Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad
In Iliad 3, Aphrodite forces Helen to sleep with Paris, threatening her with death. Yet, key metapoetic moments in the Iliad overwrite Aphrodite’s role in the Trojan War. Helen weaves images of battle in Iliad 3, while Achilles sings of the ‘glorious deeds of men’ in Iliad 9: in their storytelling,...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New Classicists
2020-05-01
|
| Series: | New Classicists |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.newclassicists.com/journals?lightbox=dataItem-k9zvep3b |
| _version_ | 1819076927180242944 |
|---|---|
| author | Rioghnach Sachs |
| author_facet | Rioghnach Sachs |
| author_sort | Rioghnach Sachs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Iliad 3, Aphrodite forces Helen to sleep with Paris, threatening her with death. Yet, key metapoetic moments in the Iliad overwrite Aphrodite’s role in the Trojan War. Helen weaves images of battle in Iliad 3, while Achilles sings of the ‘glorious deeds of men’ in Iliad 9: in their storytelling, they are paralleled with Homer himself (Kennedy 5, Halliwell 36). Helen attributes the war to herself and Ares (3.128) while Achilles, after his song, says he fights because of Helen (9.339) and other men’s wives (9.326-7). That Aphrodite orchestrated Helen and Paris’ elopement is omitted. This mirrors Homer’s ejection of the goddess from battle in Iliad 5, when Diomedes wounds Aphrodite. Zeus orders her to stay out of war, and by extension, the epic genre.
How does Homer reconcile this expulsion of Aphrodite with respect for the goddess? Through Hera’s seduction of Zeus (14.153-351), Zeus’ order that Aphrodite pursue deeds of marriage rather than war (5.428-9) and Aphrodite’s deceptive power over Helen (3.390, 413-17), Homer strikingly echoes the major Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, with its corresponding elements of Anchises’ seduction, Zeus’ power over Aphrodite, and Aphrodite’s deceptive power over Anchises (Brillet-Dubois 109ff.). Homer outdoes Achilles’ and Helen’s limited metanarratives, displaying a virtuosic ability to interweave epic and hymns (like Demodocus the bard in Odyssey 8, Rinon). Homer thereby shrewdly excuses the ejection of Aphrodite in book 5 by recalling a hymnal counter-narrative in which her power takes centre stage. Having relegated Aphrodite to the domain of love, generic breadth affords Homer the power to placate her. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T18:49:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5926bac89f7e4d74b1dc9c80ba773131 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2732-4168 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T18:49:05Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | New Classicists |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Classicists |
| spelling | doaj.art-5926bac89f7e4d74b1dc9c80ba7731312022-12-21T18:53:48ZengNew ClassicistsNew Classicists2732-41682020-05-0136486Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s IliadRioghnach SachsIn Iliad 3, Aphrodite forces Helen to sleep with Paris, threatening her with death. Yet, key metapoetic moments in the Iliad overwrite Aphrodite’s role in the Trojan War. Helen weaves images of battle in Iliad 3, while Achilles sings of the ‘glorious deeds of men’ in Iliad 9: in their storytelling, they are paralleled with Homer himself (Kennedy 5, Halliwell 36). Helen attributes the war to herself and Ares (3.128) while Achilles, after his song, says he fights because of Helen (9.339) and other men’s wives (9.326-7). That Aphrodite orchestrated Helen and Paris’ elopement is omitted. This mirrors Homer’s ejection of the goddess from battle in Iliad 5, when Diomedes wounds Aphrodite. Zeus orders her to stay out of war, and by extension, the epic genre. How does Homer reconcile this expulsion of Aphrodite with respect for the goddess? Through Hera’s seduction of Zeus (14.153-351), Zeus’ order that Aphrodite pursue deeds of marriage rather than war (5.428-9) and Aphrodite’s deceptive power over Helen (3.390, 413-17), Homer strikingly echoes the major Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, with its corresponding elements of Anchises’ seduction, Zeus’ power over Aphrodite, and Aphrodite’s deceptive power over Anchises (Brillet-Dubois 109ff.). Homer outdoes Achilles’ and Helen’s limited metanarratives, displaying a virtuosic ability to interweave epic and hymns (like Demodocus the bard in Odyssey 8, Rinon). Homer thereby shrewdly excuses the ejection of Aphrodite in book 5 by recalling a hymnal counter-narrative in which her power takes centre stage. Having relegated Aphrodite to the domain of love, generic breadth affords Homer the power to placate her.https://www.newclassicists.com/journals?lightbox=dataItem-k9zvep3biliadaphroditeancient greeceancient greek mythsachillestroy |
| spellingShingle | Rioghnach Sachs Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad New Classicists iliad aphrodite ancient greece ancient greek myths achilles troy |
| title | Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad |
| title_full | Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad |
| title_fullStr | Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad |
| title_short | Reconciling Aphrodite. The Power of the ‘Weakling’ Goddess in Homer’s Iliad |
| title_sort | reconciling aphrodite the power of the weakling goddess in homer s iliad |
| topic | iliad aphrodite ancient greece ancient greek myths achilles troy |
| url | https://www.newclassicists.com/journals?lightbox=dataItem-k9zvep3b |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rioghnachsachs reconcilingaphroditethepoweroftheweaklinggoddessinhomersiliad |