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To: Wombat101
The last two words of the Iliad are Hektoros hippodamoio, "Hector, tamer of horses." Apparently the Trojans were especially known for their skill with horses, which inspired the story which made their downfall the result of their being fooled by the Trojan horse.

Odysseus' long delay in getting home was because he had offended Poseidon. Of course, there are people today who doubt Poseidon's existence.

64 posted on 09/24/2005 7:33:53 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Verginius Rufus

Correct, but I'm not talking about the mystical origins of the Illiad and Odysee. I'm thinking that the story hides a lot of historical truth with metaphor and allusions to actions of the gods.

Odysseus would not have been a very welcome guest back in Greece, even if he did come up with the wining strategy -- his solution (trickery) would have run counter to the basic tenets of Greek warfare. The victory, although probably very welcome, would have been tainted because it was not gained through force of arms.

In that situation, it would be easy to see why Odysseus would have wandered for so long: he was persona non grata back in Greece. Exile as punishment was not unknown in the Greek world.


78 posted on 09/24/2005 3:47:12 PM PDT by Wombat101 (Islam: Turning everything it touches to Sh*t since 632 AD...)
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