The Epic Women of Homer : Exploring Women's Roles in the Iliad and Odyssey

commonplace assumption that the Homeric hero is an individualwho fights for personal glory , a misconception further fuelled by a lack of understanding of the oral tradition out of which Homerepics emerged in which linguistic and thematic patterning exists at every level. Analysing Homergoddesses and heroes through the lens of these patterns, their recurrence and variation reveal them to be preeminent in a wide range of skills, all of which are necessary, and yet the essence of each is in their relationships with others.The Epic Women of Homer re-establishes these goddesses and heroines to their esteemed positions in ancient Greece and reintroduces them to the modern world. [Publisher's Text]