Contest of Homer and Hesiod facts for kids

The Contest of Homer and Hesiod (also known as Certamen) is an old Greek story. It imagines a poetry competition between two very famous ancient Greek poets, Homer and Hesiod. The story comes from a small comment Hesiod made in his own poem, Works and Days. In that poem, Hesiod said he won a poetry contest. He received a special prize, a tripod, which he gave to the Muses (goddesses of inspiration) on Mount Helicon. People even believed they saw Hesiod's tripod on Mount Helicon many years later!

How We Know About This Story

The story of the Certamen itself was written down around 200 AD. We know this because it mentions a Roman emperor named Hadrian.

However, parts of this story are much older! Experts like Friedrich Nietzsche thought it must have existed before. Later, old pieces of paper called papyri were found. These papyri showed earlier versions of the story, some from as far back as 300 BC. This means the idea of a contest between Homer and Hesiod was popular for a very long time.

Even the famous Greek playwright Aristophanes seemed to know parts of this story. He used lines from it in his play Peace. This shows that the idea of a contest of wits, often with riddles, was a common theme in ancient Greece.

What Happens in the Contest

The story says the poetry contest took place in a city called Chalcis, in Euboea. Hesiod himself mentioned going to Chalcis for funeral games in his poem Works and Days. He said he won a bronze tripod there and gave it to the Muses. He didn't mention Homer being there, though!

In the Certamen story, Hesiod wins the contest. The judge decides that Hesiod's poetry is more valuable than Homer's. Why? Because Hesiod's work, like Works and Days, talks about farming and peace. These topics were seen as more helpful for the community (the polis) than Homer's stories of war and fighting, like the Iliad.

The story also includes 17 short poems, called epigrams, that are said to be written by Homer.

The text of the Certamen starts by telling us a little about Homer and Hesiod's lives. Then it describes the contest. Hesiod asks challenges and riddles, and Homer answers them very cleverly. Everyone watching is amazed! After this, both poets recite what they think is their best work. In the end, Hesiod is given the tripod prize. The story then finishes by telling us how each poet supposedly died.

Where to Read It Today

You can find modern versions of this ancient Greek text. One well-known edition is in a book called Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica. It has the original Greek text on one page and an English translation on the page next to it. This makes it easier for people today to read and understand this fascinating old story!