Abstract

NADDAF, Gerard. Some Reflections on the Early Greek Notion of Poetic Inspiration. arete [online]. 2009, vol.21, n.1, pp.51-86. ISSN 1016-913X.

The origin and meaning of “poetic inspiration” has always been the subject of considerable controversy. What critics rarely ask are: what words or phrases did the early poetic texts use to express the poetic genius or mousikē we associate with inspiration in the early Greek poetry, and thus prior to the Classical period? In this paper, I examine first and foremost both the terminology employed by Homer and Hesiod to express the poetic experience and the role of the aoidos or singer/poet in their respective accounts. I argue that not only are the physical and figurative notions of "inspiration" in Homer and Hesiod confused, that is, they are not consciously distinguished for the poets, but poetry itself for Homer and Hesiod must have been seen as a divine gift -as willed by the gods. I also argue that a number of etymologies and contexts strongly suggest that a type of mania or ecstatic possession was very much a part of the early poetic process. The work presented here is an abridged part of a larger research project that seeks to examine the origin and development of pre-Platonic, Platonic and post- Platonic attitudes toward inspiration and allegory.

Keywords : inspiration; oral poetry; muses; singer/poet; Homer; Hesiod.

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