The Baltic Origins of Homer's Epic Tales: The "Illiad", the "Odyssey", and the Migration of Myth

Compelling evidence that the events of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey took place in the Baltic and not the Mediterranean • Reveals how a climate change forced the migration of a people and their myth to ancient Greece • Identifies the true geographic sites of Troy and Ithaca in the Baltic Sea and Calypso's Isle in the North Atlantic Ocean For years scholars have debated the incongruities in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey , given that his descriptions are at odds with the geography of the areas he purportedly describes. Inspired by Plutarch's remark that Calypso's Isle was only five days sailing from Britain, Felice Vinci convincingly argues that Homer's epic tales originated not in the Mediterranean, but in the northern Baltic Sea. Using meticulous geographical analysis, Vinci shows that many Homeric places, such as Troy and Ithaca, can still be identified in the geographic landscape of the Baltic. He explains how the dense, foggy weather described by Ulysses befits northern not Mediterranean climes, and how battles lasting through the night would easily have been possible in the long days of the Baltic summer. Vinci's meteorological analysis reveals how a decline of the "climatic optimum" caused the blond seafarers to migrate south to warmer climates, where they rebuilt their original world in the Mediterranean. Through many generations the memory of the heroic age and the feats performed by their ancestors in their lost homeland was preserved and handed down to the following ages, only later to be codified by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey . Felice Vinci offers a key to open many doors that allow us to consider the age-old question of the Indo-European diaspora and the origin of the Greek civilization from a new perspective. Acknowledgments Foreword by Joscelyn Godwin Introduction: The Key to Finding Homer’s World PART ONE. THE WORLD OF ULYSSES Chapter 1. Ulysses Homeward Bound: The Island of Ogygia and the Land of Scheria OGYGIA SCHERIA TALES OF THE SEA Chapter 2. Ithaca’s Archipelago: Dulichium, Same, and Zacynthus THE HOMERIC PELOPONNESE RECONSTRUCTING A PUZZLING WORLD Chapter 3. Ithaca EXPLORING LYØ COWS AND GOATS, BUT NO HORSES: FURTHER EVIDENCE OF A NORTHERN ITHACA ITHACA’S NEIGHBORS FYN: 'THE DARK MAINLAND' Chapter 4. The Adventures of Ulysses ATTACKS AND STORMS THE LOTUS-EATERS THE CYCLOPES AEOLIA IN THE SHETLANDS THE FAR NORTH DANGEROUS WATERS CIRCE’S ISLAND TO THE HOME OF HADES SONG OF THE SIRENS SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS ISLAND OF THE SUN GOD AFTER THE WRECK COMPLETING THE CIRCLE Chapter 5. Ulysses and Northern Mythology THE CHARACTER OF ULYSSES IN MYTH THE GESTA DANORUM THE KALEVALA A SHAMANISTIC BED THE CELTIC CONNECTION PART TWO. THE WORLD OF TROY Chapter 6. If 'This Is not the site of the ancient Ilium,' Where Was Troy? THE CITY ON THE HILL OF HISARLIK A NEW SEARCH FOR TROY TROY ELOQUENT TOMBS VIEW FROM ABOVE Chapter 7. War! THE ACHAEAN FLEET LANDS THE ACHAEAN CAMP THE HISARLIK HEADLAND CHARIOTS, WARRIORS, AND WEAPONS THE BATTLE WITH TWO NOONS STORMS AND FLOODS WAR AND THE FABLED WALLS OF TROY TROY AFTER THE WAR Chapter 8. Neighboring Lands and Islands TROY’S NEAR NEIGHBORS THE ROUTE OF THE ACHAEAN FLEET: LEMNOS, SAMOTHRACE, CHIOS, AND CYPRUS SAMOTHRACE AND THE THRACIAN SEA THRACE AEGAE AND IMBERS THE SEA GODS’ ARCHIPELAGO CHIOS AND CYPRUS PART THREE. THE WORLD OF THE ACHAEANS Chapter 9. Climate and Chronology: The Northern Origin of the Mycenaeans THE POSTGLACIAL CLIMATIC OPTIMUM MYCENAEANS IN THE NORTH NORTHERN CULTURAL CORRESPONDENCES THE DECLINE OF THE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM A CULTURE ON THE MOVE DATING THE HOMERIC WORLD THE MIGRATION OF ORAL AND WRITTEN MYTH THE PATH OF MIGRATION AND THE SEED OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION Chapter 10. The Catalog of Ships: The Northern Achaean World THE BOEOTIAN AREA AT HENS TO CAPE MALEA THE PELOPONNESE AND ITHACA’S ARCHIPELAGO FROM AETOLIA TO PHTHIA FROM PHERAE TO THE MAGNETES Chapter 11. The Regions of the Peloponnese PYLOS TELEMACHUS’S JOURNEY TO SPARTA AND BACK ARCADIA AND ELIS THE STRUCTURAL UNITY OF HOMER’S WORLD Chapter 12. Crete, the River Egypt, Pharos, and Phthia CRETE THE RIVER EGYPT PHAROS, HOME OF THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA PHTHIA ACHILLES’ SHIELD PART FOUR. THE MIGRATION OF MYTH FROM THE HYPERBOREAN PARADISE Chapter 13. Finding the Home of the Gods TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH THE PILLARS OF HERCULES AND THE GIANT WITH A HUNDRED HANDS BEYOND THE OCEAN ATLANTIS ETHIOPIA OLYMPUS AND PIERIA THE MOON OF HERMES Chapter 14. Climate Change and the Migration of Culture THE ORIGINAL HOMELAND OF THE INDO-EUROPEANS THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS EGYPTIAN, ROMAN, NORSE, AND LITHUANIAN CONNECTIONS PEOPLE OF THE FIRE THE FLOOD THE DAINAS AND THE SUMERIANS Chapter 15. Solar, Stellar, and Lunar Myths THE ORIGIN AND DISPERSION OF SOLAR MYTHOLOGY STELLAR MYTHOLOGY SOLAR AND STELLAR ORION LUNAR MYTHS Conclusion Appendix: The Bible and the Northern Bronze Age Index Footnotes Endnotes Bibliography About the Author Translated by Felice Vinci and Amalia De Francesco. Originally published in 1995 in Italian under the title 'Omero nel Baltico', by Fratelli Palombi Editions, Rome. For years scholars have debated the incongruities in Homer's 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey', given that his descriptions are at odds with the geography of the areas he purportedly describes. Inspired by Plutarch's remark that Calypso's Isle was only five days sailing from Britain, Felice Vinci convincingly argues that Homer's epic tales originated not in the Mediterranean, but in the northern Baltic Sea. Using meticulous geographical analysis, Vinci shows that many Homeric places, such as Troy and Ithaca, can still be identified in the geographic landscape of the Baltic. He explains how the dense, foggy weather described by Ulysses befits northern not Mediterranean climes, and how battles lasting through the night would easily have been possible in the long days of the Baltic summer. Vinci's meteorological analysis reveals how a decline of the climatic optimum caused the blond seafarers to migrate south to warmer climates, where they rebuilt their original world in the Mediterranean. Through many generations the memory of the heroic age and the feats performed by their ancestors in their lost homeland was preserved and handed down to the following ages, only later to be codified by Homer in the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'. Felice Vinci offers a key to open many doors that allow us to consider the age-old question of the Indo-European diaspora and the origin of the Greek civilization from a new perspective. Ulysses homeward bound : the islands of Ogygia and Scheria Ithaca's archipelago : Dulichium, Same, and Zacynthus Ithaca The adventures of Ulysses Ulysses and northern mythology If "this is not the site of the ancient Ilium," where was Troy? War! Neighboring lands and islands Climate and chronology : the northern origin of the Mycenaeans The catalog of ships : the northern Achaean world The regions of the Peloponnese Phthia, Crete, the River Egypt, and Pharos Finding the home of the gods Climate change and the migration of culture Solar, stellar, and lunar myths.