An analogous name, Asclepiadae, identified a clan or guild of medical practitioners as "children of Asclepius".
The natural further step is to argue that Homer, the supposed founder, is a mythical figure, a mere back-formation, deriving his name from that of the later guild.
In one of his essays, written around 350 BC, Isocrates says: Some of the Homeridae tell the story that Helen appeared to Homer in a dream and told him to make a poem about the Trojan expedition.
[4]At a slightly earlier date Plato makes a similar comment: I believe that some of the Homeridae recite two hymns to Eros from among the esoteric poems.
One famous member, Cynaethus of Chios, was at the centre of a group who were specially active in composing new poems and attaching them to Homer's works.
In this way, the Homeridae became the authors of some of the first "authoritative" versions of Homeric poetry, and removed much of the improvisation which had hitherto characterized the art form.