Homeric Glory And The Role Of Women

In the modern world, ‘glory’ tends to be viewed as a zero-sum game won or lost by individuals. The ancient Greek world of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the famous epic poems of Homer, offers an alternate vision in which ‘glory’ (‘kleos’ in ancient Greek) means being remembered and sung about, and it requires the symbiotic efforts of men and women. This presentation will explore Homer’s inherently social concept of glory through three pivotal scenes from his Iliad and Odyssey—between Hector and Andromache in the Iliad and between Odysseus and Nausicaa and Odysseus and Penelope in the Odyssey.

Dr Eirene Allen is the director of the U.S.-based nonprofit The Institute for Classics Education. Her book The Epic Women of Homer was published in 2025 by Pen and Sword.