For millennia, the sea has lured and enchanted, and it has been a forceful, unavoidable presence in poetry, beginning with Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" and continuing to the current day. It's a character, a deity, a place for exploration and warfare, a picture that appeals to all of the human senses, and a metaphor for the unseen world beyond the senses. The sea has always been there, but only in recent times have we begun to understand its role in human history. In order to appreciate the impact that the sea has had on civilization, we need to go back in time for a moment. The "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" are epic poems that tell the story of two wars between Greek city-states - Athens and Sparta. They're called "epics" because they cover a large subject matter in a lengthy work; in this case, the wars themselves span 18 years of activity by Homer (c. 800 B.C.). However, what makes these poems unique is that they also include short poetic sketches or vignettes called "odes". These poems are addressed to specific people, often famous leaders, but sometimes just ordinary citizens. They offer personal insights into the poet's mind as he lived and breathed life into the stories being told. Homer wrote odes on politics, philosophy, love, and religion, but one of his best-known odes is also one of the most important to ever exist: the "Ode to Ocean".