Introduction: Background Authorship T1 Aelian Aelian Varia historia 9.15 (p. 106 Dilts) λέγεται δἑ κἀκεῖνο πρὸς τούτοις, ὅτι ἄρα ἀπορῶν (scil. Ὅμηρος) ἐκδοῦναι τὴν θυγατέρα ἔδωκεν ἀυτῆι προῖκα ἔχειν τὰ ἔπη τὰ Κύπρια. καὶ ὁμολογεῖ τoῦτο Πίνδαρος (fr. 265 Sn.). The further point is made that Homer, being at a loss as to how to give his daughter away in marriage, gave as dowry… Read more
1. The Origins of the Trojan War From Zeus’ Plan to Eris’ Intervention F1 Scholion on Iliad I 5 Σ Α Iliad I 5 (1.45 sq. van Thiel) Διὸς δ’ ἐτελείετο βουλή· Διὸς βουλὴν οἱ μὲν τὴν εἱμαρμένην ἀπέδοσαν … ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπὸ ἱστορίας τινὸς εἶπον εἰρηκέναι τὸν Ὅμηρον· φασὶ γὰρ τὴν Γῆν βαρουμένην ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων πολυπληθίας, μηδεμιᾶς ἀνθρώπων οὔσης εὐσεβείας, αἰτῆσαι τὸν Δία κουφισθῆναι… Read more
2. The Assembling of the Expedition Proclus Chrestomathia: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Ἴρις ἀναγγέλλει τῶι Μενελάωι τὰ γεγονότα κατὰ τὸν οἶκον, ὁ δὲ παραγενόμεvoς περὶ τῆς ἐπ’ Ἴλιον στρατείας βουλεύεται μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ … And after this, Iris reports to Menelaus what has happened in his house, and he arrives at his brother Agamemnon’s home and consults with him regarding the planned expedition against Troy. Iris regularly… Read more
3. Two Retardations: Telephus and Teuthrania; Iphigenia at Aulis As the climactic sack of Troy will be delayed by various narrative strategies—the fetching to Troy of Neoptolemus, and of Philoctetes with the bow and arrows that once belonged to Heracles, the stealing of the palladium—so before the Trojan War proper could start, similar postponements were in operation. The device of narrative retardation has its roots in folktale… Read more
4. The Arrival at Troy Proclus Chrestomathia: ἔπειτα καταπλέουσιν εἰς Τένεδον. Then they sail to Tenedos. Apollodorus Epitome 3.23–26: οἱ δὲ ἀναχθέντες ἐξ Αὐλίδος προσέσχον Τενέδωι. ταύτης ἐβασίλευε Τένης ὁ Κύκνου καὶ Προκλείας, ὡς δὲ τινες Ἀπόλλωνος … [1] προσπλέοντας οὖν Τενέδωι τοὺς Ἕλληνας ὁρῶν Τένης ἀπεῖργε βάλλων πέτρους καὶ ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως ξίφει πληγεὶς κατὰ τὸ στῆθος θνηίσκει, καίτοι Θέτιδος προειπούσης Ἀχιλλεῖ… Read more
5. Nine Years of War Proclus Chrestomathia: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Ἀχιλλεὺς Ἑλένην ἐπιθυμεῖ θεάσασθαι, καὶ συνήγαγεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Θέτις. εἶτα ἀπονοστεῖν ὡρμημένους τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς Ἀχιλλεὺς κατέχει. After this, Achilles desires to see Helen, and Aphrodite and Thetis bring the two together to the same locale. Then, when the Greeks are eager to return home, Achilles checks them. This is a striking and… Read more
6. Fragments of Uncertain Location F24 Plato Plato Euthyphr o 12Α λέγω γὰρ δὴ τὸ ἐναντίον ἢ ὁ ποιητὴς ἐποίησεν ὁ ποιήσας· Ζῆνα δὲ τὸν ἔρξαντα καὶ ὃς τάδε πάντ’ ἐφύτευσενοὐκ ἐθέλεις εἰπεῖν· ἵνα γὰρ δέος ἔνθα καὶ αἰδώς. ἐγὼ οὖν τούτωι διαφέρομαι τῶι ποιητῆι. Σ Τ ad loc. (p. 3 Greene) ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ φόβον… Read more
Appendix 1. The Childhood of Achilles in the Cypria Thetis’ thwarted attempt to burn away the mortal part of Achilles’ body is often attributed to the Cypria, although nothing is said of it in Proclus’ summary and no surviving fragment attests it. Admittedly, the theory does repose on something rather more substantial than thin air. The narrative of Thetis’ attempt to immortalize her son in Apollonius of… Read more
Appendix 2. Alleged Consultations of the Delphic Oracle in the Cypria Attempts have been made to establish two consultations of the Delphic Oracle by Agamemnon within our poem. The first bases itself upon a passage within Lycophron’s Alexandra, where that maddening poet is alluding to the sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis, the omen of the snake and the sparrows at the same place, and the embarkation… Read more
Appendix 3. The Suitors of Helen and the Cypria On the general issues of catalogues of Helen’s suitors in Greek literature and early poetry’s knowledge of the tradition of the oath sworn by these worthies, see Davies and Finglass on Stesichorus fr. 87. Our particular concern here is with the question of whether the Cypria exploited the device of the oath and produced a catalogue of the… Read more
