For questions about a Greek epic attributed to Homer, about the Trojan War.
See also the odyssey tag for another epic by Homer about the Trojan War.
The Project Gutenberg translation can be found here.
Questions tagged [iliad]
29 questions
18
votes
1 answer
Who translated the Iliad or the Odyssey to Latin first?
Who was the first person to translate part or all of Homer's works, the Iliad and/or the Odyssey, to Latin? Have these translations survived to current times?
My original motivation for the question is the following: Devecseri Gábor has written an…
Matt Cloudy-grid
- 1,570
- 13
- 37
16
votes
5 answers
How old were Paris and Achilles at the time of the Trojan War?
Paris of Troy was presumably an adult at the time of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis and the Judgement of Paris. That would mean Paris was at least 15-20 years older than Achilles. Other than that, I have no idea how old either was at the time of…
yannis
- 17,215
- 8
- 77
- 209
15
votes
2 answers
How could Diomedes be married yet still be Helen's suitor?
From Wikipedia article on Diomedes:
Diomedes, in turn, married Aegialeus's daughter Aegialia when he returned from battle. He was then appointed as the King of Argos and thus became one of the most powerful rulers of Hellas at such a young…
DVK
- 845
- 6
- 18
13
votes
1 answer
Why did Odysseus pretend to be Helen's suitor if he wanted to win Penelope?
An important point in the story of the Iliad is that Odysseus (hoping to win the hand of Penelope, King Tyndareus niece), proposes an "Oath of Tyndareus", which binds all the suitors of Helen to join one another if one of the suitors abducts her…
DVK
- 845
- 6
- 18
13
votes
2 answers
Was Achilles really motivated by eternal glory?
I've been reading a lot of interpretations of Achilles' decision to return to battle, and many top scholars seem to think that he sacrificed his life in order to achieve some form of eternal glory. For example, both Gregory Nagy and Bernard Knox…
Patrick
- 131
- 3
9
votes
1 answer
What do we know of the rebellion against Zeus by Poseidon, Hera and Athena?
In the first book of the Iliad Achilles mentions that Thetis, his sea nymph mother, once saved Zeus from a rebellion by Poseidon, Hera and Athena:
Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to Olympus, and if you have ever done him service…
yannis
- 17,215
- 8
- 77
- 209
8
votes
1 answer
Could Achilles have killed Hector at a later time?
Achilles was given two choices by his mother, either stay and die with imperishable fame or leave the war and live a life of peace. When he heard Hector killed Patroclus, to escape his fate and take revenge couldn't Achilles just leave that war and…
Gintoki
- 83
- 3
7
votes
1 answer
How old was Nestor?
I am rereading the Iliad and I am wondering how old Nestor, Agamemnon, Odysseus etc. were. Nestor was and old man, but how old ? 60 ? What age was the prime of life, which I suppose Agamemnon and Odysseus were in.
I think I saw a reference to…
mike
- 173
- 2
7
votes
2 answers
Is there a referenced kill-count for Hector of Troy?
According to many sources Hector was the greatest warrior of Troy.
In the Iliad, Hector did not approve of war between the Greeks and the Trojans, and for ten years, the Achaeans besieged Troy and their allies in the east. Hector commanded the…
Tom Sol
- 4,088
- 3
- 32
- 66
7
votes
1 answer
Did Helen and Stentor have voice-related "super-powers"?
Helen's Many Voices
In Odyssey 4.274-289 Menelaus recounts a story from the time that he and other leaders of the Greek forces at Troy were hiding in the famous decoy wooden horse which they used as a stratagem to win the Trojan War. He says that…
Adinkra
- 10,146
- 52
- 75
7
votes
1 answer
Did Greeks bow to their gods?
Is there an instance in which a Greek (or related, Roman, Trojan...) would bow to a god if they appeared? I would think not.
Iliad
Athena appears to Achilles, did not bow.
Athena appears to Odysseus, did not bow (runs to the ships).
Ares.. appears…
Andrew Johnson
- 6,755
- 4
- 42
- 100
7
votes
1 answer
Did Achilles suspect he might die by Hector's hands?
In Richmond Lattimore's translation, the following lines (9.410-416) are a part of Achilles' first speech in Book Nine:
For my mother Thetis the goddess of the silver feet tells me
I carry two sorts of destiny toward the day of my death. Either,
…
James Cook
- 173
- 4
6
votes
1 answer
Honor, cunning and realism of underhandedness in the Iliad
The heroes of the Iliad seem to be completely obsessed with honourable fighting, with Hector refusing to take sanctuary behind the walls due to that not being honourable (The Great Courses - Famous Greeks, Lecture 3: "Hector", with Professor J.…
Hao S
- 413
- 2
- 10
5
votes
1 answer
Why does Hector accept Achilles' challenge?
The first time Hector meets Achilles on the battlefield, in Book IX of the Iliad, he is prudent enough to avoid dueling the Myrmidon superhero. However, in Book XXII Hector decides to face Achilles in single combat, a decision that costs him his…
Ouroboros
- 1,420
- 1
- 13
- 30
4
votes
2 answers
In the Ιliad why is there no continuation of the duel between Paris and Menelaus?
In the Iliad why is there no continuation of the duel between Paris and Menelaus?
I guess I will never understand the mentality of the Iliad but the whole war is started by a Paris vs Menelaus rivalry so to speak and an agreement to settle it as…
Hao S
- 413
- 2
- 10