3.418–454

418  μοι: a "true dative" (indirect object) with κρηήνατ(ε) indicating the person to or for something is done. See Monro 143 

418  κρηήνατ(ε): second plural aorist active imperative from κραίνω.

419  ἱλάσσομ(αι): short-vowel aorist middle subjunctive from ἱλάσκομαι, in a purpose clause (“so that …,” ὄφρα + subjunctive, Monro 287.1.b), or future middle indicative, in a temporal clause (“while …,” ὄφρα + indicative). See Stanford, 1947. 

421  ἄγ(ε) ὁ μὲν . . . ἴτω: ἄγε is an exclamation that often accompanies another imperative, here ἴτω (third singular imperative from εἶμι). See Monro 327. The subject is ὁ, a demonstrative (“this man”), which here seems to have the force of “someone” or “one man,” since ὁ μέν is answered by εἷς δ᾽ in 423.

421  ἐπὶ βοῦν "to fetch a cow." Stanford (1947) notes that this is a rare use of ἐπί, but notes a similar construction at 24.466 (and Iliad 2.808): ἐπὶ τεύχεα ἐσσεύοντο "they rushed to fetch weapons." See LSJ ἐπί C.III.1. 

422  ἔλθῃσιν: the subject is probably to be extracted from βοῦν in 421.

422  ἐλάσῃ: third singular aorist active subjunctive from ἐλαύνω, with βοῦν as object, inferred from 421.  

422  βοῶν ἐπιβουκόλος ἀνήρ: a pleasant phrase for "herdsman" that Homer employs five times in the Odyssey, with pleonastic (redundant) βοῶν (Smyth 3042.f) and ἀνήρ (Cunliffe 1.d under ἀνήρ for other examples). 

427  εἴπατε “order (dative) to (infinitive)” See under εἶπον Cunliffe sense 5, and LSJ III.

429  ξύλα τ᾽ ἀμφί: most commentators understand βωμόν, “altar,” as the object of the preposition ἀμφί, and read, “logs to put around the altar.”

433  πείρατα “the instruments,” synonymous with ὅπλα (see under πεῖραρ, Cunliffe 2.g, and LSJ II).

435  οἷσίν τε: Homer employs τε to mark an assertion as general or indefinite (Monro 332.b). 

436  ἱρῶν ἀντιόωσα “to receive the offerings” (LSJ ἀντιάω A.I.1).

437  ἔδωχ᾽: ἔδωκε third singular aorist active indicative from δίδωμι.

437  περίχευεν: this may mean that the goldsmith wraps gold leaf around the horns, or inlays the horns with gold.

438  ἄγαλμα: object of the participle ἰδοῦσα.

438  κεχάροιτο: third singular aorist middle optative χαίρω (in a purpose clause in secondary sequence, see Monro 301), which takes a supplementary participle (LSJ χαίρω I.3, Smyth 2100).

439  ἀγέτην: dual.

439  κεράων “by the horns,” a type of partitive genitive used with verbs meaning “to touch” or “to take hold of” (Monro 151a, Smyth 1346).

440 σφ(ι) “for them,” dative of interest.

440  ἀνθεμόεντι: decorative gold rosettes, as described here, have been excavated at Mycenae. [link to image]

441  ἑτέρῃ “in his other (left) hand.”

443  ἐπικόψων: future active participle from ἐπικὀπτω, expressing purpose.

445  χέρνιβά τ᾽ οὐλοχύτας τε κατήρχετο “began the sacrifice with the washing of hands and sprinking the barley on the victim’s head” (LSJ κατάρχω II.2), where the more literal meaning is "held ready the water for hand-washing and the barley corns" (Cunliffe). 

446  ἀπαρχόμενος: the verb specifically refers to beginning the sacrifice by cutting hairs (τρίχας) from the victim’s head and throwing them onto the fire, as described here (LSJ ἀπάρχομαι).

449  ἤλασεν: “struck the blow” (LSJ ἐλαύνω II).

453  οἱ: the other sons of Nestor.

453  ἀνελόντες . . . / ἔσχον: the object is the head of the stricken cow.