Battle of Frogs and Mice

A comic poem usually ascribed to Hesiod or Homer and is usually included in the classification of Homerica; the poem consists of 333 lines and assumed to date from the seventh century BCE.

The Battle of Frogs and Mice is a delightful parody of the epic battle scenes of The Iliad, complete with speeches and posturing.

After a misunderstanding, the Frogs and Mice don their battle-gear and fight until the Immortals intervene and stop the war; when Zeus asked Athene (Athena) to stop the war she replied that she most certainly would not because during her travels the Mice ruined her clothes by nibbling at them and the Frogs kept her awake all night with their croaking.

The poem is brilliant in its simplicity and truly does comic justice to the epic style; the Battle of Frogs and Mice is included in the Loeb Classical Library volume 57 (ISBN 0674990633); you can sometimes find this book at your local library or you can order it through the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.