Abstract
In a number of passages in the
Iliad and the
Odyssey, Homer introduces theomachoi, i.e. “those who battle with the gods”, or
hoi proteroi – “the earlier ones”. This generation of heroes precedes the generation of the heroes of the Trojan war and differs from them by, e.g., possessing certain supernatural capacities and by encountering fantastic monsters. This essay discusses the appearances and the function of the
theomachoi in the Homeric poems. It is argued that Homer’s consistent use of such tales creates a net of parallelisms between the
proteroi and the heroes of the Trojan war, which prompts the reader’s deeper reflection on the latter’s choices and actions.
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