Homer’s Iliad and Concepts of Heroic Identity Among Igbo Youth in Anambra State

Epic poetry has historically served as a repository of cultural values, and Homer's Iliad offers a rich framework for exploring how heroic identity is constructed and contested across different cultural traditions. This study investigates parallels and divergences between Homeric concepts of heroic identity and the ideals of heroism as understood and performed by Igbo youth in Anambra State, South East Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with structured questionnaires administered to 180 senior secondary and undergraduate students in Awka and Onitsha, alongside focus group discussions with six groups of eight participants each. Students were introduced to selected Iliad passages and asked to compare Homeric heroism with Igbo oral epic heroes, particularly in the Ozoadie and Eke Ebo traditions. The findings reveal significant convergences in the valorisation of martial courage, community sacrifice, and personal glory across both traditions. However, Igbo heroic identity is found to place greater emphasis on communal consensus and elder approval than on the individual defiance that characterises Achilles. The study also identifies a contemporary shift in Igbo youth heroic ideals toward economic success as a dominant marker of heroic status, diverging from both Homeric and traditional Igbo frameworks. The analysis concludes that comparative engagement with Homer enhances students' critical appreciation of their own cultural traditions and recommends cross-cultural epic studies as a component of secondary Classical Studies curricula.

Keywords: Homer, Iliad, heroic identity, Igbo youth, comparative epic