Homer is the legendary ancient Greek poet traditionally credited with composing two of the greatest epic poems of ancient Greece, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". Believed to have lived during the 8th century BCE, his works are foundational to the Western literary canon and provide insight into early Greek culture and mythology. Despite his significance, details about his life remain obscure, and some scholars even debate whether he was a single individual or a symbolic representation of a collective oral storytelling tradition.