0
The Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem written by Homer. In the poem, the Trojan War in Greece is being fought. The combatants of the war are the Greeks and the Trojans. Any questions regarding the Trojan Horse can also be place here.
984 Questions
Castor would most likely be Helen's brother. He and his twin brother Pollux are collectively known as the Gemini.
What misfortune did Odysseus bring on himself and his men?
Odysseus entered the city of Troy by using a Trojan Horse, a giant replica of a horse, and destroyed Troy from the inside. He wouldn't have been able to if Poseidon didn't send a sea serpent to kill the snitch, who was about to give away Odysseus' position. After Odysseus defeated the city of Troy, he gloated about how he solemnly defeated the town with no help of the Gods. This made Poseidon furious, so he cursed Odysseus and his men so they would go through Hell if they ever sailed again.
Eventually all of his men (excluding Odysseus) were either killed by the Cyclops, turned into pigs by the witch, or fell into the endless pit created by Poseidon.
For centuries the tales of the Trojan War were sung by the bards. As these bards (rhapsodes) made up their performance (along the general theme) as they went along from a collection of stock phrases they memorised, each bard not only delivered different versions from the other, but also each of their own performances was different.
After syllabic writing was adopted in Greece in the 8th Century BCE, versions began to be written down. The most popular one was the one attributed to Homer 'the blind poet of Chios'. Whether the tradition is fact, whether Homer was indeed an individual - the individual - or represented a group or series of bards, is unknown, however it is convenient to simply use the word Homer, even though the stories were delivered for hundreds of years before about 725 BCE when 'Homer' is considered to have been recorded.
The text we have today is considerably different from then. Ancient sources comment on the endless versions and variants which came into circulation in the following centuries. Peistratos, tyrant of Athens two centuries later, commissioned a team of scholars to try to purify the texts. It is indicative of the licence taken in even this apparently noble endeavour that it became a joke in Athens that this 'purified' text was perverted to support Athens' case in the current dispute it had with Megara over the ownership of the island of Salamis.
Some misguided scholars even today work on the holy grail of trying to retrieve the 'original' text which of course never existed as such.
What instructions does Achilles gives to Patroclus before he fights?
Achilles gives Patroclus strict instructions to guard the Greek ships, and not to try to take Troy. In the heat of Battle, Patroclus forgets and is killed by Hector.
What did Philoctetes have that could help the Greeks?
The story of Philoctetes is in Sophocles' play Philoctetes (not in the Iliad).
Philoctetes had inherited Heracles' magical bow which according to a prophecy the Greeks needed in order to be able to conquer Troy. (Philoctetes' bow eventually killed Paris - one of the heroes who needed to be killed before the city could fall).
Since Philoctetes had been marooned on the island of Lemnos during the voyage to Troy (Philoctetes' had a septic wound, the Greeks could no longer stand the sight or the smell of it) Odysseus and Diomedes set out for Lemnos to persuade Philoctetes to lend his magical bow.
Why didn't woman fight in the war?
women cou;dt fight in wars because it was aligle and the boys thought girls where to week
What is the basic story of the Trojan War and who are the main characters?
the basic was for Rome to have more land and the people that was in it was a general, Julies sizer and Pompey plus Colosseum.
What were the names of Hector of troys horses?
read the Iliad i found out all hectors horses names and the book is fantastic
The mark of Achilles is a thing you get once you have swam in The River Styx it makes you almost completely invincible except one spot on your body which remains venerable
It certainly isn't from Lord of the Flies.
Who led the Trojan forces in its war against Greeks accoroding to Iliad?
Obviously Hector, and when he was killed his Paris and his brothers
Who is the protagonist the Greeks or the Trojans in black ships before troy?
Paris started everything...
What are the 7 outstanding episodes of Iliad?
The Seven Outstanding Episodes of Iliad:
1) The Quarrel Between Agamemnon & Achilles
2) The Single Combat Between Menelaus & Paris
3) The Farewell of Hector from Andromache
4) The Single Combat Between Aias (a.k.a. Ajax) & Hector
5) The Games Played at the Funeral of Patroclos
6) The Ransoming of the Dead Body of Hector by His Father, King Priam
7) The Lamentations of the Trojan Women Over the Dead Body of Hector
