Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 11 hours ago
Discussion topics include visual—and verbal—descriptions of two heroes in the Iliad, Achilles and Patroklos. Among other things, participants discuss the kind of verbal art associated with the character of Achilles, specifically epithets such as "Achilles swift of foot." Greg argues that Achilles receives this epithet not only because he is a warrior but also because he is a great dancer—akin to Ares, the god of war. Discussion focused on visual representations of Achilles such as in the Boston Hydria with reference to triskeles—meaning 3 limbs/legs—and denoting a spinning of sorts even as the image itself is a snapshot frozen in time. Similar discussions took place around the depictions of Patroklos leading participants to broach the importance of ekphrasis—verbal art which produces a picture. The conversation concluded with an appreciation for the different types of imagery that can be depicted both by narrative song-making, and visual paintings themselves.
Referred to in this video:
Nagy, Gregory. 2020.09.25. "How Homeric poetry may help us achieve a keener appreciation of Sappho’s wedding songs" Classical Inquiries
https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/how-homeric-poetry-may-help-us-achieve-a-keener-appreciation-of-sapphos-wedding-songs/
Boston Hydria: Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, 63.473; painting on the body of the vase; Stähler no. 15
collections.mfa.org/objects/153447/water-jar-hydria-with-the-chariot-of-achilles-dragging-the
Lessing, G. E. 1766. Laokoon, oder Über die Grenzen der Mahlerey und Poesie. Translated by E. A. McCormick as Laocoön: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry. 1962. Revised ed. 1984. Baltimore.
Lévi-Strauss, Claude. 1964. The Raw and the Cooked.
Recorded in Fall 2020 during v14 of the MOOC, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours, focusing on Hours 7 and 8, and responses to the Discussion Questions.
With Gregory Nagy, Keith DeStone, and members of the HeroesX Team.
Discussion topics include visual—and verbal—descriptions of two heroes in the Iliad, Achilles and Patroklos. Among other things, participants discuss the kind of verbal art associated with the character of Achilles, specifically epithets such as "Achilles swift of foot." Greg argues that Achilles receives this epithet not only because he is a warrior but also because he is a great dancer—akin to Ares, the god of war. Discussion focused on visual representations of Achilles such as in the Boston Hydria with reference to triskeles—meaning 3 limbs/legs—and denoting a spinning of sorts even as the image itself is a snapshot frozen in time. Similar discussions took place around the depictions of Patroklos leading participants to broach the importance of ekphrasis—verbal art which produces a picture. The conversation concluded with an appreciation for the different types of imagery that can be depicted both by narrative song-making, and visual paintings themselves.
Referred to in this video:
Nagy, Gregory. 2020.09.25. "How Homeric poetry may help us achieve a keener appreciation of Sappho’s wedding songs" Classical Inquiries
https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/how-homeric-poetry-may-help-us-achieve-a-keener-appreciation-of-sapphos-wedding-songs/
Boston Hydria: Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, 63.473; painting on the body of the vase; Stähler no. 15
collections.mfa.org/objects/153447/water-jar-hydria-with-the-chariot-of-achilles-dragging-the
Lessing, G. E. 1766. Laokoon, oder Über die Grenzen der Mahlerey und Poesie. Translated by E. A. McCormick as Laocoön: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry. 1962. Revised ed. 1984. Baltimore.
Lévi-Strauss, Claude. 1964. The Raw and the Cooked.
Recorded in Fall 2020 during v14 of the MOOC, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours, focusing on Hours 7 and 8, and responses to the Discussion Questions.
With Gregory Nagy, Keith DeStone, and members of the HeroesX Team.
