III. The Formulaic Use of Opazō In attempting to understand what a word means in traditional diction, it is necessary to examine the ways it is employed, the formulas of which it is a part. We may begin with Milman Parry’s definition of a formula as “a group of words which is regularly employed under the same metrical conditions to express a given essential idea.” [1]… Read more
II. Etymology of Opaōn We have introduced etymological considerations from time to time in the analysis up to this point. It may be helpful, however, to examine the etymology of opaōn more closely. Chantraine traces opaōn back within Greek to an attestation of the dative form in Linear B texts as o-qa-wo-ni. [1] This forms suggests that there was at one time a digamma,… Read more
1. Mērionēs a. Mērionēs as opaōn The word opaōn is found in the Iliad principally in the context of characterizing the relationship between Mērionēs and Idomeneus. Mērionēs is called the opaōn of Idomeneus four times: τοῖσι, δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ᾽Ιδομενεὺς καὶ ὀπάων ᾽Ιδομενῆος Μηριόνης, ἀτάλαντος Ἐνυαλίῳ ἀνδρειφόντῃ … Η 165-66 = Θ263-64 σημαίνει φυλάκεσσι, καὶ ᾽Ιδομενῆος ὀπάωνΜηριόνης, τοῖσιν γὰρ ἐπετράπομέν γε μάλιστα. Κ 58-59 τὸν δὲ μετ᾽ Ἰδομενεὺς καὶ… Read more
Introduction In the Iliad, the relationship of Mērionēs and Idomeneus plays a peripheral role as compared to the central relationship of Akhilleus and Patroklos. As we shall see, the behavior of Mērionēs and Idomeneus towards one another is a variation on the theme of the heroic relationship of Akhilleus and Patroklos. The Iliad also describes the relations of gods and men. The antagonism of Akhilleus and Apollo is set against… Read more
