Owen R. O'Neill's Blog, page 2

All-Devising Zeus: A Tale of Analytic Overreach.

There is a well-known tendency to run ahead of the data may occur whenever data are ambiguous, contradictory or sparse. We all wish to find clarity and coherence in the analytic issues we take on – that is our job. But, just as we should avoid undue reticence in reaching conclusions, overinterpretation should equally be… Continue reading...

What’s in a Name? The “Homer” behind the Iliad Poet?

Much of what I’ve written about previously has dealt with Homer: was he the individual who composed the Iliad; did he write it; why is the Iliad so different from the Cyclic poems, and were the Iliad and the Odyssey composed by the same person (accepting the conclusion they were both produced by individuals, not…

Homer and the Written Word: A “Composition in Performance.”

I thought I’d say a few words about composition in performance and multiformity, as these concepts are important to the Oralist perspective. If I’m misconstruing either of these concepts in my ignorance, and a person of that school should happen by, perhaps they can correct any misapprehensions I may have. The first point I’d like… Continue reading...

True Colors: Personal reflections or This ship is goin’ down… maybe?

I imagine most people know this, but for those who may not be aware, colors in my title refers to the flags flown by maritime vessels to proclaim their nationality (wherever their vessel is registered). Back in the Age of Sail, it was considered in wartime a legitimate stratagem for a warship to fly the… Continue reading...

The Three Faces of Helen: Bronze Age Helen; The epitome of kharis, kallos, and kudos?

This brings us to my final installment of the Three Faces of Helen. The first is a Proto-Indo-European goddess, the second we know from Homer’s Iliad. The third might be a Mycenaean princess who married an Anatolian king or prince and inspired the second. But what connects the last two “Helens” to the divine one?… Continue reading...

The Three Faces of Helen: A War for Helen? The historical perspective.

What can the historical record tell us about Helen’s legend, if anything? Could there have a been a war for Helen—that is, some historical person who might have had a role in inspiring her legend? There were certainly conflicts, including one attested between Greece and Troy. Could a “Helen” have been involved? While accepting the… Continue reading...

The Three Faces of Helen Helen the Adulteress: The Defense makes its case.

For over 2,500 years, Helen has shouldered the blame for the Trojan War. But is that really the case? Priam, the aged king of Troy, denied it. Why then, despite some defenders, has the belief in her culpability been so persistent and so vehement? This second installment reviews and prosecution’s main argument and examines the… Continue reading...

The Three Faces of Helen: Some thoughts on our most enduring icon.

Helen of Troy is arguably our most enduring cultural icon. She is also one of the most polarizing and least understood, with an unsurpassed ability to create controversy. Her nature, however, remains elusive. This essay examines Helen’s history in literature within the context of Indo-European religion and Bronze Age history and by applying a multidisciplinary… Continue reading...

Wrestling with Proteus: The Cyclic Poems in Context.

In this fourth and final installment of my essay, I discuss the Cyclic poems (the six outside the Iliad and the Odyssey which have not survived) in context of the Iliad and whether our common belief in the Unity is fully justified. I suggest it is not, and propose a hypothesis as to how it… Continue reading...

Wrestling with Proteus: The Iliad in Context.

In this third installment of my essay, I consider the Iliad in context of the historical data discussed on Part 2, including the reliability oral transmission, survival of Greek culture and oral tradition through the “dark age” after the Bronze Age collapse, Anatolian contributions to the Trojan War story which would have been written, and… Continue reading...