Heroism and Narrative in Herodotus’ Histories: The Democratisation of Homeric Heroism

Abstract

This thesis examines Herodotus’ implementation of Homer’s vocabulary of heroism. It argues that Herodotus’ use of this terminology differs in many significant ways from Homeric epic. While adopting some Homeric uses, Herodotus implements the terms in innovative ways. Herodotus broadens their sociological applications and sometimes uses Homer’s language of heroism to highlight characters’ unheroic nature.
This thesis examines selected terms as applied to Achilles and Odysseus in the Iliad and Odyssey. Each term is analysed in its Homeric context before evaluating Herodotus’ use of the same term. This thesis is divided into three chapters to reflect the constituent parts of Homeric heroism: fame, military prowess, and cunning intelligence. Chapter 1 examines Herodotus’ application of selected Homeric terms to denote fame and public image: κῦδος, γέρας, κλέος and τιμή. It demonstrates that Herodotus applies each term to a greater range of characters than Homer. Chapter 2 looks at how Herodotus uses Homer’s terminology to describe acts of fighting: ἀλκή, κράτος and βίη. This chapter demonstrates that Herodotus applies Homer’s terminology denoting fighting to a wider range of characters than Homer and also uses the terms to highlight characters’ unheroic natures. The final chapter explores how Herodotus utilises two Homeric terms for cunning intelligence: δόλος and subsequently, in conclusion, a brief examination of μῆτις. The sociological implications of δόλος are surprising, while μῆτις is nearly absent from the Histories.
It is a well-trodden path of Herodotean scholarship to cite Herodotus’ ancient reputation as the ‘Prose Homer of History’ (The Pride of Halicarnassus, SEG 48.1130, l.43) or that he was ‘Most Homeric’ ([Long.] Subl. 13.3). By comparing Herodotus’ use of Homer’s vocabulary of heroism to the practice within Homeric epic itself, we are in a better position to evaluate the validity of such assertions for Herodotus’ construction of the heroic.