You should be asking about Homer! The famous ancient Greek poet and the author of the legendary epics "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". Detailed information can be seen in Baidu Encyclopedia, there are a lot of them!
Homer, the blind poet of ancient Greece. Born in 873 BC. It is said that the ancient Greek epics "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", which describe the Trojan War and related maritime adventure stories from the 12th to 11th centuries BC, were comprehensively compiled by him based on folk songs. According to this, he lived between the 10th and 9th or 8th centuries BC.
Is there any Homer in history? Were these two epics really written by him? These issues have been debated for a long time in Western academic circles. As early as the ancient Greek era, the famous historians Herodotus and Thucydides, and the philosophers Plato and Aristotle all affirmed that Homer was the author of the two epics. Until the beginning of the 18th century, Homer's sculptures were Europeans still believe that Homer is a great ancient poet who actually existed in history.
In the early 18th century, the French monks Dobillon and Vico took the lead in launching an attack. They believe that Homer, whom people have always believed in before, does not exist. He is just the general representative of Greek rappers from all ethnic groups, not one person. The two epics are separated by hundreds of years and cannot be the work of one person and one person at the same time. . This new view was groundbreaking and quickly caused a sensation in Western academic circles, and the "Homer problem" suddenly arose.
In 1795, the German scholar Wolf conducted a detailed study of the epic along this line of thought, and concluded that each part of the epic was once sung by singers as an independent poem, and was later resounded many times. After finishing and processing, it became what we see today. Later, Wolff's compatriot Lachmann elaborated his views more clearly, thus forming the "tange theory".
The opposite is the "unification theory" represented by German scholar Nitsch. This theory is essentially a revival of the traditional view about Homer. He believed that Homer was indeed a person and that he lived no later than the ninth century BC. He believed that Homer used the materials of ancient folk poetry and reprocessed and organized them to form a complete artistic structure.
Homer’s life is now impossible to verify, but there are many different opinions about Homer’s era. In ancient times, there was a "Life of Homer" that has been handed down. It was fabricated by people before and after the Era based on legends and cannot be regarded as reliable historical data. The earliest record of Homer can be found in the surviving satirical poems of Xenophanes in the 6th century BC. However, according to the records of the Greek chronicler Pausanias, in the poems of the poet Callinus in the early 7th century BC There are already records about Homer in ancient times, so the name Homer was already known to people as early as the 8th and 7th centuries BC. The Greek historian Theopempos said that the blind Dutch poet Homer was born in 686 BC, which seems a little late. Another ancient legend is that Homer was born in 1159 BC, which means the middle of the 12th century BC. This statement seems a little too early. There may have been this poet in ancient times, and his age was probably from the 10th century BC to the 9th or 8th century BC. Nowadays, Western scholars generally believe that he may have been born between the 9th and 8th centuries BC based on the language of the epic and its content description.
There are also inconsistent opinions about Homer's birthplace; there are more than a dozen places that were said to be his birthplace in ancient times. Some say he was from the Athens area, some say he was from northern Greece, and some say he was in eastern Greece near Asia Minor. Of these claims, the Eastern theory is more common and more credible. Most ancient records say he was a native of Chios or was born at Smyrna in Asia Minor, both east of the Aegean Sea.
Western scholars have also done a lot of research on the name Homer: some people say that the word means "hostage", which means that Homer was probably born as a prisoner; others say that the name contains " "Combined together" means that the name Homer is attached to it, because the epic poem was originally composed of many scattered legends. Actually these are all guesses. Ancient legend also says that Homer was a blind musician, which is quite possible. Professional musicians in ancient times were often blind, and Homer may have been such a professional entertainer.
Homer's main works
According to legend, Homer was the author of two famous epics in ancient Greece, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". Ancient writers such as Herodotus in the 5th century BC, Thucydides in the later century, Plato and Aristotle in the 4th century BC, all affirmed that these two epics were the works of Homer. In addition, there are many lost ancient epics, and some people have said that they are his works, but those are probably the imitations of later generations. There is a lost satirical poem and an extant "The War of Frogs and Rats", which are also said to be written by Homer, but the former is only based on Aristotle's words, while the latter has been proven to be from the 4th century BC. A draft of. There are also some hymns dedicated to the gods, which are also said to be written by Homer; in fact, they are introductions used by professional musicians who recited epic poems in ancient times, and were written by other poets in a later era.
[ "Iliad"
Content Introduction
"The Iliad" was written about the 9th century BC, but the epic story took place in the 12th century BC (equivalent to the Chinese Shang Dynasty).
At that time, the Greek coalition forces and Troy launched a war that lasted for 10 years. "The Iliad" mainly narrated the legendary plots in the war, focusing on depicting the great image of the Greek hero Achilles.
The Greeks went on an expedition to the city of Troy. The Trojans were well prepared and the two sides fought for several rounds. Although the Greeks won consecutive victories, they were unable to conquer the city. The war finally became a protracted war. Unexpectedly, 9 years passed, and a dramatic change finally occurred in the 10th year.
Achilles, the leader of the Greek coalition, was brave and skilled in fighting, and repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, which frightened the Trojans. Once, Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek coalition forces, took away Achilles' beloved slave girl. Achilles was very angry and refused to go to war. He chanted poems and drank alcohol and ignored the war. The Trojans took the opportunity to counterattack. With a resounding victory, the Greeks were in danger of a complete defeat. Achilles refused to make peace with Agamemnon, but after seeing the earth-shattering bloody battle, he was secretly worried about the fate of the Greeks. He asked his good friend Patroclus to put on his armor and let him fight. The Trojans mistakenly thought that Achilles had returned to join the battle, and they retreated. Patrokla killed the leader of the Trojan army and won a great victory.
Hector, the prince of Troy, was a wise and brave hero. He discovered that Patrokla was not Achilles himself, rushed forward and threw a javelin into his back, and killed Achilles. Chileus stripped off his armor, put it on, and attacked the Greeks. The situation is extremely critical. Achilles was so sad that he took the lead and returned to the battlefield. He killed Hector with his own hands to avenge his good friend, and tied Hector's body behind the chariot and dragged it on the ground three times around the city of Troy.
Late at night, with the moonlight shining like water, Hector's old father suddenly came to Achilles' palace tent. He kissed Achilles's hands and said with tears: "God-like Achilles, think of your father and have mercy on me. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing one's son die before oneself. "The pent-up anger in Achilles' heart was washed away. He asked the slave girl to wash Hector's body, apply it with olive oil, wrap it in clothes, put Hector on the horse with his own hands, and hand him over. To his father. The two sides ceased fighting for 12 days, and funerals were held for Hector and Patrokla.
A few days later, the Trojan and Greek forces resumed fighting. Although Achilles was brave, there were times when he was gizzarded. Once, Iliad Paris, a Trojan philanderer, used the power of God to shoot Achilles to death with a hidden arrow. When Achilles was a child, his mother held up his heel and bathed him in the magic water, which made him invulnerable. However, the heel held by his mother was not bathed in the magic water, so his feet were most vulnerable to injury. Paris's arrow struck his heel. Now, "Achilles' heel" means "fatal wound" in Europe.
After the battle, the scheming Greek general Odysseus came up with a clever plan. He asked carpenters to make a large wooden horse with elite soldiers and generals inside. The Greeks pretended to retreat and left the wooden horse outside the city of Troy. The Trojans thought that the Greeks had retreated, and they were so happy that they dragged the wooden horse into the city as a trophy. Late at night, the Greeks on the wooden horse lost no time in climbing out, opened the city gate, and the Greeks who were ambushing outside the city broke into the city, captured the city in one fell swoop, and burned the prosperous city of Troy to ashes. "Odysseus" focuses on the legend of the Greek general Odysseus who came up with the "Trojan Horse Strategy" on his way back to his country.
After the Greeks captured the city of Troy, they massacred and plundered, and then returned home victorious. On the way back, they offended the gods. The Greek fleet was overturned by the sea wind, and many people drowned in the sea. Odysseus took the few remaining men adrift in the sea. They suffered all kinds of hardships and could not go home. When Odysseus was wandering on the sea, he struggled with strong winds and waves, battled wits with man-eating goblins, and rejected the witch's love. He wandered at sea for ten years. It was rumored in Odysseus' country that he was dead. The local nobles and villains came to pester his wife Penelope, trying to seize his status and property. Odysseus' son traveled all over Greece in search of him. The gang of bad guys made a lot of noise in his house all day long, eating and drinking.
Odysseus later wandered to the island of Shiheli. The local king warmly received him. After learning of his unfortunate experience, he sent someone to send him back home.
After returning home, Odysseus disguised himself as an old beggar and met his son. The two of them worked together and finally got rid of all the aristocratic villains who were misbehaving in his home. Not only was he reunited with his devoted wife, but he became king again.
Evaluation
"The Iliad" is a heroic epic in Homer's epic that directly describes the Trojan War. Achilles, the leader of the Greek coalition, quit the battle angrily because a female prisoner he loved was taken away by Agamemnon, the commander of the Iliad. The Trojans took the opportunity to defeat the Greek coalition. At a critical moment, Achilles' friend Patroclus put on Achilles' armor and went into battle, but was killed by the Trojan general Hector. Achilles was so remorseful that he returned to the battlefield and killed Hector. The old king of Troy paid a large sum of money to redeem his son's body. The epic ends with Hector's funeral.
The theme of "The Iliad" is to praise the strength, might, wit and bravery of ancient heroes, and to eulogize their great achievements and the spirit of heroism and collectivism in fighting against alien races.
"The Iliad" has created a series of ancient heroic images.
In them, they not only concentrated the good qualities required by the tribal collective, but also highlighted each person's character traits. Achilles was brave and good at fighting, and he was invincible to his enemies every time he went into battle. He cherished friendship, and when he heard the bad news that his friend had died in battle, he was heartbroken and angrily rushed to the battlefield to avenge his friend. He also had sympathy for the old man and agreed to the request of the gray-haired old king of Troy to return Hector's body. However, he was arrogant and willful. He fell out with the commander over a female prisoner and withdrew from the battle, causing a disastrous defeat for the coalition forces. He was so violent that in order to vent his anger, he tied Hector's body to a chariot and circled the city three times. In comparison, Hector, the Trojan commander, is a more perfect image of an ancient hero. He takes the lead, is mature and prudent, and consciously takes on the important task of defending his homeland and tribal collectives. He pursues honor and is not afraid of strong enemies. At critical moments when the enemy's strength is vastly different from ours, he still has no fear. He goes out of the city to meet the enemy and fights bravely. He respects his parents, loves his wife and children, and the touching scene of bidding farewell to his relatives before the decisive battle is full of strong human touch and touching tragic color.
"The Iliad" has a rigorous structure and exquisite layout. It uses "Achilles' wrath" as the main line of the book, and other characters and events revolve around this main line, forming a rigorous whole. Epic poems are good at using animal movements, natural landscapes, and life phenomena as metaphors to form interesting "Homeric metaphors." For example, it is written in the book that Achilles withdrew from the battle and Hector beat the Greek troops to flee in all directions. The epic uses this metaphor: "Like a savage lion attacking a herd of cattle, eating one and frightening the rest." They fled one after another." There is a famous line in it, "My life cannot be sold cheaply. I would rather fight and die than have an inglorious ending and let my outstanding achievements be passed down to the next life." The epic rhythm is strong and the tone is high-spirited, which is suitable for expression. Important events are easy to recite orally. The superb artistic techniques of "The Iliad" are often praised by future generations.
[Edit this paragraph] "The Odyssey"
"The Odyssey" focuses on the last 40 days of Odysseus' 10-year wandering at sea: Odysseus went through many hardships and finally finally Arriving at Odyssey on the island of Skelia, he was ceremoniously received by King Phaeacs. During the banquet, he was invited to tell about his experiences at sea such as encountering a storm, encountering a Cyclops, encountering a windbag, encountering a banshee, and being struck by lightning. Later, he returned home disguised as a beggar, designed a contest to kill many nobles who gathered in his palace to force his wife to marry him, and reunited with his loyal wife Penelope and brave son Telemachus.
This book has been subdivided into twenty-four volumes by later generations, mainly connecting the plot of the Iliad. The Greek hero Odysseus (also translated as Odysseus) fought in the Trojan War (also translated as Trojans). The adventure story of victory and return in the Asian War). On the way home, the Greek army encountered a shipwreck because the hero Odysseus angered the sea king Poseidon (also translated as Poseidon). The entire army was destroyed. It was Odysseus. Si finally escaped with his wit and bravery. However, because of Poseidon's anger, he could not find his way home and drifted in the sea. Some tribes from the Greek peninsula united to attack Troy. Odysseus, the leader of a certain tribe, had just given birth to a son, so he left his wife and went on an expedition. As the war entered its tenth year, Austria used the Trojan horse to hide his troops, and the Greek army cooperated with the outside world to capture the enemy city and win the Trojan War. O ignored Poseidon's spell and set sail for home. There were many disasters along the way. The hurricane blew them to Demon Island. Austria ate the grass sent by Zeus and survived. Ao and the witch slept together for 5 days (5 years in the world). The witch instructs O to return home through the underworld. I met my mother in the underworld and told her to wait faithfully. Ao drifted to Fairy Island and was stayed by the fairy for several years. Zeus ordered the fairy to let him go home. Ao disappeared for more than ten years, and his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the sea. The powerful men forced his wife to remarry, but she firmly resisted. Athena turned Ao into an old man and returned to the palace to test his wife's fidelity. Ao and his teenage son returned to the palace, killed all the traitors, reorganized the court, and reunited with his wife and children.
"The Odyssey" centers on maritime adventure and family life, describes Odysseus' fearlessness and Penelope's perseverance, and praises wisdom, bravery and loyalty.