19 Terms to Know from Homeric Epic

The following terms or concepts help characterize epic poetry. Try to find them when you read the Iliad, Odyssey, or Aeneid. Aidos: shame, can range from a sense of respect to disgrace Aition: cause, origin Anthropomorphism: Literally, turning into a human being. Gods and goddesses are anthropomorphized when they take on human qualities Arete: virtue, excellence Aristeia: a warriors prowess or excellence; a scene in battle where the warrior finds his (or her) finest moment Ate: blindness, madness, or folly that the gods may impose with or without the fault of the human. Dactylic Hexameter: the meter of epic has 6 dactylic feet in a line. A dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short. In English, this meter winds up sounding sing-songy. Daktylos is a word for a finger, which, with its 3 phalanges, is like a finger. Dolos: trickery Geras: a gift of honor In medias res into the middle of things, the epic story begins in the middle of things and reveals the past with narratives and flashbacks Invocation: at the start of epic, the poet calls upon the Goddess or Muse. The poet either believes or adopts the stance that the poem couldnt be composed without divine inspiration. Kleos: fame, especially immortal, for a deed. From a word for that which is heard, kleos is renown. Kleos can also refer to praise poetry.See Reading Epic: an Introduction to the Ancient Narratives, by Peter Toohey Moira: portion, share, lot in life, destiny Nemesis: righteous indignation Nostoi: (singular: nostos) return voyages Penthos: grief, suffering Timē: honor, should be proportionate to arete Xenia (Xeinia): bond of guest-friendship (xenos/xeinos: host/guest) Personification: treating an abstract or inanimate object as if it were living