Ivo Volt explains the enduring themes of Homer’s Odyssey

Homer’s Odyssey is one of the foundational works of Western literature and culture, classical philologist Ivo Volt told ERR’s interview programme Plekktrumm. He discussed the epic’s significance, Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation and the state of ancient-language translation in Estonia, where the translation tradition was interrupted for decades. Volt said he was optimistic about the next generation of translators.

The Odyssey was once memorised as part of education, Volt said. In ancient Greece, epics were performed partly by singing or reciting them; later, they were read. Some people now try to recreate the ancient style, but there is no definitive record of how the poems were performed.

There are no recordings or written accounts of the original performances. Musical notes and pitch markings found in later Greek literature are used in reconstructions, which differ from place to place. The pronunciation of texts from Homer’s time has also been reconstructed, Volt said.

The Iliad and the Odyssey most likely date from around the eighth century BCE, though they describe events from an earlier period. They are based on oral tradition, Volt said. The poems may have begun to be fixed in the eighth or seventh century BCE and were certainly written down by the sixth century.

Volt said the two epics are best considered together. The Iliad recounts the bloodiest events of the Trojan War, while the Odyssey follows Odysseus’s return home. Together, they set the violence of war against the prospect of a peaceful journey home.

The word nostos, meaning return, appears near the beginning of the Odyssey and is the root of the word nostalgia, Volt said. Odysseus’s home island, Ithaca, has also become a symbol of a longed-for place. The epics explore themes including honour, wounded pride, rulers’ selfishness and revenge, with war as their backdrop.

Nolan’s film adaptation has prompted differing reactions among classical philologists, Volt said. The available interview text ends as he begins to give his personal view of the film.