Heroism in the Ancient Greek Epics

The ancient Greeks were renowned for their legendary tales of gods, heroes and monsters. In this talk, Connie Skibinski discusses the role of heroism in epic poetry, by focusing on the famed Trojan War heroes Achilles and Odysseus. By drawing upon both archaeological artifacts and excerpts from the Homeric poems, this talk identifies the key traits of the ancient 'epic hero', and considers why these larger-than-life figures held such a prominent place in ancient Greek mythology.

Connie Skibinski is a PhD candidate at The University of Newcastle, working on a thesis The Amazon Queen Penthesilea in Antiquity and Modernity . Connie's research interests are Ancient Greek and Latin literature, particularly mythology and epic poetry. Folklore studies and mythology studies, especially hybrid/ theriomorphic creatures, women characters, and representations of divinity.

This event is presented as part of the Greek Festival of Sydney