The Iliad of Homer offers a remarkable amount of valued verses, stories, and books within its entirety, with the encounter between Helen and Aphrodite in lines 3.383-446 being a prime example of one of those. Although a lot can be made from what happens in this short dialogue between Helen and Aphrodite, the two main points of emphasis that were most impactful for me, are the actions of the mortal Helen in her interaction with the highly praised goddess Aphrodite. As well as the second point of emphasis, regarding the human like qualities to which the goddesses exhibit. While there is much more to both the result and action to which these characters encounter, I think these two points of emphasis are significant to the outcome to which the
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This encounter in particular demonstrates how even the mortal Helen, stands up against the goddess Aphrodite with the actions to which were taken. This is prime example of how Homer’s world differs greatly from that of related trilogies. The very “human-like” qualities to which the goddesses display are not too far fetched from the reality of mortal life that exists below them. This directly relates in comparison to that of Aphrodite’s epiphany in the Hymn to Aphrodite in virtually the same way it has related to the encounter between Helen and Aphrodite in The Iliad of Homer. The display of a mortals actions, has directly affected the actions as well as reaction of the goddesses, with little distinction between them. This is most distinct in the Hymm to Aphrodite when Anchises is capable of sleeping, and producing a son with the goddess Aphrodite. Anchises can be seen as the clear winner in this outcome of events whereas; Aphrodite is seen as more of the loser, not only cause she has slept and got pregnant from a mortal, but has fallen in love him Anchises and hides him in an effort to hide from her embarrassment. Moreover, as highly praised and recognized as Helen is for being the “most beautiful women in the world” the same association can be made of the mortal, male counterpart of Anchises. He too is known for his most glamorous looks, “Anchises, most glorious of all men born on earth, I surely am no goddess; why do you liken me to the immortals? A mortal am I, and born of a mortal women.” These two characters and the role as mortal that they play on the lives of goddesses are very comparable. Just showing once more, the lack of deviance that exists between mortals and
This encounter in particular demonstrates how even the mortal Helen, stands up against the goddess Aphrodite with the actions to which were taken. This is prime example of how Homer’s world differs greatly from that of related trilogies. The very “human-like” qualities to which the goddesses display are not too far fetched from the reality of mortal life that exists below them. This directly relates in comparison to that of Aphrodite’s epiphany in the Hymn to Aphrodite in virtually the same way it has related to the encounter between Helen and Aphrodite in The Iliad of Homer. The display of a mortals actions, has directly affected the actions as well as reaction of the goddesses, with little distinction between them. This is most distinct in the Hymm to Aphrodite when Anchises is capable of sleeping, and producing a son with the goddess Aphrodite. Anchises can be seen as the clear winner in this outcome of events whereas; Aphrodite is seen as more of the loser, not only cause she has slept and got pregnant from a mortal, but has fallen in love him Anchises and hides him in an effort to hide from her embarrassment. Moreover, as highly praised and recognized as Helen is for being the “most beautiful women in the world” the same association can be made of the mortal, male counterpart of Anchises. He too is known for his most glamorous looks, “Anchises, most glorious of all men born on earth, I surely am no goddess; why do you liken me to the immortals? A mortal am I, and born of a mortal women.” These two characters and the role as mortal that they play on the lives of goddesses are very comparable. Just showing once more, the lack of deviance that exists between mortals and