Homer (Greek: Όμηρος, Hómēros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos ("singer") traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The poems are often dated to the 8th or 7th century BC; whether Homer himself was the actual writer of his works, or whether they were largely gradationally built through oral transmission, is debated by scholars. Homer's works begin the Western Canon and have been continually, historically hailed as brilliant.