A characteristic of
Homer's style is the use of epithets, as in "rosy-fingered" Dawn or "swift-footed"
Achilles.
Epithets are used because of the constraints of the
dactylic hexameter (i.e., it is convenient to have a stockpile of metrically fitting phrases to add to a name) and because of the oral transmission of the poems; they are
mnemonic aids to the singer and the audience alike.[1]
Formulae in
epic poetry from various
Indo-European traditions may be traced to a common tradition. For example, the phrase for "everlasting glory" or "undying fame" can be found in the
Homeric Greek as κλέος ἄφθιτον / kléos áphthiton and
Vedic Sanskrit as श्रवो अक्षितम् / śrávo ákṣitam. These two phrases were, in terms of historical linguistics, equivalent in
phonology,
accentuation, and quantity (syllable length). In other words, they descend from a fragment of
poetic diction (reconstructable as
Proto-Indo-European*ḱléwos ń̥dʰgʷʰitom) which was handed down in parallel over many centuries, in continually diverging forms, by generations of singers whose ultimate ancestors shared an archetypal repertoire of poetic formulae and narrative themes.[2]
In contrast to the more general term 'epithet' (ἐπίθετον), which is used in poetic contexts, for the
ancient Greek religion, the
epiclesis (epíklēsis (ἐπίκλησις; literally 'calling upon')) was used as the surname that was associated with a deity during religious
invocations.
Epithets alter the meaning of each noun to which they are attached. They specify the existential nature of a noun; that is to say, Achilles is not called "swift-footed" only when he runs; it is a marker of a quality that does not change. Special epithets, such as
patronymics, are used exclusively for particular subjects and distinguish them from others, while generic epithets are used of many subjects and speak less to their individual characters. In these examples, the epithet can be contradictory to the past state of the subject: in Odyssey VI.74, for instance,
Nausicaa takes her "radiant clothing", ἐσθῆτα φαεινήν, to be washed; since it is dirty, it is unlikely to be radiant.[3]
Parry, Milman. "L'Épithète traditionnelle dans Homère: Essai sur un problème de style homérique." Paris: Société d'Éditions "Les Belles Lettres", 1928.
Parry, Milman, ed. Adam Parry. "The Making of Homeric Verse: The Collected Papers of Milman Parry." Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1971.
Edwards, Mark. "Homer and the Oral Tradition: The Formula (part one)." Oral Tradition 1 (1986) 171-230.
Edwards, Mark. "Homer and the Oral Tradition: The Formula (part two)." Oral Tradition 3 (1988) 11-60.
Reece, Steve. "Greek Epic Formulae," in Giorgios Giannakis (ed.), Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics (Leiden: Brill, 2014) 613-615.
Greek_Epic_Formulas
A characteristic of
Homer's style is the use of epithets, as in "rosy-fingered" Dawn or "swift-footed"
Achilles.
Epithets are used because of the constraints of the
dactylic hexameter (i.e., it is convenient to have a stockpile of metrically fitting phrases to add to a name) and because of the oral transmission of the poems; they are
mnemonic aids to the singer and the audience alike.[1]
Formulae in
epic poetry from various
Indo-European traditions may be traced to a common tradition. For example, the phrase for "everlasting glory" or "undying fame" can be found in the
Homeric Greek as κλέος ἄφθιτον / kléos áphthiton and
Vedic Sanskrit as श्रवो अक्षितम् / śrávo ákṣitam. These two phrases were, in terms of historical linguistics, equivalent in
phonology,
accentuation, and quantity (syllable length). In other words, they descend from a fragment of
poetic diction (reconstructable as
Proto-Indo-European*ḱléwos ń̥dʰgʷʰitom) which was handed down in parallel over many centuries, in continually diverging forms, by generations of singers whose ultimate ancestors shared an archetypal repertoire of poetic formulae and narrative themes.[2]
In contrast to the more general term 'epithet' (ἐπίθετον), which is used in poetic contexts, for the
ancient Greek religion, the
epiclesis (epíklēsis (ἐπίκλησις; literally 'calling upon')) was used as the surname that was associated with a deity during religious
invocations.
Epithets alter the meaning of each noun to which they are attached. They specify the existential nature of a noun; that is to say, Achilles is not called "swift-footed" only when he runs; it is a marker of a quality that does not change. Special epithets, such as
patronymics, are used exclusively for particular subjects and distinguish them from others, while generic epithets are used of many subjects and speak less to their individual characters. In these examples, the epithet can be contradictory to the past state of the subject: in Odyssey VI.74, for instance,
Nausicaa takes her "radiant clothing", ἐσθῆτα φαεινήν, to be washed; since it is dirty, it is unlikely to be radiant.[3]
Parry, Milman. "L'Épithète traditionnelle dans Homère: Essai sur un problème de style homérique." Paris: Société d'Éditions "Les Belles Lettres", 1928.
Parry, Milman, ed. Adam Parry. "The Making of Homeric Verse: The Collected Papers of Milman Parry." Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1971.
Edwards, Mark. "Homer and the Oral Tradition: The Formula (part one)." Oral Tradition 1 (1986) 171-230.
Edwards, Mark. "Homer and the Oral Tradition: The Formula (part two)." Oral Tradition 3 (1988) 11-60.
Reece, Steve. "Greek Epic Formulae," in Giorgios Giannakis (ed.), Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics (Leiden: Brill, 2014) 613-615.
Greek_Epic_Formulas