Achilles The two preceding chapters have dealt with a pair of Homeric figures who show in a very positive way the connection between nóos and néomai. As far as the verb is concerned, it is Nestor in whose name the very root of néomai is contained, and it is Odysseus who was celebrated beyond all others for his “return home.” Both of these figures, moreover, were renowned… Read more
Evidence for the meaning of the Indo-European Root *nes- 1. Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to explore the background of the Greek root nes-. In Greek itself three factors are involved: the meaning of the root, the interpretation of this meaning, and the presence of the root in the word nóos. These factors have been considered at length, and the problem now is to… Read more
Epilogue Now that a connection has been established between Greek nóos and the Indo-European root nes-, it will be interesting to consider a few further instances in Greek tradition where the notion of “mind” suggests a latent connection with the notion of “return.” I shall begin with two Homeric episodes which have not figured in the discussion so far—the ransom of Hector in Iliad 24 and the… Read more
Sacrilege: Myth as a Moral Paradigm Transgression against the divine is a central issue of the Histories and also of a large part of Greek literature. In asking what sacrilege means for Herodotus, we encounter a fundamental difficulty: he does not use an unambiguous terminology. Most translations tend to simplify, while in the original Greek there is a manifold vocabulary in the field of moral transgression, most… Read more
Madness—The Complexity of Morals in the Light of Myth and Cult So far, we have seen how mythical parallels function as a kind of commentary, marking sacrilege as such. Now we will have a look at a group of sacrilegious acts that are connected with madness. They, too, have parallels with mythical paradigms, but are also connected to a ritual phenomenon: cultic ecstasy—a dimension which makes the… Read more
Tricksters and Structure in Herodotus 1. Tricksters in Herodotus? Herodotus’ Histories are populated with highly intelligent characters often reaching their goals by means of cunning and deceit. In her influential 1987 study, Carolyn Dewald has identified “savants”, the wise advisers nobody listens to, as well as “tricksters”, who know more than others and act in unconventional and manipulative ways. These include Artemisia of Halicarnassus, who sinks… Read more
14. Pindar’s Homer §1. As a lyric poet who flourished in an age when emerging patterns of individual power within the Greek polis had already established corresponding patterns of individualism, marking the poet as well as the poet’s powerful patrons, Pindar was an author. [1] As a figure who served to connect the heroic past with the present, he was a master… Read more
Appendix: A Comparative Survey of Pindar’s Meters §1. In what follows, I offer a diachronic study of the two major types of meter inherited by Pindar, the so-called Aeolic and the dactylo-epitrite. My goal is to show the affinities between these meters in Greek song and the three major types of meter in Greek poetry, namely, the dactylic hexameter, the elegiac distich, and the iambic trimeter. Read more
Bibliography Alexiou, M. 1974. The Ritual Lament in Greek Tradition. Cambridge. Allen, T. W., ed. 1912. Homeri Opera V (Hymns, Cycle, fragments, etc.). Oxford. ———. 1924. Homer: The Origins and the Transmission. Oxford. Allen, W. S. 1973. Accent and Rhythm. Prosodic Features of Latin and Greek: A Study in Theory and Reconstruction. Cambridge. … Read more
Acknowledgments I have received a great deal of support during the writing of this book. A University of Houston New Faculty Research Grant and a summer grant from the University of Houston Women’s Studies Program allowed me to complete the bulk of the research and writing, and a Center for Hellenic Studies fellowship supported me in the final stages. Portions of the book began as conference… Read more
