The fluid prose of the epic 24-part Odyssey filled the air outside of the Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library on April 6 as the first-ever Homerathon kicked off, presented by Eta Sigma Phi, the Honorary Society for Classical Studies. 

Starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m., the Homerathon read aloud all 24 books of the Odyssey, one of the blind poet Homer’s best enduring works. Students and faculty volunteered to read sections of the text, each tackling 15 minutes of the great endeavor which took more than half of the day. 

Students read aloud the poet’s prose, which vividly evoked the agonies of Odysseus, the essential champion of Greek literature, as he battled his way across the Mediterranean back to his homeland of Ithaca.

The event was organized by Hannah Pulverenti, a sophomore College of Arts and Sciences student and the president of Eta Sigma Phi, and Dr. Kyle Helms, PhD from the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies.  The Homerathon is a tradition at other universities where Eta Sigma Phi chapters are chartered, and Helms contributed to this year’s pilot Homerathon with his experience gleaned at other institutions, said Pulverenti. 

Volunteers reading from the Odyssey seemed passionate about exposing the campus to a quintessential classical literary work.

“The Homeric works are particularly interesting because they don’t just deal with myths and heroes and gods, but they include mundane, domestic details that made them relevant for the everyday listener,” said Joe Baronovic, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences.  “These poems were some of the first real literature.

“Mythology in a lot of ways can seem removed from humanity, but the Illiad and Odyssey are human stories despite their mythology, and that’s why they’re so enduring.  One can adventure into the paranormal and return to daily life just the same,” he said. 

Baronovic believes that this is why disciplines such as philosophy and classical studies can be rewarding: understanding the classics assists one in “orienting his or her world around the fusion of mystery and comfortable knowing,” he said. 

Other events hosted by the Classical Languages Honors Society include the January Certamen, a yearly Latin quiz bowl held for local high school students to encourage proficiency in classical studies.  In the future, the chapter hopes to organize occasional volunteering projects and film showings. 

Above all, the chapter hopes that the Homerathon endures as a tradition on Creighton’s campus, and they hope to be back as early as next fall to tackle another marathon run of a great, defining classic.