98-111

• Μπόλλα-Μαυρίδου,  Βασιλεία

The simile is a figure of speech that has been used extensively by major writers, such as Homer, Vergil, Ovid, Aescylus, Dante, Shakespeare and Milton (to mention only a few). Its importance lies in the fact that it has great descriptive potential and can indicate relations between two distinctly different things most vividly. In the present paper an attempt is made to show the continuity that exists, concerning the phenomenon of simile, in the popular tradition that influenced the Homeric epics, the Greek folksongs and the cliché similes of the Modern Greek language.Homer used the simile in the Iliad and the Odyssey more than two hundred times. Therefore, it must be one of the most significant elements of the epic art. In Homer, the major source of inspiration for similes is the natural environment that surrounds the common man. The richness and thematic variety of the simile in Homer is unique. In modern times, the Greek folksongs, the so called "demotika tragou dia", have a richness of similes that could be compared only to that of the homeric epics. We notice also, that the main source of inspiration for similes, namely the greek nature and life, is common in the two types of poetry. Some other similarities also exist concerning the structure and style of the similes found in Homer and the Greek folksongs.In the Modern Greek Language, there is a kind of cliché simile, which has been transmitted by word of mouth from generation to generation, such as white as milk, red as blood, fat as a barrel, etc. Among the other similarities with the previous types of similes, we should mention that nature is the main source of inspiration for the cliché similes.A possible explanation for the similarities that exist in the three types of similes mentioned above could be the following: Homer was influenced by the popular tradition of his time, and consequently the similes he used were influenced by this tradition. Concerning the greek folksongs, these are creations of anonymous poets and reflect the popular tradition of their times. Last but not least, the Modern Greek cliché similes form part of the greek linguistic tradition. Obviously, there is a connection between the three types of similes, so distant chronologically, but showing the linguistic and cultural continuity of the Greek people from antiquity up to the present time.

• Languages and Literature
• Arts

• Literature and folklore
• Γλωσσολογία
• Λογοτεχνία
• Greek language

The present article is a revised form of a communication presented in the frame of the 7th Congress of Euroclassica, Chios, August 1997., Περιέχει βιβλιογραφία