Book XIV continues the great battle near the Achaian ships but adds a new element—the tricking of Zeus. Several commentators have suggested that this book prefigures later mock epics such as The Rape of the Lock. Unquestionably, Homer here introduces a comic element as a break from the intense battle scenes that precede and follow the interlude between Hera and Zeus. The seduction of Zeus by Hera requires careful planning because she, in a very real sense, is subverting the will of the Father God in attempting to allow Poseidon to attack the Trojans unchecked.
The sash that Aphrodite gives Hera is of some interest. It has both sexually provocative pictures and words, one of the few references in the Iliad to writing.
Zeus’ seduction speech to Hera must be one of the most unusual in the history of love and sex. Zeus essentially woos his wife with a report on his sexual conquests—an interesting tactic.
After Hera seduces Zeus and lulls him to sleep, the story returns to the battle, where, oddly, the Greek warriors exchange armor. This event has been frequently commented on, some suggesting that it shows a commingling of identities among the Achaian warriors, others finding it incomprehensible if not downright bizarre. Because the passage says, “The best men donned the best, the worst the worst,” it seems that the idea is that for the upcoming charge, the greatest warriors need the best armor. To suggest that this is somehow a commingling of identity seems unlikely because the action is clearly to stratify the soldiers rather than bring them together.
At the end, Poseidon leads the Achaians into battle, perhaps symbolically showing that the Achaians literally have the sea at their backs.
Glossary
| • | Sleep |
| god who is the brother of Death. |
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| • | Zeus’ conquests |
| Danae, Ixion’s wife, Europa, Semele, Alcmena, Demeter, and Leto are all listed by Zeus as sexual conquests. This list is his strange means of seducing his wife, Hera. |
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