Recently came across this in the book I'm reading:
The strong visual component of Homeric similes stems mainly from lyric traditions that are still evident in later poetry, especially in the choral songs of Pindar and in the sympotic poetry of Theognis (Martin 1997: 153–66). A most vivid example is a simile that visualizes the Achaeans at a moment of defeat in battle in the Iliad by comparing
them to a blighted population suffering from the conflagration caused by a thunderstorm (17.735–9). The wording in this simile is evidently cognate with the wording that describes a cosmic flood caused by Zeus in a song of Pindar (Olympian 9.49–53; Martin 1997: 160–61). In general, the Iliad is pervaded by similes centering on the complementary themes of cosmic flood and cosmic conflagration, that is, of cataclysm and ecpyrosis respectively, and these themes are initiated by what is called the Will of Zeus at the beginning of the Iliad (1.5): ecpyrosis applies to both the Trojans and the Achaeans, while cataclysm applies only to the Achaeans (EH [= Nagy 2005] §§63–4; PR [= Nagy 2002] 66). In the Iliad, the fire of the Achaeans menacing the Trojans and, conversely, the fire of
the Trojans menacing the Achaeans are both pervasively compared to a cosmic conflagration expressing the menis ¯ ‘anger’ of Zeus (BA 20§§13–20; Muellner 1996). Similarly, when it is foretold that the rivers of the Trojan plain will erase all traces of the Achaean Wall at Troy, the flooding of the plain is described in language that evokes a cosmic cataclysm (Iliad 12.17–33; EH §64).
Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology (2007), p61-2
Anyone for a game of 'join the dots'?
The Trojan War is dated to the same time as the collapse of the Bronze Age.
The destruction of the Aegean/Middle East region is variously ascribed to volcanoes, earthquakes, flood, drought, fire, humans and who knows what else. All these are recognised as factors but scholars cannot explain why they all occurred at more or less the same time.
This collapse was followed by a so-called 'dark age' which lasted anything up to several hundred years, e.g. in Greece. (The Greeks themselves do not mention this 'dark age' - not one of them).
Two of the first pieces of literature to appear after this dark age, where the Greeks lost knowledge of writing, are Homer's two poems. Both these poems are based upon events relating to the Trojan War. Homer is widely believed to have been a native of Ionia in western Anatolia.
Thoughout the Iliad Homer maintains a parallelism between human and divine actions.
As the above quote shows, the very language and and terminology used by Homer relates to catastrophism.
Obvious conclusion: coincidence
Not relevant to this thread but Homer's use of words when dealing with Achilles is entirely in keeping with my claim re alchemy/yoga.