"ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε, Φαιήκων βητάρμονες ὅσσοι ἄριστοι,250

παίσατε, ὥς χ᾽ ὁ ξεῖνος ἐνίσπῃ οἷσι φίλοισιν

οἴκαδε νοστήσας, ὅσσον περιγιγνόμεθ᾽ ἄλλων

ναυτιλίῃ καὶ ποσσὶ καὶ ὀρχηστυῖ καὶ ἀοιδῇ.

Δημοδόκῳ δέ τις αἶψα κιὼν φόρμιγγα λίγειαν

οἰσέτω, ἥ που κεῖται ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισιν."255

ὣς ἔφατ᾽ Ἀλκίνοος θεοείκελος, ὦρτο δὲ κῆρυξ

οἴσων φόρμιγγα γλαφυρὴν δόμου ἐκ βασιλῆος.

αἰσυμνῆται δὲ κριτοὶ ἐννέα πάντες ἀνέσταν

δήμιοι, οἳ κατ᾽ ἀγῶνας ἐὺ πρήσσεσκον ἕκαστα,

λείηναν δὲ χορόν, καλὸν δ᾽ εὔρυναν ἀγῶνα.260

κῆρυξ δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων φόρμιγγα λίγειαν

Δημοδόκῳ· ὁ δ᾽ ἔπειτα κί᾽ ἐς μέσον· ἀμφὶ δὲ κοῦροι

πρωθῆβαι ἵσταντο, δαήμονες ὀρχηθμοῖο,

πέπληγον δὲ χορὸν θεῖον ποσίν. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς

μαρμαρυγὰς θηεῖτο ποδῶν, θαύμαζε δὲ θυμῷ.265

αὐτὰρ ὁ φορμίζων ἀνεβάλλετο καλὸν ἀείδειν

ἀμφ᾽ Ἄρεος φιλότητος εὐστεφάνου τ᾽ Ἀφροδίτης,

ὡς τὰ πρῶτα μίγησαν ἐν Ἡφαίστοιο δόμοισι

λάθρῃ, πολλὰ δ᾽ ἔδωκε, λέχος δ᾽ ᾔσχυνε καὶ εὐνὴν

Ἡφαίστοιο ἄνακτος. ἄφαρ δέ οἱ ἄγγελος ἦλθεν270

Ἥλιος, ὅ σφ᾽ ἐνόησε μιγαζομένους φιλότητι.

Ἥφαιστος δ᾽ ὡς οὖν θυμαλγέα μῦθον ἄκουσε,

βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς χαλκεῶνα κακὰ φρεσὶ βυσσοδομεύων,

ἐν δ᾽ ἔθετ᾽ ἀκμοθέτῳ μέγαν ἄκμονα, κόπτε δὲ δεσμοὺς

ἀρρήκτους ἀλύτους, ὄφρ᾽ ἔμπεδον αὖθι μένοιεν.275

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῦξε δόλον κεχολωμένος Ἄρει,

βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς θάλαμον, ὅθι οἱ φίλα δέμνι᾽ ἔκειτο,

ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἑρμῖσιν χέε δέσματα κύκλῳ ἁπάντῃ·

πολλὰ δὲ καὶ καθύπερθε μελαθρόφιν ἐξεκέχυντο,

ἠύτ᾽ ἀράχνια λεπτά, τά γ᾽ οὔ κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο,280

οὐδὲ θεῶν μακάρων· πέρι γὰρ δολόεντα τέτυκτο.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα δόλον περὶ δέμνια χεῦεν,

εἴσατ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς Λῆμνον, ἐυκτίμενον πτολίεθρον,

ἥ οἱ γαιάων πολὺ φιλτάτη ἐστὶν ἁπασέων.

οὐδ᾽ ἀλαοσκοπιὴν εἶχε χρυσήνιος Ἄρης,285

ὡς ἴδεν Ἥφαιστον κλυτοτέχνην νόσφι κιόντα·

βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι πρὸς δῶμα περικλυτοῦ Ἡφαίστοιο

ἰσχανόων φιλότητος ἐυστεφάνου Κυθερείης.

ἡ δὲ νέον παρὰ πατρὸς ἐρισθενέος Κρονίωνος

ἐρχομένη κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζεθ᾽· ὁ δ᾽ εἴσω δώματος ᾔει,290

ἔν τ᾽ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρί, ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζε·

"δεῦρο, φίλη, λέκτρονδε τραπείομεν εὐνηθέντες·

οὐ γὰρ ἔθ᾽ Ἥφαιστος μεταδήμιος, ἀλλά που ἤδη

οἴχεται ἐς Λῆμνον μετὰ Σίντιας ἀγριοφώνους."

    Demodocus sings about how Hephaistos caught Aphrodite and Ares in bed together.

    After the tense exchanges on the athletic fields, Homer lightens the mood, imagining the scene at Hephaestus’ house as the two divine lovers meet for what might now be called a “nooner.” The poet invites us to give ourselves over to the spirit of the scene, relishing the naturalistic touches that bring the experience closer to our everyday existence, where we can identify with the emotions of the gods as if they lived in our world.

    read full essay

    Such an effort of imagination is needed if we bear in mind that the gods of Homeric epic are immortal, ageless, omnipotent (at least in the world of mortals) and omniscient. Their existence has no limits and therefore no meaning in and of itself. Nothing they do within their own sphere matters because they cannot be permanently harmed, cannot change. The humiliation that Hephaestus feels as a cuckold and that he in imposes on the lovers can only be humorous, no matter how much the smith god huffs and puffs with indignation. Why does Hephaestus need another god to spy on the lovers if he already knows everything? How can the journey to Lemnos be interrupted partway, if the god could simply beam himself instantly anywhere he wants?

    Homer is not bothered by these kinds of inconsistencies, if it means that he can hold his audience in the spell of the moment. The poem is not meant to satisfy the qualms of professors poring over it with commentaries, but to carry the rest of us along in its wake, clothing the large questions about human experience it often addresses in familiar dress of everyday life. So, we delight in imagining Helios, the god of the sun, peeking from behind a cloud to catch the illustrious war god sneaking in for his assignation. We see Hephaestus ostentatiously pretending to head out of town (perhaps whistling?), Aphrodite slipping back home from a visit to her father to wait for her lover, and then listen as Ares, the suave seducer, whispers in the ear of his intended, as if she, the divine embodiment of lust, needed coaxing.

    The fun will continue for a while longer, but we should pause to note the connections that the poet suggests and seeming contradictions they imply. Hephaestus has fashioned a δόλος (“trick,” 276, 282) to catch the lovers, precisely the weapon that Odysseus will soon proudly embrace when he identifies himself to the Phaeacians:

    εἴμ᾽ Ὀδυσεὺς Λαερτιάδης, ὃς πᾶσι δόλοισιν
    ἀνθρώποισι μέλω, καί μευ κλέος οὐρανὸν ἵκει.

    I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, famous among mortals
    for the study of tricks of all kinds, and my fame reaches the heavens.

    Odyssey 9.19–20

    Thus, the song that Demodocus sings offers Hephaestus as an avatar of Odysseus, who defeats the superior strength of the suitors through trickery as the smith god triumphs over his more powerful antagonist. Here we encounter apparent contradictions in the poem’s plot and principal character. To restore right order to his kingdom, Odysseus must defeat the suitors, agents of disorder in in his household. But to get back safely to Ithaka, he must subvert order elsewhere, using disguise, lying, and other forms of deception to gain leverage over those in power who might impede him on his way back from Troy. And some of those figures who would keep him from his heroic mission are themselves tricky agents of disorder, like Calypso (7.245) and Circe (9.32). To further complicate matters, the wife he must initially deceive to win back is herself a match for him in her craftiness (cf., e.g., 19.137; 23.173–230).

    These contradictions reflect the two worlds that coexist in the poem, one created in the heroic return story orchestrated by Athena and the other, wider world through which Odysseus passes in disguise, populated by ordinary people who must struggle to hold their own. In Book 19, we learn that Odysseus was named as an infant by his grandfather Autolycus, a famous trickster:

              ὃς ἀνθρώπους ἐκέκαστο
    κλεπτοσύνῃ θ᾽ ὅρκῳ τε: θεὸς δέ οἱ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν
    Ἑρμείας: τῷ γὰρ κεχαρισμένα μηρία καῖεν
    ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων: ὁ δέ οἱ πρόφρων ἅμ᾽ ὀπήδει.

              [Autolycus] who excelled
    in thievery and false oaths. A god gave him these skills,
    Hermes, for he had pleased him by burning the thigh pieces
    of lambs and kids, and the god freely gave him his favor.

    Odyssey 19.395–98

    Hermes, like Odysseus, can be an agent of both order and disorder. As the messenger god, he supports the Olympian regime, guiding souls to the Underworld (24.1–4), delivering Zeus’ orders to Calypso and the magic drug moly to Odysseus for Athena (10.274306). At other times, as his sponsorship of Autolycus suggests, he plays the role of the trickster, a folktale figure that appears in many cultures. In this latter role, he works against the established order, penetrating the strongholds of the powerful to combat stasis and sterility, a force for creative change. Odysseus plays this role in Ithaka when he insinuates himself into the corrupt regime of the suitors to shake up their nefarious plans—but of course he does so to restore order. Paradox persists.

     

    Further Reading

    Dimock, G. 1989. The Unity of the Odyssey, 100–101. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.

    Hyde, L. 1998. Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art, 55–80. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

     

    250  ὅσσοι ἄριστοι: supply the verb εἰσί.

    251  ὥς χ᾽ … ἐνίσπῃ: purpose clause (χ᾽ = κε).

    252  περιγιγνόμεθ(α): “we surpass (genitive of person) in (dative of respect)” (LSJ περιγίγνομαι I).

    255  οἰσέτω: 3rd pers. imperat. > φέρω. Future in form, but present in sense.

    257  οἴσων: masc. nom. sing. fut. act. ptc. > φέρω; future participle expressing purpose.

    259  κατ᾽ ἀγῶνας … ἕκαστα: “all the details of contests.”

    259  πρήσσεσκον: "were managing," 3rd pl. iterative impf. act. indic. > πράσσω.

    260  λείηναν: unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > λεαίνω.

    260  καλὸν: adverbial.

    260  εὔρυναν ἀγῶνα: "marked off the boundaries for the contest," unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > εὐρύνω.

    262  κί(ε): 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > κίω.

    262  ἀμφὶ: “around (him).”

    263  ὀρχηθμοῖο: gen. > ὀρχηθμός.

    264  πέπληγον: unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > πλήσσω. A reduplicated second aorist form found in Epic.

    265  θηεῖτο: 3rd sing. impf. mid./pass. indic. > θεάομαι.

    266  ὁ φορμίζων: “the lyre-player,” nom. masc. sing. pres. act. ptc. > φορμίζω, substantive (definite article + ptc., Smyth 1153b and 2050). 

    266  ἀνεβάλλετο: “struck up,” 3rd sing. impf. mid. indic. > ἀναβάλλω. The imperfect is inchoative, indicating the beginning of the action.

    266  καλὸν: adverbial.

    266  ἀείδειν: infinitive of purpose.

    268  μίγησαν: “had sex” (lit., “mingled”), unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > μ(ε)ίγνυμι.

    269  πολλὰ: “many gifts.”

    269  ἔδωκε: the subject is Ares.

    270  οἱ: “for him” or “to him,” dative of interest referring to Hephaistos.

    271  σφ(ε): “them,” acc. pl.

    272  ὡς: “when.”

    273  βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν: “he started out,” unaugmented 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > βαίνω, with ἴμεν: infin. > εἶμι (Cunliffe βαίνω B.4).

    274  ἐν … ἔθετ(ο): “put (acc. obj.) on (dat.),” tmesis, 3rd sing. aor. mid. indic. > ἐντίθημι.

    274  κόπτε: unaugmented impf.

    275  ὄφρ᾽ … μένοιεν: purpose clause with optative in secondary sequence. The subject of μένοιεν (3rd pl.) is Ares and Aphrodite.

    276  τεῦξε: unaugmented aor.

    277  οἱ φίλα: “his own.”

    277  ἔκειτο: singular verb with neuter plural subject.

    278  χέε: “he placed,” unaugmented aor. > χέω (Cunliffe χέω 6b).

    279  πολλὰ: i.e., πολλὰ δέσματα.

    279  ἐξεκέχυντο: “were hanging down,” 3rd pl. plupf. pass. indic. > ἐκχέω. Pluperfect translated as imperfect (Smyth 1952a), neuter plural subject with plural verb (Smyth 959).

    280  τά γ᾽ οὔ κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο: relative clause with potential optative. For the emphatic repetition of the negative, see note on line 32.

    281  θεῶν μακάρων: partitive genitive, with τις implied from line 280.

    281  πέρι: “exceedingly,” adverbial (LSJ περί E.II). Note the anastrophe (the shift of the accent to the first syllable).

    282  πάντα: “completely,” adverbial.

    283  εἴσατ᾽ ἴμεν: “he seemed to go,” i.e., he pretended to go to Lemnos. εἴσατ(ο), aor. (LSJ εἴδομαι 2).

    283  Λῆμνον: the volcanic island of Lemnos is where Hephaistos landed when he fell out of heaven (Il. 1.590).

    284  οἱ: dative of interest, referring to Hephaistos.

    285  ἀλαοσκοπιὴν: "heedless watch" (Autenrieth), i.e., he did not watch in vain.

    286  ὡς: “since.”

    288  ἰσχανόων: “longing for (gen.),” masc. nom. sing. pres. act. ptc. > ἰσχανόω.

    290  κατ᾽ … ἕζεθ᾽: tmesis, 3rd sing. impf. mid. pass. indic. > καθέζομαι.

    290  : i.e., Ares.

    291  ἔν τ᾽ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρί: “he pressed her hand” (lit., “he grew onto her with his hand”).

    291  φῦ = ἔφυ, unaugmented 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > φύω.

    291  ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζε: according to Cunliffe, a formula “apparently meaning no more than ‘to address’” (lit., “he said a word and called out loud by name”).

    292  λέκτρονδε … εὐνηθέντες: “sleeping together” (in the sexual sense), lit., “lying down to bed.” The -δε suffix in λέκτρονδε is enclitic and directional.

    292  τραπείομεν: “let us enjoy ourselves,” 1st pl. aor. pass. hortatory subj. > τέρπω. An instance of metathesis (Smyth 492). Some commentators take this verb as derived from τρέπω, and pair it with λέκτρονδε, “let us turn to bed.”

    294  Σίντιας: the Sintians were the inhabitants of Lemnos who received Hephaistos when he fell out of heaven.

    ἄγε: come! come on! well! 250

    Φαίαξ –ακος ὁ: a Phaeacian

    βητάρμων –ονος ὁ: a dancer

    παίζω παίξω ἔπαισα (or ἔπαιξα) πέπαικα (or πέπαιχα) πέπαισμαι ἐπαίχθην: to play like a child, to sport, play

    ἐνέπω ἐνισπήσω/ἐνίψω ἔνισπον ––– ––– –––: to tell, tell of, relate, describe

    οἴκαδε: homeward

    νοστέω νοστήσω ἐνόστησα νενόστηκα: return home

    περιγίγνομαι (Ion. περιγίνομαι) περιγενήσομαι περεγενόμην περιγέγονα περιγεγένημαι περιεγενήθην: to be superior to; to survive

    ναυτιλία ἡ: sailing, seamanship

    ὀρχηστύς –ύος ἡ: the dance

    ἀοιδή –ῆς ἡ: song, a singing

    Δημόδοκος –ου ὁ: Demodocus, the blind bard of the Phaeacians

    αἶψα: rapidly, speedily, suddenly

    κίω – – – – –: go, go away

    φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx

    λιγύς –εῖα –ύ: sharp-sounding, shrill, loud, clear

    δόμος –ου ὁ: house, home 255

    Ἀλκίνοος –ου ὁ: Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians in Scheria, a grandson of Poseidon

    θεοείκελος –ον: godlike

    ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir up, move; (mid.) to rise, get up

    κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: messenger, herald

    φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx

    γλαφῠρός –ά –όν: hollow, deep

    δόμος –ου ὁ: house, home

    αἰσυμνήτης –ου ὁ: manager

    κριτός –ή –όν: picked out, chosen

    ἀνίστημι ἀνστήσω ἀνέστησα (or ἀνέστην) ἀνέστηκα ἀνέσταμαι ἀνεστάθην: make stand, set up; stand up

    δήμιος –ον: belonging to the people, public

    λεαίνω/λειαίνω λεανῶ ἐλέανα – λελείασμαι/λελέασμαι/λέλασμαι ἐλειάνθην/ἐλεάνθην: to smooth

    χορός –οῦ ὁ: dance, chorus; dancing place 260

    εὐρύνω εὐρυνῶ ηὔρυνα – – ηὐρύνθην: to broaden

    κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: messenger, herald

    ἐγγύθεν: close, nearby, alongside

    φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx

    λιγύς –εῖα –ύ: sharp-sounding, shrill, loud, clear

    Δημόδοκος –ου ὁ: Demodocus, the blind bard of the Phaeacians

    κίω – – – – –: go, go away

    κοῦρος –ου ὁ: [Ep. and Ion.] boy

    πρωθήβης –ου: in the prime of youth

    δαήμων –ον: knowing, experienced in

    ὀρχηθμός –οῦ ὁ: a dancing, the dance

    πλήττω πλήξω ἔπληξα πέπληγα πέπληγμαι ἐπλήγην (–επλάγην): strike, smite

    χορός –οῦ ὁ: dance, chorus; dancing place

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

    μαρμαρυγή –ῆς ἡ: a flashing, sparkling

    θεάομαι θεάσομαι ἐθεσάμην ––– τεθέαμαι ἐθεσαμήθην: to look on, behold, view (with wonder) 265

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    φορμίζω – – – – –: to play the φόρμιγξ

    ἀναβάλλω ἀναβαλῶ ἀνέβαλον ἀναβέβληκα ἀναβέβλημαι ἀνεβλήθην: (to throw up;) strike up (a song); delay

    ᾄσομαι ᾖσα ᾖσμαι ᾔσθην: sing

    Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares

    φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship

    εὐστέφανος –ον: well-crowned

    Ἀφροδίτη –ης ἡ: Aphrodite

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    δόμος –ου ὁ: house, home

    λάθρῃ: secretly, covertly, by stealth, treacherously

    λέχος –ους τό: a couch, bed

    αἰσχύνω αἰσχυνῶ ᾔσχυνα ––– ––– ᾐσχύνθην: to make ugly, disfigure, mar

    εὐνή εὐνῆς ἡ: pallet, bed, den; (pl.) stones (to anchor a ship), anchors

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire 270

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    ἄφαρ: straightway, forthwith, at once, quickly, presently

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    ἄγγελος –ου ὁ: messenger

    σφεῖς: they

    νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think

    μιγάζομαι – – – – –: to have intercourse

    φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    θυμαλγής –ές: heart-grieving

    μῦθος –ου ὁ: spoken thing, speech, plan, story

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    χαλκέων –ῶνος ὁ: a forge, smithy

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

    βυσσοδομεύω – – – – –: to scheme, plot

    ἀκμόθετον –ου τό: the anvil-block, smithy

    ἄκμων –ονος ὁ: a thunderbolt

    κόπτω κόψω ἔκοψα κέκοφα κέκομμαι ἐκόπην: to beat, strike, hit: to forge, hammer out 

    δεσμός –οῦ ὁ (pl. δεσμά): a bond

    ἄρρηκτος –ον: unbroken, not to be broken 275

    ἄλυτος –ον: not to be loosed, indissoluble

    ὄφρα: while; until; so that; ὄφρα … τόφρα, while … for so long

    ἔμπεδος –ον: firm-set, steadfast, constant, unchanged; (in neuter as adverb) firmly, steadily

    αὖθι: (right) there, at once, on the spot

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about

    δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery

    χολόω χολώσω ἐχόλωσα ––– κεχόλωμαι ἐχολώθην: to make angry; (mid.) be angry with (+dat.)

    Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    θάλαμος or θάλᾶμος –ου ὁ: chamber, inner part of the house (usually reserved for women); bedchamber (of the mistress of the house); nuptial chamber

    ὅθι: where

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    δέμνιον –ου τό: bed

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἑρμίς –ῖνος ὁ: a bed-post

    χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed

    δέσμα –ατος τό: a bond, fetter

    ἁπάντῃ: everywhere

    καθύπερθε (Ion. κατ–): from above, down from above

    μέλαθρον –ου τό: roof beam, roof, house

    ἐκχέω/ἐκχύνω ἐκχέω ἐξέχεα ἐκκέχυκα ἐκκέχυμαι ἐξεχύθην: to pour out

    ἠΰτε: as, like as

    ἀράχνιον –ου τό: a spider's web 280

    λεπτός –ή –όν: (husked, threshed) fine, thin, delicate, subtle

    μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy; blessed ones, gods

    δολόεις –εσσα –εν: subtle, wily

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about: (pass.) to be brought about, to be 

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery

    δέμνιον –ου τό: bed

    χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed

    εἴδομαι εἴσομαι εἰσάμην: to be visible, appear; to seem; to know, understand

    Λῆμνος –ου ἡ: Lemnos, the island west of the Troad, with probably in Homerʼs time a city of the same name

    ἐϋκτίμενος –η –ον: well-built, lovely to inhabit

    πτολίεθρον –ου τό: town, city, citadel

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

    φίλτατος –η –ον: dearest to

    ἀλαοσκοπιά –ᾶς ἡ: a blind, heedless watch 285

    χρυσήνιος –ον: with reins of gold

    Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    κλυτοτέχνης –ου: famous for his art, renowned artist

    νόσφι: aloof, apart, afar, away

    κίω – – – – –: go, go away

    δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)

    περικλυτός –ή –όν: heard of all round, famous, renowned, glorious

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    ἰσχανάω – – – – –: to hold back, check

    φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship

    εὐστέφανος –ον: well-crowned

    Κυθέρεια –ας ἡ: Cythereia, epithet of Aphrodite

    ἐρισθενής –ές: very mighty

    Κρονίων –ωνος ὁ: son of Cronus

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus 290

    ἕζομαι – – – – –: to sit down

    εἴσω (or ἔσω): in, into, inside

    δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    δεῦρο: here, to this place

    οἰωνός –οῦ ὁ: a large bird, bird of prey

    τέρπω τέρψω ἔτερψα ––– ––– ἐτάρφθην/ἐτέρφθην: to delight; (mid./pass.) to have one's full of

    εὐνάω εὐνάσω εὔνασα/ηὔνασα ––– ηὔνασμαι εὐνάσθην: to cause to lie down; (pass.) to lie down, go to bed (of sexual relations)

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    μεταδήμιος –ον: in the midst of or among the people

    οἴχομαι οἰχήσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: to go, come move; to be gone, to have gone

    Λῆμνος –ου ἡ: Lemnos, the island west of the Troad, with probably in Homerʼs time a city of the same name

    Σίντιες –ων οἱ: the Sintians

    ἀγριόφωνος –ον: with wild rough voice

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Rob Hardy, Homer: Odyssey 5–12. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-947822-17-7 https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-odyssey/viii-250-294