Homer
Homer is the name traditionally given to the ancient Greek poet credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two great epic poems that stand at the very beginning of Western literature. He is thought to have lived sometime around the 8th century BC, though almost nothing about his life can be established with certainty, and scholars still debate whether 'Homer' was one poet, several, or a whole tradition of oral performers.
The Iliad tells of a few weeks in the final year of the Trojan War, centred on the rage of the warrior Achilles; the Odyssey follows Odysseus on his ten-year journey home from that war — through monsters, gods, and temptations — to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus in Ithaca. Together they gave the Western world many of its foundational stories and its deepest ideas about heroism, fate, and homecoming.
The poems were composed in an archaic Greek verse form meant to be performed aloud, long before writing as we know it. For modern readers, older verse translations can feel dense and remote — the epic similes, the formulaic epithets like 'rosy-fingered Dawn,' and the long catalogues of ships and warriors all take some getting used to.
Our modern-English editions carry the sweep and drama of Homer's storytelling in clear, readable language, so you can follow the war, the voyage, and the characters without a scholarly apparatus — and feel why these poems have gripped readers for nearly three thousand years. Read the opening free, and read or listen to the full epics with a membership.
Homer in the library · 4 works
Audiobooks by Homer
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Frequently asked questions about Homer
What did Homer write?
Homer is credited with the two foundational epic poems of ancient Greece: the Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the Odyssey, about Odysseus's long journey home. Some ancient sources also attributed the comic Battle of the Frogs and Mice and a set of 'Homeric Hymns' to him, but modern scholars generally doubt he wrote those. The Iliad and Odyssey are the works that define his reputation.
Should I start with the Iliad or the Odyssey?
Most new readers find the Odyssey the easier and more enjoyable entry point: it's a fast-moving adventure full of monsters, magic, and suspense as Odysseus fights his way home. The Iliad is grander and more intense but also more static, focused on war, honour, and the anger of Achilles. If you want myth and adventure, start with the Odyssey; if you want the great war epic, begin with the Iliad.
Was Homer a real person?
No one knows for certain. Ancient tradition names Homer as a single blind poet, but modern scholarship — especially the study of oral poetry — suggests the epics grew out of a long tradition of performed verse and may have been shaped by many singers before being written down. This open puzzle is known as the 'Homeric Question.' What is undisputed is that the poems exist and have been read continuously for millennia.
When did Homer live?
Homer is usually dated to around the 8th century BC, though estimates range across a couple of centuries. The events he describes — the Trojan War — are set several hundred years earlier, in the Bronze Age. Because the poems come from an oral tradition and were written down later, precise dates are impossible, and any figure you see is an informed estimate.
Are Homer's epics hard to read?
In older verse translations they can be, mainly because of the archaic style: long similes, repeated stock phrases, and lists of names and places. The stories themselves are thrilling and easy to follow once the style stops getting in the way. A clear modern-English edition removes that barrier, letting you experience the drama and emotion directly.
How long are the Iliad and the Odyssey?
Both are long by modern standards — the Iliad runs to roughly 15,600 lines and the Odyssey around 12,100, each divided into 24 books. In prose translation they read like substantial novels. You don't have to read them in one sitting; each book is a self-contained episode, which is exactly how they were originally performed.
Where can I read Homer for free?
Homer's epics are in the public domain, so older translations are freely available everywhere. The catch is that many free versions use dense 19th-century verse that can be hard going. Here you can read the opening of the Iliad and the Odyssey free in clear modern English, and read or listen to the complete epics with a membership.
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