"ὣς ἐφάμην, ἡ δ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἀπώμνυεν, ὡς ἐκέλευον.345

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ᾽ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον,

καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼ Κίρκης ἐπέβην περικαλλέος εὐνῆς.

ἀμφίπολοι δ᾽ ἄρα τέως μὲν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι πένοντο

τέσσαρες, αἵ οἱ δῶμα κάτα δρήστειραι ἔασι·

γίγνονται δ᾽ ἄρα ταί γ᾽ ἔκ τε κρηνέων ἀπό τ᾽ ἀλσέων350

ἔκ θ᾽ ἱερῶν ποταμῶν, οἵ τ᾽ εἰς ἅλαδε προρέουσι.

τάων ἡ μὲν ἔβαλλε θρόνοις ἔνι ῥήγεα καλὰ

πορφύρεα καθύπερθ᾽, ὑπένερθε δὲ λῖθ᾽ ὑπέβαλλεν·

ἡ δ᾽ ἑτέρη προπάροιθε θρόνων ἐτίταινε τραπέζας

ἀργυρέας, ἐπὶ δέ σφι τίθει χρύσεια κάνεια·355

ἡ δὲ τρίτη κρητῆρι μελίφρονα οἶνον ἐκίρνα

ἡδὺν ἐν ἀργυρέῳ, νέμε δὲ χρύσεια κύπελλα·

ἡ δὲ τετάρτη ὕδωρ ἐφόρει καὶ πῦρ ἀνέκαιε

πολλὸν ὑπὸ τρίποδι μεγάλῳ· ἰαίνετο δ᾽ ὕδωρ.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ ζέσσεν ὕδωρ ἐνὶ ἤνοπι χαλκῷ,360

ἔς ῥ᾽ ἀσάμινθον ἕσασα λό᾽ ἐκ τρίποδος μεγάλοιο,

θυμῆρες κεράσασα, κατὰ κρατός τε καὶ ὤμων,

ὄφρα μοι ἐκ κάματον θυμοφθόρον εἵλετο γυίων.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ λοῦσέν τε καὶ ἔχρισεν λίπ᾽ ἐλαίῳ,

ἀμφὶ δέ με χλαῖναν καλὴν βάλεν ἠδὲ χιτῶνα,365

εἷσε δέ μ᾽ εἰσαγαγοῦσα ἐπὶ θρόνου ἀργυροήλου

καλοῦ δαιδαλέου, ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυς ποσὶν ἦεν·

χέρνιβα δ᾽ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα

καλῇ χρυσείῃ, ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος,

νίψασθαι· παρὰ δὲ ξεστὴν ἐτάνυσσε τράπεζαν.370

σῖτον δ᾽ αἰδοίη ταμίη παρέθηκε φέρουσα,

εἴδατα πόλλ᾽ ἐπιθεῖσα, χαριζομένη παρεόντων.

ἐσθέμεναι δ᾽ ἐκέλευεν· ἐμῷ δ᾽ οὐχ ἥνδανε θυμῷ,

ἀλλ᾽ ἥμην ἀλλοφρονέων, κακὰ δ᾽ ὄσσετο θυμός.

Κίρκη δ᾽ ὡς ἐνόησεν ἔμ᾽ ἥμενον οὐδ᾽ ἐπὶ σίτῳ375

χεῖρας ἰάλλοντα, κρατερὸν δέ με πένθος ἔχοντα,

ἄγχι παρισταμένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

‘τίφθ᾽ οὕτως, Ὀδυσεῦ, κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζεαι ἶσος ἀναύδῳ,

θυμὸν ἔδων, βρώμης δ᾽ οὐχ ἅπτεαι οὐδὲ ποτῆτος;

ἦ τινά που δόλον ἄλλον ὀίεαι; οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ380

δειδίμεν· ἤδη γάρ τοι ἀπώμοσα καρτερὸν ὅρκον.’

ὣς ἔφατ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον:

‘ὦ Κίρκη, τίς γάρ κεν ἀνήρ, ὃς ἐναίσιμος εἴη,

πρὶν τλαίη πάσσασθαι ἐδητύος ἠδὲ ποτῆτος,

πρὶν λύσασθ᾽ ἑτάρους καὶ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδέσθαι;385

ἀλλ᾽ εἰ δὴ πρόφρασσα πιεῖν φαγέμεν τε κελεύεις,

λῦσον, ἵν᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἴδω ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους.’

    Circe swears the oath, and Odysseus enters Circe’s household where he encounters her housemaids. Odysseus refuses Circe’s entertainment until she sets his men free.

    Dumbfounded by the hero’s immunity to her drugs, Circe assumes that her guest must be Odysseus, the invader Hermes warned her about. She tries to lure him to her bed anyway, but he resists: He will not have sex with her while his men remain pigs, nor will he risk being naked and thus “unmanned” (ἀνήνορα, 10.341) by her. Being naked makes a man vulnerable in the Odyssey.

    read full essay

    Water is itself “feminine” in the Greeks’ gendered division of the world, amorphous, flowing across the clean boundaries that define things masculine. Athena twice intervenes to beautify Odysseus, making him look bigger, his hair gleaming with curls like hyacinth blossoms. In both cases, the hero has just emerged from a bath, and the goddess’s gesture adds extra allure at the moment when nakedness might make him vulnerable (6.229–37; 23.152–63). In two other moments when he is bathed but not pumped up by Athena, the peril of being recognized surfaces. When Telemachus visits Sparta in Book 4, Helen tells the story of how she bathed Odysseus at Troy and he revealed his true identity to her; when Penelope orders a young servant girl to bathe his feet in Book 19, he demands that Eurykleia, his old nanny, be the one to wash his feet and even then she comes close to blowing his cover (4.252–56; 19.317–48, 467–90)

    Behind this recurrent narrative pattern in the poem, we encounter the shadow of another widespread belief in ancient Greek culture, that having sex with a goddess will render a man impotent at best or even kill him. The author of the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, a poem roughly contemporary with the Odyssey, makes excellent use of this anxiety. Anchises, a scion of the Trojan royal family, is out on Mount Ida herding sheep, when Aphrodite, disguised as a young virgin, timidly approaches. He hails her, asking if she is a mortal or a goddess, reeling off a list of deities she resembles. She replies that she is no goddess, just an ordinary girl, the daughter of Otreus, who has been snatched away by Hermes while playing with her girlfriends. The god told her that she is to be Anchises’s wife, and she is acting under a “powerful compulsion” (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 130). But before they consummate their marriage, he should take her back to his parents for their approval and send word to her parents, too. He responds forcefully: She will indeed be his wife, but first, no man or god could keep him from sleeping with her right now! The goddess shyly consents and after the lovemaking resumes her divine form, teasingly waking him. He is appropriately frightened:

    ὣς φάθ᾽: ὃ δ᾽ ἐξ ὕπνοιο μάλ᾽ ἐμμαπέως ὑπάκουσεν.
    ὡς δὲ ἴδεν δειρήν τε καὶ ὄμματα κάλ᾽ Ἀφροδίτης,
    τάρβησέν τε καὶ ὄσσε παρακλιδὸν ἔτραπεν ἄλλῃ:
    ἂψ δ᾽ αὖτις χλαίνῃ τε καλύψατο καλὰ πρόσωπα
    καί μιν λισσόμενος ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:
    "αὐτίκα σ᾽ ὡς τὰ πρῶτα, θεά, ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,
    ἔγνων ὡς θεὸς ἦσθα: σὺ δ᾽ οὐ νημερτὲς ἔειπες.
    ἀλλά σε πρὸς Ζηνὸς γουνάζομαι αἰγιόχοιο,
    μή με ζῶντ᾽ ἀμενηνὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἐάσῃς
    ναίειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐλέαιρ᾽: ἐπεὶ οὐ βιοθάλμιος ἀνὴρ
    γίγνεται, ὅς τε θεαῖς εὐνάζεται ἀθανάτῃσι."

    So she spoke. He heard and quickly woke up.
    When he saw the neck and lovely eyes of Aphrodite,
    he was frightened and turned his eyes away.
    Covering his handsome face again with a cloak,
    he beseeched her with winged words:
    “Right away when my eyes fell upon you, goddess,
    I knew you were divine! But you did not tell the truth.
    Yet I beg you by Zeus who bears the aegis,
    don’t let me be alive but strengthless among men.
    Take pity on me, since a man is not potent
    who goes to bed with an immortal goddess!”

    Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 180–90

    However we may feel about the sexual power dynamics that underlie this story, the encounter between Anchises and Aphrodite is filled with delicious ironies, generated by reversed gender roles. The manly prince is seduced by a timid virgin, who is in fact the goddess of sexuality, all because Zeus, the number one philanderer in the universe, has taken revenge on the goddess for “making” him sleep with mortal women (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 36–52). Anchises, once he realizes his mistake, hides his face like a virgin with a veil.

    The same themes appear in the Circe episode, without the light, comic touch of the hymn poet: the anxiety of mortals in the presence of gods, the male fear of emasculation by powerful female forces. Anchises is spared in the end, because Aphrodite—much to her chagrin—has become pregnant with his son, the hero Aeneas, and she has no interest in parenting (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 256–80). Odysseus escapes harm because Hermes supplies protection for the hero before he meets Circe. As we have seen, the timing of this intervention is integral to the tone of the entire episode. Once the threat of emasculation is removed, the sexual energy between Odysseus and the witch goes with it, leaving little basis for emotional connection between the two, beyond the hero’s gratitude for her help. In this sense, the witch stands in for Athena, a powerful goddess who can help Odysseus but asks for little in return. By contrast, although Calypso says she has come love to her captive, the intensity of their final exchanges is colored by energy from the nymph’s power over Odysseus.

    The relative blandness of Circe’s relationship with Odysseus prompts comparison with—surprisingly enough—Penelope. Once the tension between the queen and the anonymous beggar dissipates with her acceptance of his identity as her husband, she becomes a much less vivid character than the resourceful wife who asserts her independence with the contest of the bow. In this sense, the entire Circe episode offers a microcosmic view of the Odyssey’s return story. First, the hero must assert himself in a way that brings recognition of his kleos, putting him in control of the situation in general and a woman in particular. Then he lives comfortably with a beautiful woman who provides him with the comforts of home. Penelope will prove to be far from a two-dimensional character and winning her over will take more than the brandishing of a sword, but the parallels between her and Circe are intriguing. Both are subject to divine influence that makes them easier for Odysseus to win over (Virgil puts this dynamic to a much darker use in his portrayal of Venus’s manipulation of Dido at Aeneid 1.657–94); after the testing of the hero, which results in the reaffirmation of his identity, both companions are affectionate, completely supportive, and—once subdued—not vividly interesting. That much of the energy goes out of the Circe episode once she is neutralized tells us something important about the role of sexual tension in the poet’s portrayal of masculine heroism. In any event, Homer has other uses for the character of Circe, as the parallels to Siduri indicate.

    The consolation motif surfaces once more after the elaborate description of dinner preparation in the witch’s household. Odysseus, though seated at the table, will not touch any of the meal until his men are returned to their human form, which is to say, according to the paradigm, until their death as humans is reversed. Circe’s acquiescence marks the end of any existential threat to the guests and the beginning of their extended vacation from danger.

     

    Further Reading

    Carson, A. 1990. “Putting Her in Her Place: Women, Dirt, and Desire.” In Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient World. Ed. D. Halperin, J. Winkler, and F. Zeitlin, 135–169. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 

    Dimock, G. 1989. The Unity of the Odyssey, 126–128. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press. 

    Van Nortwick, T. 2008. The Unknown Odysseus: Alternate Worlds in Homer’s Odyssey, 57. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

     

    345  ἀπώμνυεν: 3rd sing. impf. act. > ἀπόμνυμι.

    349  αἵ: the antecedent is ἀμφίπολοι.

    349  οἱ: “her,” dative of possession.

    349  δῶμα κάτα: “throughout the house,” “in the house,” anastrophe (the preposition follows its noun, causing the accent on the preposition to fall back onto the first syllable).

    349  δρήστειραι: "as house servants," predicate.

    349  ἔασι: = εἰσί, 3rd pl. pres. > εἰμί.

    350  ταί: “they” (i.e., the handmaidens, who turn out to be nymphs), 3rd pers. pron.

    351  εἰς ἅλαδε: the εἰς is redundant. -δε is a directional suffix.

    352  τάων … ἡ μὲν … ἡ δ᾽ ἑτέρη … ἡ δὲ τρίτη … ἡ δὲ τετάρτη: “of these, one ….” τάων is a partitive genitive, and the following seven lines describe the four parts of the whole (i.e., the handmaidens).

    352  θρόνοις ἔνι: anastrophe.

    353  καθύπερθ(ε): “on top.”

    353  λῖθ᾽: = λῖτα, acc. > λῖς, ὁ, "sheet, cover."

    354  ἐτίταινε: “spread,” “set up.”

    355  τίθει: unaugmented impf.

    356–57  κρητῆρι ... / ... ἐν ἀργυρέῳ: ἐν ἀργυρέῳ κρητῆρι.

    357  νέμε: = ἔνεμε, unaugmented impf.

    359  πολλὸν: “large.”

    360  ζέσσεν: unaugmented 3rd sing. aor. > ζέω.

    361  ἕσασα: “having made me sit,” fem. aor. ptc. > ἵζω. Understand με as the object of the participle and the verb λόε.

    361  λό(ε): = ἔλοε, unaugmented 3rd sing. impf. > λούω

    362  θυμῆρες κεράσασα: “having mixed the water to a pleasing temperature.” θυμῆρες is a neuter predicate adjective agreeing with the unexpressed object ὕδωρ.

    362  κατὰ: “down over,” with genitive.

    363  ὄφρα … εἵλετο: “until she took …”

    363  ἐκ: with γυίων.

    364  λίπ(α) ἐλαίῳ: "generously with oil," "with a generous amount of oil," a frequent formula in Homer (see also 10.450).

    365  βάλεν: “wrapped,” = ἔβαλεν.

    366  εἷσε: “she made me sit,” causal, aor. > ἵζω. Repetition of line 314.

    367  ὑπὸ: "underneath," adverbial.

    367  ποσὶν: “for my feet,” dat. pl. > πούς.

    367  ἦεν: ἦν. Repetition of line 315.

    368  χέρνιβα: object of the verb ἐπέχευε and the participle φέρουσα.

    368  προχόῳ: dative of instrument ("with") or locative dative ("in").

    370  νίψασθαι: infinitive of purpose > νίζω.

    370  παρὰ: “beside me.”

    370  ἐτάνυσσε: “she drew up,” “spread” > τανύω.

    372  χαριζομένη παρεόντων: “giving freely of her provisions” (lit., “of the things at hand”). 

    372  παρεόντων: gen. pl. ptc. > πάρειμι (see εἰμί). For this use of the genitive, both genitive of material and partitive genitive, see Monro 151e.

    373  ἐσθέμεναι: infin. > ἔσθω. Understand με as the accusative subject of the infinitive.

    373  οὐχ ἥνδανε: “it was not pleasing,” impersonal.

    374  ἥμην: 1st sing. impf. > ἧμαι.

    374  κακὰ δ᾽ ὄσσετο: “foresaw bad things.” 

    374  ὄσσετο: unaugmented 3rd sing. impf.

    375  ὡς: "when."

    378  τίφθ᾽: = τίπτε or τί ποτε, "why?"

    378  κατ(ά) ... ἕζεαι: "sit down," or "sit still," tmesis > καθέζομαι.

    378  ἶσος ἀναύδῳ: “like someone without a voice.”

    379  οὐχ ἅπτεαι: “you don’t touch,” followed by partitive genitives. 

    379  ἅπτεαι: 2nd sing. pres. mid. > ἅπτω.

    380  ἦ τινά … ὀΐεαι: “do you think this is another trick?” 

    380  ὀΐεαι: 2nd sing. pres. dep. > οἴομαι, ὀΐομαι.

    380  τί: “at all,” indefinite pronoun, accented because of the following enclitic.

    381  δειδίμεν: pres. act. infin.

    381  ἀπώμοσα: "I swore," aor. act. > ἀπόμνυμι.

    383–84  τίς … κεν ἀνήρ ... / ... τλαίη: “what man would dare …?” direct question with potential optative, functioning as the main clause (apodosis) of a future less vivid conditional relative.

    383  ὅς … εἴη: “who is…,” future less vivid conditional relative clause.

    383  ἐναίσιμος: “righteous.”

    384  πρὶν: the first πρὶν anticipates the second (Smyth 2440a). If translated, it can be translated as “first.”

    384  πάσσασθαι: “eat,” “partake of,” with partitive genitive; aor. infin. > πατέομαι.

    385  πρὶν: “before,” followed by infinitives (Monro 236; Smyth 2453).

    385  λύσασθ(αι): aor. mid. infin. > λύω.

    386–87  εἰ … κελεύεις, / λῦσον: present simple conditional with an imperative in the apodosis (Smyth 2300f).

    386  πρόφρασσα: “earnestly,” Epic fem. adj. > πρόφρων.

    386  φαγέμεν: aor. infin.

    387  λῦσον: aor. imperat. The object, ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους, is incorporated into the purpose clause.

    387  ἵν(α) … ἴδω: purpose clause.

    ἀπόμνυμι ἀπομοῦμαι/ἀπομόσω ἀπώμοσα ἀπομώμοκα – ἀπωμόθην/ἀπωμόσθην: to take an oath not to do something, swear off, deny with an oath 345

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ὄμνυμι (or ὀμνύω) ὀμοῦμαι ὤμοσα ὀμώμοκα ὀμώμο(σ)μαι ὠμόθην: to swear

    ὅρκος –ου ὁ: oath

    Κίρκη –ης ἡ: Circe, the enchantress, daughter of Helius, sister of Aeētes, dwelling in the isle of Aeaea

    ἐπιβαίνω ἐπιβήσομαι ἐπέβην ἐπιβέβηκα ––– –––: to go on, enter, step up, mount, board (a ship) + gen.

    περικαλλής –ές: very beautiful

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

    ἀμφίπολος –ου ἡ: female attendant, handmaid

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    τέως: so long, meanwhile, the while

    μέγαρον –ου τό: a large room, hall, feast-hall

    πένομαι – – – – –: to get tired out, be busy with, work with exhaustion or pain; (trans.) to prepare, work or busy oneself over

    ἕ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)

    δρήστειρα –ας ἡ: female laborer, servant woman

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus 350

    κρήνη –ης ἡ: a well, spring, fountain

    ἄλσος –ους τό: a glade

    ἅλαδε: to or into the sea

    προρέω προρεύσομαι προέρευσα: to flow forward

    θρόνος –ου ὁ: arm-chair

    ῥῆγος –ους τό: a rug, blanket

    πορφύρεος –η –ον: agitated; dyed purple

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

    ὑπένερθε: underneath, beneath

    λῖς, dat. λιτί, acc. λῖτα, ὁ: sheet, cover

    ὑποβάλλω ὑποβαλῶ ὑπέβαλον ὑποβέβληκα ὑποβέβλημαι ὑπεβλήθην: to throw, put

    προπάροιθε: before, in front of

    θρόνος –ου ὁ: arm-chair

    τιταίνω – – – – –: to stretch; to set out

    τράπεζα –ης ἡ: table; dinner

    ἀργύρεος –α or –έη –ον: silver, of silver 355

    σφεῖς: they

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, gold-inlaid

    κάνεον –ου τό: basket, usually of reed

    κρητήρ –ῆρος ὁ: large vessel for mixing water and wine

    μελίφρων –ον: sweet to the mind, delicious

    οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine

    κιρνάω – – – – –: to mix

    ἀργύρεος –α or –έη –ον: silver, of silver

    νέμω νεμῶ ἔνειμα νενέμηκα νενέμημαι ἐνεμήθην: to distribute, assign, give out; to pasture or tend flocks; (mid.) to possess, enjoy, inhabit, feed upon, manage

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, gold-inlaid

    κύπελλον –ου τό: goblet, cup

    φορέω φορέσω/φορήσω ἐφόρεσα/ἐφόρησα πεφόρηκα πεφόρημαι ἐφορήθην: to bear, carry

    ἀνακαίω ἀνακαίσω ἀνέκαυσα: to light up

    τρίπους –ποδος ὁ: tripod; three-footed, of or with three feet

    ἰαίνω ἰανῶ ἴηνα – – ἰάνθην: to heat

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet 360

    ζέω ζέσω ἔζεσα ἔζεσμαι ἐζέσθην: boil, seethe

    ἦνοψ –οπος: gleaming, glittering

    χαλκός –οῦ ὁ: bronze, copper, weapon

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἀσάμινθος –ου ἡ: a bathing-tub

    ἵζω εἵσομαι εἷσα/ἵζησα ἵζηκα: to take a seat, sit down; cause to take a seat

    λούω λούσομαι ἔλουσα λέλουμαι: to wash; (mid.) to wash myself, bathe

    τρίπους –ποδος ὁ: tripod; three-footed, of or with three feet

    θυμαρής –ές: pleasing, to one's liking

    κεραννύω/κεράννυμι κερῶ ἐκέρασα κεκέρακα κέκραμαι ἐκεράσθην/ἐκράθην: to mix, mingle

    κράς –ατός τό: head, top, highest point

    ὦμος ὤμου ὁ: shoulder

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

    κάματος –ου ὁ: fatigue, exhaustion; effort

    θυμοφθόρος –ον: destroying the soul, life-destroying

    γυῖον –ου τό: only pl., joints

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

    λούω λούσομαι ἔλουσα λέλουμαι: to wash; (mid.) to wash myself, bathe

    χρίω χρίσω ἔχρισα κέχρικα κέχριμαι ἐχρίσθην: to rub, anoint

    λίπα: richly, plentifully, generously

    ἔλαιον –ου τό: olive-oil

    χλαῖνα –ης ἡ: cloak, mantle 365

    ἠδέ: and

    χιτών –ῶνος ὁ: inner garment

    ἵζω εἵσομαι εἷσα/ἵζησα ἵζηκα: to take a seat, sit down; cause to take a seat

    εἰσάγω εἰσάξω εἰσήγαγον εἰσαγήοχα εἰσῆγμαι εἰσήχθην: to lead in, bring before

    θρόνος –ου ὁ: arm-chair

    ἀργυρόηλος –ον: silver-studded

    δαιδάλεος –α –ον: artistically crafted

    θρῆνυς –υος ἡ: a footstool

    χέρνιψ –ιβος ἡ: water for washing the hands

    ἀμφίπολος –ου ἡ: female attendant, handmaid

    πρόχοος –ου ὁ/ἡ: a pitcher

    ἐπιχέω ἐπιχέω ἐπέχεα ἐπικέχυκα ἐπικέχυμαι ἐπεχύθην: to pour water over

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, gold-inlaid

    ἀργύρεος –α or –έη –ον: silver, of silver

    λέβης –ητος ὁ: a kettle

    νίζω νίψω ἔνιψα ––– νένιμμαι ἐνίφθην: to wash the hands 370

    ξεστός –ή –όν: smoothed, polished, wrought

    τανύω τανύσω ἐτάνυσα – τετάνυσμαι ἐτανύσθην: to stretch, extend, lie (in a geographical sense); to set up

    τράπεζα –ης ἡ: table; dinner

    σῖτος –ου ὁ: grain; bread

    αἰδοῖος –α –ον: respectable, venerable; respectful

    ταμίη –ης ἡ: a housekeeper

    παρατίθημι παραθήσω παρέθηκα παρατέθηκα ––– παρετέθην: to place beside, provide, set before

    εἶδαρ –ατος τό: food

    ἐπιτίθημι ἐπιθήσω ἐπέθηκα ἐπιτέθηκα ––– ἐπετέθην: to lay/put upon, set up, apply oneself

    χαρίζομαι χαρίσομαι ἐχαρισάμην κεχάρισμαι ––– ἐχαρίσθην: to do a kindness, favor, gratify, give freely

    ἔσθω φαγήσω/ἔδομαι ἔφαγον ἐδήδοκα ἐδήδεμαι/ἐδήδεσμαι ἠδέσθην: to eat

    ἁνδάνω ἁδήσω ἅδον/ἕαδον ἅδηκα/ἕαδα: to please, delight, gratify

    ἧμαι (or κάθημαι) ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: sit

    ἀλλοφρονέω – – – – –: to think of other things, to give no heed

    ὄσσομαι – – – – –: to see

    νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think 375

    ἧμαι (or κάθημαι) ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: sit

    σῖτος –ου ὁ: grain; bread

    ἰάλλω ἰαλῶ ἴηλα ––– ––– –––: to throw, hurl, fling

    κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty

    πένθος –ους τό: grief, sadness, sorrow

    ἄγχι: near

    παρίστημι παρήσω παρέστησα (or παρέστην) παρέστηκα παρέσταμαι παρεστάθην: to stand by or near

    πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: winged

    προσαυδάω προσαυδήσω προσηύδησα προσηύδηκα προσηύδημαι προσηυδήθην: to speak to, address, accost

    τίπτε: why? (τί ποτε)

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

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἕζομαι – – – – –: to sit down

    ἄναυδος –ον: speechless, silent

    ἔδω ἔδομαι ἤδα ἔδηδα ἐδήδοται ἠδέσθην: to eat

    βρώμη –ης ἡ: food

    ἅπτω ἅψω ἧψα ––– ἧμμαι ἥφθην: to fasten; to kindle; (mid.) to touch (+ gen.)

    ποτής –ῆτος ἡ: a drinking, drink

    δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery 380

    δείδω δείσομαι ἔδεισα δέδοικα (or δίδια) ––– –––: to fear

    ἀπόμνυμι ἀπομοῦμαι/ἀπομόσω ἀπώμοσα ἀπομώμοκα – ἀπωμόθην/ἀπωμόσθην: to take an oath to not do something swear off, deny with an oath

    καρτερός –ά –όν : strong; fierce

    ὅρκος –ου ὁ: oath

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

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

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

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

    ἐναίσιμος –ον: fateful (bringing omens); just, righteous

    τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare; to have the courage (+ infin.); (part.) τετληώς

    πατέομαι πάσομαι ἐπασάμην πέπασμαι: to eat

    ἐδητύς –ύος ἡ: meat, food

    ἠδέ: and

    ποτής –ῆτος ἡ: a drinking, drink

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion 385

    πρόφρων –ον: kindly-spirited, well-intentioned; ready for action, purposefully, intentionally

    ἔφαγον (aor. with no pres. in use): to eat, devour

    ἐρίηρος –ον: faithful, devoted, trusty

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

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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/x-345-387