The meaning and origin of phraseology “homeric laughter” is not such a secret, especially for those who once read “Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece”. For the rest, we will tell you where the phrase in question came from.
ON THE. Kun
Here you need to talk about the origin of ancient Greek myths. The book "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece" is considered canonical in our country, written by Nikolai Albertovich Kun. A wonderful edition was published for the first time in 1922. The book survived a huge number of reprints.
ON THE. Kuhn in his book faithfully informs the reader that the myths about the life and origin of the gods are set forth in three sources:
1. Hesiod, "Theogony."
2. Homer's poems: The Iliad and The Odyssey.
3. The work of Ovid. Specifically, the material was taken from his "Metamorphosis".
It can be seen with the naked eye that the name of the poet Homer and the Russian adjective "Homeric" are connected, but so far it is not the time to open all the cards. The meaning and origin of phraseology “homeric laughter” will be clarified soon. And now from the sources of N.A. Kuna go to the anthropomorphic (humanoid gods) of Ancient Hellas.
Ancient greek gods
Anyone who is even a little interested in the history of beliefs knows that our ancestor imagined the world around him a little differently than modern man. The world for the first was animate. Each element was controlled by its god. Poseidon was responsible for the water surface, Hades - for the underworld, the world of the dead, etc. We will not list all here, there are too many of them.
The bottom line is that an ancient man, having no knowledge of the physics of external reality, judged it by analogy with himself.
That is why the gods, as they say in one famous series of the 90s of the 20th century, are “vengeful and cruel,” that is, just like people. Do not think that this has nothing to do with the topic “The Meaning and Origin of Phraseologism“ Homeric Laughter ”, you just need a little more patience.
Olympus
In the Middle Ages, saints dreamed that after death they would sit on the right hand of Christ. The ancient Greek had dreams of a different kind: he dreamed of ascending to Olympus and having a feast with the gods, especially Zeus was sweet to him.
Olympus is the highest mountain range in Greece. In those times, which we are talking about, it was believed that the gods live here.
According to myths, Olympus is good. The gods, enjoying their existence, eat ragweed - the food of the gods. Olympus always has wonderful weather. Sorrows also do not often overshadow the existence of the gods. By the way, we have come close to figuring out the meaning and origin of phraseology “homeric laughter”.
Feast of the Gods
Despite the fact that each god controls his estate, everyone gathers for a feast, and even those who manage the darkest areas of human existence, that is, the world of the dead. It's about Hades, of course. Although the gods are harmful, they can always appreciate a good joke, and then Olympus is filled with homeric laughter. Now the meaning of phraseology “homeric laughter” is simply being revealed to us. This is rampant laughter over something, it usually accompanies indefatigable fun. The adjective "homeric" here, preserving some historical content and a reference to the works of Homer, means "plentiful", "huge", "vast", "very loud and very sincere."
What can you laugh at homerically?
Complex issue. It all depends on the level of human development, age, era, culture and situation. For example, someone likes Jim Carrey, and someone like Charlie Chaplin. True, Chaplin is laughed at not only because he has funny films, but also because it is a classic. Chaplin gives the viewer not only the kind of discharge he needs, but also a sense of how smart he is. Still would! After all, he laughs homerically at Chaplin.
It is gratifying that it is no longer necessary to explain, but what is the meaning of phraseology “homeric laughter”, for everything is already clear.
I remember that in 1999 the movie "American Pie" was released. Teenagers not only laughed at him homerically, while watching the fun turned (if it was in the company) into mass hysteria.
Someone, on the contrary, does not like films too much and prefers books. Some laugh tearfully at Jerome, others at Wodehouse, and others at Twain or Vonnegut.
It also happens. For example, a man on ice slipped and fell, and someone saw this and laughed so hard that he could not stand it and also fell in the snow. As it is not difficult to understand, then a whole chain of those who laughed and fell formed, before that it was all hilarious.
Like D.I. Harms - old women who, due to excessive curiosity, fell out of the windows all day. The moral of this story is that in general it’s impossible to laugh at people stretching on ice, even though homerically, but even not, but if you really want to, then you can.
Modern life of phraseology
Few people remember Homer now. Not to a small extent because his works are very difficult to read. But that would be half the trouble. The real problem is that even the wonderful myths of ancient Greece are few to discover. While they are wonderful, especially in the treatment of N.A. Kuna.
For all these reasons, the origin of phraseology “homeric laughter” is of such interest, because Homer is forgotten, myths are forgotten, all that remains is the adjective “homeric”. We hope that we not only explained the phrase, but also showed its origin. A small piece of the history of religion will also benefit the reader. Maybe he will even want to delve into this fascinating question.
Laughter prolongs life
I would like to end on a major note and say that the phraseology “homeric laughter” was investigated by us, and we could not find any contraindications against unrestrained fun.
If suddenly the dear reader allows himself to laugh homerically, i.e. loudly, cheerfully and sincerely, let him first make sure that no one is with him and his laughter does not hurt anyone, and then give vent to his feelings.