Lost Epics of the Trojan Cycle (partially found epic poems; 800 B.C.-568 B.C.)
Many people know of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Poems that tell the story of heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles. What fewer people know of, however, is that there were more Epics[1] about the Trojan War, which includes some of the most famous events, such as Achilles' death, the Wooden Horse, and the conquest of the city.
Thanks to summaries of ancient writers - most notably a work called Chrestomathy [2] by an unknown individual named Proclus - in addition to a few surviving fragments[3] and the information one can infer from classical authors who read the original poems, it is possible to reconstruct the episodes of these epics.[4] Additionally, other ancient works like the Posthomerica[5] and the works of Euripides cover the same stories, even if in a different style.
Like the surviving Epics, they were composed in dactylic hexameter.
Basic Outlines of the Lost Epics
The Cypria
This text is the only pre-war Epic and consisted of eleven books. It chronicled the events of the apple of discord, the Judgement of Paris, the abduction of Helen, as well as the ships featuring the heroes setting sail. (after a brief interruption in which Agamemnon angers the goddess Artemis). The authorship is disputed. Part of the story was retold in Iphigenia in Aulis, which concerns Artemis's demand that Agammnenon sacrifice his daughter as penance, though Artemis rescues her at the last minute.
The title implies it originates in cyprus, though it's authorship is debated.
The Aethiopis
In this poem (which was five books long), the Amazons, lead by Penthesileia, came to the aid of the Trojans, followed by Memnon, king of the Ethiopians. More notably, it is the book where Achilles was killed by an arrow shot by Paris, though not before he kills Penthesileia and Memnon.
It is usually attributed to Arctinus of Miletus.
The Little Iliad
An epic consisting of four books, this text included the deaths of Ajax the Great and Paris, and the building of the wooden horse on the advice of Athena. The authorship is contested.
Along with the Cypria, Aristotle criticised this poem for being unfocused, as for being a "collection of lays on similar themes" as opposed to the more focused narratives of Homer <ref>Perseus Hopper, Aristotle, Poetics 1459b Retrieved 3 Sep '24.
Iliupersis aka The Sack of Ilium
The Sack of llium was two books, attributed to Arctinus of Miletus (who also wrote The Aethiopis). It consisted of the Trojans letting the horse inside the sitting after some debate, and the subsequent sacking of Troy.
Nostoi aka The Returns
This was five books of disputed authorship, and was the first post-war epic. It showed the return of the Achaeans (aside from Odysseus) who struggled to reach home thanks to the wrath of Athena due to their behaviour during the Sack of Troy, in particular the killing of people who had taken sanctuary in temples. They all got home in the end aside from Lesser Ajax, though Agamemnon was killed by his wife upon arriving home (as detailed in Aeschylus' Oresteia triology).
The Telegony
The Telegony is the final epic of the cycle, and consisted of two books by Eugammon of Cyrene or Cinaethon of Sparta. It told the tale of the death of Odysseus, and the fates of his wife and children.
Reference
- ↑ A website with some information about the Epics. Retrieved 03 Mar '19
- ↑ Procus' Summaries Retrieved 25 Feb '22
- ↑ A list of Fragments from the Trojan Cycle, in addition to a few other lost epics Retrieved 17 Feb '21
- ↑ A thesis reconstructing the plot between the Iliad and the Odyssey. Retrieved 27 Nov '19
- ↑ Posthomerica Retrieved 6 Jun '22