Falling

Abstract

Falling is not only a highly repetitive action in the Iliad but also the primary means for indicating death on the battlefield. It is thus a quintessentially human gesture, which draws the body not only toward death but also into a specifically mortal sense of time. In light of the significance of falling for mortals, this chapter examines the problematic case of two gods who fall in the Iliad. It argues that when Hephaestus tumbles to earth from Olympus and when Ares is knocked flat on the battlefield, both gods also “fall into” human time. This action complicates their status as immortals and draws into question the different temporal registers at work in the poem.