medievalistsnet:The Making of the Wooden HorseMiriam RiverleaIris: Journal of the Classical Associat
medievalistsnet:The Making of the Wooden HorseMiriam RiverleaIris: Journal of the Classical Association of Victoria, Vol 20 (2007)AbstractIn one of the Odyssey’s most self-conscious moments, Odysseus calls for the tale of his most heroic exploit—the fashioning of the wooden horse—to be performed in front of a live audience (Od. 8.492f.). Having once engineered the horse’s physical construction, the hero now facilitates its reconstruction through the medium of song. Demodocus, the blind bard of Scheria, the mythological figure whose character and attributes have helped to shape the shadowy image of Homer himself, complies with Odysseus’ request. It is clear that he knows the material well; it is an established part of his repertoire. This moment serves to reveal the singular and remarkable renown of this myth. Just a few short years after Odysseus, together with the goddess Athena and the craftsman Epeius, masterminded the wooden horse and brought about Troy’s downfall, the tale has travelled even to the remote and isolated community of the Phaeacians (cf. Od. 6.204f.). The story’s rapid and widespread dissemination within the world of Homer’s poem seems to resonate with the status of the myth in the real world, our own world. Just as it is within the Odyssey, the story of the wooden horse has been perpetually told and retold. And just as Demodocus is familiar with the tale, so is almost everyone today… -- source link