Homeridae

The Homeridae were a family, clan or professional lineage on the island of Chios claiming descent from the Greek epic poet Homer.

The origin of the name seems obvious: in classical Greek the word should mean "children of Homer". An analogous name, Asclepiadae, identified a clan or guild of medical practitioners as "children of Asclepius". However, since the existence of the Homeridae is authenticated while that of Homer is not, and since Greek homeros is a common noun meaning "hostage", it was suggested even in ancient times that the Homeridae were in reality "children (or descendants) of hostages". The natural further step is to argue that Homer, the supposed founder, is a mythical figure, a mere back-formation, deriving his name from that of the later guild.

Their influence on the dark early history of transmission of the Homeric texts, though incalculable, is sure to have been conservative.

Evidence on the Homeridae relates to the late sixth, fifth and fourth centuries BC, after which nothing more is heard of them.

The first contemporary mention of this group is in a poem of about 485 BC by Pindar:

In the same way as the Homeridae,

Singers of stitched words, usually
Begin with an address to Zeus ...

A "singer of stitched words" is a literal definition of a rhapsode.

Later contemporary references come in fourth-century texts, in the works of Plato and Isocrates. In one of his essays, written around 350 BC, Isocrates says:

Some of the Homeridae tell the story that Helen appeared to Homer in a dream and told him to make a poem about the Trojan expedition.

At a slightly earlier date Plato makes a similar comment:

I believe that some of the Homeridae recite two hymns to Eros from among the esoteric poems. One of them is quite disrespectful to the god, and, what's more, the metre is incorrect! This is what they sing:

There are two further mentions, in Plato's Republic and in the Ion. In the latter the rhapsode Ion claims that he should be "crowned by the Homeridae" for his work in promoting the poems of Homer.

Supplementary information, of uncertain validity, is found in later Greek antiquarian writings. A scholarly commentary on Pindar's poem gives the following details:

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