2025.10.12 – How The Iliad Lives Today: From Homer’s Epic to Victoria Rigiroli’s Children’s Adaptation

Posted byLeonardo Tomás CardilloPosted inUncategorized

Key Takeaways

  • The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer, recounting a few weeks in the tenth year of the Trojan War.
  • The legendary Trojan Horse episode is not part of The Iliad but appears in other works such as the Little Iliad, Iliou Persis, and Virgil’s Aeneid.
  • Argentine writer Victoria Rigiroli adapted The Iliad into accessible prose for children, combining education and literature.
  • Rigiroli was born on May 1, 1979, in Buenos Aires, is married, and likely has children, according to her own public profile.
  • Her adaptation softens violence, uses clear language, and preserves moral and cultural meaning for young readers.

Homer’s World and the Epic’s Foundations

Origins of the Poem
Homer, a Greek poet who likely lived in the 8th century BCE in Ionia (modern Turkey), is traditionally credited with composing The Iliad and The Odyssey. Legends describe him as a blind bard (aedo) who recited poetry accompanied by a lyre.

The poem is written in dactylic hexameter, a verse made of six metrical feet, each usually consisting of one long syllable followed by two short ones. This rhythmic pattern gave the oral performance its musical quality.

An example imitation in English rhythm:

“Sing, O Muse, of the hero who sought his blazing destiny.”
(Translated and adapted from a Spanish illustration used for teaching meter.)

The Story
Set in Troy (modern-day Çanakkale, Turkey), the poem focuses on Achilles (Greek) and his rage after Agamemnon (Greek) seizes his captive Briseis (Trojan). The gods—Zeus (god of the sky), Hera (goddess of marriage), Athena (goddess of wisdom), Apollo (god of the sun and plague), Aphrodite (goddess of love), and Ares (god of war)—influence every turn of battle.

After the death of Patroclus (Greek) at the hands of Hector (Trojan), Achilles returns to battle, kills Hector, and later returns his body to Priam (Trojan), the grieving king. The epic closes with Hector’s funeral, not with Troy’s fall.

The Trojan Horse and the Fall of Troy

The fall of Troy is told in later or now-lost epics:

  • The Little Iliad (by Lesches of Mytilene, 7th century BCE): recounts the invention of the wooden horse by Odysseus (Greek).
  • The Iliou Persis (by Arctinus of Miletus, 8th century BCE): narrates the Greeks entering the city at night and Troy’s destruction.
  • Virgil’s Aeneid (Book II, 1st century BCE): retells the story from Aeneas (Trojan)’s perspective, describing the deception, Laocoön’s death, and the city’s burning.

Later authors like Euripides (Greek) in The Trojan Women and Quintus of Smyrna (Greek) in Posthomerica expanded on the aftermath and human suffering that followed Troy’s fall.

Victoria Rigiroli’s Adaptation

Purpose and Audience
Victoria Rigiroli’s La Ilíada contada para niños y niñas was published by Ediciones Lea (Argentina) in the collection La brújula y la veleta. It retells Homer’s epic for readers aged 8–12, using modern Spanish prose.

Style and Features

  • Simplified language that remains faithful to the plot and core values.
  • Emphasis on courage, friendship, and respect over revenge.
  • Softened depictions of violence and death to suit young readers.
  • Explanatory glossaries and illustrations by Fernando Martínez Ruppel (Argentine illustrator).

Reception
Teachers and parents praise the book as an engaging introduction to Greek mythology. Critics note that the adaptation inevitably loses the grandeur and rhythm of Homer’s verse, a compromise typical in educational versions.

Victoria Rigiroli’s Life

Verified information from her public CV and online profiles shows that:

  • She was born on May 1, 1979, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • She holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero.
  • She is married and, as stated on her Instagram, refers to “my children and my books,” suggesting she is a mother.
  • No verified sources mention her spouse’s or parents’ identities.
  • Her LinkedIn confirms her role as professor and author working with Ediciones Lea.

Her work includes adaptations of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Labors of Hercules, aiming to make classical texts enjoyable for children.

Definition: “Iliad”

The word Iliad comes from the Greek Ilias, meaning “the poem of Ilion” (another name for Troy). It literally means “Song of Ilion” or “Poem about Troy.”

Definition: “Dactylic Hexameter”

A metrical pattern used in ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry, consisting of six feet per line. Each foot is usually one long syllable followed by two short ones, producing a galloping rhythm ideal for recitation.

Definition: “Aedo”

A Greek term meaning “singer” or “bard.” Aedos were oral poets who recited long heroic poems accompanied by music, serving as transmitters of cultural memory before writing was common.

Recommended YouTube Resource

THE ILIAD by Homer – Book Summary by JuanReads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ntTi0a6ls
Published on February 25, 2023. Provides a clear summary of The Iliad’s plot, themes, and historical significance.

Additional recommended verified videos:

All links verified as active on 12 October 2025 (Europe/Amsterdam time).

Final Reflection

Homer’s Iliad remains one of humanity’s oldest and most moving stories about anger, honor, and fate.
Victoria Rigiroli’s adaptation reopens that ancient door for children, transforming a tale of war into one of empathy and learning. Her work bridges thousands of years, showing how myth, when retold with care, can still shape young imaginations and preserve the rhythm of a civilization’s earliest voice.

Sources

Published by Leonardo Tomás Cardillo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonardocardillo

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