About this myth
The Iliad is a
In a nutshell
Myth summary
Achilles, half man-half deity, fought in the Trojan war for King Agamemnon and quarreled with him over a mistress, among other things. The war featured the Trojans against the Greeks and had lots of action where Achilles was the star. Achilles' close friend Patroclus died at the hands of Hector; consequently, Achilles slaughtered him in order to get his revenge. While not listed in the Iliad, sources say that Achilles suffered his tragic fate at the end of the war by Paris when he was shot with an arrow through the achilles heel. Achilles fulfilled the hero motif of living a short life of glory.
Belief system
Ancient Greek Religion
Polytheistic
Ancient Greek religion refers to the pagan spiritual beliefs of the ancient Greeks, starting around 1350 BCE in present-day Greece.
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Achilles
Main deity
Achilles (Greek: Ἀχιλλεύς) was a Trojan war hero who was half man, half deity. Achilles is best known for his fighting skills during the Trojan war where he slayed Hector.
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Artifact
Papyrus 114 / The Bankes Homer
British Library
The artifact named Papyrus 114 has contents related to this mythological story.
Translation
"The Iliad": English Translation by Samuel Butler
Book · Samuel Butler · 1898
"The Iliad" is a full transcript of The Iliad hero myth by Samuel Butler in 1898. Butler translated the work into prose from the Homeric Greek for a broad audience. It contains all twenty-four books through 421 pages. Butler's version is readable for a layman audience. This work is attributed to a single man named Homer; however, many scholars do not accept this authorship claim.
More information
Background
The Iliad hero myth is a Greek epic poem, allegedly written by an ancient poet named Homer. The Iliad contains twenty-four books and was written in the Ancient Greek language, likely around 800 BCE (according to commonly accepted scholarship).
Authorship and dating
While Homer is attributed to the authorship of the Iliad, it was likely passed on through oral tradition and written down by different scribes over the course of many hundreds of years.
Artifacts related to this myth
Papyrus 114 / The Bankes Homer
Papyrus
Cite this page
OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "The Iliad." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 22 Apr. 2019, omnika.org/stable/94. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
OMNIKA (2019, April 22). The Iliad. Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/94
OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "The Iliad." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created April 22, 2019. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://omnika.org/stable/94.
