The best of the Achaeans
Subtitle: concepts of the hero in Archaic Greek poetry
By: Gregory Nagy.
Edition: Rev. ed.
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng; grc
Number of pages: 400
Subjects: Homer -- Characters -- Heroes.; Epic poetry, Greek -- History and criticism.; Heroes in literature.
Description: Despite widespread interest in the Greek hero as a cult figure, little was written about the relationship between the cult practices and the portrayals of the hero in poetry. The first edition of The Best of the Achaeans bridged that gap, raising new questions about what could be known or conjectured about Greek heroes.

In this revised edition, which features a new preface, Gregory Nagy reconsiders his conclusions in the light of the subsequent debate and resumes his discussion of the special status of heroes in ancient Greek life and poetry. His book remains an engaging introduction both to the concept of the hero in Hellenic civilization and to the poetic forms through which the hero is defined: the Iliad and Odyssey in particular and archaic Greek poetry in general.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [355]-380) and indexes.