
2.1.2 The oral tradition
● Traditional themes of war, chivalry, revenge and adventure
● long epics (it took 24 hours to recite each story (eg. 24 hours to read Odyssey)
● would have been recited accompanied by the lyre (instrument) when said to an aristocratic
audience after dinner (as a series so not the whole thing in one go)
● were passed down the generations orally
th
● were not written down till 6 Century BCE
● how could a bard remember 24 hours of poetry by heart?
2.1.3 the challenges of the oral poet?
● a very skilled bard
● drew his inspiration from the muse (semi-gods who were associated with arts)
● able to improvise on the spot and recall substantial chunks of the poem by heart
● would change the details according to his audience
● had to fit the poem to a 6-foot dactylic meter (a rhyme)
● used various techniques to aid his task
2.1 Introduction to Odyssey
2.1.1 Homer the Man
th
● lived somewhere in Ionia in the 8 Century BCE
● was he really a blind bard (a bard travels around telling stories)
● composed two famous epics: Iliad and the Odyssey
● epic means verse
● the Iliad tells the story of the Trojan war (10 year period)
● the Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus's return (10 year period)
● the epics were part of an oral tradition
2.1.2 The oral tradition
● Traditional themes of war, chivalry, revenge and adventure
● long epics (it took 24 hours to recite each story (eg. 24 hours to read Odyssey)
● would have been recited accompanied by the lyre (instrument) when said to an aristocratic
audience after dinner (as a series so not the whole thing in one go)
● were passed down the generations orally
th
● were not written down till 6 Century BCE
● how could a bard remember 24 hours of poetry by heart?
2.1.3 the challenges of the oral poet?
● a very skilled bard
● drew his inspiration from the muse (semi-gods who were associated with arts)
● able to improvise on the spot and recall substantial chunks of the poem by heart
● would change the details according to his audience
● had to fit the poem to a 6-foot dactylic meter (a rhyme)
● used various techniques to aid his task
