§ 5 — W. Leaf's introduction to Homer's Iliad 1 0

This, however, is a subordinate matter; the real question is, whether the original story of the Menis contained the promise of Zeus to Thetis that he would bring disaster upon the Greeks to revenge the insult offered to Achilles. The inconsistency as to whereabouts of the gods cannot be denied; is it inexplicable ? We can hardly say so. The consistency with which the Epic poet, composing for hearers and not for readers, is concerned, is the consistency of the moment. The consistency of details in different scenes is of less importance, so long as they are not conspicuous enough to affect our understanding of the main story. This is not the only place where the poet may have hovered vaguely between the divine power of omnipresence and the limitations of the anthropomorphic body. We will say, then, that the contradiction is real and disquieting, but not convincing.