Holy Books
Aeneid
The Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil is an epic poem in 12 books that tells the story of the foundation of Rome from the ashes of Troy. At the fall of Troy, who could have envisioned Rome? At the fall of Rome, who could have envisioned the present achievements of London, Sydney, Toronto, Washington, D.C.? So many great cities, too many to enumerate. We, the heirs of Troy and Rome, and even the heirs of the Greeks, their enemies, now begin to contemplate the planet Mars as a field of action and even beyond.
Virgil's Aeneid reminds us that as we [contemplate such things], so we should expect to have to persevere, not only against opposition from without, but also against our own failures. In doing so, it reminds us that we can recover much better than what was lost.
Iliad
Critical themes in the poem include kleos (glory), pride, fate and wrath. The poem is frequently described as a masculine or heroic epic, especially compared with the Odyssey. It contains detailed descriptions of ancient war instruments and battle tactics, and fewer female characters. The Olympian gods also play a major role in the poem, aiding their favoured warriors on the battlefield and intervening in personal disputes. Their characterisation in the poem humanised them for Ancient Greek audiences, giving a concrete sense of their cultural and religious tradition. In terms of formal style, the poem's repetitions, use of similes and epithets, are often explored by scholars.
Germania
"Germania," also known as "De Origine et situ Germanorum" (On the Origin and Situation of the Germans), is an ethnographic work written by the Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus around 98 AD. The book provides a description of the various Germanic tribes, their customs, geography, and social organization during the early Roman Empire.
The Elder Edda
The Elder Edda, also known as the Poetic Edda, is a collection of Old Norse poems that are central to understanding Norse mythology and the beliefs of the pre-Christian Scandinavian people. The poems provide a rich and vivid account of the gods, heroes, and mythological creatures that populated the Norse worldview.
The Elder Edda is preserved in a single manuscript known as the Codex Regius, which was discovered in Iceland in the 17th century and dates back to the late 13th century. However, the poems themselves are believed to have been composed earlier, possibly between the 9th and 11th centuries, and they were transmitted orally before being written down.
The poems in the Elder Edda can be broadly divided into two categories: mythological and heroic. The mythological poems focus on the gods, their relationships, and their adventures.
Bibliotheca
The "Bibliotheca" is organized into three books, which cover the origin of the gods, the genealogy of heroes, and the various myths surrounding them. The work begins with the creation of the world and the gods, and it continues with the stories of the Titans and the Olympian gods. From there, it proceeds to recount the tales of various heroes, such as Perseus, Heracles, Theseus, and the participants in the Trojan War. The "Bibliotheca" concludes with the myth of the Argonauts and the story of Oedipus.
