I. Avant-Propos : l’Étude du style homérique L’étude du style homérique. L’étude de la langue homérique. Caractère général de la diction formulaire. La méthode d’analyse de la diction traditionnelle. La tradition et le libre arbitre du poète. « Comment saisir la physionomie et l’originalité des littératures primitives », écrit Ernest Renan, « si on ne pénètre la vie morale et intime de… Read more
Originally published in 1928, both for Société d’éditions “Les belles lettres” (Paris) and as a minor thesis (Doctorat es lettres) for the Université de Paris. Published here under a Creative Commons License 3.0. Read more
Préface [In this on-line version, the page-numbers of the printed version are indicated within braces (“{” and “}”). For example, “{69|70}” indicates where p. 69 of the printed version ends and p. 70 begins. These indications will be useful to readers who need to look up references made elsewhere to the printed version of this book.] L’idée de ce livre m’est venue à l’esprit pour la… Read more
Notes Note 1 As argued in chapter 2, section 1, the context of the form neĩai in xi 114—a prophecy among the dead—indicates that this form originally meant “you will return from death.” If the form’s original meaning is in fact dependent upon the context, then the context itself must be highly traditional. Since the Nekyia as a whole has often been judged to be a… 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
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
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
Nestor 1. Introduction The focus of attention in the last chapter was Odysseus, whose adventures preserve a latent relation between “mind” and “return.” In this chapter I shall consider another Homeric figure, who by his very name— Néstōr—tightens the connection between the words nóos and néomai. Much of the scholarly work necessary to understanding Nestor’s name has already been done, and this work is fundamental… Read more
The Return of Odysseus 1. Introduction In the last chapter two Homeric verses, each with a form from the root nes-, were seen to have a common origin in the early history of Greek epic. It was argued that these forms from nes– originally had to do with “returning to life and light” and that this meaning can best be understood in the context of solar… Read more
The Root *nes– in Prehistoric Greek 1. Evidence for the Primitive Meaning In order to connect nóos with néomai one must first reconstruct the primitive meaning of Greek nes-. Other Indo-European families (notably Germanic) contain valuable comparative evidence, and some of this evidence will enter the present discussion. The bulk of the Indo-European evidence, however, will be treated separately in chapter 6. The first step is… Read more
