Eleonora Giunchi

Despite the relatively limited presence of fire in the Odyssey, especially in comparison to the Iliad, the poem contains a conspicuous number of images related to the fireplace. I argue that, since the hearth embodies the ideas of “fire” and “home” and appears to highlight the most important moments of Odysseus’ homecoming, it serves to establish an emblematic connection with the returning hero, whose telos, like his fireplace, lies within the household sphere. The largely domestic setting of fire in the Odyssey reflects the nature of its hero: human, controlled, persistent, and thus the opposite of the bright but volatile flames of Iliadic warriors.

In this paper, I analyze the presence of fire and light imagery in the Odyssey, especially in book 18, against the backdrop of Achilles’ return to the battlefield in the Iliad, where the motif of fire plays a pivotal role. Approaching the Homeric poems from an intertextual perspective, I argue that the poet of the Odyssey uses a typically Achillean imagery of fire to foreshadow Odysseus as an implacable Iliadic warrior. As a case-study, I propose a reading of Od. 18.354–6 in the light of Il. 18.206–14, aiming to show how fire-related elements in the description of Odysseus disguised as a beggar clearly allude to Achilles’ appearance against the Trojans.

Despite the relatively limited presence of fire in the Odyssey, especially in comparison to the Iliad, the poem contains a conspicuous number of images related to the fireplace. I argue that, since the hearth embodies the ideas of 'fire' and 'home' and appears to highlight the most important moments of Odysseus' homecoming, it serves to establish an emblematic connection with the returning hero, whose telos, like his fireplace, lies within the household sphere. The largely domestic setting of fire in the Odyssey reflects the nature of its hero: human, controlled, persistent, and thus the opposite of the bright but volatile flames of Iliadic warriors.

In this paper, I analyze the presence of fire and light imagery in the
Odyssey, especially in book 18, against the backdrop of Achilles’ return to the battlefield in the Iliad, where the motif of fire plays a pivotal role. Approaching the Homeric poems from an intertextual perspective, I argue that the poet of the Odyssey uses a typically Achillean imagery of fire to foreshadow Odysseus as an implacable Iliadic warrior. As a case-study, I propose a reading of Od. 18.354–6 in the light of Il. 18.206–14, aiming to show how fire-related elements in the description of Odysseus disguised as a beggar clearly allude to Achilles’ appearance against the Trojans.

Despite being an element mainly linked to the funerary sphere, ashes appear in various erotic epigrams of the Palatine Anthology. Through an intra- and intertextual analysis of the epigrams, the paper examines the reasons behind the presence of this element within the literary representation of erotic passion. In particular, the aim is to show how ashes take on a specific meaning in relation to the condition of the lover in the different moments of the loving process: the phase before the outbreak of passion, its consummation and, finally, the moment when the lover surrenders to the power of Eros.

Coals, embers and firebrands appear in several epigrams of books V and XII of the Palatine Anthology, where they are related to the different symptoms and moments of the erotic process. Through an intra- and intertextual analysis of the epigrams, the paper examines the reasons for the presence of these elements, originating from fire but not strictly identifiable with it, in the context. The focus will be on their role as a concrete and tangible image of the consequences of the flamma amoris.