τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·80
ὦ πάτερ ἡμέτερε Κρονίδη, ὕπατε κρειόντων,
εἰ μὲν δὴ νῦν τοῦτο φίλον μακάρεσσι θεοῖσιν,
νοστῆσαι Ὀδυσῆα πολύφρονα ὅνδε δόμονδε,
Ἑρμείαν μὲν ἔπειτα διάκτορον ἀργεϊφόντην
νῆσον ἐς Ὠγυγίην ὀτρύνομεν, ὄφρα τάχιστα85
νύμφῃ ἐυπλοκάμῳ εἴπῃ νημερτέα βουλήν,
νόστον Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὥς κε νέηται·
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν Ἰθάκηνδʼ ἐσελεύσομαι, ὄφρα οἱ υἱὸν
μᾶλλον ἐποτρύνω καί οἱ μένος ἐν φρεσὶ θείω,
εἰς ἀγορὴν καλέσαντα κάρη κομόωντας Ἀχαιοὺς90
πᾶσι μνηστήρεσσιν ἀπειπέμεν, οἵ τέ οἱ αἰεὶ
μῆλʼ ἁδινὰ σφάζουσι καὶ εἰλίποδας ἕλικας βοῦς.
πέμψω δʼ ἐς Σπάρτην τε καὶ ἐς Πύλον ἠμαθόεντα
νόστον πευσόμενον πατρὸς φίλου, ἤν που ἀκούσῃ,
ἠδʼ ἵνα μιν κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἔχῃσιν.95
ὣς εἰποῦσʼ ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα,
ἀμβρόσια χρύσεια, τά μιν φέρον ἠμὲν ἐφʼ ὑγρὴν
ἠδʼ ἐπʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν ἅμα πνοιῇς ἀνέμοιο·
εἵλετο δʼ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος, ἀκαχμένον ὀξέι χαλκῷ,
βριθὺ μέγα στιβαρόν, τῷ δάμνησι στίχας ἀνδρῶν100
ἡρώων, τοῖσίν τε κοτέσσεται ὀβριμοπάτρη.
βῆ δὲ κατʼ Οὐλύμποιο καρήνων ἀίξασα,
στῆ δʼ Ἰθάκης ἐνὶ δήμῳ ἐπὶ προθύροις Ὀδυσῆος,
οὐδοῦ ἐπʼ αὐλείου· παλάμῃ δʼ ἔχε χάλκεον ἔγχος,
εἰδομένη ξείνῳ, Ταφίων ἡγήτορι Μέντῃ.105
εὗρε δʼ ἄρα μνηστῆρας ἀγήνορας. οἱ μὲν ἔπειτα
πεσσοῖσι προπάροιθε θυράων θυμὸν ἔτερπον
ἥμενοι ἐν ῥινοῖσι βοῶν, οὓς ἔκτανον αὐτοί·
κήρυκες δʼ αὐτοῖσι καὶ ὀτρηροὶ θεράποντες
οἱ μὲν οἶνον ἔμισγον ἐνὶ κρητῆρσι καὶ ὕδωρ,110
οἱ δʼ αὖτε σπόγγοισι πολυτρήτοισι τραπέζας
νίζον καὶ πρότιθεν, τοὶ δὲ κρέα πολλὰ δατεῦντο.
τὴν δὲ πολὺ πρῶτος ἴδε Τηλέμαχος θεοειδής,
ἧστο γὰρ ἐν μνηστῆρσι φίλον τετιημένος ἦτορ,
ὀσσόμενος πατέρʼ ἐσθλὸν ἐνὶ φρεσίν, εἴ ποθεν ἐλθὼν115
μνηστήρων τῶν μὲν σκέδασιν κατὰ δώματα θείη,
τιμὴν δʼ αὐτὸς ἔχοι καὶ δώμασιν οἷσιν ἀνάσσοι.
τὰ φρονέων, μνηστῆρσι μεθήμενος, εἴσιδʼ Ἀθήνην.
βῆ δʼ ἰθὺς προθύροιο, νεμεσσήθη δʼ ἐνὶ θυμῷ
ξεῖνον δηθὰ θύρῃσιν ἐφεστάμεν· ἐγγύθι δὲ στὰς120
χεῖρʼ ἕλε δεξιτερὴν καὶ ἐδέξατο χάλκεον ἔγχος,
καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·
χαῖρε, ξεῖνε, παρʼ ἄμμι φιλήσεαι· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
δείπνου πασσάμενος μυθήσεαι ὅττεό σε χρή.
notes
Hearing Zeus’s diplomatic reply to her complaint, Athena moves fast before Poseidon gets back, laying out the two-pronged offensive that will occupy the first five books of the poem.
read full essay
Hermes is to go to Calypso and deliver the news that the gods have decided that Odysseus must be released; Athena, meanwhile, will visit Ithaka and get Telemachus moving. He is to rally the rest of the citizens to oppose the suitors and then travel to Pylos and Sparta in search of news about his father. We will hear about these two initiatives serially and in reverse order of Athena’s telling, with Telemachus’s adventures in Books 1–4 and Odysseus’s release coming in Book 5.
The connection between the two parts of the mission is marked by some verbal and thematic parallels between this divine assembly and the one that opens Book 5. In each, Athena lodges a bitter complaint: The gods don’t care about Odysseus, who is being held against his will by Calypso (1.44–62; 5.7–20). Zeus’s reply in both cases is mildly indignant:
τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
My child, what sort of word has crossed the barrier of your teeth?
Odyssey 1.64 = 5.22
Here, Zeus protests that he loves Odysseus, a brilliant man who gives excellent sacrifices. The culprit is Poseidon, and he must give way to the will of all the other gods. In Book 5, Zeus’s tone is similar, but is prompted by puzzlement: Why is Athena bothering him? Hasn’t she arranged ahead of time for Odysseus to arrive safely home and wreak revenge on the suitors? (5.22–27) The implications of this latter response for our understanding of the poem’s portrait of divine will and human choice are profound and we will return to them in our discussion of Book 5 (see essay on 5.1–42).
The preparations for Athena’s journey unfold in a full, leisurely style that characterizes much of the traditional material in Homeric poetry. Each act receives the poet’s unhurried attention, nouns appearing with their ornamental epithets, with a high coincidence of verse length and sense units, adjectives at the beginning of the verse modifying nouns in the previous verse while pointing forward by expanding the original thought (e.g., 96–97; 99–100):
ὣς εἰποῦσ᾽ ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα,
ἀμβρόσια χρύσεια, τά μιν φέρον ἠμὲν ἐφ᾽ ὑγρὴν
ἠδ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν ἅμα πνοιῇς ἀνέμοιο:
εἵλετο δ᾽ ἄλκιμον ἔγχος, ἀκαχμένον ὀξέι χαλκῷ,
βριθὺ μέγα στιβαρόν, τῷ δάμνησι στίχας ἀνδρῶν
ἡρώων, τοῖσίν τε κοτέσσεται ὀβριμοπάτρη.
βῆ δὲ κατ᾽ Οὐλύμποιο καρήνων ἀίξασα,
στῆ δ᾽ Ἰθάκης ἐνὶ δήμῳ ἐπὶ προθύροις Ὀδυσῆος,
οὐδοῦ ἐπ᾽ αὐλείου: παλάμῃ δ᾽ ἔχε χάλκεον ἔγχος,
εἰδομένη ξείνῳ, Ταφίων ἡγήτορι Μέντῃ.
Speaking thus, she bound lovely sandals under her feet,
immortal, golden sandals, which carry her across the water
and the boundless earth with a puff of wind.
Then she took up the stout sword, tipped with sharp bronze,
heavy, huge, and thick, with which she dominates the armies of men,
heroes, at whom she, daughter of a mighty father, is angered.
Darting down from the peaks of Olympus she flew,
and landed on the porch of Odysseus, in the land of Ithaka,
on the threshold of the court, and she held a bronze sword,
likening herself to a guest friend, Mentes, leader of the Taphians.
Odyssey 1.96–105
The divine messenger for the second part of the mission is Hermes:
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ἀπίθησε διάκτορος ἀργεϊφόντης.
αὐτίκ᾽ ἔπειθ᾽ ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα,
ἀμβρόσια χρύσεια, τά μιν φέρον ἠμὲν ἐφ᾽ ὑγρὴν
ἠδ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν ἅμα πνοιῇς ἀνέμοιο.
εἵλετο δὲ ῥάβδον, τῇ τ᾽ ἀνδρῶν ὄμματα θέλγει,
ὧν ἐθέλει, τοὺς δ᾽ αὖτε καὶ ὑπνώοντας ἐγείρει.
τὴν μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχων πέτετο κρατὺς ἀργεϊφόντης.
Πιερίην δ᾽ ἐπιβὰς ἐξ αἰθέρος ἔμπεσε πόντῳ:
σεύατ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἐπὶ κῦμα λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς,
ὅς τε κατὰ δεινοὺς κόλπους ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο
ἰχθῦς ἀγρώσσων πυκινὰ πτερὰ δεύεται ἅλμῃ:
τῷ ἴκελος πολέεσσιν ὀχήσατο κύμασιν Ἑρμῆς.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ τὴν νῆσον ἀφίκετο τηλόθ᾽ ἐοῦσαν,
ἔνθ᾽ ἐκ πόντου βὰς ἰοειδέος ἤπειρόνδε
ἤιεν, ὄφρα μέγα σπέος ἵκετο, τῷ ἔνι νύμφη
ναῖεν ἐυπλόκαμος: τὴν δ᾽ ἔνδοθι τέτμεν ἐοῦσαν.
So [Zeus] spoke, and the messenger, slayer of Argos, did not disobey.
Right away, he bound lovely sandals under his feet,
immortal, golden sandals, which carry him across the water
and the boundless earth with a puff of wind.
Then he took up his wand, with which he charms the eyes of mortals
whom he enchants, putting them to sleep and waking them.
Taking it in his hands the powerful slayer of Argos flew;
standing on Pieria, he launched himself over the sea.
Then he raced across the waves like a seagull
that over the deadly depths of the barren sea
hunts fish, dipping his wings in the briny sea.
Like this creature, Hermes flew across the heaving deep.
But when he came near to the faraway island,
stepping out of the deep blue sea he went on
land, where he came upon the great cave where the nymph
with lovely braids lived and found her there within.
Odyssey 5.44–58
The verbatim repetition in the two passages suggests we have examples of what Homeric scholars call a “type scene,” a frequently occurring event described in identical language, except when the context might require some modification. Such scenes are common in Homeric epic, probably reflecting the origins of Homeric style in an oral tradition, where poetry was composed without the aid of writing.
The verbal similarities mirror thematic and functional parallels between the two passages. Both assemblies supply the impetus for getting the story moving after an extended period of stasis, the suitors’ siege of the household and Calypso’s detention of Odysseus. At the same time, the differences between the two departure scenes are instructive. First, the two gods perform a variation on the warrior’s arming, another type scene (cf. Il. 3.330–7; 11.17–44; 16.131–44; 19.369–92). Both gods strap on sandals and grab a weapon that fits his or her divine nature. But the two passages diverge after each god darts off the ground. Athena leaves Olympus and in the next verse is standing on Odysseus’s front porch, the equivalent of being beamed into Ithaka from the Starship Enterprise. The description of Hermes’s journey is more expansive: he launches himself over the sea, which reminds the poet of a seagull, skimming across the waves, dipping his wings in the water in search of food. Later, when questioned by Calypso, he grumbles about the journey:
Ζεὺς ἐμέ γ᾽ ἠνώγει δεῦρ᾽ ἐλθέμεν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα:
τίς δ᾽ ἂν ἑκὼν τοσσόνδε διαδράμοι ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ
ἄσπετον; οὐδέ τις ἄγχι βροτῶν πόλις, οἵ τε θεοῖσιν
ἱερά τε ῥέζουσι καὶ ἐξαίτους ἑκατόμβας.
ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ οὔ πως ἔστι Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο
οὔτε παρεξελθεῖν ἄλλον θεὸν οὔθ᾽ ἁλιῶσαι.
Zeus ordered me to come here: I didn’t want to.
Who would willingly cross such a vast expanse of water,
endless! No city nearby, with mortals who
make sacrifices and burn excellent hecatombs.
But there is no way for another god to escape
or nullify the will of aegis-bearing Zeus.
Odyssey 5.99–104
Athena’s instant journey is what we would expect from an omnipotent being and suits the urgency of the occasion: the goddess must get things going. But the poet takes his time describing Hermes laboring across the vast deep because the geographical isolation of Calypso is important to her identity in the story. She is far away from both humans and gods, living in a liminal space, between time and timelessness. Staying in her magical realm takes Odysseus out of time, marooned in a static, godlike existence. Leaving her island and making his way to the Phaeacians, Odysseus begins the transition back into the human world of death and change, where, as we learn in Book 5, he prefers to live (5.215–24). Comparing the two journeys is a good way to study Homer’s manipulation of traditional stylistic forms to fit his particular purposes. Though he inherited a highly developed, sophisticated style, he is always the master of that medium, not its servant.
Further Reading
Dimock, G. 1989. The Unity of the Odyssey, 63–75. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press.
Edwards, M. 1975. “Type Scenes and Homeric Hospitality.” Transaction of the American Philological Association 105: 51–72.
———. 1987. Homer, Poet of the Iliad, 45–53; 71–77. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Pucci, P. 1979. “The Song of the Sirens.” Arethusa 12: 121–132.
82 τοῦτο φίλον: “if it is dear …,” understand the verb ἐστι, probably in the indicative, making this a present simple condition with a hortatory subjunctive in the apodosis (Smyth 2300c).
83 νοστῆσαι Ὀδυσῆα: infinitive and its subject accusative introduced by τοῦτο φίλον [ἐστι]. The infinitive explains τοῦτο in line 82: “if this is dear …., namely…”
83 ὅνδε: possessive. The suffix –δε here and on the following noun is an enclitic indicating the goal (or limit) of motion (Smyth 1589).
85 ὀτρύνομεν: short-vowel hortatory subj.
87 νόστον... ταλασίφροωος: the content of the advice being given. In apposition to νημερτέα βουλήν.
87 ὥς κε νέηται: ὥς κε (ἄν) + subj. in a purpose clause is often found in Homer, whereas ἄν is usually absent in purpose clauses in Attic prose (Smyth 2201a).
88 ὑιὸν: Telemachus.
89 θείω: 1st sing. aor. subj. > τίθημι.
90 καλέσαντα: agrees with ὑιὸν in line 88, shifting back to the accusative after the dative οἱ in line 89.
90 κάρη κομόωντας: “long-haired” is a frequent epithet of the Achaeans. The construction is accusative of respect and attributive participle > κομάω.
91 ἀπειπέμεν: infin., complementing ἐποτρύνω (Smyth 1991).
91 οἱ: dative of possession, referring to Telemachus.
93 πέμψω: understand Telemachus as the object.
93 ἐς Σπάρτην τε καὶ ἐς Πὐλον: Sparta and Pylos are home to Menelaus and Nestor respectfully, who fought in the Trojan war beside Odysseus and left Troy when he did. Map of Telemachus' journey.
94 πευσόμενον: fut. ptc. > πυνθάνομαι, indicating purpose.
94 ἤν: = ἐάν, with the subjunctive, “on the chance that” (Smyth 2354).
98 ἅμα: “keeping pace with” + dative (Stanford).
100 δάμνησι: 3rd sing. pres. act. indic. > δάμνημι, “to subdue.”
101 τοῖσίν: “at whom,” dat. rel. pron., with κοτέσσεται, which takes a dative.
101 κοτέσσεται 3rd sing. aor. mid. short-vowel subj. > κοτέω. Subjunctive in an indefinite relative clause or present general conditional relative clause (Homeric Language Notes 11b., Smyth 2567b). The τε is also generalizing.
105 Ταφίων: the Taphians were pirates inhabiting the islands off the western coast of Greece.
107 πεσσοῖσι: strategy game played similar to checkers with circular pieces on a board with five lines. The goal of the game was either to destroy all of the opponent's men or circle them all. (Harper's Dictionary, Peck, 927 "Latrunculi") Achilles and Ajax playing a game.
106 οἱ: i.e., the suitors.
109 κήρυκες δ᾽ αὐτοῖσι καὶ ὀτρηροὶ θεράποντες: understand ἦσαν, “there were” (or “they had,” with the dative of possession), at the beginning of the sentence.
110 οἱ μὲν: i.e., the κήρυκες.
111 οἱ δ᾽: i.e., the θεράποντες.
112 νίζον καὶ πρότιθεν: unaugmented impfs.
113 τὴν: i.e., Athena, in the guise of Mentes.
113 πολὺ πρῶτος: "the very first"
115 εἴ: introducing an optative of wish, with the optatives θείη, ἔχοι, and ἀνάσσοι. This can be understood as indirect discourse, loosely introduced by ὀσσόμενος (“reflecting on his father, if only he would…”).
116 τῶν: masc. gen. pl. demonstrative adj. = τούτων.
116 σκέδασιν … θείη: “he might scatter,” with genitive (LSJ σκέδασις).
117 οἷσιν: possessive pron.
120 ξεῖνον … ἐφεστάμεν: subject accusative and (perfect) infinitive in indirect discourse introduced by νεμεσσήθη (line 119)
120 ἐφεστάμεν: Homeric perf. act. infin. > ἐφίστημι
123 φιλήσεαι: 2nd sing. fut. pass. indic. > φιλέω (LSJ φιλέω I.2, citing this passage).
124 πασσάμενος: aor. ptc. > πατέομαι, with genitive.
124 ὅττεό: interrogative pronoun. neut. gen. sing. pron. = οὗτινος (ὅτου).
124 χρή: the impersonal verb takes an accusative of person (σε) and a genitive of thing (ὅττεό). For this Homeric construction, see LSJ χρή I.2.
vocabulary
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: change, respond, alternate 80
θεά –ᾶς ἡ: a goddess
γλαυκῶπις –ιδος: with gleaming eyes, brighteyed
Ἀθηνᾶ –ᾶς ἡ: Athena
Κρονίδης –ου ὁ: son of Cronus
ὕπατος –η –ον: highest, the top of
κρείων –οντος ὁ: a ruler, lord, master
μέν: on the one hand, on the other hand
φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear
μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy
νοστέω νοστήσω ἐνόστησα νενόστηκα: to return, return home
Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey
πολύφρων –ον: much-thinking, thoughtful, ingenious, inventive
δόμονδε: home, homeward
Ἑρμῆς –οῦ ὁ: Hermes
διάκτορος –ου ὁ: the messenger
ἀργειφόντης –ου ὁ: slayer of Argus, epithet of Hermes
Ὠγυγία –ας ἡ: Ogygia, a mythical island in the Mediterranean, the abode of Calypso 85
ὀτρύνω ὀτρυνῶ ὤτρυνα ––– ––– –––: to stir up, rouse, egg on, spur on, encourage
ὄφρα: in order that; as long as, until
νύμφη –ης ἡ: nymph
εὐπλόκαμος –ον: with beautiful locks, fairhaired
νημερτής –ές: unerring, infallible
νόστος –ου ὁ: a return home
ταλασίφρων –ον: patient of mind, stout-hearted
νέομαι ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to go
ἀτάρ: but, yet
Ἰθάκηνδε: to Ithaca
εἰσέρχομαι εἰσελεύσομαι εἰσῆλθον εἰσελήλυθα ––– –––: go in/into, enter
ἐποτρύνω ἐποτρυνῶ ἐπώτρυνα: to urge one, exhort; (mid.) hasten on with
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
μένος –ους τό: might, force, strength, prowess, courage
φρήν φρενός ἡ: heart, mind
ἀγορά –ᾶς ἡ: an assembly of the people 90
κάρα –ατος τό: the head
κομάω (Ion. κομέω) κομήσω ἐκόμησα: to let the hair grow long, wear long hair
Ἀχαιός –ά –όν: Achaian
μνηστήρ –ῆρος ὁ: suitor
ἀπεῖπον: speak out, renounce
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat, (plur.) flock
ἁδινός –ή –όν: crowded, thronging
σφάζω σφάξω ἔσφαξα ἔσφακα ἔσφαγμαι ἐσφάχθην: kill, slaughter
εἰλίπους –ποδος: rolling in their gait, with rolling walk
ἕλιξ –ικος: curved, twisted horns
Σπάρτη –ης ἡ: Sparta, a city in Laconia in the Eurotas Valley East of the Tygetus mountains, mythological home of Helen and Menelaus
Πύλος –ου ἡ: Pylos, a city in Messenian Elis, on the coast opposite the southern extremity of the island of Sphacteria, or, a city in Triphylia of Elis, south of the Alphēus, mythological home of Nestor
ἠμαθόεις –εσσα –εν: sandy
ἠδέ: and 95
μιν: himself, herself (indecl.)
κλέος –ους τό: fame, glory
ἑσθλός –ή –όν: good
δέω δήσω ἔδησα δέδηκα ––– –––: to tie, fasten
πέδιλον –ου τό: sandals
ἀμβρόσιος [–α] –ον: divinely beautiful
χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, of gold, decked
μιν: him, her, it
ἠμέν: both.. (and)
ὑγρός –ά –όν: sea, wet, moist, running, fluid
ἀπείρων –ον: boundless
γαῖα –ας ἡ: land
πνοή –ῆς ἡ: a blowing, blast, breeze
ἄνεμος –ου ὁ: wind
ἄλκιμος –η –ον: warlike, strong, stout
ἔγχος –ους τό: spear, lance
ἀκαχμένος –η –ον: sharpened
βριθύς –εῖα –ύ: weighty, heavy 100
στιβαρός –ά –όν: compact, strong, stout, sturdy
δάμνημι/δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημαι ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: subdue, tame
στίξ στιχός ἡ: a row, line, rank
ἥρως ἥρωος ὁ: warrior, hero
κοτέω κοτήσω ἐκότησα: to bear a grudge against
ὀβριμοπάτρη –ης ἡ: daughter of a mighty sire
Ὄλυμπος –ου ὁ: Olympus
κάρηνον –ου τό: the peak
ἀίσσω ––– ἤῑξα ἀίξασκον ––– ἠίχθην: dart
Ἰθάκη –ης ἡ: Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, an island on the West coast of Greece
πρόθυρον –ου τό: the front-door, the door leading from the αὐλή
οὐδός –οῦ ὁ: a threshold
αὔλειος [–α] –ον: of or belonging to the courtyard (αὐλή)
παλάμη –ης ἡ: the palm of the hand, the hand
χάλκεος –α –ον: of copper
εἴδομαι εἴσομαι εἰσάμην: are visible, appear 105
Τάφιοι –ων οἱ: the Taphians, inhabitants of Taphos, notorious for their piracy
ἡγήτωρ –ορος ὁ: a leader, commander, chief
Μέντης –ου ὁ: Mentes, leader of the Ciconians, or, son of Anchialus, king of the Taphians, under whose form Athena visits Telemachus
ἄρα: particle: 'so'
ἀγήνωρ –ορος: bold, arrogant, manly, lordly
πεσσός –οῦ ὁ: an oval-shaped stone for playing a game like our checkers
προπάροιθε: before, in front of
θύρα –ας ἡ: a door
τέρπω τέρψω ἔτερψα ––– ––– ἐτάρφθην/ἐτέρφθην: to satisfy, delight, gladden, cheer
ἧμαι (or κάθημαι) ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to be seated, sit
ῥινός –οῦ ἡ: the skin
κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: to kill, slay
κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: herald
ὀτρηρός –ά –όν: quick, busy, ready
θεράπων –ονος ὁ: servant, attendant, slave
οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine 110
κρατήρ (Ion. κρητήρ) –ῆρος ὁ: a mixing vessel
αὖτε: again
σπόγγος –ου ὁ: a sponge
πολύτρητος –ον: full of holes, porous, much-pierced
τράπεζα –ης ἡ: table
νίζω νίψω ἔνιψα ––– νένιμμαι ἐνίφθην: to wash the hands
προθέω προθεύσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: to set out, prepare
κρέας –ως τό: meat, a piece of meat
δατέομαι δάσομαι ἐδασάμην δέδασμαι: to divide among themselves
Τηλέμαχος –ου ὁ: Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope
θεοειδής –ές: godlike
ἧμαι (or κάθημαι) ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to be seated, sit
τετίημαι (perf. with no pres. in use): to be sorrowful, to sorrow, mourn
ἦτορ τό: the heart
ὄσσομαι – – – – –: to imagine, perceive 115
ἑσθλός –ή –όν: good
φρήν φρενός ἡ: heart, mind
ποθεν: from some place
σκέδασις –εως ἡ: a scattering
δῶμα –ατος τό: a house
ἀνάσσω ἀνάξω ἤναξα: to be lord, master, owner, to rule, in
μέθημαι (perf. pass. with pres. act. use): to sit among
εἰσοράω εἰσόψομαι εἰσεῖδον εἰσεόρακα/εἰσεώρακα/εἰσόπωπα εἰσεόραμαι/εἰσεώραμαι/εἰσῶμμαι εἰσώφθην: to look at, see
ἰθύς ἰθεῖα ἰθύ: straight, direct
νεμεσάω νεμεσήσω ἐνεμέσησα: (active) to feel just resentment; (middle-passive) to be ashamed
δηθά: for a long time 120
ἐφίστημι ἐπστήσω ἐπέστησα (or ἐπέστην) ἐπέστηκα ἐπέσταμαι ἐπεστάθην: set upon, stand over
ἐγγύθι: near
δεξιτερός –ά –όν: right
φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: to say, speak
πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: feathered, winged
προσαυδάω προσαυδήσω προσηύδησα προσηύδηκα προσηύδημαι προσηυδήθην: to speak to, address, accost
φιλέω φιλήσω ἐφίλησα πεφίλημαι ἐφιλήθην: to welcome
δεῖπνον –ου τό: dinner, feast
πατέομαι πάσομαι ἐπασάμην πέπασμαι: to eat
μυθέομαι μυθήσομαι μεμύθημαι ἐμυθήθην: to say, speak