19 Terms to Know from Homeric Epic

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