7 wonderful phrases from Homer, the genius of ancient poetry

In Homer’s phrases we can see a poet who was always attentive to capturing the deep motivations of heroic acts and highlighting the great collective values: family, country and friendship.

Most of Homer’s phrases come from one of his two great epic works: The Iliad and The odyssey. Those are also the most important works of Greek antiquity. Although these narrate fantastic events, for a long time it was believed that everything they contained was real.

Homer’s life is full of mysteries . In fact, there is still no agreement on whether it existed or not. The hypothesis is maintained that he was an invented character and that he was arbitrarily granted authorship of the great epic poems. These would have been written by several Greeks, of whom trace was lost.

Be that as it may, the truth is that many of Homer’s phrases have been preserved intact to this day. In them great sensitivity, genius and wisdom are revealed. Below we present seven of the most remembered.

“There is nothing as sweet as one’s homeland and one’s own parents, even if one has the most opulent mansion in a strange and distant land.”.

-Homer-

1. One of Homer’s phrases about genius

This is one of Homer’s phrases that is completely current, despite the fact that it was written eight centuries before our era. He says: “The genius It is discovered in adverse fortune; in prosperity it is hidden”.

The poet refers to the fact that The most difficult moments bring out virtues and abilities that we often ignored. Adversity takes us to the limit and at that limit the forces that sometimes remain hidden within ourselves manifest themselves.

2. Share the burdens

Many of Homer’s phrases refer to collective realities, such as the family, the homeland or the circle of friends. This poet attached great importance to these instances. He couldn’t be any other way with someone who embraced the ideals of Ancient Greece.

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One of his sentences says: “Bearable is the work when many share the fatigue”. It means that knowing that you are part of a collective activity makes the burdens experienced in a lighter way.

3. The injury depends on who gives it

This is one of Homer’s most beautiful phrases. He points out: “The arrow of a vile and cowardly man hurts little”. It refers to the fact that a wound, in a physical or figurative sense, hurts depending on the qualities of the aggressor.

It is a call to assess the damage based on who causes it.. In other words, it is not worth suffering for those wounds that are inflicted by someone from whom nothing can be expected other than mean and mean acts.

4. The big and the small

Many poets of all time, including Homer, They have reflected on the true value of the big and the small, the strong and the fragile. Sometimes these concepts are not as obvious as they may seem at first.

Homer says: “A small rock holds back a big wave”. This is a simile to highlight the fact that a firm obstacle can stop the force of a reality that is apparently much more powerful. What matters is not the magnitude, but the consistency.

5. We are doomed

One of Homer’s phrases states the following: “Any moment could be the last. Everything is more beautiful because we are condemned”. It is a beautiful sentence that invites us to see death and the end as something inspiring.

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Sometimes it’s not bad to remember that everything ends, even life itself. If we are aware of this finitude, we are better able to appreciate what is there at any given moment.. We are condemned to die and this should prompt us to intensify our lives.

6. Weapons and violence

This is a profound phrase that is full of content. He points out: “The sword itself incites acts of violence”. Obviously, Homer is not referring to the sword itself, but to any type of weapon with which it is possible to harm others.

It reminds us that the very existence of weapons is already a call to violence. Why are they there if not because the possibility of using them in case of need has been considered? The mere presence of weapons evokes violent behavior.

7. The need, a teacher

Regarding the issue of necessity, Homer says: “There is no better sting than necessity”. It refers to the fact that a lack, a void or a desire are the forces that activate our vital energy. Lack is what moves our lives.

He speaks of necessity as a “sting,” as it becomes an insistent call to act. It generates dissatisfaction, annoyance and a desire to alleviate it. On the contrary, satisfaction would keep us in a state of placid passivity.

Little is known about Homer’s life. It is said that he was blind and that at a certain point he was entrusted with rescuing popular legends.. Whatever it was, the truth is that his work and his sentences have been there since the origin of our culture, serving as a lighthouse to move forward.

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