Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity. If Homer did in fact exist, this supposedly blind poet was from some region of Greek-controlled Asia-Minor and recited his poems at festivals and political assemblies. In this extraordinary two volume audio set, the glorious saga again unfolds, telling the story of courage and magical adventure in Ancient Greece.
The Iliad, the first of Homer's epic poems, tells of the counsel of Nestor, Achilles's slaying of Hector, and the defeat of the Trojans by the Greeks.
In The Odyssey, in his perilous journey home after the Trojan War, Odysseus must pass through the land of the Cyclopes, encounter Circe the Enchantress, and face the terrible Charybdis and the six headed serpent Scylla.
Both epics are translated here by Samuel Butler.
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"I thoroughly enjoyed the Iliad due to the Homer's portrayal of the conflicts between man and the gods, with both even warring amongst themselves. The battle scenes become so visceral, and are fleshed out more when the concept of mortality becomes challenged by the intervention of gods in protecting certain individuals. Homer manages to make the tale seem even more powerful due to the characterization he gives for several prominent mortals and the Olympian gods. The most intriguing part of the Iliad is how the gods, though immortal and distant from humanity, are made to resemble humanity entirely. As a writer, this portrayal seems inspiring since Homer takes these ethereal beings and humanizes them to the point where ti even seems possible for them to die, and form man no less."
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Tyler (5 out of 5 stars)