The Funeral Games of the Homeric Greeks.

The article presents information on the funeral games of Homeric Greeks. Funeral games were not exclusively Greek, nor were the games honoring Patroclus the first such Greek affair. Games were used to entertain guests, to honor returning heroes, and to make public exhibitions more pleasant to the common people. Over a period of many years sport eventually became a means of worshipping deities. It was as an expression of religious devotion that sport reached its greatest height. Participants in the funeral games which Achilles, a Greek warrior called to honor his friend and companion, Patroclus, who had been slain on the field of battle, were either aristocrats, leaders of an army, or their sons. The warriors had a brief respite from the perils of war and desired not only to honor their fallen comrade but also to lift their mourning spirits through the enjoyment of competition. Only the well-to-do entered the events because the contests demanded the skills of a leader in the army. In each event Achilles presented a valuable prize to each contestant. The intrinsic worth of the item was of considerably less importance than the honor of winning it.