Argonautica IV 737-832

Departure from Circe: Hera instructs Thetis to save the Argonauts:

Jason and Medea leave the house of Circe, with her disapproving words ringing in their ears. The scene then switches to Olympus where Hera sends for Thetis and then in a long speech (one of the longest in the poem) persuades her to organise on-going assistance for the band of Argonauts.

739 σχετλίη: “wretched creature!” A forthright opening! The main theme of Book 4 is the νόστος of the Argonauts and the main protagonists. Circe immediately brands it as “evil and shameful,” and Medea as the chief architect: μήσαο: uncontracted 2^nd pers. sing. aor. < μήδομαι.

740 οὐκ ἐπὶ δήν: “not for long.”

741 εἶσι: pres. ind. act. 3^rd. sg. < εἶμι (I shall come). Ἑλλάδος ἤθεα γαίης: “the territories of the land of Greece.” Aietes’ powers are far-ranging. This possibility is later mentioned by Arete and Alcinoos (1103).

742 τισόμενος φόνον υἷος: how does she know that they have murdered Apsyrtus? She is unaware at the beginning of the episode (692 ἀμηχανέουσα κιόντων). Jason and Medea’s actions throughout the scene make it quite plain that they have blood on their hands and Circe’s dream of blood on the walls gives an initial heavy hint. τισόμενος: fut. part. (of purpose) < τίνω.

743 ἱκέτις καὶ ὁμόγνιος: the protocol of supplication and the connection through family are potent forces. ἔπλευ: contracted 2^nd. sing. < πέλομαι.

744 οὔ τι κακὸν μητίσομαι: “I will devise no further evil against you.” ἐνθάδ᾿ ἰούσῃ: “now that you’ve come here.”

745 ἔρχεο δ᾿ ἐκ μεγάρων: “go away from my palace.” Circe’s dismissal is a harsh one. ξείνῳ: i.e Jason. It adds to the grim realism of the scene that Circe has not been able to work out (how could she?) who the non-Colchian speaking stranger is. The Argo as πάσι μελουσα (Od. 12.69–72) belongs to a different place in the timescale of epic.

746 ἀείραο: 2^nd. sing. aor. mid. < ἀείρω, “you have carried off (like a prize).” πατρὸς ἄνευθεν: “without your father’s permission” or “far from your father.”

747 μηδέ με γουνάσσηαι: “don’t clasp me by the knees.” Part of the supplication procedure that Medea has not yet attempted. Maybe Medea makes a last gesture as Circe warns here off. ἐφέστιος: “while you’re at my hearth.”

748 βουλάς τε σέθεν: ‘your plans,” a reference back to 734. ἀεικέα φύξιν: “disgraceful flight,” picking up the opening of the speech and giving it a closing twist. There is also a wider reference to the proem of Book 4.

749–50 In her grief Medea covers her face (see 466n.) and also gives a cry of anguish (γόον χέεν).

751 χειρὸς ἐπισχόμενος: “taking her by the hand.” μεγάρων ἐξῆγε θύραζε: “he led her out of the palace to the entrance.”

752 δείματι παλλομένην: “shaking with fear,” for the future and Aietes’ threats (23n.) λεῖπον δ᾿ ἀπὸ δώματα Κίρκης: “and they left Circe’s house.” (166n.) ἀπό is to be taken with λεῖπον (anastrophic tmesis.) The scene comes abruptly and quickly to an end.

753–769 Hera is a presiding deity in Book 4, though divine machinery (Glaiser 1992 ) is often a notable absentee in the Argonautica.She intervenes at 4.510 and restrains the Colchian pursuit, she stops them with a shout at 4.640–4, when the Argonauts are about to go the wrong way up the River Rhodanus and here she takes precautionary measures through the agency of Iris, who is almost a professional messenger (Cesca 2017, 31) of the gods. 

753–4  ἄλοχον Κρονίδαο Διός: “The wife of Zeus, the son of Cronos.” οἱ Ἶρις / πέφραδεν: ‘Iris told her’ For the dative ‘οἱ’: LSJ A3. οὐδ᾽ . . . λάθον: Remarks like this (‘It is not possible to escape the notice of the gods (LSJ Α4) or some all-seeing presence’) are often expressed through litotes. Virgil’s nec latuere doli fratrem Iunonis et irae occurs in a similar context (Aen. 1.124): Neptune has realised that Iuno had destroyed Aeneas’ fleet and calls the East and West Wind before him.

754  ἀπὸ μεγάροιο κιόντας: “leaving the hall (of Circe)”. Iris spots Jason and Medea on the way back to join the other Argonauts, after their interview with Circe. εὖτ᾿ ἐνόησεν: νοέω denotes perception (Logozzo and Poccetti 2017, 214) with understanding. Iris sees them and knows she must tell Hera.

755  αὐτὴ γάρ μιν ἄνωγε: ‘for she ordered her.’ δοκευέμεν: present active infinitive. "to watch out," like a hound watching for his prey. Callimachus elaborates on this idea at h. 4.228 (Iris and Ares similarly keep watch, to prevent Leto finding a place to give birth). ὁππότε: LSJ A2b.

755–6  νῆα / στείχοιεν: Cognate accusative (3). τὸ καὶ αὖτις: ‘a further mission.’ lit. ‘Also this further.’ τό is used here as a demonstrative pronoun. ἐποτρύνουσ᾿ ἀγόρευεν: A. is adapting Homeric phrases. ἐποτρύνει καὶ ἀνώγει (Il. 6.439) are often paired. Here A. splits the words (755 ἄνωγε) for variation, as part of his ‘partially formulaic diction’ (Martin 2012, 9).

757  Ἶρι φίλη: ‘Dear Iris.’ Ἶρι θεά (Il. 18.182), Ἶρι ταχεῖα (Il. 24. 144) are the ways in which Iris is addressed in the Iliad. Hera opens in conciliatory fashion. νῦν, εἴ ποτ (ε): ‘Now, if ever.’ This phrase usually introduces a reminder of past services offered in a suppliant prayer. Hera turns it into an order, underlined by the weighty second half of the line. Her mood is not completely conciliatory. ἐμὰς ἐτέλεσσας ἐφετμάς: This phrase echoes some important Homeric lines: Il. 1.495 (Thetis and Achilles) Θέτις δ’ οὐ λήθετ’ ἐφετμέων / παιδὸς ἑοῦ, 5.18 (Diomedes and Athene) ἐφετμέων ἃς ἐπέτειλας, 15.593 (Zeus and the Trojans) Διὸς δ’ ἐτέλειον ἐφετμάς, 21.299 (Poseidon, Athene and Achilles) θεῶν ὄτρυνεν ἐφετμή.

758  εἰ δ᾿ ἄγε: ‘Come now!’ This is commonly explained by an ellipsis of βούλει, ‘if you will, come now!’ But it is probable that no definite verb was in the speaker’s mind in such expressions, even when we find it necessary to supply one. Here is a fuller discussion (Miles 1895) and some further examples (Cooper and Krüger 2002, 2979) λαιψηρῇσι μετοιχομένη πτερύγεσσιν: ‘setting out on swift wings.’

759 ἄνωχθι: ‘Order!’ perfect active imperative 2nd. singular < ἄνωγα, which is a word often used in instruction scenes. Zeus gives similar instructions (Il. 11.185–190) Ἶριν δ᾽ ὄτρυνε χρυσόπτερον ἀγγελέουσαν / ‘βάσκ᾽ ἴθι Ἶρι ταχεῖα . . . ἀνώχθω / μάρνασθαι or Odysseus at Od. 22.483 ἐλθεῖν ἐνθάδ’ ἄνωχθι σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξί. The dependent infinitive is μολεῖν < βλώσκω. The line is nicely balanced by ἁλὸς ἐξανιοῦσαν agreeing with Θέτιν (Thetis).

760 κείνης γὰρ χρειώ με κιχάνεται. "I have need of her." lit. ‘Need of her has come upon me.’ The line is a verbal echo of Il. 10.118 = 11.610 χρειὼ γὰρ ἱκάνεται οὐκέτ’ ἀνεκτός but the construction also recalls Il. 1.340–1 (Achilles) εἴ ποτε δ’ αὖτε / χρειὼ ἐμεῖο γένηται. The use of the abstract noun as subject adds an air of solemnity. In the case of Achilles, the talk is of a serious matter. In Hera’s mouth, however, the words are undercut by the fact she is asking for aid from a much less powerful goddess.

761 ἐλθεῖν: The infinitive is used as an imperative (Smyth 2013; see also above (759n.)). ἄκμονες Ἡφαίστοιο: Homer had kept the location of Hephaestus’ forge on Mount Olympus (Il. 18.369–71). Callimachus gives specific details and places it on Lipari, one of the islands off the N.E. coast of Sicily (h. 3.46–9). A., to some extent, agrees with Callimachus, though he does not name a particular island here.

762 χάλκειοι: agreeing with ἄκμονες in the previous line. The description of the forge is Callimachean (h. 3.48, Aet. fr. 113c.11 Harder π̣α̣ρ᾽Ἡφ̣α̣⸤ί⸥ϲ̣⸤τοιο καμινοις). τυπίδεσσιν: “hammers” (Aet. fr. 110.50 is a similar context).

763 φύσας πυρός: “blasts of fire.”

764 παρεξελάσῃσιν: aor. subj. act. 3^rd. sg. < παρεξελαύνω, used in a similar way of Odysseus and his men rowing past the Sirens at Od. 12.55. Αἴολον ἐλθεῖν: second stage of the task (see 761n.). The repetition of the name in the next line well characterises Hera making sure that her instructions are understood (see 264­­–4n. for this type of repetition and 753–769 above on how A.’s on Homeric messenger speeches in general.)

765 αἰθρηγενέεσσιν: “born in the clear sky,” used of Boreas at Il. 15.171=19.358). There was debate about the meaning of the word in antiquity; see further Kraggerud 2016.

766 τῷ εἰπέμεναι: ‘tell him,” another infinitive used as an imperative (see above on 761: ἐλθεῖν).

767 ἀπολλήξειεν: = ἀποπαύω. The verb is used transitively here, for the more frequent use with the genitive: “cease the winds.” ὑπ᾿ ἠέρι: “under heaven,”perhaps further explaining αἰθρηγενέεσσιν above; see further 442–4n.

768 τρηχύνοι: “let no breeze ruffle the sea,” pres. opt. act. 3^rd. sg. < τραχύνω, used after μηδέ in the previous line. ἀήτω: pres. imperat. act. 3^rd. sg. < ἄημι: “let the West Wind blow,” (and carry the Argonauts down the west coast of Italy, through the Strait of Messina, and so to Drepane) or Phaeacia as it is called in the next line.

770 ὧς ἔφατʼ: Hera’s instructions are complete. ἀπ᾿ Οὐλύμποιο θοροῦσα: “leaping down from Olympus,” a more particular location at Il. 24.78–9.

771 τέμνε: “cut (the air), generally the object is stated (LSJ vi 2b). τανυσσαμένη κοῦφα πτερά: probably varies Il. 11.454 πτερὰ πυκνὰ βαλόντες (Od. 2.151 τιναξάσθην πτερὰ πυκνά), Aratus Phaen. 969 τιναξάμενοι πτερὰ πυκνά. A. keeps the visual description to a minimum. The important detail is the speed with which Iris carries out her mission. δῦ δ᾿ ἐνὶ πόντῳ: “she plunged into the sea”, (see above Il. 24.78–9 and 18.140–1).

772 τόθι πέρ τε δόμοι Νηρῆος ἔασιν: “where is the dwelling of Nereus.” A.’s reference tantalises the reader. He does not actually specify where Nereus’ palace is (770n.).

773 πρώτην δʼ εἰσαφίκανε Θέτιν: first stop Thetis. There is no time for repeated speech (753–769n.).

774 Ἥρης ἐννεσίῃς: “in line with Hera’s instructions.” μιν εἰς ἕ: mimicking Il. 23.203 where Iris is also where is visiting the winds, as here she visits Aeolus: “roused her (μιν) to go (νέεσθαι) to her (ἓ) i.e. to Hera.

775–6 δεύτερα δ᾿ εἰς Ἥφαιστον: second stop Hephaestus: “keep the hammers (σιδηρείων τυπίδων) quiet!” might have been the direct speech.

777 αἰθαλέοι πρηστῆρες: “the sooty bellows stopped (ἔσχοντο) blasting forth (ἀυτμῆς).” The ornate language is based on Il. 18.471 (also Hephaestus’ bellows). τρίτον εἰσαφίκανεν: the instructions for Aeolus have been given in some detail previously so are kept to a minimum. Repetition without variation is not A.’s style.

778 ὄφρα δὲ καὶ τῷ: “and when she (had given her message) to him also.” ὄφρα is to be taken with the following τόφρα: “when . . . then.”

779 θοὰ γούνατα: the ram who carried Phrixus and Helle to Colchis is said to have “rested his knees” at 4.116 (n.) in similar fashion.

781 Οὔλυμπόνδε: for δε used as a marker of motion towards see 4.135n.

782 μιν ἆσσον ἑοῖο παρεῖσέ: “sat her (Thetis) down near her.” παρεῖσέ: aor. < παρίζω. The atmosphere at the beginning of Hera’s speech is very domestic. The Queen of the Gods seems to want a cosy chat. φαῖνέ τε μῦθον: “revealed her purpose.”

783 κέκλυθι: aor. imperat. act. 2^nd. sg. < κλύω: “listen now.” Θέτι δῖα: “dear Thetis,” perhaps a little ingratiating, when addressing a ‘junior’ Goddess. ἐνισπεῖν: aor. inf. act. < ἐνέπω.

784 οἶσθα μέν: “you know.” Possibly an allusion to the famous Ἀργὼ πᾶσι μέλουσα passage at Od. 12.69–72), “the Argo, a story known to all,” in which Circe links the Argonautic legend with her instructions concerning Odysseus’ future travels. ὅσσον . . . τίεται ἥρως: Od. 12.72 ἐπεὶ φίλος ἦεν Ἰήσων.

786 οἵη τέ σφ᾿ ἐσάωσα: “and I alone saved them.” The other strand of the transmitted text has οἵως τέ σφ᾽ ἐσάωσα, “how I saved them” (οἵως adv. < οἷος instead of οἵη, agreeing with Hera). σφ᾽ is for σφε. This line presents problems. Hera seems to be claiming credit for getting the Argonauts through the Clashing Rocks, something for which Athena was responsible and, at the same time, confused about the meaning of the word that she uses to describe them: Planctae (Πλαγκταί), when the reader might have expected Symplegades (Συμπληγάδες) . . . Read Full Essay. περόωντας: < περάω: for the contracted participle: Smyth 643.

787 πυρὸς δειναὶ βρομέουσι θύελλαι: ‘the terrible gusts of fire roar’: the phrase deliberately echoes Od. 12.68. The variation βρομέουσι for φορέουσι is typical of A. The word is related to βρέμω and, while these verbs are more usually used of the roar of the sea, cognate βρόμος describes crackling of fire at Il. 14.396 in a context that also speaks of the noise of the waves (4.238–40n.).

788 σκληρῇσι ( 214 D) agrees with σπιλάδεσσιν (250D ). When similar passages to this are compared across the Argonautica, it becomes clear that A. is aiming at an Homeric patina containing subtle variation in the use of language. There is a useful discussion of this topic here. (Martin 2012, 9). περιβλύει: is a rare formation and seems to be connected with boiling or bubbling rather than the action of waves on rocks. If this use is not a subtle variation, we might have expected perhaps περικλύζω or, in line with the similar passage at Arg. 2.551, ἀνακλύζω. The simple verb κλύζω is very common in such contexts. One mss. (according to Fränkel’s OCT app. crit.) does have βλ for κλ at Arg. 2.551. There is similar manuscript confusion between βρ and κλ noted here (OCT ad. loc).

789 νῦν δέ: Hera has opened her speech with a claim that amounts to a bare-faced lie (see above), ‘but now’ gets on with explaining what she wants Thetis to do. She is soon diverted from this into a recap of the close ties between the two of them and only resumes her instructions at Arg. 4.823­–30. She does not name the Planctai as such during the rest of her speech and it is only in 4.860 that Thetis stresses that the name of the frightening rocks looming up is Planctae. Possibly she knew that Hera was telling lies all along. The whole speech is a character study of a scheming goddess at work. The last part of the line (Σκύλλης σκόπελον μέγαν ἠδὲ Χάρυβδιν) echoes Od. 12.430 . For Scylla and Charybdis see Knight, 1995, 207–80 and here and here.

790 δεινὸν ἐρευγομένην: ‘belching or roaring out in terrible fashion’: Odysseus hears the same when he is swimming towards the rocks of Scherie (Od. 5.401, 403, 405). δέχεται ὁδός: (LSJ IV) ‘now the route leads them beside . . .’. ἀλλά σε γὰρ δὴ: Hera interrupts her flow to anticipate any objections that Thetis may have to helping the Argonauts and does not resume her instructions until 817. One can imagine her raising an admonitory finger as she reminds Thetis of help that she has given in the past (Smyth 2786, 2816–19, 2840). There is more on Hera’s manipulative disingenuousness in Seo 2013, 22.

791 ἐξέτι νηπυτίης: the phrase seems to be a variation on ἐκ νηπίου, ‘from a child, from infancy’. It is difficult to see how νηπυτίης can be an adjective (Hunter ad loc.). To remind someone that you brought them up is a powerful piece of persuasion, strengthened as it is by a phrase (τρέφον ἠδ᾿ ἀγάπησα) with Homeric precedents (Il. 16.191, Od. 19.354; Il.14.202 οἵ μ' ἐν σφοῖσι δόμοισιν ἐῢ τρέφον ἠδ' ἀτίταλλον). Although he substitutes ἀγάπησα for ἀτίταλλον here, A. does use the rare verb at 4:1737 ζευξάμενος, τήν τ᾽ αὐτὸς ἑῷ ἀτίταλλε γάλακτι.

792 The next line and a half deliberately echoes the speech at Il. 18.432–4 that Thetis makes, complaining to Hephaistos about the wrongs that she has suffered at the hands of Zeus in connection with her marriage to Peleus and the raising of her son Achilles. ἔξοχον ἀλλάων, αἵ τ᾿ εἰν ἁλὶ ναιετάουσιν explains the more allusive Homeric phrase: (432) ἐκ μέν μ᾽ ἀλλάων ἁλιάων, ‘me from all the other Nereids.’

793  οὕνεκεν: relat. Conj. for οὗ ἕνεκα, ‘on account of which’ or possibly ‘because’. οὐκ ἔτλης: Il. 18.433 ἔτλην ἀνέρος εὐνήν ‘I submitted to be wedded to a man.’ (see above for more on this passage). The contrast with the Homeric passage must be that here the verb is negated. The meaning is still ‘submit.’

794 λέξασθαι: ‘to sleep’; τῷ ἔνι λεξάσθην Il. 14.350 (from the seduction scene between Hera and Zeus). ἔργα μέμηλεν: for the construction cf. Arg. 3:292 χερνῆτις, τῇπερ ταλασήια ἔργα μέμηλεν (perf ind. act. 3^rd. sg. of μέλω). Does the formality of the phrasing portray Hera as embarrassed by her husband’s antics? “These matters have always been a concern to him, to sleep with either goddesses or mortal women.”

795 The crucial ἰαύειν (explaining what he is actually up to) is delayed until the last possible minute. It means ‘pass the night’, whether in sleep or wakefulness. It has a certain ambiguous quality in meaning about it. It may refer to sleep of differing natures.

796 ἀλλ᾿ ἐμέ: The initial position of the pronoun (object of the two participles: αἰδομένη and δειμαίνουσα, both weighty in sound and meaning) stresses the emphasis that Hera is placing on her relationship with Thetis. ‘It was me you respected and feared.’ Il.10.123 is an excellent parallel for the use of τε here.

797 ἠλεύω: 2nd sing. aor. < ἀλέομαι, "you shunned him." The emphasis on this word is created by the enjambment. Thetis’ actions are summed up in one word. She is very much a pawn in the machinations that characterise the relationship between Zeus and Hera. The strong pause that the movement of the argument demands after the verb permits the hiatus (375–6n.). πελώριον ὅρκονὄμοσσεν: There is a similar scene at Il. 19.108f. (the main players are Zeus and Hera and the context - the birth of Heracles-seems very relevant to what Hera is saying here. An oath is regarded as the greatest, i.e. the most binding and sacred of pledges. This oath is ‘enormous’: πελώριος is used of things built on a monstrous scale and betokens a degree of self-parody on the part of Hera (and the author).

798 see 96–8n. The line constitutes a semi-formulaic phrase that runs through the Argonautica as a theme. See Smyth 2726 for the use of μή + infinitive after a verb of swearing. 

799 ὀπιπεύων: Zeus as Peeping Tom (Od. 19.67 ὀπιπεύσεις δὲ γυναῖκας). The iterative imperfect (μεθίεσκεν) underlines the fact that this behaviour is habitual. ἀέκουσαν: Thetis is not a willing victim (Il. 18. 434 οὐκ ἐθέλουσα): see above (792n.).

800 πρέσβειρα: in Il. mostly of Hera, Ἥρη πρέσβα θεά (5.721, 8.383). κατέλεξεν ἅπαντα: “recount, tell at length and in order.” Zeus is spared no detail. What will happen if his philandering continues is spelled out.

801 ἀμείνονα πατρὸς ἑοῖο: Il. 1.404 and the self-variation Arg. 1. 58 Καινεΐδης, ἐσθλὸς μέν, ἑοῦ δ᾽ οὐ πατρὸς ἀμείνων.

802 Hes. Th. 1001 τέκε παῖδα.

 804 εἰρύοιτο: see 372n.

806: δῶκά: an adaptation of the Homeric formula for gift-giving; Od. 4.589–91 (see further 87–8n.). γάμου θυμηδέος ἀντιάσειας: recalling Arg. 1.836 4.1057, Il. 24.62.

807 τέκνα τε φιτύσαιο: “and you might bear children.” εἰς δαῖτα κάλεσσα: “I called to the feast,” recalling Hes. Op. 342.

808 σέλας χείρεσσιν ἀνέσχον: “I myself raised the marriage torch in my hands;” see further (‘Marriage | Part 2: Wedding’ 2020) for the details of the Ancient Greek Wedding.

809 κείνης ἀγανόφρονος εἵνεκα τιμῆς: “as a result of that gentle-minded honour”: A grandiloquent phrase: the nuance and tone of this long speech constantly alters as H. tries to cajole, pressurize and lecture the minor goddess. κείνης, doubted by Fränkel, is a simple reference back to what Thetis has done in resisting Zeus’ attentions and also adds a little weight to the phrase itself.

810 νημερτέα μῦθον ἐνίψω: “I will tell you a tale that will prove true.” A line based on the formulae that Homeric characters use when trying to assert themselves: another change of tone on Hera’s part (Il. 7.447).

811 Ἠλύσιον πεδίον: Achilles (τεὸς υἱός) has not been mentioned before in the speech. After the admonishment in the previous line, his introduction is certainly unexpected, made more so by the hysteron proteron that Hera employs: she mentions Achilles afterlife first and only then his early childhood. They are the periods of his life relevant to her speech. The events of the Iliad are not and can remain latent. The line may also contain a refined allusion to the lyric poets Ibycus and Simonides who, according to the Scholiast on A. mentioned this story of Achilles in Elysium (Acosta-Hughes, 2010). ἵκηται: for the subjunctive form see here. It seems to be semi-formulaic in A.

812 ἐν ἤθεσι: “in the home of ” . . . Χείρωνος . . . Κενταύροιο: “Cheiron the Centaur.” ἦθος: the accustomed place and in the plural ‘haunts.’ The education and up-bringing (Derrida 2011,87) of Achilles by Cheiron has a long tradition (Wells 2003, 177) νῦν: ‘who now indeed is being tended by the Naiads’ shows that Hera is speaking in the present, as it is for her, the time before the Trojan War and visualising Achilles as a babe-in-arms (Arg. 1.553–8).

813 νηιάδες: ‘the Naiads’ (see links 812n.): Cheiron’s marriage with a sea-nymph (Chariclo) is attested in the Catalogue (ὁ δε Ἡσίοδος Ναΐδα φησὶ τὸν Χείρωνα γῆμαι, Schol. Pind. P. 4.182 = fr. 42. M–W “but Hesiod says that Cheiron married a Naiad”). κομέουσι: “take care of, tend”. τεοῦ λίπτοντα γάλακτος: As well as being a possible back-handed swipe at Thetis by Hera, this maybe an allusion to etymologies connected with Achilles’ name. The best discussion of this is Heslin 2005, 177. One explanation, possibly derived from Callimachus connected the name with phrases based on grief (ἄχος), e.g. ἄχος Ἰλιεῦσιν, ‘grief to the Trojans’, the other, probably based on this passage, but specifically mentioned in Euphorion (fr. 81 Lightfoot), Apollodorus (Bibl. 3.13.6) and other sources mentioned in the above link says that the name comes from the fact that Achilles “did not apply the lips to the breast” (ὅτι τὰ χείλη μαστοῖς οὐ προσήνεγκε) and implies that Achilles was nourished by Cheiron and his family with something other than milk. It is not a surprise that A. seems to have taken an opposite view to that of Callimachus in this matter.

814  χρειώ: see 760n. Often used with some part or tense of γίγνομαι / ἱκνέομαι: lit. "it will be necessary that he becomes the husband . . ." On this see 811n. ἔμμεναι: Smyth 469 D.

815 ἑκυρή περ ἐοῦσα: There is a similiarly back-handed remark at Od. 20.131 (Telemachus on his mother) τοιαύτη γὰρ ἐμὴ μήτηρ, πινυτή περ ἐοῦσα, ‘For this is the way my mother is, even though she is really intelligent.’ The present phrase could mean, ‘You are her mother-in-law, after all’ but, in the context of the speech (Hera’s version of the truth), the concessive force seems very strong, ‘even though you are her mother-in-law’: an even earlier for mother-in-law jokes see Parnell, 2018, 73–83.

816 ἠδ᾿ αὐτῷ Πηλῆι: ‘(Help your daughter-in-law) . . . and Peleus himself.’ χόλος: is a very strong emotion, “heroic anger” of the kind that will later be exhibited by the couple’s son. ἐστήρικται: (perf. ind. 3^rd. sg.) helps to form a forceful expression. τοι: is almost equivalent to the wag of a finger or a raised eyebrow, ‘let me tell you.’

817 ἀάσθη: (aor ind pass 3rd sg < ἀάω): Typically of this speech, Hera loses the elaborate tone of 811–5 and makes a couple of almost staccato remarks. One might imagine a pause before and after this one-word justification of Peleus’ behaviour: ‘Peleus was guilty of folly . . . just like the gods.’ καὶ γάρ τε: marks a general inference. Il. 24.602 νῦν δὲ μνησώμεθα δόρπου· καὶ γάρ τʼ ἠΰκομος Νιόβη ἐμνήσατο σίτου, (‘but let’s remember dinner. Even Fair-haired Niobe remembered food’) provides a good parallel. ἐπινίσσεται is a rare word which is also used at 4.281 (279–81n.). The sense is, perhaps, of ‘visits’ which occur with some regularity, thus reinforcing Hera’s rhetorical point. ἄτη: “folly”, often used in combination with some part of ἀάω, is dificult to define: see 411–13n. The basis for this passage is Il. 19.88–131 where Agamemnon offers an apology for what has happened between him and Achilles. He invokes Ate as being responsible (Hershkowitz 1998,129) for his action and tells the story of how she ‘blinded’ even Zeus who was ‘visited’ by Ate when he was awaiting the birth of his son Heracles (95 καὶ γὰρ δή νύ ποτε Ζεὺς (v.l. Ζῆν᾽) ἄσατο, ‘and there was even a time when Zeus was blinded by folly’ ~ the use of καὶ γὰρ links the two passages) and Hera was involved in machinations (97 Ἥρη . . . δολοφροσύνῃς ἀπάτησεν, ‘Hera deceived . . . in her craftiness’) similar to those that are happening here.

818 ναὶ μέν: introduces a view which the speaker thinks may meet opposition from his audience. Hera is still in the process of convincing Thetis that she should help (822). ἐφημοσύνῃσιν ἐμαῖς: ‘On my instructions.’ This is a favourite word of A. (x9 compared with Homer x3), as are formations in –ημοσυνή (356–8n.). The length of the word (and the phrase) adds force to Hera’s assertion.

819 λωφήσειν: ‘will cease.’ πρήσσοντα: This participle seems to come from πρήθω, impf. ἔπρηθον, aor. ἔπρησα, Pass., pf. πέπρησμαι: aor. ἐπρήσθην. A. is following Homeric examples where the meaning is ‘blow’: Od. 2.427 ἔπρησεν δ' ἄνεμος μέσον ἱστίον; Il.1.481 ἐν δ' ἄνεμος πρῆσεν μέσον ἱστίον. Here it means ‘blowing into a flame.’ (LSJ s.v.) It is an easy extension of meaning. πυρὸς μένος: “force of the fire.”Whether this is used pregnantly of the elemental force of the fire or is simply a periphrasis for 'fire' is disputed. The latter is preferable, as it balances ὠκείας ἀνέμων ἄικας in the next line.

819–20 Ἱπποτάδην δὲ / Αἴολον alludes to the opening of Od. 10. 1–2 Αἰολίην δ᾽ ἐς νῆσον ἀφικόμεθ᾽ ἔνθα δ᾽ ἔναιεν / Αἴολος Ἱπποτάδης, φίλος ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν. Juno describes the reverse sequence in Aeneid 1 (Paschalis 1997, 37).

820 ἄικας: ‘gusts, rushes.’ αἴξ occurs only in A, though both A. and Callimachus use κατάϊξ which may in turn be connected with the Homeric πολυᾶϊξ. Both poets may be varying phrases such as Pindar’s κυμάτων ῥιπαὶ ἀνέμων τε (Pindar P. 4.195). ἐρύξειν: the future infinitive balances λωφήσειν, giving a neat chiastic arrangement to 819–20.

821 ἐυσταθέος ζεφύρου: The Zephyr is the West Wind, generally considered the mildest and most favourable (Osgood 1900, 86) of the directional winds, though in the Iliad a source of storms. It is the equivalent of the Latin Favonius: Horace’s Solvitur acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni is famous, "Sharp Winter is loosening its grip as Spring and the West Winds bring a welcoming change." ἐυσταθέος: A. only uses the word here. In Homer it always describes the μέγαρον or θάλαμος, ‘well-built, steady.’ It’s use here must underline the significance of the aid that Hera and Aeolus give to the Argonauts. τείως: is sometimes used for ἕως, perhaps to avoid the hiatus. The phrase has an Odyssean flavour: Od. 13:101: νῆες ἐΰσσελμοι, ὅτ’ ἂν ὅρμου μέτρον ἵκωνται.

822 Φαιήκων λιμένας: Homer describes the harbours of the Phaeacians at Od. 6.262–5 in more detail: ‘But when we are about to enter the city, about which runs a high wall, a handsome harbour lies on either side of the city, and the way between is narrow, and curved ships are drawn up along the road, for they all have stations for their ships, each man one for himself.’ Read More (Morton 2001, 125). σὺ δ᾿ ἀκηδέα μήδεο νόστον: ‘devise an untroubled return.’ μήδεο is present, middle / passive, imperative 2nd singular (epic Doric Ionic Aeolic). The phrase deliberately echoes Circe’s words at Arg. 4.739 κακὸν καὶ ἀεικέα μήσαο νόστον, “you have planned an evil and shameful return.” Although it is possible to translate the latter example as “voyage” (Hunter ad loc.), both phrases recall two particular moments in the Odyssey: Od. 3.132–3 Ζεὺς λυγρὸν ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μήδετο νόστον / Ἀργείοις, ‘Zeus planned, in his mind, a harsh return for the Argives, Od. 5.344–5 (Ino encouraging Odyssseus) ἐπιμαίεο νόστου / γαίης Φαιήκων ‘strive to reach the land of the Phaeacians’, where the meaning ‘return’ seems to resonate, in spite of the ambiguity of the latter instance, which A. would, undoubtedly have relished, as a Homeric scholar as well as poet.

823 "Surely (τοι) the only (μοῦνον) things to fear (δεῖμα) . . ." ὑπέρβιος is one of A.’s favourite words used as an alternative to μάκρος (e.g. Il. 2:144: κινήθη δ’ ἀγορὴ φὴ κύματα μακρὰ θαλάσσης.)

824 ἅ κεν τρέψαιο: ‘which you might avert.’ τρεψαιο is aorist middle optative 2nd singular There is no need to refer to ἀποτρέπω (Hunter ad loc.). The meaning, ‘ward off, avert’, exists for the simple as well as the compound form of the verb (LSJ AIV). There is a parallel situation at Il. 8.451 (Zeus is talking about his irrestible might) οὐκ ἄν με τρέψειαν ὅσοι θεοί εἰσʼ ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ, ‘which all the gods on Olympus could not avert.’ κασιγνήτῃσι σὺν ἄλλαις: The Nereids are Thetis’ sisters.

825 μηδὲ σύγ . . . ἐάσῃς: ‘Do not allow.’ For the Prohibitive subjunctive see Smyth 1800. γε (with σύ) emphasises Hera’s points as she makes them. Χάρυβδιν: Thetis is to steer the Argonauts beween the twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis. ἀμηχανία is a frequent feature of the way in which the Argonauts (and particularly Jason) encounter critical moments and dangerous situations. The current state of how this characteristic is regarded by scholars is most recently and neatly summarised here (Nelson 2014).

826 ἀναβρόξασα: < ἀναβρόχω recalls Od. 12.240 (Charybdis) ἀναβρόξειε θαλάσσης ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ. The passages concerning the activities of Scylla and Charybdis are Od. 12.80–126, 234–59. The use of this rare verb points the allusion to these famous passages but avoids direct competition with Homer. In the Argonautica, the Argo passes through the Wandering Rocks, avoiding Scylla and Charybdis, but passing within sight of them; this reverses the pattern of the Odyssey, where Odysseus must deal at different times with both S. and C. but avoids the Rocks; see further Knight (1995, 207). The Argonauts’ passage through the Wandering Rocks is going to be A.’s set-piece, balancing the description of the Symplegades in Book 2.

827 παρά: with the accusative means ‘beside, near, by.’ (CI). The Argonauts will pass by (νέεσθαι), the hated (στυγερόν- a favourite adjective of A.) lair (κευθμῶνα) of Scylla. κευθμών can carry with it sinister overtones: Hes.Th.158 γαίης ἐν κευθμῶνι, ‘in a secret place of Earth’, (of Ouranos hiding his children as they are born). “A κευθμών is any place which κεύθει you” (Barrett on Eur. Hipp. 732–4, Finglass (2014) on Stesichorus fr. 10.7.).

828 Σκύλλης Αὐσονίης: Scylla is “Ausonian”, i.e., Italian, because her lair was traditionally located on the Italian side of the Straits of Messina. A.’s version of her parentage is summarised here; for the whole tradition: read the essay: "Scylla: the Tradition." In Homer Scylla is a twelve-footed, six-headed monster who feeds on dolphins and sailors, posing a menace to Odysseus and his men. According to another tradition, she poaches Geryon’s cattle as Heracles is conveying them back to Greece, which leads Heracles to kill her; her body is then burnt by her father, which results in her resurrection. Points of contrast between Scylla and Thetis are discussed by Hopman (2012, 160, 167), with a useful review here). For the epanalepsis of (Σκύλλης . . . Σκύλλης) see 263–5n. This repetition of Scylla is reproduced by the poet of the pseudo-Virgilian Ciris (Efstathiou and Karamanou 2016). Hera is piling on the rhetorical pressure. ὀλοόφρονος: ‘malignant’ is used in the Iliad always of savage animals the snake which bit Philoctetes (2. 723), a lion attacking cattle (15. 630), a furious wild boar (17.20) is applied in the Odyssey only to people, namely Atlas (1. 52), Aietes (10.37) Minos (11.322); see further Matthews (1978, 228–32). Φόρκῳ: Phorcus / Phorcys the seagod, responsible for a host of monstrous children. For his lineage see here and 828n. (above).

829 νυκτιπόλος Ἑκάτη: for ‘night-wandering Hecate’ see 146–8n. Κράταιιν: Hecate is not always conflated with Crataeis, as she is here. τήντε: Α. stresses by the use of τε (B5) in the relative clause that the genealogical variant that he is stating is the accepted truth. A typical piece of Hellenistic faux verisimilitude.

830 μήπως: ‘Lest’ followed by the epic form of the subjunctive (δηλήσεται) in the next line.The guardian serpent of the Golden Fleece is similarly described: 154–5 ὑψοῦ σμερδαλέην κεφαλὴν μενέαινεν αείρας / ἀμφοτέρους ὀλοῇσι περιπτύξαι γενύεσσιν. This and the present passage recall Od. 12.90–2 where Scylla has a σμερδαλέη κεφαλή. For the interlacing word order (σμερδαλέῃσιν agrees with γένυσσιν) see 143–4n. σμερδαλέος is a favourite word of A. (see here). ἐπαΐξασα, ‘rush upon’, emphasises that Scylla makes swift and dashing attacks on her victims.

831 The spondaic opening of the line denotes the weight of the attack, when it lands. λεκτοὺς ἡρώων: could be an abbreviated version of the longer description of Scylla’s victims at Od. 12.245–6 ἐκ νηὸς ἑταίρους / ἓξ ἕλεθ', οἳ χερσίν τε βίηφί τε φέρτατοι ἦσαν, ‘she took six of my comrades who were the best in strength of arms and might.’ This would not be untypical of A.’s pactice (76–81n.). δηλήσεται < δηλέομαι (II for the epic subjunctive) is used to describe a range of generally malicious attacks.

832 κεῖσʼ, ὅθι: ‘There, where . . .’ τυτθή γε: τυτθός is Epic for μικρός, which is rarer in Homer. γε emphasises the small degree of leeway that the Argonauts will have. παραίβασις: (and its cognates) usually mean ‘trangression’. Here it means ‘escape’ (from doom). παραβαίνω has a similar range of meaning. The phrase is closely adapted by Virgil at Aen. 3.685 inter utramque viam let discrimine parvo, discussed at Henry (1895), 46.

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