
Biography
At the center of my research is Homer as part of the song culture of Ancient Greece. My interests include myth, ritual, lyric poetry, drama, comparative and historical linguistics, oral traditional poetry and poetics in Greece and beyond, and a comparative approach to all of the above. I am particularly interested in comparative work involving Indic and Slavic poetry, and have also made forays into working with Turkic epic. I have at various points studied Sanskrit, Avestan, and Hittite and retain various degrees of competency (and unflagging interest!) in these languages. On the myth side of things, I have a long-standing interest in mythological variation and local mythologies. On the poetic side, I have a particular interests in women's songs, especially laments and wedding songs.
My first book, Eve of the Festival: Making Myth in Odyssey 19, is a study of myth in Homer on the example of the first dialogue between Penelope and Odysseus.
My current project is a comparative study of Greek weddings focusing on the performances by the bride, her mother, and her age-mates.
Research
Selected Research
- Olga Levaniouk, “Russian Wedding Songs.” In: M. Beissinger, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Slavic and East European Foklore. Oxford 2025. 30-59. Download PDF
- Olga Levaniouk "The Song of the Bed Revisited". In: A. Papachrysostomou, A. Antonopoulos et al., eds. Γερα: Studies in Honor of Professor Menelaos Christopoulos, Classisc@25
- Olga Levaniouk. "The dreams of Barčin and Penelope." Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 112 (2023) 1-34. Download PDF
- Olga Levaniouk. "“Seeking Agariste.” In: M. Christopoulos , A. Papachrysostomou and A. Antonopoulos, eds. Myth and History: Close Encounters. De Gruyter 2022
- Olga Levaniouk. "Mystery Cows: Bovine Subplots in Initiation Narratives" In: M. Christopoulos , A. Papachrysostomou, M. Meyer,eds Unveiling the Hidden Face of Antiquity: Mysteries and Cryptic Cults, Phoibos Verlag 2022
- “Seeking Agariste.” Mythical History, Historical Myth. De Gruyter, MythosEikonPoiesis
- “The dreams of Barchin and Penelope." Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 113 (forthcoming)
- “Homer and Indo-European Myth.” In C. Pache, ed. Cambridge Homer Encyclopedia. 2020.
- “Homer and Indo-European Myth.” In C. Pache, ed. Cambridge Homer Encyclopedia.
- “Did Sappho and Homer Ever Meet? Comparative Perspectives on Homeric Singers.”
- Olga Levaniouk. "Oὐ χρώμεθα τοῖς ξενικοῖς ποιήμασιν: Questions about Evolution and Fluidity of the Odyssey." Homeric Contexts: Neoanalysis and the Interpretation of Oral poetry. Walter de Gruyter: 2012. 369-409.
- Olga Levaniouk. Eve of the Festival: Making Myth in Odyssey 19. Cambridge, Mass.: 2012.
Research Advised
- Eco Zhang, Leukos in Homeric Epics. Senior essay.
- Suh Young Choi, “SELECT wrath FROM Achilles: Representing the Iliad with the Relational Data Model." MA thesis 2025
- Jocelyn Hicks. "Hunting Metaphors for Love and War" Senior Essay, 2023
- Melissa Barker. "Patroclus as Heartthrob: Why Do We Love Him? A Meta-Analysis of Patroclus" Senior Essay, 2023
- Peter Schultz-Rathbun. "The Tapestry of Time: A Cunning Weaving of Fate and Free Will in the Iliad," Senior Essay, 2021
- Ruichen Tang. "The Relationship between Epic Heroes and Their Special Companions," Senior Essay, 2021
- Scott Yonek. "πολύτροπος and the Homeric Proem," Senior Essay, 2021
- James P. Piper. "Ankles and Vulnerability in Greek Thought: A Study of Connotations." Honors Thesis, 2015.
- Allison Ross. "Getting around in De rerum natura and Twelfth Night." Senior Essay, 2014.
- Molly Ostheller. "Truth and Authority: Homer, Hesiod, and the Challenge of Early Philosophy." Honors Thesis, 2013.
- Anysia Dumont. "A Song of Deadly Desire: The Evolution of the Sexy Siren in Late Antique Allegory." Honors Thesis, 2012.
- Ryan Platte. Horses and horsemanship in the oral poetry of Ancient Greece and the Indo-European world. Diss., 2008.
- Lauryn Hanley, Speleological Entanglements: Caves in Ancient Greek Religion, Literature, and Society. PhD Dissertation.
- Lexical Figures in Homer
- The Fugitive: Murder and Exile in Ancient Greece (Age of Heroes)
- Apollo through Time and Space: From Homer’s Troy to Ovid’s Rome