7 of the Best Resources When Studying Homer’s “Iliad”
What classicist isn’t constantly screaming about The Iliad to budding new academics? It seems all of us have a tendency to tell you that you should love The Iliad before explaining — in a clear and simple way — the incredible narrative that is strung together through Homer’s whimsical poetry. The story itself is enough to convert any casual historian into a full-blown fan of Homeric verse because it encapsulates everything a reader wants in a legendary tale: romance, humour, divine intervention, supernatural phenomena, and of course — a battle of epic proportions.
1. A very brief over view of what caused the war by “Extra Mythology”
A common grey area for non-classicists revolves around the question of “what exactly caused the trojan war?” Through the span of mythology this question is answered in many ways, however only one account is important to understanding Homer’s poem. The tale of The Golden Apple details how Helen’s coming to Troy was actually not her choice but instead a result of Paris choosing Aphrodite to award a golden apple to, thus crowning the divinity with the title of the “fairest goddess”. For that to make more sense, the video below by Extra Mythology expertly summarises this myth into an enjoyable cartoon.
2. “Overly Sarcastic Productions” very short summary of the ENTIRE 24 book poem
A staple for students, Overly Sarcastic Productions offers a summary of the ENTIRE homeric poem in just 11 minutes.
3. Natalie Haynes’ “Stand Up For The Classics” Podcast
Not into sitting down and watching a video explaining the poem? Have no fear! Natalie Haynes hilariously summarises Homer’s epic poem in under 30 minutes in her hilarious podcast, “Natalie Haynes Stand’s Up For The Classics”. You can find the episode below, but also on all major podcasting platforms.
4. Comedic Comics By “Greek Myths Comix”
Laura is truly a classics cartoon queen. At Greek Myth Comix she has created an abundance of graphic panels to explain the most difficult of concepts and breakdown the complicated battle scenes of the Iliad. Check out the full Iliad comic here , but also check out her YouTube channel where she brings these comics to life! Below we’ve linked her episode about why Paris sucks because … well, it’s funny. Please enjoy.
5. Liv Albert’s “Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!” Iliad Series
Liv is one of the best classics podcasters out there at the moment with her hit show Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! In numerous episodes she reads the Iliad to her listeners while throwing in funny quips and hysterical comments around the action. Below we’ve listed episode one to get you guys started, but the rest of the series is available on all major podcasting platforms.
6. This episode by Myths and Legends
This particular episode dives into the beginning of Homer’s Iliad, however the podcast also has various other episodes leading up to the famous Trojan War. It’s about 45 minutes in it’s entirety and does the simple job of explaining the story. This differs slightly from the approach Haynes and Albert take on their shows, with the host here merely guiding his listeners through the action.
7. And lastly for our more mature newbies: BBC Radio’s “In Our Time”
This episode about The Iliad is a conversation between highly esteemed classics professors who delve into the importance at the core of the text. Due to the more mature method of discussing the poem, we suggest anyone who is more academically inclined (aka, not just using this article to help pass a class) to take a listen to the episode below. It’s an incredibly thought provoking conversation of the nuances in Homer, rather than just going through the action our man described in his verse.