10 Famous People Who Never Actually Existed

5. Homer

Greek poet Homer has become synonymous with the works of the Illiad and the Odyssey - yet whether or not he penned them, or more importantly whether he actually existed at all, remains a topic of fierce debate. Some ancient Greek scholars claimed the writer lived around 850 BC, while others believe he was born earlier in 1102 BC - but many modern-day historians do not believe such a figure existed at all.

Plato describes Homer as the "leader of Greek culture" - but even if he did exist, it is highly unlikely that he was the sole author of both the Illiad and the Odyssey. Often described as a blind man born on the island of Chios, Homer probably did not exist in the form he is now known - and his poems were probably written by a collection of people.

They were certainly both standardised at a later date, which would given weight to the theory that Homer did not actually exist. So the author of the first-known literature of Europe did not ever actually ever step foot on Earth - now that really does confuse the mind.