Homer was a Greek poet, responsible for writing the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey." The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown as records do not date back that far. Educated guesses place his time at around 850 B. C. According to legend, his original name was Tigranes and he was from Babylonia. When he was taken hostage by the Greeks, he took the name Homer, which means hostage, or blind. It is uncertain whether or not he was truly blind, but he is often characterized that way. Other sources portray him as a wandering minstrel. Whatever he was like in real-life, his work survived for nearly 3,000 years and are considered epics.