A Study on the Anthropomorphic Portrayal of Olympian Gods in the Epic Poem Iliad by Homer

Abstract

Classical western literature such as Greek Epic poetry tend to portray the interventions of gods in human conflicts, as well as the gods who embody human qualities. Being one of the first written records of Greek mythology, the Iliad is a classic example to understand this intervention from the beginning to the end. Homer (c. 750 BCE) is perhaps the greatest of all epic poets and his legendary status was well established by the time of Classical Athens. He has composed two well-known poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, which were created and transmitted orally as they were not written down until much later. Therefore, this study intends to analyse the epic poem the Iliad by Homer, with a view on understanding anthropomorphic characteristics of ancient Olympian gods, while examining the interventions of those Gods in human conflicts. Since this is a study which is based on the classical literature, it was conducted by using qualitative research methods such as textual analysis. Homeric Opera in five volumes by Oxford University Press (1920), The Iliad by Homer with an English Translation by A.T. Murray and published by Harvard University Press; London (1924) were the two Iliad editions that was used for this study. According to the Homeric literature, the control of everything is vested in the hands of the gods, who are represented as the controllers of human lives. Thus, in order to control or intervene with human affairs, the gods disguise themselves as animals or people. Therefore, this study concludes that Homer has portrayed the Olympian Gods with both divine qualities and anthropomorphic features in the epic poem Iliad.