War or Peace? A New World of Values in the Works of Homer

Abstract

The oldest poem of the European culture is the work dedicated to the war – Iliad. It is frequently believed that this war is the almost separate, most important heroine of the epic. This rather common opinion, that Homer would praise war and put military struggles ahead of times of peace, I would like to undermine in this work. Both in Iliad and Odyssey, there is a clear critique not only of the war itself but also more generally – of violence as a way of solving conflicts, while the times of peace and peaceful life are praised. In this article, I draw attention to various motifs presented in both epics, confirming the above thesis: statements of the heroes, presented symbolism, behavior of the gods, and finally the character of Achilles, who, while being the ideal warrior, remains also the main exponent of all doubts concerning the warfare. These doubts, as well as his wishes for another life most fully reflect Homer’s ambivalent attitude to war and provoke reflection on whether the poet actually was the praising her glory, or whether he tried to express the belief in the rightness of a different way of life and conflict resolution.