Gods & Glory
Helen's abduction may have launched a thousand ships, but the confiscation of this kidnapped woman instigated the "rage of Peleus' son".
Briseis
Homer's poems begin with this poetic device, an example would be: "Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles"
the invocation of the muse
A descriptive phrase or title used in place of a character's name, to help fit the poet's meter.
Epithet
This magical artifact was the cause of the dispute between 3 goddesses: Athena, Hera, & Aphrodite. The fallout led to the events of the Trojan War.
The Golden Apple of Discord
Goddess of War, who assists Diomedes and Odysseus most often
Athena
In book 5 of the Iliad, Athena fills this human warrior with glory to assist him against other gods.
Diomedes
The Shield of Achilles, described by Homer, then reimagined by W.H. Auden, is an example of this philosophical concept.
Microcosm
An example of this poetic device would be: "they were eloquent speakers still, clear as cicadas settled on treetops, lifting their voices through the forest, rising softly, falling, dying away... So they waited"
Epic Simile
Tyndareus, King of Sparta and father of Helen, convinced Helen's many suitors to do what, to avoid battling between each other?
To swear a sacred oath to defend her future husband
"The face that launched a thousand ships..." & the most beautiful woman in the world, according to Homer
Helen
The special treatment of a guest, even a stranger.
Hospitality
Homer, if he was real, lived roughly around this time, hundreds of years after the "real" Trojan War.
800-650 BCE
Atrides, or son of Peleus - both examples of this specific type of epithet.
Patronym
According to myth, these 2 gods helped build the marvelous walls of Troy.
Apollo and Poseidon
Priam's wife
Hecuba
An example would be Achilles raging against Scamander.
Hubris
Homer, a legend himself, had this notable personal feature - a disability.
He was blind
The Greek word for a journey home after war, usually by sea. The Odyssey is one.
Nostoi
According to myth, Zeus took the form of this animal to seduce Leda, the mother of Helen & Clytemnestra.
Swan
The daughter of Agamemnon, sacrificed on the altar at Aulis to appease Artemis.
Iphigenia
Apollo curses the Greeks with a plague because Agamemnon refused this vital legal recourse from Chryses, Apollo's priest.
Ransom (blood price)
The Trojan War lasted 10 years, according to legend. But the Iliad covers roughly what span of time?
A few weeks
English poets, like Shakespeare, often employ iambic pentameter with 5 beats, while Homer's poetry uses this meter with 6 beats.
Dactylic Hexameter
King Menelaus wrestled this primordial god, after disguising himself as a seal.
Proteus, or the Old Man of the Sea
The nursemaid of Odysseus, then Telemachus.
Eurycleia