τὸν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Ἀλκίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε·

"ὦ Ὀδυσεῦ, τὸ μὲν οὔ τί σ᾽ ἐίσκομεν εἰσορόωντες,

ἠπεροπῆά τ᾽ ἔμεν καὶ ἐπίκλοπον, οἷά τε πολλοὺς

βόσκει γαῖα μέλαινα πολυσπερέας ἀνθρώπους,365

ψεύδεά τ᾽ ἀρτύνοντας ὅθεν κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο·

σοὶ δ᾽ ἔπι μὲν μορφὴ ἐπέων, ἔνι δὲ φρένες ἐσθλαί.

μῦθον δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸς ἐπισταμένως κατέλεξας,

πάντων τ᾽ Ἀργείων σέο τ᾽ αὐτοῦ κήδεα λυγρά.

ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον,370

εἴ τινας ἀντιθέων ἑτάρων ἴδες, οἵ τοι ἅμ᾽ αὐτῷ

Ἴλιον εἰς ἅμ᾽ ἕποντο καὶ αὐτοῦ πότμον ἐπέσπον.

νὺξ δ᾽ ἥδε μάλα μακρή, ἀθέσφατος· οὐδέ πω ὥρη

εὕδειν ἐν μεγάρῳ, σὺ δέ μοι λέγε θέσκελα ἔργα.

καί κεν ἐς ἠῶ δῖαν ἀνασχοίμην, ὅτε μοι σὺ375

τλαίης ἐν μεγάρῳ τὰ σὰ κήδεα μυθήσασθαι."

τὸν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς:

" Ἀλκίνοε κρεῖον, πάντων ἀριδείκετε λαῶν,

ὥρη μὲν πολέων μύθων, ὥρη δὲ καὶ ὕπνου·

εἰ δ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἀκουέμεναί γε λιλαίεαι, οὐκ ἂν ἐγώ γε380

τούτων σοι φθονέοιμι καὶ οἰκτρότερ᾽ ἄλλ᾽ ἀγορεύειν,

κήδε᾽ ἐμῶν ἑτάρων, οἳ δὴ μετόπισθεν ὄλοντο,

οἳ Τρώων μὲν ὑπεξέφυγον στονόεσσαν ἀυτήν,

ἐν νόστῳ δ᾽ ἀπόλοντο κακῆς ἰότητι γυναικός.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ ψυχὰς μὲν ἀπεσκέδασ᾽ ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ385

ἁγνὴ Περσεφόνεια γυναικῶν θηλυτεράων,

ἦλθε δ᾽ ἐπὶ ψυχὴ Ἀγαμέμνονος Ἀτρεΐδαο

ἀχνυμένη· περὶ δ᾽ ἄλλαι ἀγηγέραθ᾽, ὅσσοι ἅμ᾽ αὐτῷ

οἴκῳ ἐν Αἰγίσθοιο θάνον καὶ πότμον ἐπέσπον.

ἔγνω δ᾽ αἶψ᾽ ἔμ᾽ ἐκεῖνος, ἐπεὶ πίεν αἷμα κελαινόν·390

κλαῖε δ᾽ ὅ γε λιγέως, θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυον εἴβων,

πιτνὰς εἰς ἐμὲ χεῖρας, ὀρέξασθαι μενεαίνων·

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γάρ οἱ ἔτ᾽ ἦν ἲς ἔμπεδος οὐδέ τι κῖκυς,

οἵη περ πάρος ἔσκεν ἐνὶ γναμπτοῖσι μέλεσσι.

τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ δάκρυσα ἰδὼν ἐλέησά τε θυμῷ,395

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδων·

‘ Ἀτρεΐδη κύδιστε, ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον,

τίς νύ σε κὴρ ἐδάμασσε τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο;

ἦε σέ γ᾽ ἐν νήεσσι Ποσειδάων ἐδάμασσεν

ὄρσας ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀμέγαρτον ἀυτμήν;400

ἦέ σ᾽ ἀνάρσιοι ἄνδρες ἐδηλήσαντ᾽ ἐπὶ χέρσου

βοῦς περιταμνόμενον ἠδ᾽ οἰῶν πώεα καλά,

ἠὲ περὶ πτόλιος μαχεούμενον ἠδὲ γυναικῶν;’

    Alcinous asks Odysseus about the Greek warriors who died at Troy. Odysseus resumes his story and tells about his meeting with Agamemnon.

    Persephone scatters the ψύχαι of famous women, making way for the ghost of Agamemnon. (We will use proper names or personal pronouns for the Greek ψυχή in this section, to avoid the tedious “ghost of” formulation, though as we will see, the difference between their insubstantial existence and life in the world of mortals is an important theme in the underworld episode.) After he drinks the blood, Agamemnon tries to embrace Odysseus:

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    κλαῖε δ᾽ ὅ γε λιγέως, θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυον εἴβων, 
    πιτνὰς εἰς ἐμὲ χεῖρας, ὀρέξασθαι μενεαίνων: 
    ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γάρ οἱ ἔτ᾽ ἦν ἲς ἔμπεδος οὐδέ τι κῖκυς, 
    οἵη περ πάρος ἔσκεν ἐνὶ γναμπτοῖσι μέλεσσι.

    He fell into shrill weeping, pouring down tears, 
    and stretched out his hands, longing to embrace me, 
    but there was no strength in them, nor any juice left 
    like there was before in his flexible limbs.

    Odyssey 11.391–94

     

    The great commander has been reduced to feeble inconsequence, another of the twittering horde of dead souls. Odysseus now arrives at the crucial set of encounters at the heart of his katabasis, as he confronts what remains of his former comrades at Troy. We have seen that this trip to the underworld departs in some ways from the tragic model for such an adventure. As Odysseus learns the fates of Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ajax, we see his character measured against those of his fellow warriors, an occasion to reflect on the unusual nature of his heroism.

    Agamemnon is surrounded by the ghosts of his henchmen, all of whom died with him. Overcome by sadness, Odysseus asks his friend how he died. Was it on the sea, braving a storm, or during a raid on another’s property, cattle, sheep, or women? No, he was slaughtered at the dinner table, undone by the treachery of a woman and her illicit lover—an ignominious end for a hero, especially in a poem that celebrates the virtues of proper hospitality. The poet forges a link to the catalogue of heroines, and beyond that, the adventures in Books 9 and 10: In the moment of their death, Agamemnon’s men become “pigs with white tusks” (413) like the captives in Circe’s house; the banquet drenched in blood recalls the gruesome meals of Polyphemus. Given the prominence of stories about dangerous wives in particular, the import for Odysseus is clear enough: Beware the wife you’ve left alone at home. She may betray you.

    Agamemnon’s description of his last moments offers fleeting echoes of the Iliad, with bodies strewn all over the ground and warriors facing imminent death. We hear the last pitiful cry of Cassandra, whose laments herald the return of Priam with Hector’s corpse in the earlier poem:

    κώκυσέν τ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔπειτα γέγωνέ τε πᾶν κατὰ ἄστυ: 
    ὄψεσθε Τρῶες καὶ Τρῳάδες Ἕκτορ᾽ ἰόντες, 
    εἴ ποτε καὶ ζώοντι μάχης ἐκνοστήσαντι 
    χαίρετ᾽, ἐπεὶ μέγα χάρμα πόλει τ᾽ ἦν παντί τε δήμῳ.

    She shrieked in sorrow then and cried out to the whole city: 
    “Come and see Hector, you Trojan men and women, 
    if ever you rejoiced at his return alive from battle, 
    since he was a great delight to the city and all the people.”

    Iliad 24.702–5

    In the Iliad, Cassandra’s voice summons the Trojans to the city walls, to honor communally the last journey of their great defender. Here her last cries echo through the halls of Agamemnon’s palace as she falls on his body, a grim, private moment, marking the king’s helplessness before his treacherous wife. From this pitiful tableau, Clytemnestra turns coldly away, denying her husband what heroes crave most, to be seen by others. In our last image of him alive, Agamemnon pounds the ground in frustration (perhaps a plea to the gods of the Underworld for vengeance: cf. Il. 9.568). After he dies, Clytemnestra withholds one last service to the dead, leaving the corpse with a gaping mouth and open, staring eyes.

    The Iliadic tone of Agamemnon’s last moments increases the pathetic nature of his final moments. In a battle narrative, this might be a poignant conclusion to a heroic life. The Odyssey’s perspective marks his death not as noble but as a sign of failure, to control the potentially insidious power of a woman. Odysseus’s response to Agamemnon brings the king’s bitter memories into line with the overarching themes of the poem:

    ‘ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ γόνον Ἀτρέος εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς 
    ἐκπάγλως ἤχθηρε γυναικείας διὰ βουλὰς 
    ἐξ ἀρχῆς: Ἑλένης μὲν ἀπωλόμεθ᾽ εἵνεκα πολλοί, 
    σοὶ δὲ Κλυταιμνήστρη δόλον ἤρτυε τηλόθ᾽ ἐόντι.’

    “Oh for shame, that from the beginning Zeus of the wide gaze 
    has been terribly hateful to the family of Atreus through women’s schemes; 
    many of us have been destroyed because of Helen, 
    and Clytemnestra wove treachery for you when you were far away.”

    Odyssey 11.436–39

    We return to the origin of all the pain and death at Troy and afterward, the treachery of Helen. Zeus must hate the family of Atreus, whose generations he chooses to punish through womanly scheming. The two sisters, Helen and Clytemnestra, fall into place beside Calypso, Nausicaa, Circe, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sirens. The implications of these parallels are clear enough. The return of right order in Ithaka (itself a microcosm of the larger patriarchal order of the universe) depends on Odysseus regaining his status as king, husband, father, and son. To do so, he must survive all the challenges thrown in his way, many of which feature feminine trickery in one form or another. We have said that the katabasis brings a hero face to face with fundamental truths about himself and the larger universe. Odysseus has arrived.

     

    Further Reading

    Dimock, G. 1989. The Unity of the Odyssey, 156–161. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.

    Morrison, J. 2003. A Companion to Homer’s Odyssey, 107–109. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Reinhardt, K. 1942. “The Adventures in the Odyssey.” In Schein, S. 1996. Reading the Odyssey. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 118–121.

    Van Nortwick, T. 2008. Imagining Men: Ideals of Masculinity in Ancient Greek Culture, 32. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

     

    363  τὸ μὲν οὔ τί σ᾽ ἐΐσκομεν … ἔμεν: “we don’t suppose this at all, that you are….” indirect discourse with accusative and infinitive.

    365  οἷά τε: “even as,” “after the manner in which.”

    366  ὅθεν: “from a source which.”

    366  κε … ἴδοιτο: potential optative.

    367  σοὶ δ᾽ ἔπι: “(there is) upon you,” “you have.” Anastrophe.

    367  μορφὴ: “grace.”

    367  ἔνι δὲ: “and in you (there is).”

    368  ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸς: “as when a bard (speaks).”

    369  κήδεα: in apposition to μῦθον.

    371  εἰ … ἴδες: “whether you saw….” indirect question.

    371  ἴδες: 2nd sing. aor. > ὁράω.

    371  τοι ἅμ᾽ αὐτῷ: “along with you.”

    372  αὐτοῦ: “there.”

    372  ἐπέσπον: 3rd pl. aor. > ἐφέπω.

    373 οὐδέ … εὕδειν: answering lines 11.330–31.

    375  κεν … ἀνασχοίμην: “I could hold out.” Potential optative > ἀνέχω.

    375  ὅτε … τλαίης: “as long as you take it upon yourself to….” General temporal clause with optative (Smyth 2403).

    379  ὥρη: “there is time for,” with genitive (LSJ ὥρα B2).

    379  πολέων: = πολλῶν

    380  εἰ … λιλαίεαι, οὐκ ἂν … φθονέοιμι: “if you long to …, I would not hesitate to….” Mixed conditional (εἰ + pres., ἂν + opt.).

    380  ἀκουέμεναί: pres. act. infin. > ἀκούω, complementary infinitive with λιλαίεαι.

    381  τούτων: genitive of comparison with οἰκτρότερ(α).

    381  ἄλλ᾽: “other things.”

    381  ἀγορεύειν: complementary infinitive with φθονέοιμι.

    382  μετόπισθεν: “later.”

    384  ἰότητι: dative of cause, or instrumental dative (Monro 144).

    385  ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ: “here and there.”

    386  γυναικῶν θηλυτεράων: "the very feminine women,” modifying ψυχὰς in 385 (on the use of the comparative as an intensifier, see Smyth 1067).

    387  ἦλθε δ᾽ ἐπὶ: “came up,” “approached.”

    388  περὶ: “around,” adverbial.

    388  ἄλλαι: i.e, ἄλλαι ψυχαί.

    388  ἀγηγέραθ᾽: 3rd pl. plupf. mid./pass. > ἀγείρω.

    389  οἴκῳ ἐν: ἐν οἴκῳ.

    389  θάνον: = ἔθανον, unaugmented 3rd pl. aor.

    390  πίεν: = ἔπιεν, unaugmented 3rd sing. aor. > πίνω.

    391  κλαῖε: = ἔκλαιε, unaugmented 3rd sing. impf.

    391  λιγέως: “aloud.”

    391  κατὰ: “down,” adverbial, or tmesis > κατείβω, “to let flow down.”

    392  πιτνὰς: aor. ptc. nom. sing. > πίτνημι.

    392  ὀρέξεσθαι: understand με as the object.

    393  οὐ … ἔτ᾽: οὐκέτι, “no longer.”

    393  ἔμπεδος: “unimpaired.”

    394  οἵη περ: “such as.”

    394  ἔσκεν: “used to be,” iterative impf. > εἰμί.

    394  ἐνὶ: ἐν.

    395  τὸν: “him,” direct object of ἰδὼν.

    395  δάκρυσα: = ἐδάκρυσα, unaugmented 1st sing. aor.

    395  θυμῷ: “in my heart,” dative of place where (locative dative).

    399  ἠέ … ἦέ … ἠὲ …: “did you … or ….” Introducing direct alternative questions (Smyth 2661).

    399  νήεσσι: dat. pl. > νῆυς (ναῦς).

    402  περιταμνόμενον: “while raiding….” Agreeing with σε in 401. pres. ptc. mid. > περιτέμνω, “to cut off (and round up).”

    403  πτόλιος: gen. sing. > πόλις.

    αὖτε: in turn, moreover, still, again, on the other hand

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

    ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer

    φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: to make a sound, speak

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

    ἐΐσκω – – – – –: to make like; to reckon similar, liken, compare

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

    ἠπεροπεύς –έως or ἠπεροπευτής –οῦ ὁ: a cheat, deceiver

    ἐπίκλοπος –ον: thievish, wily

    βόσκω βοσκήσω ἐβόσκησα βεβόσκηκα βεβόσκημαι ἐβοσκήθην: (act.) to feed; (mid.) to feed oneself; (trans.) to feed someone 365

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

    μέλας μέλαινα μέλαν: black, dark, obscure

    πολυσπερής –ές: wide-spread

    ψεῦδος –ους τό: falsehood, lie

    ἀρτύνω ἀρτυνῶ ἤρτυνα – – ἀρτύνθην: to arrange, prepare, devise

    μορφή –ῆς ἡ: form, shape, beauty

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

    ἐσθλός –ή –όν: good

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

    ἀοιδός –οῦ ὁ: a singer, minstrel, bard

    ἐπισταμένως: skillfully

    καταλέγω καταλέξω κατέλεξα κατείλοχα κατείλεγμαι κατελέχθην: to recount, tell at length and in order; (mid.) καταλέχομαι to lie down

    Ἀργεῖος –η –ον: Argive, of or from Argos (Greece)

    κῆδος –ους τό: care, thought (for others); anxiety, worry, pain, grief

    λυγρός –ά –όν: sad, mournful, miserable

    ἄγε: come! come on! well! 370

    ἀτρεκής –ές: real, genuine, exact

    καταλέγω καταλέξω κατέλεξα κατείλοχα κατείλεγμαι κατελέχθην: to recount, tell at length and in order; (mid.) καταλέχομαι to lie down

    ἀντίθεος –η –ον: godlike

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    Ἴλιος –ου ἡ: Troy, Ilion

    αὐτοῦ: at the very place, here, there

    πότμος –ου ὁ: that which befalls one, one's lot, destiny; death

    ἐφέπω ἐφέψω ἔπεσπον ––– ––– –––: to follow, pursue; to frequent, go often to, range over

    ἀθέσφατος –ον: beyond even a god's power to express; ineffable, aweful; too much

    πω: up to this time, yet

    ὥρα –ας ἡ: time, season, climate

    εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep

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

    θέσκελος –ον: marvelous, wondrous

    ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn; Dawn 375

    δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining

    ἀνέχω ἀνέξω (or ἀνσχήσω) ἀνέσχον ἀνέσχηκα ––– –––: raise up

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

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

    κῆδος –ους τό: care, thought (for others); anxiety, worry, pain, grief

    μυθέομαι μυθήσομαι μεμύθημαι ἐμυθήθην: speak or talk of, describe, explain, relate

    ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer

    πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address

    πολύμητις –ιος: very wise, very cunning

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

    κρείων fem. -ουσα: commanding, kingly; (as subst.) ruler

    ἀριδείκετος –ον: conspicuous, renowned; notable, illustrious, famous

    ὥρα –ας ἡ: time, season, climate

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

    ὥρα –ας ἡ: time, season, climate

    ὕπνος –ου ὁ: sleep

    λιλαίομαι – – – – –: to desire, to miss; to long for (+ gen. or infin.) 380

    φθονέω φθονήσω ἐφθόνησα ––– ἐφθόνημαι ἐφθονήθην: to begrudge; to be reluctant (+ infin.)

    οἰκτρός –ά –όν: pitiable, in piteous plight

    ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to speak, say

    κῆδος –ους τό: care, thought (for others); anxiety, worry, pain, grief

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    μετόπισθε: behind, in back of; afterwards; toward the west

    ὄλλυμι ὀλῶ ὤλεσα (or ὠλόμην) ὀλώλεκα (or ὄλωλα) ––– –––: to demolish, kill; to lose, suffer the loss of (+ acc.); (mid.) to die, perish, be killed

    Τρώς Τρωός ὁ: Trojan

    ὑπεκφεύγω ὑπεκφεύξομαι ὑπεκέφυγον ὑπεκπέφευγα ––– –––: to escape

    στονόεις –εσσα –εν: doleful, mournful, baleful

    ἀϋτή –ῆς ἡ: to cry

    νόστος –ου ὁ: return (home)

    ἰότης –ητος ἡ: will, desire

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet 385

    ἀποσκεδάννυμι ἀποσκεδῶ ἀπεσκέδασα ––– ἀπεσκέδασμαι ἀπεσκεδάσθην: to scatter abroad, disperse

    ἄλλυδις: elsewhere, here and there, in another direction

    ἄλλῃ: in another place, elsewhere

    ἁγνός –ή –όν: holy

    Περσεφόνη –ης ἡ: Persephone, Proserpine

    θῆλυς θήλεια θῆλυ: female, feminine, soft

    Ἀγαμέμνων –ονος ὁ: Agamemnon

    Ἀτρείδης –ου ὁ: son of Atreus

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

    ἀγείρω ἀγερῶ ἤγειρα ἀγήγερμαι ἠγέρθην: gather, collect

    Αἴγισθος –ου ὁ: Aegisthus, son of Thyestes, and cousin of Agamemnon

    πότμος –ου ὁ: that which befalls one, one's lot, destiny; death

    ἐφέπω ἐφέψω ἔπεσπον ––– ––– –––: to follow, pursue; to frequent, go often to, range over

    αἶψα: rapidly, speedily, suddenly 390

    κελαινός –ή –όν: black, dark, murky

    κλαίω/κλάω κλαύσομαι/κλαήσω ἔκλαυσα ––– κέκλαυμαι/κέκλαυσμαι ἐκλαύσθην: weep, cry

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

    θαλερός –ά –όν: blooming, fresh

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

    εἴβω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to drop, let fall in drops

    πίτνημι/πεταννύω/πετάννυμι πετῶ ἐπέτασα πεπέτακα πέπταμαι ἐπετάσθην: to spread out

    ὀρέγω ὀρέξω ὤρεξα – ὀρώρεγμαι/ὤρεγμαι ὠρέχθην: to reach, stretch, stretch out

    μενεαίνω – – – – –: to desire earnestly

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

    ἴς ἰνός ἡ: strength, force; sinew, tendon

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

    κῖκυς –υος ἡ: strength, vigor

    πάρος: before, formerly

    γναμπτός –ή –όν: curved, bent

    μέλος –ους τό: a limb

    δακρύω δακρύσω ἐδάκρυσα δεδάκρυκα δεδάκρυμαι –––: cry 395

    ἐλεέω ἐλεήσω ἠλέησα – ἠλέημαι ἠλεήθην: have pity on, show mercy to

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

    φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: to make a sound, speak

    πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: winged

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

    Ἀτρείδης –ου ὁ: son of Atreus

    κύδιστος –η –ον: most glorious, most honored, noblest

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    Ἀγαμέμνων –ονος ὁ: Agamemnon

    κήρ κηρός ἡ: doom, death, fate

    δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημα ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue

    τανηλεγής –ές: long-lamented

    Ποσειδῶν (or Ποσειδάων) –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon

    δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημα ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue

    ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir up, move; (mid.) to rise, get up 400

    ἀργαλέος –α –ον: hard to endure or deal with, difficult

    ἄνεμος –ου ὁ: wind

    ἀμέγαρτος –ον: unenviable

    ἀϋτμή –ῆς ἡ: breath, puff, air, gust

    ἀνάρσιος –ον: unfriendly, hostile

    δηλέομαι δηλήσομαι ἐδηλησάμην δεδήλημαι: to hurt, harm

    χέρσος –ου ἡ: dry land, land

    περιτέμνω περιτεμῶ περιέτεμον περιτέτμηκα περιτέτμημαι περιετμήθην: to surround and cut off cattle in order to make booty of them

    ἠδέ: and

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    πῶυ –ους τό: a flock

    ἠδέ: and

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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/xi-361-403