Homer one chapter at a time, read and recapped by a couple
74 episodes indexed · 43 hours
Presented by Owen Gemmer, Isabella Gemmer
Periods · The Bronze Age
Themes · War Religion Daily life
Owen and Isabella Gemmer read, recap and discuss Homer’s two epic poems, one chapter per episode, every Friday, for first time Homer readers and fans alike; 74 of 87 episodes are here, 44 hours in the age of myth.
Where to start. Start with 'Achilles will eat his fill of WAR | Iliad Book 19' (2025); 74 episodes of this show are in the section, one chapter each.
I feel like…
ideas, belief and how a polis was ordered
stories, performance, art and ordinary lives
when it happens
how much time you have
Minoans and Mycenaeans c. 3000 - 1100 BC · 73
Book 6 of the Iliad covers the brutality of war and argues over Hector: are his actions heroic or cowardly, and should he stay with Andromache or go down fighting.
The final Odyssey episode covers Book 24, asking why Athena intervenes so much and what the Odyssey is trying to say about justice, closing out the series.
Book 19 of the Odyssey brings Odysseus and Penelope's first conversation, short of a reunion, asking whether she already recognizes him and why she stays silent if so.
Book 10 of the Iliad covers nighttime espionage, as the Greeks send Diomedes and Odysseus while the Trojans send Dolon; it is the first book that shows what kind of man Odysseus is in the war.
Book 3 of the Iliad stages the duel between Menelaus and Paris that nearly ended the Trojan War, weighing glory and honor on the battlefield.
Book 9 of the Odyssey revisits the Cyclops in more depth than expected, asking who Polyphemus is and why Odysseus is telling this story.
Book 24 closes the Iliad as Achilles and Priam reach an understanding, looking back at the whole poem and asking why the story ends like this, with Achilles alive at the end.
Book 9 of the Iliad sends Odysseus, Phoenix and Ajax to persuade Achilles back into the war, breaking down their three arguments and the Greek word for glory.
Book 5 of the Iliad has Ares fighting for the Trojans and Athena for the Greeks at Troy, framing a debate on fate and free will.
Book 16 of the Iliad has Achilles lending Patroclus his armor for battle, asking what drives him to fight so fiercely before his fatal undoing.
Book 8 of the Iliad turns to the Greek gods' seemingly random actions, as Zeus finally intervenes with his golden scales and lightning bolts.
Book 18 of the Iliad examines Achilles's grief over Patroclus's death through the original Greek text, asking what the words reveal about their bond.
Owen and Isabella Gemmer open Book 1 of the Iliad, the first episode of a journey through the Iliad and Odyssey one book at a time, centered on Achilles' rage.
Book 11 of the Odyssey sends Odysseus into the Underworld for advice from Tiresias, where he meets Agamemnon and Achilles among the dead.
Book 22 of the Odyssey has Odysseus revealed in his true form, killing nearly everyone in the house and reshaping how he is seen.
Book 1 of the Odyssey opens on Ithaca, introducing Telemachus, Penelope and the suitors before Odysseus ever appears, and asks why the epic begins there.
Book 22 of the Iliad delivers the long-awaited duel between Achilles and Hector, weighing whether it lives up to the hype.
Book 20 of the Odyssey turns to foreshadowing, asking whether already knowing the suitors' fate makes the story better or worse to experience.
Book 20 asks how the Theory of the Bicameral Mind might apply to the Iliad's characters, and whether it explains why these Greek warriors act without thinking and blame the gods for it.
Book 12 of the Iliad frames the breaking of the Greek wall, as Hector storms the gates and hurls a boulder into the camp.
Book 10 of the Odyssey has Odysseus and his men facing Circe, asking how he avoids being turned into a pig, with the bag of winds and the Laestrygonians discussed too.
Book 5 of the Odyssey gives the first real look at Odysseus, whose flaws surface as he lingers on Calypso's island when he says he misses Penelope so much.
Book 11 of the Iliad is full of Homeric similes, breaking down three favorites alongside a taunt from Diomedes and Nestor's long story to Patroclus.
Book 7 of the Iliad ends the duel between Hector and Ajax in a draw, then resets the stage as the dead are collected.
Book 8 of the Odyssey brings out the bard for songs and games while Odysseus weeps again, and unpacks the story of Ares, Aphrodite and Hephaestus.
Book 4 of the Iliad opens the fighting as Menelaus is wounded by a bow shot, framed through Bronze Age warfare and the Greek word 'thumos.'
Book 12 of the Odyssey ends with Odysseus's entire crew dead after eating the Cattle of Helios, raising the question of who is to blame.
Book 4 of the Odyssey finds Telemachus in Sparta with Menelaus and Helen, who slips something into the wine as Menelaus recounts his own homecoming.
Book 2 of the Odyssey follows Telemachus calling the elders and suitors together in Ithaca as Penelope's scheme comes out, asking why Athena favors him so.
Book 2 of the Iliad is all about the infamous catalog of ships, the part of the Iliad that most people skip.
Book 16 of the Odyssey brings the long-awaited reunion of father and son, questioning why Odysseus waits so long before revealing himself to Telemachus.
Book 17 of the Odyssey has Odysseus entering the palace to a hostile welcome, kicked and pelted with chairs, while one loyal dog, Argos, seems to remember the master of the house.
Book 13 of the Iliad nicknames its expendable fighters after Star Trek's red shirts, as Poseidon rallies the Greek troops against the Trojans.
Book 14 of the Iliad follows Hera's plan to seduce Zeus and distract him from the war, opening a chance for the Greeks against the Trojans.
Book 3 of the Odyssey has Nestor passing wisdom to Telemachus and asks what he actually learns, and whether he knows if Odysseus is alive, alongside news of Travis Scott's casting in Nolan's film.
Book 14 of the Odyssey has Odysseus meeting the swineherd Eumaeus first in Ithaca, ahead of the suitors or Penelope, asking what he represents.
Book 4 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 6 of the Odyssey has Odysseus navigating a tight spot, introducing Nausicaa and asking why she matters so much to the story.
Book 15 of the Iliad reaches a make-or-break moment as Zeus enacts his plan and either the Trojans burn the Greek ships or the Greeks rally to push them back.
Book 19 of the Iliad has Odysseus suggesting the men eat so they can keep fighting before Achilles charges into battle, with half-hearted apologies given and the horses speaking.
Book 21 of the Iliad has Achilles battling the river itself in a rage, asking how far his revenge for Patroclus's death will go.
Book 18 of the Odyssey has Odysseus beginning to make small moves in the palace while Penelope scams the suitors for more gifts.
Book 7 of the Odyssey has Odysseus entering the palace of King Alcinous and Queen Arete, telling a version of his story that is not quite true.
Book 23 of the Odyssey reunites Odysseus and Penelope, though Odysseus must first pass the test.
Book 15 of the Odyssey follows Telemachus heading home, picking up a fugitive along the way, while Odysseus hears Eumaeus's backstory.
Book 23 of the Iliad covers the Funeral Games for Patroclus, where Achilles holds contests and hands out prizes, discussed here for their significance.
Book 21 of the Odyssey brings the moment Owen and Isabella Gemmer say listeners have all been waiting for, as the king is back.
Book 17 of the Iliad has Greeks and Trojans fighting over Patroclus's body after Hector strips Achilles's armor, asking why the body matters so much.
Book 19 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 11 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Ahead of Nolan's film premiere, this episode gives a full summary of the Odyssey's plot and reflects on its main themes for anyone who has never read the original text or just needs a refresher.
Book 13 of the Odyssey lands Odysseus back on Ithaca, though he fails to recognize his own home right away.
Book 8 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 17 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 9 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 10 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 14 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 15 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 24 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 3 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 12 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 5 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 16 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 22 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 1 of the Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 2 of the Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 21 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 13 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 18 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 20 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 23 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 7 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Book 6 of Homer's Odyssey, read in full for this audiobook feed, using the 1900 Samuel Butler translation from Project Gutenberg and narrated by Owen Gemmer.
Greek Life, Thought and the Wider World across the centuries · 1
With Kyle Prue
Special guest Kyle Prue joins to open the Odyssey, discussing the opening lines, the meaning of 'polytropos,' and advice for first-time readers.