ὣς φάτο, τῇ δ᾽ ἀσπαστὸν ἐείσατο κοιμηθῆναι.

τὼ δ᾽ ἐς δέμνια βάντε κατέδραθον· ἀμφὶ δὲ δεσμοὶ

τεχνήεντες ἔχυντο πολύφρονος Ἡφαίστοιο,

οὐδέ τι κινῆσαι μελέων ἦν οὐδ᾽ ἀναεῖραι.

καὶ τότε δὴ γίγνωσκον, ὅ τ᾽ οὐκέτι φυκτὰ πέλοντο.

ἀγχίμολον δέ σφ᾽ ἦλθε περικλυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις,300

αὖτις ὑποστρέψας πρὶν Λήμνου γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι·

Ἠέλιος γάρ οἱ σκοπιὴν ἔχεν εἶπέ τε μῦθον.

βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεναι πρὸς δῶμα φίλον τετιημένος ἦτορ·

ἔστη δ᾽ ἐν προθύροισι, χόλος δέ μιν ἄγριος ᾕρει·

σμερδαλέον δ᾽ ἐβόησε, γέγωνέ τε πᾶσι θεοῖσιν·305

"Ζεῦ πάτερ ἠδ᾽ ἄλλοι μάκαρες θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες,

δεῦθ᾽, ἵνα ἔργα γελαστὰ καὶ οὐκ ἐπιεικτὰ ἴδησθε,

ὡς ἐμὲ χωλὸν ἐόντα Διὸς θυγάτηρ Ἀφροδίτη

αἰὲν ἀτιμάζει, φιλέει δ᾽ ἀίδηλον Ἄρηα,

οὕνεχ᾽ ὁ μὲν καλός τε καὶ ἀρτίπος, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ γε310

ἠπεδανὸς γενόμην. ἀτὰρ οὔ τί μοι αἴτιος ἄλλος,

ἀλλὰ τοκῆε δύω, τὼ μὴ γείνασθαι ὄφελλον.

ἀλλ᾽ ὄψεσθ᾽, ἵνα τώ γε καθεύδετον ἐν φιλότητι

εἰς ἐμὰ δέμνια βάντες, ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὁρόων ἀκάχημαι.

οὐ μέν σφεας ἔτ᾽ ἔολπα μίνυνθά γε κειέμεν οὕτως315

καὶ μάλα περ φιλέοντε· τάχ᾽ οὐκ ἐθελήσετον ἄμφω

εὕδειν· ἀλλά σφωε δόλος καὶ δεσμὸς ἐρύξει,

εἰς ὅ κέ μοι μάλα πάντα πατὴρ ἀποδῷσιν ἔεδνα,

ὅσσα οἱ ἐγγυάλιξα κυνώπιδος εἵνεκα κούρης,

οὕνεκά οἱ καλὴ θυγάτηρ, ἀτὰρ οὐκ ἐχέθυμος."320

ὣς ἔφαθ᾽, οἱ δ᾽ ἀγέροντο θεοὶ ποτὶ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ·

ἦλθε Ποσειδάων γαιήοχος, ἦλθ᾽ ἐριούνης

Ἑρμείας, ἦλθεν δὲ ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων.

θηλύτεραι δὲ θεαὶ μένον αἰδοῖ οἴκοι ἑκάστη.

ἔσταν δ᾽ ἐν προθύροισι θεοί, δωτῆρες ἑάων·325

ἄσβεστος δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐνῶρτο γέλως μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι

τέχνας εἰσορόωσι πολύφρονος Ἡφαίστοιο.

ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον·

"οὐκ ἀρετᾷ κακὰ ἔργα· κιχάνει τοι βραδὺς ὠκύν,

ὡς καὶ νῦν Ἥφαιστος ἐὼν βραδὺς εἷλεν Ἄρηα330

ὠκύτατόν περ ἐόντα θεῶν οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν,

χωλὸς ἐὼν τέχνῃσι· τὸ καὶ μοιχάγρι᾽ ὀφέλλει."

ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον·

Ἑρμῆν δὲ προσέειπεν ἄναξ Διὸς υἱὸς Ἀπόλλων·

"Ἑρμεία, Διὸς υἱέ, διάκτορε, δῶτορ ἑάων,335

ἦ ῥά κεν ἐν δεσμοῖς ἐθέλοις κρατεροῖσι πιεσθεὶς

εὕδειν ἐν λέκτροισι παρὰ χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ;"

τὸν δ᾽ ἠμείβετ᾽ ἔπειτα διάκτορος ἀργεϊφόντης·

"αἲ γὰρ τοῦτο γένοιτο, ἄναξ ἑκατηβόλ᾽ Ἄπολλον·

δεσμοὶ μὲν τρὶς τόσσοι ἀπείρονες ἀμφὶς ἔχοιεν,340

ὑμεῖς δ᾽ εἰσορόῳτε θεοὶ πᾶσαί τε θέαιναι,

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν εὕδοιμι παρὰ χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ."

    The song of Demodocus, continued. The male gods assemble, and Poseidon agrees to pay Ares' penalty for him.

    The guilty lovers, caught in Hephaestus’s ingenious net, fuel the smith god’s anger: Aphrodite wants Ares for his muscles and handsome face, while her husband’s misshapen limbs get no respect from her. It’s all his parents’ fault and he is going to demand his bride price back from Zeus!

    read full essay

    His wife is beautiful but lacks self-control. Homer does not let the lovers speak and the trap will not let them move, so they provide a frozen tableau. (The poet does not tell us if they were caught in flagrante delicto or during foreplay.) Other male gods gather to enjoy the show, though the goddesses stay away out of modesty, so the gathering becomes a kind of stag party, complete with leering and winking from Hermes and Apollo.

    The tone here remains entirely bourgeois, like a scene from a racy sitcom. Though the Odyssey has come to be called a comedy (see Introduction: Narrative Form), it has few scenes that could provoke laughter, and Demodocus’ song has remained an audience favorite. We have noted that the entire episode offers a paradigm for later events in Ithaka. Looking at the language more closely, we can see some darker aspects of the passage that offer insights into the poet’s other aims in creating it besides entertainment.

                                  ἀμφὶ δὲ δεσμοὶ
    τεχνήεντες ἔχυντο πολύφρονος Ἡφαίστοιο,
    οὐδέ τι κινῆσαι μελέων ἦν οὐδ᾽ ἀναεῖραι.

                                   The cunningly wrought
    chains of subtle Hephaestus poured down around them,
    and they could not move their limbs nor get up.

    Odyssey 8.296–98

    The verb ἔχυντο is telling. The chains settle all around the two lovers like sleep (19.590), gently falling leaves (5.483, 487; 19.443), or the soft mist that Athena sheds over Odysseus (7.143). Pouring down, the chains suggest a soft blurring of the bed’s edges. The action of Hephaestus’ trap recalls another kind of blurring, when Odysseus hears the voices of Nausicaa and her maids on the seashore, “surrounding” him: ὥς τέ με κουράων ἀμφήλυθε θῆλυς ἀυτή (6.122). The verb ἀμφήλυθε carries the same flavor as ἔχυντο, the soft edged power also present in Calypso’s name (“I will smother”) (see essay on Book 9.47–81). Hephaestus has caught Ares in a humiliating situation, making him an object of ridicule by his fellow gods. But the cuckold’s revenge has other dimensions: by immobilizing Ares, Hephaestus nullifies the war god’s swift motion, something Hephaestus cannot ordinarily match; with chains that drift down and surround the lovers like the voices of nymphs or Calypso’s amorphous, feminine power, he emasculates his tormentor.

    The amusement of Hermes and Apollo seems lighthearted enough, in tune with the overall tone of the episode, but again, some of the language here prompts further thought.

    ἄσβεστος δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐνῶρτο γέλως μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι
    τέχνας εἰσορόωσι πολύφρονος Ἡφαίστοιο.
    ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον·
    "οὐκ ἀρετᾷ κακὰ ἔργα· κιχάνει τοι βραδὺς ὠκύν,
    ὡς καὶ νῦν Ἥφαιστος ἐὼν βραδὺς εἷλεν Ἄρηα
    ὠκύτατόν περ ἐόντα θεῶν οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν,
    χωλὸς ἐὼν τέχνῃσι· τὸ καὶ μοιχάγρι᾽ ὀφέλλει."

    Unquenchable laughter rose up among the blessed immortals,
    as they looked upon the contrivance of crafty Hephaestus.
    And thus one would look at the one next to him and say,
    “Wrongdoing doesn’t prosper. The slow one has overtaken
    the swift, as the slow-footed Hephaestus has run down Ares,
    who is the fastest of the gods who hold Olympus,
    even though he is lame, and Ares must pay the penalty for adultery.”

    Odyssey 8.326–32

    Compare the gods’ tone here with their response to Hephaestus on another occasion upon Olympus near the beginning of the Iliad. Zeus has agreed to help Thetis by making the Greeks suffer for not giving Achilles what he wants, provoking a jealous tirade from Hera, in turn prompting an angry exchange between the two. Hephaestus, alarmed at the prospect of a major brawl, urges his mother to calm down and have a drink:

    ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη,
    μειδήσασα δὲ παιδὸς ἐδέξατο χειρὶ κύπελλον:
    αὐτὰρ ὃ τοῖς ἄλλοισι θεοῖς ἐνδέξια πᾶσιν
    οἰνοχόει γλυκὺ νέκταρ ἀπὸ κρητῆρος ἀφύσσων:
    ἄσβεστος δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐνῶρτο γέλως μακάρεσσι θεοῖσιν
    ὡς ἴδον Ἥφαιστον διὰ δώματα ποιπνύοντα.
    ὣς τότε μὲν πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα
    δαίνυντ᾽, οὐδέ τι θυμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐΐσης,
    οὐ μὲν φόρμιγγος περικαλλέος ἣν ἔχ᾽ Ἀπόλλων,
    Μουσάων θ᾽ αἳ ἄειδον ἀμειβόμεναι ὀπὶ καλῇ.

    So [Hephaestus] spoke, and white-armed Hera smiled,
    and smiling she took the goblet out of her son’s hand.
    Then starting from the left, Hephaestus served the other gods,
    pouring sweet nectar for each from the wine jar.
    And unquenchable laughter rose among the blessed immortals,
    as they saw Hephaestus bustling through the house.
    And so all day until the sun went down, they feasted,
    neither was anyone’s hunger denied a fair serving,
    nor the gloriously beautiful sound of Apollo’s lyre,
    and the Muses sang in harmony with their lovely voices.

    Iliad 1.595–604

    The “unquenchable laughter” of the Homeric gods in both passages has a cruel edge, prompted by their amusement at the limitations of others. Hephaestus’s disability is the direct cause of their merriment in the Iliad. While the derision in Demodocus’ song is aimed at Ares, part of the fun for the immortal audience comes from the unlikely victory of their diminished sibling. We are reminded that while both scenes seem to resemble human experience, it is only a superficial likeness. The laughter of Homer’s gods always carries a cruel edge because their nastiness never has any consequence for them. To put it more succinctly, only the fact of mortality requires us to have virtue.

     

    Further Reading

    Carson, A. “Putting Her in Her Place: Women, Dirt, and Desire.” In Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient World, D. Halperin, J Winkler, and F. Zeitlin, (eds), 135–169. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Tracy, S. 1990. The Story of the Odyssey, 51–52. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

     

    295  τῇ δ᾽ ἀσπαστὸν ἐείσατο: “it seemed welcome to her.”

    296  τὼ … βάντε κατέδραθον: dual. 

    296  κατέδραθον: 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > καταδαρθάνω.

    296  ἀμφὶ: “around them.”

    298  οὐδέ … ἦν: “it was impossible” (LSJ εἰμί A.IV).

    298  μελέων: partitive genitive with τι > μέλος (LSJ μέλος A).

    299  γίγνωσκον: unaugmented 3rd pl. impf.

    299  ὅ τ᾽: “when” = ὅτε.

    299  φυκτὰ: either understand the noun δέσματα (line 278), or in place of an abstract noun ("when there was no longer any escape," Stanford).

    300  ἀγχίμολον … σφ(ι): “near to them,” adverbial accusative with dative.

    300  ἀμφιγυήεις: epithet of Hephaistos.

    302  οἱ: “for him,” dative of interest.

    302  σκοπιὴν ἔχεν: “kept watch” (LSJ σκοπιά II).

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

    303  φίλον τετιημένος ἦτορ: “sorrowing in his heart.” φίλον … ἦτορ is an accusative of respect. In Homer, the verb τετίημαι only appears in the participial form, as in this common line-ending formula.

    304  ᾕρει: 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > αἱρέω.

    305  σμερδαλέον: adverbial acc.

    307  ἵνα … ἴδησθε: purpose clause.

    307  οὐκ ἐπιεικτὰ: “intolerable things” > ἐπιεικτός.

    308  ὡς: “how …,” explaining the substantives in line 307.

    310  οὕνεχ᾽: “because” (οὕνεκα).

    311  οὔ τί: “not at all.”

    311  μοι αἴτιος: “to blame for me.”

    312  τοκῆε: dual > τοκεύς.

    312  τὼ: dual nom. rel. pron.

    312  μὴ γείνασθαι ὄφελλον: “if only they hadn’t given birth (to me),” unattainable wish (Smyth 1781 and LSJ ὀφείλωII.3).

    313  ἵνα: “where.”

    313  καθεύδετον: dual pres. indic. act. > καθεύδω.

    314  ἀκάχημαι: “I am vexed,” “I am grieving.” 1st sing. pf. pass. indic. > ἀχεύω (LSJ) or *ἀκαχέω(Cunliffe).

    315  οὐ… ἔολπα: “I don’t expect (acc.) to (fut. infin.),” 1st sing. pf. act. indic. > ἔλπω.

    315  κειέμεν: fut. infin. > κείω. The verb is “a future with desiderative force: wish to sleep” (Autenrieth κείω).

    316  ἐθελήσετον: dual fut. act. indic. > ἐθέλω.

    317  σφωε: acc. dual.

    318  εἰς ὅ: “until,” introducing a temporal clause with κε + subj. (Smyth 2426).

    318  ἀποδῷσιν: 3rd sing. aor. act. subj. > ἀποδίδωμι.

    321  ποτὶ: = πρὸς.

    321  δῶ: = δῶμα.

    324  μένον: unaugmented 3rd pl. impf.

    324  αἰδοῖ: “out of modesty,” dative of cause (Smyth 1517) > αἰδώς.

    324  οἴκοι: “at home,” adv. (locative).

    325  ἑάων: “of good things,” gen. pl. > ἐΰς, with rough breathing.

    326  ἐνῶρτο: 3rd sing. aor. mid. indic. > ἐνόρνυμι.

    327  εἰσορόωσι: dat. masc. pl. pres. act. ptc. > εἰσοράω, agreeing with μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι.

    328  εἴπεσκεν: iterative impf.

    328  πλησίον ἄλλον: “the one standing next to him.”

    329  ἀρετᾷ: 3rd sing. pres. act. indic. > ἀρετάω, with a neuter plural subject.

    329  κιχάνει: “overtakes.”

    329  τοι: “let me tell you,” the particle.

    329  βραδὺς ὠκύν: substantives.

    330  εἷλεν: 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > αἱρέω.

    332  χωλὸς ἐὼν: “though being lame,” concessive participle.

    332  τέχνῃσι: dative of means with the verb εἷλεν.

    332  τὸ: “wherefore,” “as a result of which” (LSJ A.VIII.3).

    332  ὀφέλλει: the subject is Ares.

    336  κεν … ἐθέλοις: potential optative in a question (Smyth 1831).

    339  αἲ γὰρ τοῦτο γένοιτο: optative of wish; αἲ = εἰ.

    340  τρὶς τόσσοι: “three times as many.”

    340  ἔχοιεν: optative of wish, explaining τοῦτο in line 339. Understand με as the object of the verb.

    341  εἰσορόῳτε: 2nd pl. pres. act. opt., optative of wish.

    342  εὕδοιμι: optative of wish.

    ἀσπαστός –ή –όν: welcome 295

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

    κοιμάω κοιμήσω ἐκοίμησα κεκοίμηκα κεκοίμημαι ἐκοιμήθην: (act.) to put to bed, lull; (mid. and pass.) to go to bed, lay down

    δέμνιον –ου τό: bed

    καταδαρθάνω καταδαρθανῶ κατέδαρθον καταδεδάρθηκα – κατεδάρθην: to fall asleep

    δεσμός –οῦ ὁ (pl. δεσμά): a bond

    τεχνήεις –εσσα –εν: cunningly wrought; skillful

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

    πολύφρων –ον: much-thinking, thoughtful, ingenious, inventive

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    μέλος –ους τό: a limb

    ἀναείρω ἀναερῶ ἀνάειρα: to lift up

    φυκτός –ή –όν: to be shunned, be avoided 

    πέλω ––– ἔπλον ––– ––– –––: to be (the aor. has pres. signif.)

    ἀγχίμολος –ον: coming near 300

    σφεῖς: they

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

    Ἀμφιγυήεις –εντος: with both feet crooked, lame

    αὖθις: again, in turn

    ὑποστρέφω ὑποστρέψω ὑπέστρεψα ὑπέστροφα ὑπέστραμμαι ὑπεστρέφθην/ὑπεστράφην: to turn round about, turn back

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

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

    ἱκνέομαι ἵξομαι ἱκόμην ––– ἷγμαι –––: to come, reach

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

    σκοπιά –ᾶς ἡ: a lookout-place, a mountain-peak

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

    δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)

    τετίημαι (perf. with no pres. in use): to be sorrowful, to sorrow, mourn

    ἦτορ τό: the heart

    πρόθυρον –ου τό: the front-door, the door leading from the αὐλή

    χόλος –ου ὁ: gall, bitterness

    μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    ἄγριος –α –ον: savage; wild; fierce

    σμερδαλέος –α –ον: dreadful 305

    βοάω βοήσομαι ἐβόησα βεβόηκα βεβόημαι ἐβοήθην: to shout, roar

    γέγωνα (perf. of γεγωνέω): to shout, cry out

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    ἠδέ: and

    μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy; blessed ones, gods

    δεῦτε: hither! come on! come here!

    γελαστός –ή –όν: laughable

    ἐπιεικτός –ή –όν: yielding

    χωλός –ή –όν: lame

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    Ἀφροδίτη –ης ἡ: Aphrodite

    ἀτιμάζω ἀτιμάσω ἠτίμασα ἠτίμακα ἠτίμασμαι ἠτιμάσθην: to fail to honor, dishonor

    φιλέω φιλήσω ἐφίλησα πεφίλημαι ἐφιλήθην: to love, hold dear; to entertain as a guest

    ἀΐδηλος –ον: making unseen, annihilating, destructive

    Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares

    οὕνεκα: on account of which, wherefore 310

    ἀρτίπους –ουν: sound of foot

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    ἠπεδανός –ή –όν: weakly, infirm, halting

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    τοκεύς –έως ὁ: parent

    γείνομαι ––– ἐγεινάμην ––– ––– –––: to be born; to beget, give birth to

    ὀφέλλω/ὀφείλω ὀφειλήσω ὠφείλησα/ὤφελον ὠφείληκα – ὠφειλήθην: [Epic, Aeolic] owe > ὀφείλω

    καθεύδω (imperf. ἐκάθευδον or καθηῦδον) καθευδήσω — — — -: to lie down to sleep, sleep

    φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship

    δέμνιον –ου τό: bed

    ἄχομαι and ἄχνυμαι: to afflict, sadden, trouble, grieve

    σφεῖς: they 315

    ἔλπω – – – – –: to hope

    μίνυνθα: a little, very little; a little while

    κείω – – – – –: to lie down

    φιλέω φιλήσω ἐφίλησα πεφίλημαι ἐφιλήθην: to love, hold dear; to entertain as a guest

    τάχα: quickly; perhaps

    ἄμφω ἀμφοῖν: both (dual)

    εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep

    σφεῖς: they

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

    δεσμός –οῦ ὁ (pl. δεσμά): a bond

    ἐρύκω ἐρύξω ἔρυξα/ἤρυξα/ἐρύκακον/ἠρύκακον: to keep in, hold back, keep in check, curb, restrain

    ἕδνον –ου τό: a wedding-gift

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

    ἐγγυαλίζω ἐγγυαλίξω ἠγγυάλιξα: to put into the palm of the hand, put into one's hand

    κυνώπης –ου: the dog-eyed

    κόρη (or κούρη) –ης ἡ: girl, maiden; daughter

    οὕνεκα: on account of which, wherefore

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself 320

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    ἐχέθυμος –ον: master of one's passion

    ἀγείρω ἀγερῶ ἤγειρα ἀγήγερμαι ἠγέρθην: gather, collect

    χαλκοβατής –ές: standing on brass, with brasen base

    δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)

    Ποσειδῶν (or Ποσειδάων) –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon

    γαιήοχος –ον: that holds the earth (epithet of Poseidon)

    ἐριούνης –ου and ἐριούνιος –ου ὁ: the ready helper, luckbringer (?) epithet of Hermes

    Ἑρμῆς (or Ἑρμείας) –οῦ ὁ: Hermes, herm

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    Ἑκάεργος –ου ὁ: the far-working

    Ἀπόλλων –ωνος ὁ: Apollo

    θῆλυς θήλεια θῆλυ: female, feminine, soft

    θεά –ᾶς ἡ: goddess

    αἰδώς αἰδοῦς ἡ: a sense of shame, shame, modesty, self-respect

    οἴκοι: at home, in the house

    πρόθυρον –ου τό: the front-door, the door leading from the αὐλή 325

    δωτήρ –ῆρος ὁ: a giver

    ἐΰς ἐΰ (gen. ἑῆος): good, brave, noble

    ἄσβεστος [–η] –ον: unquenchable, inextinguishable

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἐνόρνυμι ἐνόρσω ἐνῶρσα: to arouse, stir up in

    γέλως –ωτος ὁ: laughter

    μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy; blessed ones, gods

    εἰσοράω εἰσόψομαι εἰσεῖδον εἰσεόρακα/εἰσεώρακα/εἰσόπωπα εἰσεόραμαι/εἰσεώραμαι/εἰσῶμμαι εἰσώφθην: to look into, look upon, view, behold

    πολύφρων –ον: much-thinking, thoughtful, ingenious, inventive

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire

    πλησίος –α –ον: near

    ἀρετάω ἀρετήσω ἠρέτησα: to be proper, have a good result 

    κιχάνω κιχήσομαι ἔκιχον: to reach, overtake, meet with (+ acc.)

    τοι: let me tell you, surely

    βραδύς –εῖα –ύ: slow

    ὠκύς ὠκεῖα ὠκύ: quick, swift, fast

    Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire 330

    βραδύς –εῖα –ύ: slow

    Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares

    ὠκύς ὠκεῖα ὠκύ: quick, swift, fast

    Ὄλυμπος –ου ὁ: Mount Olympus

    χωλός –ή –όν: lame

    μοιχάγρια –ων τά: a fine imposed on one taken in adultery

    ὀφέλλω/ὀφείλω ὀφειλήσω ὠφείλησα/ὤφελον ὠφείληκα – ὠφειλήθην: [Epic, Aeolic] owe > ὀφείλω

    ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to speak, say

    Ἑρμῆς (or Ἑρμείας) –οῦ ὁ: Hermes, herm 335

    προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    Ἀπόλλων –ωνος ὁ: Apollo

    Ἑρμῆς (or Ἑρμείας) –οῦ ὁ: Hermes, herm

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    διάκτορος –ου ὁ: the Messenger

    δωτήρ –ῆρος ὁ: a giver

    ἐΰς ἐΰ (gen. ἑῆος): good, brave, noble

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    δεσμός –οῦ ὁ (pl. δεσμά): a bond

    κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty

    πιέζω πιέσω ἐπίεσα πεπίεκα πεπίεσμαι ἐπιέσθην: to press, squeeze, press tight

    εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep

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

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, gold-inlaid

    Ἀφροδίτη –ης ἡ: Aphrodite

    ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass

    διάκτορος –ου ὁ: the Messenger

    ἀργειφόντης –ου ὁ: slayer of Argus, epithet of Hermes

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    ἑκατηβόλος –ον: far-shooting

    Ἀπόλλων –ωνος ὁ: Apollo

    δεσμός –οῦ ὁ (pl. δεσμά): a bond

    τρίς: thrice 340

    τόσος –η –ον: so great, so vast

    ἀπείρων –ον: without experience, ignorant; boundless, countless, inextricable

    ἀμφίς: on both sides; apart, asunder

    εἰσοράω εἰσόψομαι εἰσεῖδον εἰσεόρακα/εἰσεώρακα/εἰσόπωπα εἰσεόραμαι/εἰσεώραμαι/εἰσῶμμαι εἰσώφθην: to look into, look upon, view, behold

    θέαινα –ης ἡ: a goddess

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, gold-inlaid

    Ἀφροδίτη –ης ἡ: Aphrodite

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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-295-342