Download The Odyssey was written down by the Greek poet Homer around

“The Life and Work of Homer”
By N.S. Gill http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/homer/p/HomerGuide.htm
The Life and Work of Homer:
Homer was the most important and earliest of the Greek and Roman writers. Greeks and
Romans didn't count themselves educated unless they knew his poems. His influence was
felt not only on literature, but on ethics and morality via lessons from his masterpieces.
He is the first source to look for information on Greek myth and religion. Yet, despite his
prominence, we have no firm evidence that he ever lived.
The Life of the Blind Bard:
Because Homer performed and sang he is called a bard. He is thought to have been blind,
and so is known as the blind bard, just as Shakespeare, calling on the same tradition, is
known as the bard of Avon.
The name "Homer," which is an unusual one for the time, is thought to mean either
"blind" or "captive". If "blind," it may have to do more with the portrayal of the Odyssean
blind bard called Phemios than the poem's composer.
Homer is said to have had two daughters (generally, the symbolic ones of the Iliad and
the Odyssey), and no sons.
Major Theme - The Trojan War:
Homer's name will always be linked with the Trojan War because Homer wrote about the
conflict between Greeks and Trojans, known as the Trojan War, and the return voyages
of the Greek leaders. He is credited with telling the whole story of the Trojan War, but
that is false. There were plenty of other writers of what is called the "epic cycle" who
contributed details not found in Homer.
Homer and Epic:
Homer is the first and greatest writer of the Greek literary form known as epic and so it's
in his work that people look for information about the poetic form. Epic was more than a
monumental story, although it was that. Since bards sang stories from memory, they
needed and used many helpfully mnemonic, rhythmic, poetic techniques that we find in
Homer.
“Homer’s Epic Simplified: The Iliad for Boys
and Girls”
by T. A. Roth
The Iliad is the oldest masterpiece of Western literature, and its influence on the
culture of Ancient Greece can hardly be overstated. The poem recounts the story of
the Trojan War, during which warriors from the Greek mainland sailed to the
wealthy city of Troy in Asia Minor and laid siege to the town. Far from being a
mere battle story, however, the poem examines a variety of philosophical issues
including the meaning of fame and honor, the destructive forces of jealousy, the
virtues of friendship and patriotism, and the apparent arbitrary whims of the gods.
It is recognized as one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature and was the
closest thing the Ancient Greeks had to a “Bible”.
The primary conflict in the Iliad takes place late in the war, when the two Greek
leaders Achilles and Agamemnon get into an argument over a slave girl, and
Achilles, the Greek’s greatest warrior, lays down his weapons and refuses to fight.
Achilles sulks and sits out the battle until his best friend Patroclus is killed by the
Trojan hero Hector. At that point his desire for revenge overtakes his self-pity, and
he leads the Greeks to victory before being killed himself.
Most historians agree that the rich world of Greek folklore was an important
influence on the classical genius of the Ancient Greeks, and the Iliad was their
crowning achievement. The Iliad was so popular that dozens of minstrels
memorized the entire poem and traveled throughout the Greek world singing the
ballad to audiences far and wide. The poem was known and loved by Greeks of all
stations: men and women, young and old, rich and poor. The Iliad and other such
folklore did much to advance Hellenic (Greek-like) civilization and the Greeks
were immensely proud of their literary heritage.
“Homer’s Odyssey” - http://greece.mrdonn.org/odyssey.html
Ancient Greece for Kids
The ancient Greeks loved heroes, especially military heroes. They loved hear stories
about these heroes, the more mythical and magical the better.
About 2700 years ago, just as Aesop collected fables, a man named Homer collected
legends about one particular hero, King Odysseus. Homer wrote down all the stories
he had heard about this fabulous hero. He named his collection of stories The
Odyssey.
These stories were full of trickery and magic and monsters and gods and goddess and
heroic action. The Greeks loved these stories. (We still love them today.)
Some of the stories are about Odysseus and his men and their adventures on their
home from the Trojan War. It could have taken a month to get home, but it took
Odysseus ten years. That's how much trouble he ran into on the way.
“The Odyssey”
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/literature/odyssey.htm
The Odyssey was written down by the Greek poet Homer around 700 BC, although
the story itself is probably much older. It is the story of King Odysseus' return from
the Trojan War to his kingdom of Ithaca, a small island on the far side of Greece
from Troy.
Odysseus (oh-DISS-ee-us) had a lot of trouble getting home, because the gods
were angry at him and he did not respect their power. First he sailed from Troy
with many ships and a lot of gold and slaves and stuff he had taken from Troy, and
many men from Ithaca who had followed him to war.
But he ran into trouble with the first island he stopped at on the way home, and
continued to have trouble, especially with the god Poseidon, the rest of the way.
Finally the goddess Athena helped him to get home.
Then Odysseus escapes by hiding under a ram. Even after he got home, he had
more trouble. He found that his house had been taken over by suitors who wanted
to marry his wife, Penelope, thinking that Odysseus must be dead because he had
been away so long. But with the help of his son Telemachus (tell-EM-ah-cuss),
Odysseus killed all the suitors and the slaves who had helped them, and finally
went back to ruling his kingdom with Penelope.