Language/Modern-greek-1453/Culture/The-Epic-Cycle-or-Trojan-Cycle

The Epic Cycle, also known as the Trojan Cycle due to its focus on the Trojan War, is a collection of eight dactylic hexameter poems that make up the traditional verse of the Greco-Latin epic. The Iliad and the Odyssey, both attributed to Homer, are the two most famous of these poems, which recount the events of the Trojan War. Only fragments of the other six poems remain, but their titles and general content are known. These poems originated from the oral traditions that emerged during Greece's Dark Ages, a period spanning from the collapse of the Mycenaean world around 1200-1100 B.C. to the archaic epoch in the eighth century B.C. This is when the poems likely began to be recorded in writing.

1. Cypria or Cyprian Chants (η Κύπρια)

The title "Cypria" refers to the possible origin of its author or their connection to Aphrodite, the goddess born in Cyprus. The poem's authorship is attributed to Stasinus of Cyprus or, according to Photius, to Hegesias. Some ancient authors attribute it to Homer himself, claiming that the Cypria were the wedding gift he gave to his daughter when she married Stasinus. The poem consists of 11 books, which narrate the events leading up to the Trojan War and its first nine years, ending where the Iliad begins. Herodotus revealed some contradictions between the two works, such as the fact that Cypria mentions that Paris arrived in Troy directly from Sparta, while the Iliad states that he had previously passed through Sidon. It remains unclear whether Cypria was composed before or after the Iliad, but most experts lean towards the belief that it was written later.

2. Aethiopis (η Αιθιόπη)

Chronologically, the events narrated in the Iliad are followed by the Aethiopis, a five-book poem attributed to Arctinus of Miletus, a legendary poet considered by some as a disciple of Homer and others as the oldest known poet. Aethiopis is named after Memnon, the Ethiopian king who fought with the Trojans after Hector's death. The story begins where the Iliad ends, with the arrival of Penthesileia, the queen of the Amazons (whom Achilles kills in combat) and concludes with the death of Achilles and the confrontation between Ajax Telamonium and Odysseus over Achilles' weapons.

3. Little Iliad (η Μικρή Ιλιάδα)

Following Aethiopis is the Little Iliad, a four-book poem attributed to Lesches of Pyrrha (a city on the island of Lesbos) who lived around 700 B.C. This poem narrates the events from Achilles' death to the Greeks' idea of entering Troy using the stratagem of the wooden horse, but it does not include the fall and destruction of the city. Aristotle remarked that the Little Iliad had more plots than an epic poem should have.

4. Iliupersis (η Ιλίου Πέρσις ή Άσκηση του Ιλίου)

The Iliupersis (Sack of Ilium) is a two-book poem that tells of Troy's destruction, continuing from the Little Iliad. Ancient sources attribute its authorship to Arctinus of Miletus, who is also credited with Aethiopis. The story begins with the Trojans discussing what to do with the wooden horse that the Greeks have left at their former campsite. The story concludes with the looting of the city, the death of King Priam at the hands of Neoptolemus (Achilles' son), and the murder of Hector's baby, Astyanax, by Odysseus. Only ten lines of the original poem have survived, with one of the most interesting sources for understanding its content being Virgil's Aeneid, composed six centuries later, which tells the story from the Trojan perspective.

5. Nostoi (οι Νόστοι ή Επιστροφές)

Nostoi, which means "returns home" in Greek, is a five-book poem that recounts the homecomings of the heroes after Troy's fall. Ancient sources attribute its authorship to Agias of Troezen or Eumelus of Corinth, two semi-legendary poets from the 8th century B.C. Diomedes and Nestor return home without significant difficulties, while Menelaus is shipwrecked and ends up in Egypt, where he stays for several years. Neoptolemus travels by land and encounters Odysseus along the way. Agamemnon reaches Mycenae, where he is murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. All Greek heroes either make it home or die en route, except for Odysseus, whose return is told in the next poem in the cycle: The Odyssey.

6. Telegony (η Τηλεγόνεια ή Τηλεγονία)

Telegony is the poem that concludes the Epic Cycle and chronologically follows the Odyssey. It is attributed to Eugammon of Cyrene, who, according to Clement of Alexandria, stole the poem Tesprotis from the legendary poet Museum and changed its title. Eugammon likely followed the same oral tradition as previous poets, who may have written about the same events using different titles. It is worth noting that none of these poems have survived. Telegony and Tesprotis are believed to be two titles for the same poem, or that the latter could be the first book of Telegony. In any case, only two lines from the original poem have survived to this day.

Telegony narrates two events: Odysseus' journey to Tesprotis and the story of Telegonus. The first event begins with the burial of Penelope's suitors and continues with Odysseus' journey to Tesprotis, where he makes the sacrifices entrusted to him by Tiresias in Book 11 of the Odyssey. The second event tells of Telegonus, the son of Circe and Odysseus, arriving in Ithaca. Without recognizing each other, Telegonus fights Odysseus and inadvertently kills him. Once he realizes his mistake, Telegonus takes his father's body to the island of Circe, where Odysseus is buried. Circe makes Telegonus, Telemachus, and Penelope immortal, and the story ends on an unusual note: Telegonus marries Penelope, and Telemachus marries Circe.

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Works in order of events	Position in the Trojan Cycle	Authorship and dates are uncertain
The Cypria	Before the war	Eleven books ascribed to Stasinus of Cyprus, or to Hegesinus (Hegesias) of (Cyprian) Salamis.
The Iliad	During the war	Homer (fl. ca. 800).
The Aethiopis		Five books by Arctinus of Miletos (fl. ca. 776 BC).
The Little Iliad		Four books by Lesches of Mytilene or Pyrrha (fl. ca. 660 BC), or by Thestorides of Phocaea, or by Cinaethon, or by Diodorus of Erythrae.
The Sack of Ilium		Two books by Arctinus of Miletos (fl. ca. 776 BC), or by Lesches.
The Returns	After the war	Five books by Agias or Hegias of Troezen, or by Eumelus.
The Odyssey		Homer (fl. ca. 800).
The Telegony		Two books by Eugammon of Cyrene (fl. 568 BC).

Sources

• https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2019/05/the-iliad-and-the-odyssey-are-just-two-of-the-eight-poems-from-the-epic-cycle-that-narrate-the-trojan-war/

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