Safari F. Grey

Homer’s Odyssey: Astronomy and the influence of the Near East

Abstract

There has been a trend in scholarship, especially over the past two decades, examining the substantial influence of Mesopotamian culture and its literary tradition upon the writings of Homer. Whilst Homer’s Odyssey is widely recognised as one of the earliest pieces of Western literature, its written form represents a long oral tradition which, according to this recent scholarship, is likely to have been influenced by the culture of the Near East. One of the primary aspects of Mesopotamian culture, especially within its religious expression, is astrotheological belief and the practice of astronomy. It therefore seems likely that if Homer’s epics were influenced by Near Eastern culture that there should also be astronomical or astrotheological content within the epics as well. This paper argues that there is not only some astronomical influence on Homer’s Odyssey, but that the text itself is, in actuality, a fundamentally astronomical text, and that the twelve adventures of Odysseus have deep and intimate connections with the twelve signs of the zodiac. Using select examples from the text this paper aims to demonstrate a comprehensive astronomically influenced narrative within Homer’s Odyssey, sharing in a tradition of celestial narrative which is also found in the Eastern Epic of Gilgamesh.

Biography

I am currently reading an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales Trinity St David Sophia Centre under the supervision of Dr. Nicholas Campion. I graduated with a First-class BA (Hons) in Humanities with Classical Studies from the Open University in 2013, and with an Upper Second-class BA (Hons) in Classical Civilisations from the University of Warwick in 2012. To date I have also received a Postgraduate Certificate (Merit) in Cultural Astronomy, specialising in Astral Religion and Cosmology, Magic and Divination in the Classical World. My areas of specialist interest are astral theology, Greek and Roman literature, and astronomical architecture. I have also published a paper in proceedings from AMPAL 2013, and a book on astrotheological symbolism in early religions in 2012.