Homer, Homeridai, and Simonides' Homer

In this essay I will examine the meaning of the name "Homer" in Simonides' poetry and his new approach to Homeric poems in comparison with the performances of rhapsodes in late archaic Greece. The elegy for the victory of Plataea against Persians (fr. 11 W(.)2) is important also for a new examination of this topic. In this composition the name of "Homer" is introduced as "character" and as "authority". The heroes who took part in the Trojan war are not famous because of the action of poetry in handing down fame to posterity, as in the traditional model , but for the qualities of a particular singer (v. 15: alpha gamma[delta rho omicron sigma]epsilon kappa eta tau iota), who gave a reliable and final account of the achievements of the Achaeans at Troy (v. 17: pi alpha sigma alpha nu alpha lambda eta]theta epsilon iota eta nu, according to West's restoration , generally accepted). A comparison with the contemporary rhapsodic practice will be useful to explain Simonides' innovation. The rhapsodes and in particular the Homeridai of Chios presented themselves as the legitimate heirs of Homer and claimed a strong continuity in the performance of the poems ascribed to him. When performing Homer the rhapsode played the part of Homer , so long as the performance lasted. A new analysis of the sphragis of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo requires distinguishing the character of the ancient singer (Homer) and the one of the contemporary rhapsode: both are "present" and working in the context of the Delian festival. In Simonides' poetry this relationship and contiguity with "Homer" are nearly absent. The authority of the ancient singer and the high quality of his verses are not in question , but there is no continuity with the great singer who defi- nitely belongs to the past. As far as we can judge on the basis of the testimonies and other fragments (both elegiac and lyric), Simonides' appraisal of "Homer" is grounded on a more objective analysis, on the comparison with other poets (Hesiod, Stesichorus), and finally on his personal judgment of the quality of Homer's verses.