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Description edit
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The Iliad (or Song of Ilion) is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Abantes: people of Euboea
- Abarbarea: nymph who bore two Trojans, Aesepus and Pedasus, to Bucolion
- Abas: son of the Trojan prophet Eurydamas, brother of Polyidus, killed by Diomedes
- Abii: northern tribe of Thrace
- Ablerus: Trojan killed by Antilochus
- Abydos: city on the southern shore of the Hellespont, northeast of Troy
- Acamas: (1) Trojan, son of Antenor, comrade of Aeneas, killed by Meriones (2) Trojan ally, son of Eussorus, commander of the Thracians, killed by Telamonian Ajax
- Acessamenus: Thracian warlord, father of Periboea
- Achaeans: Greeks and their allies ranged against the Trojans
- Achilles: (Achaean) Son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. son of Peleus and Thetis, grandson of Aeacus, commander of the Myrmidons, Achaean allies
- Acrisius: king of Argos, father of Danaë
- Actor: (1) son of Azeus, father of Astyoche (2) Apparent forebear of Cteatus and Eurytus, the Moliones (3) Father of Menoetius, grandfather of Patroclus (4) Father of Echecles
- Adamas: Trojan, son of Asius (1), killed by Meriones
- Admetus: king of Thessaly, son of Pheres, husband of Alcetis, father of Eumelus
- Adrastus: king of Sicyon, father (or perhaps grandfather) of Aegialia, father-in-law of Diomedes
- Adrestus: (1) Trojan, son of Merops, brother of Amphius (1), commander of contingent from Adrestia, killed by Diomedes. (2) Trojan killed by Menelaus and Agamemnon. (3) Trojan killed by Patroclus
- Aeacides: "grandson of Aeacus," patronymic of Achilles
- Aeacus: son of Zeus, father of Peleus, grandfather of Achilles
- Aeantes: the two Achaeans called Ajax when spoken of as a pair
- Aegaeon: name used by mortals for the hundred-handed giant called Briareus by the gods
- Aegeus: father of Theseus
- Aegialia: daughter (or perhaps granddaughter) of Adrastus, wife of Diomedes
- Aeneas: (Trojan) The son of prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite, founder of Troy. Trojan, son of Anchises and Aphrodite, commander of the Dardanians and future king of the Trojans
- Aenius: Trojan ally, Paeonian killed by Achilles
- Aeolus: father of Sisyphus
- Aepytus: a hero of Arcadia, his tomb a landmark near Mount Cyllene in that region
- Aesepus: (1) river near Zelea, flowing seaward from the Idaean hills (2) Trojan, son of Bucolion, twin brother of Pedasus, killed by Euryalus
- Aesyetes: (1) hero whose tomb is on the Trojan plain (2) Father of Trojan Alcathous
- Aesymnus: Achaean killed by Hector
- Aethices: tribe in Thessaly
- Aethra: daughter of Pittheus and one of Helen's women
- Aetolians: people of Aetolia, a region in northwestern Greece
- Agacles: Trojan, father of the Achaean Epigeus
- Agamede: wife of Mulius, daughter of Augeas, king of the Epeans
- Agamemnon: (Achaean) Son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra. Achaean, king of Mycenae, son of Atreus, husband of Clytemnestra, brother of Menelaus, supreme commander of all Achaea's armies and leader of the largest Achaean contingent
- Agapenor: Achaean, son of Ancaeus, commander of the Arcadian contingent
- Agasthenes: son of Augeas, father of the Achaean Polyxinus of Elis
- Agastrophus: Trojan, son of Paeon, killed by Diomedes
- Agathon: Trojan, son of Priam
- Agelaus: (1) Trojan, son of Phradmon, killed by Diomedes (2) Achaean killed by Hector
- Agenor: (Trojan) Trojan, son of Antenor, father of Echeclus
- Aglaea: mother of Achaean Nireus by King Charopus
- Agrius: a prince of Calydon, son of Portheus
- Ajax: (1) Achaean, son of Telamon, Telamonian or Great Ajax, commander of the contingent from Salamis (2) Achaean, son of Oileus, Oilean or Little Ajax, commander of the contingent from Locris
- Alastor: (1) Achaean, one of the Pylian captains (2) Trojan ally, Lycian killed by Odysseus (3) Achaean, comrade of Teucer (4) Trojan, father of Tros
- Alcander: Trojan ally, Lycian killed by Odysseus
- Alcathous: Trojan, son of Aesyetes (2) brother-in-law of Aeneas, killed by Idomeneus
- Alcestis: daughter of Pelias, wife of Admetus, mother of the Achaean Eumelus
- Alcimedon: Achaean, son of Laerces, a Myrmidon commander
- Alcimus: alternative name for Alcimedon
- Alcmaon: Achaean, son of Thestor, killed by Sarpedon
- Alcmena: queen of Thebes, wife of Amphitryon, mother of Heracles by Zeus
- Alectryon: father of the Achaean Leitus
- Alegenor: father of the Achaean Promachus
- Aloeus: father of the giants Ephialtes and Otus
- Altes: king of the Leleges, father of Laothoë, one of Priam's wives
- Althaea: mother of Meleager
- Amarynceus: hero of Elis, father of the Achaean Diores
- Amazons: a mythical nation of women warriors, vaguely located in the north, who are supposed to have invaded Phrygia in Asia Minor
- Amisodarus: Lycian warlord, father of Atymnius and Maris, Trojan allies
- Amopaon: Trojan, son of Polyaemon, killed by Teucer
- Amphiclus: Trojan killed by Meges
- Amphidamas: (1) of Cythera (2) of Opois, whose son was killed by Patroclus
- Amphigenia: city near Pylos, in Nestor's kingdom
- Amphimachus: (1) Achaean, son of Cteatus, grandson of Poseidon, a commander of the Epeans, killed by Hector (2) Trojan ally, son of Nomion and co-commander of the Carians
- Amphion: Achaean, a captain of the Epeans
- Amphitryon: husband of Alcmena and supposed father of her son, Heracles, actually sired by Zeus
- Amphius: (1) son of Merops, co-commander of Trojan allies from Adrestia, killed by Diomedes (2) Trojan ally, son of Selagus, killed by Great Ajax
- Amphoterus: Trojan killed by Patroclus
- Amyntor: son of Ormenus, father of Phoenix
- Ancaeus: (1) father of the Achaean Agapenor (2) Of Pleuron, a wrestler defeated by Nestor
- Anchialus: Achaean killed by Hector
- Anchises: (1) son of Capys, second cousin of Priam, father of Aeneas by Aphrodite (2) Achaean, father of Echepolus
- Andraemon: father of the Achaean Thoas
- Andromache: (Trojan) Hector's wife. daughter of Eetion, wife of Hector
- Antea: wife of Proetus, king of Corinth, who tried to seduce Bellerophon
- Antenor: (Trojan) Trojan elder, counselor to King Priam, father of many sons who appear throughout the Iliad
- Anthemion: father of the Trojan Simoisius
- Antilochus: son of Nestor, brother of Thasymedes, a favorite of Achilles
- Antimachus: father of the Trojans Pisander (1) Hippolochus (2) and Hippomachus
- Antiphates: Trojan killed by Leonteus
- Antiphonus: son of Priam
- Antiphus: (1) Achaean, son of Thessalus, co-commander of the contingent from Cos (2) Trojan ally, son of Talaemenes, co-commander of the Maeonians (3) Trojan, son of Priam, killed by Agamemnon
- Aphareus: son of Caletor, Achaean killed by Aeneas
- Aphrodite: (goddess) Greek goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. goddess of love, daughter of Zeus and Dione, mother of Aeneas
- Apisaon: (1) Trojan, son of Phausias, killed by Eurypylus (2) Trojan, son of Hippasus, killed by Lycomedes
- Apollo: (god) God of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, archery, medicine, healing and plague; music, poetry, arts and more. god, son of Zeus and Leto, twin brother of Artemis, a patron of the arts, especially music and poetry. Also an archer—"lord of the silver bow"—and a prophet with a famous oracular shrine an Delphi, in central Greece. The principle divine champion of the Trojans
- Arcesilaus: Achaean, leader of the Boeotians, killed by Hector
- Archelochus: Trojan, son of Antenor, killed by Great Ajax
- Archeptolemus: Trojan, son of Iphitus, charioteer of Hector, killed by Teucer
- Areilycus: (1) father of the Achaean Prothoënor (2) Trojan killed by Patroclus
- Areithous: (1) father of the Achaean Menesthius (1) called the Great War-club, killed by Lycurgus (2) Trojan, charioteer of Rhigmus, killed by Achilles
- Ares: (god) The god of war. god of war, son of Zeus and Hera, one of the Trojans' chief protectors
- Aretaon: Trojan killed by Teucer
- Aretus: Trojan killed by Automedon
- Argeas: father of Polymelus
- Argives: alternate name for the Achaeans
- Ariadne: daughter of Minos, king of Crete
- Arion: renowned racehorse of Adrastus
- Arisbas: father of the Achaean Leocritus
- Arsinous: father of Hecamede
- Artemis: (goddess) Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls and disease in women and often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. goddess of the hunt, daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo
- Asaeus: Achaean killed by Hector
- Ascalaphus: Achaean, son of Ares and Astyoche, co-commander of the Minyans from Orchomenos, killed by Deiphobus
- Ascanius: Trojan ally, son of Hippotion, co-commander of the Phrygians
- Asclepius: famous healer, father of the Achaeans Machaon and Podalirius
- Asius: (1) son of Hyrtacus, commander of Trojan allies from Percote and its environs, killed by Idomeneus (2) Son of Dymas, brother of Hecuba, uncle of Hector
- Assaracus: son of Tros, brother of Ilus and Ganymede, father of Capys, great-grandfather of Aeneas
- Asteropaeus: Trojan ally, son of Pelegon, commander of the Paeonians, killed by Achilles
- Astyalus: Trojan killed by Polypoetes
- Astyanax: (Trojan) Hector's son. "Lord of the City," infant son of Hector and Andromache
- Astynous: (1) Trojan killed by Diomedes (2) Trojan charioteer, son of Protiaon, comrade of Polydamas
- Astyoche: mother of Ascalaphus and Ialmenus by Ares
- Astyochea: mother of Tlepolemus by Heracles
- Astypylus: Trojan ally, killed by Achilles
- Athena/Minerva: (goddess) She is the god of civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, craft, justice and skill. or Pallas Athena, goddess, also called Tritogenia or Third-born of the Gods, daughter of Zeus, defender of the Achaeans. A patron of human ingenuity and resourcefulness, whether exemplified by handicrafts, such as spinning , or by skill in human relations, such a that possessed by Odysseus, her favorite among the Greeks
- Athenians: people of Athens, the city of Erechtheus, in Attica, east central Greece
- Atreus: Father of Menelaus and Agamemnon
- Atridae: "sons of Atreus," collective patronymic for Agamemnon and Menelaus
- Atrides: "son of Atreus," patronymic for Agamemnon or Menelaus
- Atymnius: (1) Trojan, father of Mydon (2) Trojan, son of Amisodarus, brother of Maris, killed by Antilochus
- Augeas: warlord of the Epeans from Elis
- Autolycus: maternal grandfather of Odysseus
- Automedon: (1) Achaean, son of Diores (2) Myrmidon comrade and charioteer of Achilles and Patroclus
- Autonous: (1) Achaean killed by Hector (2) Trojan killed by Patroclus
- Axius: river and river god in Paeonia, father of Pelegon by Periboea
- Axylus: Trojan ally from Arisbe, son of Teuthras, killed by Diomedes
- Azeus: father of Actor (1)
- Bathycles: Achaean, son of Chalcon, killed by Glaucus
- Bellerophon: hero from Corinth, son of Galucus (2), killer of the Chimera, grandfather of Sarpedon and Glaucus
- Bias: Achaean, Pylian captain under Nestor (2) Achaean, Athenian captain under Menetheus (3) Father of the Trojan Laogonus (2) and Dardanus (2)
- Bienor: Trojan killed by Agamemnon
- Diomedes: (Achaean) King of Argos and alongside Ajax, one of the second-best warriors of all the Achaeans.
- Eris: Goddess of Discord
- Great Ajax: Achaean
- Odysseus/Ullysses: (Achaean) King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus.
- Patroclus: (Achaean) Son of Menoetius and Achilles’ beloved comrade.
- Zeus: aka Jove aka Jupiter. (god) King of the gods, also god of sky and thunder
- Scamander: Trojan river that at some point in the story fights on the 'side' of the Trojans
- Tros: Ancestor of Troy
- Iris: (goddess) The personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods.
- Hermes: (god) The patron of boundaries and of the travelers who travel across them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves and liars, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics and sports, of weights and measures, of invention, and of commerce in general.
- Hephaestus: (god) He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes.
- Poseidon: (god) the god of sea.
- Thetis: (goddess)
- Hera/Juno: (goddess) The wife of Zeus.
- Chryses: (Trojan) Priest of Apollo
- Briseis: (Trojan) Priestess of Apollo, person that was in a way the start of the wrath of Achilles
- Chryseis: (Trojan) Priestess of Apollo
- Sarpedon: (Trojan)
- Pandarus: (Trojan)
- Dolon: (Trojan) spy from the Trojan side
- Glaucus: (Trojan)
- Polydamas: (Trojan)
- Helen: (Trojan) Was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. wife of Menelaus
- Paris: (Trojan) Son of Priam, king of Troy. Paris has kidnapped Helen.
- Hecuba: (Trojan) wife of king Priam. Also written as Hekabe.
- Priam: (Trojan) King of Troy during the Trojan War.
- Hector: (Trojan) Son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus. He is the leader of the Trojans and their allies in the defence of Troy.
- The Myrmidons: Phthian soldiers under Achille's command
- Phoenix: Achaean
- Peleus: (Achaean) Achilles' father
- Calchas: Diviner of the Greeks
- Machaon: Achaean
- Idomeneus: (Achaean)
- Menelaus: (Achaean) King of Mycenaean Sparta, husband of Helen, brother of Agamemnon king of Mycenae and leader of the Greek army.
- Nestor: (Achaean)
- Little Ajax: (Achaean)
Quotes edit
-
“Mother tells me,The immortal goddess Thetis with her glistening feet,That two fates bear me on to the day of death.If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy,My journey home is gone, but my glory never dies.If I voyage back to the fatherland I love,My pride, my glory dies…True, but the life that’s left me will be long,The stroke of death will not come on me quickly.”
Achilles -
“Tears heal nothing, dying so stiff and cold. This is the way the gods ordained the destiny of men, to bear such burdens our lives, while they feel no affliction.”
Achilles -
“But not for nothing have we sworn an oath and spilt lamb's blood, red wine, and joined our hands and theirs--putting our trust in ritual.”
Agamemnon
Setting & Locations edit
- Achaea: aka Akaia aka Achaia. Homeland of a diverse group of violent entrepeneurs & empire-builders who occassionally joined together for thier mutual benefit & the devastation of other cultures. Commonly known as Achaens/Hellenes/Greeks. general, collective name for mainland Greece
- Achelous: (1) river in central and northwestern Greece, the largest river in Greece (2) River in Phrygia (Asia Minor), east of Troy
- Adrestia: city northeast of Troy
- Aegae: Achaean city in the northern Peloponnese and sacred to Poseidon
- Aegialus: city in Paphlagonia
- Aegilips: city or vicinity in the kingdom of Odysseus
- Aegina: island in the Saronic Gulf, in the kingdom of Argos
- Aegion: city or in the kingdom of Agamemnon
- Aenus: city in Thrace
- Aepea: city in the realm of Pylos, in the southwestern Peloponnese
- Aepy: city near Pylos in Nestor's kingdom
- Aesepus: (1) river near Zelea, flowing seaward from the Idaean hills (2) Trojan, son of Bucolion, twin brother of Pedasus, killed by Euryalus
- Aesyme: city in Thrace
- Alean Plain: plain in Asia Minor where Bellerophon wandered
- Alesion: city of the Epeans
- Alope: city in Pelasgian Argos, the kingdom of Achilles
- Alpheus: river in the western Peloponnese
- Alus: city in Pelasgian Argos, in the kingdom of Achilles
- Alybe: city of the Halizonians in Asia Minor
- Amazonia: Home of a female-only warrior society (and of the single-breasted suit.).
- Amyclae: city near Sparta, in Lacedaemon
- Amydon: city of the Paeonians on the river Axius
- Anemorea: city in Phocis
- Anthea: city in vicinity of Pylos
- Anthedon: city in Boeotia
- Antron: city in Thessaly, in the kingdom of Protesilaus
- Apaesus: city in the Troad, northeast of Troy
- Araethyrea: city in Agamemnon's kingdom
- Arcadia: region in the central Peloponnese
- Arene: city in Nestor's kingdom of Pylos
- Argissa: city in Thessaly, in the kingdom of Polypoetes
- Argos: (1) city in the Argolid under the dominion of Diomedes (2) The entire Argolid, the kingdom of Agamemnon (3) The general region of the Achaeans, mainland Greece (4) Pelasgian Argos, in northeastern Greece, the kingdom of Achilles
- Arima: region in Cilicia where the monster Typhoeus lies buried
- Arisbe: city in the Troad
- Arne: city in Boeotia
- Ascania: city in Phrygia
- Asine: city in the Argolid, at the head of the Argolic Gulf
- Asopus: river in Boeotia
- Aspledon: city of the Minyans near Orchomenos
- Asterion: city in Thessaly, in the kingdom of Eurypylus
- Athos: mountain on a promontory in the northern Aegean Sea
- Augeae: (1) city in Locris (2) City in Lacedaemon
- Aulis: district in the narrow strait between Euboea and the Greek mainland, where the Greek fleet gathered before embarking for Troy
- Axius: river and river god in Paenia, father of Pelegon by Periboea
- Bessa: city in Locris
- Hades: A dry & dusty place where the spirits of the dead linger, hoping to be remembered, fearing that they & their deeds will be forgotten.
- Ithaka: Home of Penelope, Homeland of Oddysseus her errant husband,the king. Inheritance of Telemachus thier ever patient son & heir.
- Olympus: home of the gods
- Sparta: Home to Agemmemnon & Kyltemnestra - major characters in this & other Greek tales.
- Troy: Kingdom of peaceful traders, olive-growers, horse-breakers & shepards or a nest of robber-barons holding free-traders to ransom for passage through the Straits of Dardanelles - depends on your viewpoint.
First Sentence edit
Sing, goddess, of the anger of Achilleus, son of Peleus, the accursed anger which brought uncounted anguish on the Achaians and hurled down to Hades many mighty souls of heroes, making their bodies the prey to dogs and the birds' feasting: and this was the working of Zeus' will.
Table of Contents edit
(Robert Fagles Translation)
Book 1: The Rage of Achilles
Book 2: The Great Gathering of Armies
Book 3: Helen Reviews the Champions
Book 4: The Truce Erupts in War
Book 5: Diomedes Fights the Gods
Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy
Book 7: Ajax Duels with Hector
Book 8: The Tide of Battle Turns
Book 9: The Embassy to Achilles
Book 10: Marauding Through the Night
Book 11: Agamemnon's Day of Glory
Book 12: The Trojans Storm the Rampart
Book 13: Battling for the Ships
Book 14: Hera Outflanks Zeus
Book 15: The Achaean Armies at Bay
Book 16: Patroclus Fights and Dies
Book 17: Menelaus' Finest Hour
Book 18: The Shield of Achilles
Book 19: The Champion Arms for Battle
Book 20: Olympian Gods in Arms
Book 21: Achilles Fights the River
Book 22: The Death of Hector
Book 23: Funeral Games for Patroclus
Book 24: Achilles and Priam
Series & Lists edit
This is book 106 of 113 in Book Smart Reading List. (community list)
Preceded by A Farewell to Arms, and followed by In Country.
This book is in Penguin's Top 100 Classics. (authoritative list)
This book is in Dodo Classics. (edition-based publisher list)
This is book 2 of 65 in Robert B. Downs - Books that Changed the World. (authoritative list)
Preceded by The Bible (Authorized King James Version), and followed by The Odyssey.
This book is in Books That Changed Man's Thinking (Heron). (edition-based publisher list)
This book is in Western canon according to Harold Bloom. (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Homer (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Stanley Lombardo
- Barbara Leonie Picard
- Emile Victor Rieu (Translator) - English Translation
- Stanley Lombardo (Translator) - English Translation
- Bernard Knox (Introduction)
- W. H. D. Rouse (Translator) - English Translation
- Roland Hampe (Translator)
- Michael Reck (Translator) - English Translation
- Robert Fagles (Translator) - English Translation
- Richmond Lattimore (Translator) - English Translation
- Diana Stewart
- Martin Mueller
- Charles Shaw
- Derek Jacobi (Narrator) - Penguin Audio book version
- Maria Tucci (Narrator) - Penguin Audio book version
First Edition edit
Original Language: Greek
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Ancient Greece
Publication Date: 800 BC
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: Add the page count.
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Ancient Greece
Publication Date: 800 BC
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: Add the page count.
Classification edit
- Copyright Status: Public Domain
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 823.914
Subjects edit
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Poetry › Single Authors › Continental European
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( H ) › Homer
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Poetry › Epic
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Poetry › Ancient, Classical & Medieval
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics › Greek
- Books › History › Ancient › Greece
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
Movie Connections edit
- Troy (IMDb): 2004 film loosely based on the Iliad
- Helen of Troy (IMDb): 2003 TV mini-series
Books Influenced by This Book edit
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