"The Odyssey" may have been written by a woman — scholars debate the theory
Kyiv • UNN
Samuel Butler suggested that the epic was written by a young Sicilian woman. There is no evidence for the theory, nor is there confirmation of Homer's identity.
The authorship of the "Odyssey" is traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer; however, for more than a century, there has been a theory that the famous epic may have been written by a young woman from Sicily. Eustace Buividas spoke about this version and the mystery surrounding the work’s authorship on the "Interesting Facts" program on LRT RADIO, reports UNN.
Details
The theory of a female author was proposed in the late 19th century by the English writer and scholar Samuel Butler. In a book published in 1897, he suggested that the "Odyssey" may have been created by a young Sicilian woman who supposedly portrayed herself in the image of Princess Nausicaa.
According to Butler, one indication of female authorship is the special role of women in the work. He believed that the female characters in the "Odyssey" were more complex and independent than those in the "Iliad," which could indicate that the two epics had different authors.
The theory lacks sufficient evidence
Women poets existed in Ancient Greece, although they mostly wrote at home, whereas men more often performed in public. Because of this, some historians suggest that a woman may have had more opportunities to create a large-scale epic work.
At the same time, the theory of a female author of the "Odyssey" is not widely accepted among researchers.
It should be emphasized that this theory is not considered widely accepted today. There is no compelling evidence that the "Odyssey" was written by a woman. However, there is also no compelling evidence as to who Homer actually was. Therefore, the question of the "Odyssey" remains one of the most fascinating mysteries of ancient literature to this day