Homeric and formulaic verse formulae

Homeric epic is in its origin oral composition, and every performance was an improvisation. In order to facilitate improvisation within the strict constraints imposed by the metre, the bard memorized what have been called in modern times ‘formulae’, groups of words of various metrical patterns which express a commonly repeated idea or action and can fit into many contexts. Formulae may vary in length from a noun plus adjective—‘swift-footed Achilles’, ‘wily Odysseus’—to several lines, such as those describing a hero arming for battle. The use of formulae accounts for the repetitive nature of Homeric verse.