My thesis will be concerned with the role of dogs in Homer and Hesiod. I aim to demonstrate that a canine-based analytical approach to these texts is not only fruitful for understanding dog-specific scenes, but is in fact an effective method for framing broader narrative interpretations. For instance, I intend to argue that the dogs of Eumaeus present in books 14 and 16 of the Odyssey are in narrative contrast to Argos with respect to their connection to Odysseus; namely, Eumaeus’ dogs are representative of the separation that time and turmoil has imposed between Odysseus and his homeland, while Argos is himself a representation of Odysseus’ connection to the land, dwindling but not gone until he returns. This interpretation is supported primarily by textual evidence, and further by William Beck’s 1991 article “Dogs, Dwellings, and Masters: Ensemble and Symbol in the Odyssey”, published in pages 158-167 of volume 119 of Hermes, and Gilbert P. Rose’s 1979 article “Odysseus’ Barking Heart”, published in pages 215-230 of volume 109 of Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-2014). This is just one of many connections that I believe can be drawn between dog episodes in the Odysseus and the Iliad, and I am eager to explore it further. It is also a relatively malleable approach in that many of these connections are able to be treated in my thesis as parallel, but disjoint observations, allowing me to adjust the scope of the overall work as necessary.
As it is coming together, my research will be in four areas. First, I will research discussions of dogs in sources besides Homer and Hesiod, such as Xenophon’s Κυνηγετικά. Although elements of my findings will likely make their way into my final work, even if only in footnotes, the primary goal here is to answer the question of how Greeks might have considered dogs by default, in an effort to better prepare myself for relevant contextual readings that are as divorced as I can reasonably be from modern biases. Second, I will research the ways in which cross-contextual analysis of dog episodes and the relationships therein play into the narrative and tonal structure of texts. The above connection between Eumaeus’ dogs and Argos is a prime example of this, and I am eager to explore more such instances.
Third, I will address the contrasting treatments of dogs exemplified in the duality of dogs as a symbol of strength and nobility in the Iliad, even to the point of association with Achilles, and their savage nature in the Iliadic proem. A similar Homeric duality is felt in the imagery of Odysseus’ barking heart is contrasted with the frequent use of dog as an insult. I believe that it is too early for me to reach a conclusion on this front at this point, as I am largely missing Grecian context, so I will presently emphasize the first line of research, namely, gaining context, above this.
Lastly, I hope to explore the place of dogs in the tapestry of mortal-divine-monstrous associations, in the face of frequent canine associations with mortals, gods, and monsters in Homer. If Achilles is associated to a dog and to gods, then how should we consider dogs in association with gods? How do considerations of direct canine-god associations, such as Cerberus and Hades, or canine-monster associations such as Orthrus and Geryon play into this? I would like to begin this approach by reading secondary scholarship on these relationships in particular.
