Lexical Help

2         Δία < Ζευς

8         ιθι < ειμι

9         ελθων < ερχομαι

12        ἑλοι < αἱρεω

16        βη < βαινω

19        κεχυθ' < χεω

22        εϜεισαμενος < ειδω

25        επιτετραφαται < επιτρεπω

26        ξυνες < ξυνίημι

34        ανηηι < ανιημι

35        απεβησατο < αποβαινω

35        ελιπ' < λειπω

38        ηιδη < ειδω

39        θησειν < τιθημι

41        εγρετο < εγειρω

45        εἱλετο < αἱρεω

47        εβη < βαινω

49        Ϝερεουσα < ειρω

58        σμεγεθος = μεγεθος

59        στη < ἱστημι

63        Διὸς < Ζευς

66        ἑλοις < αἱρεω

Language Notes

2    παννυχιοι. This masculine plural adjective, modifying the gods and men, fulfills the function of an English adverb of time.

2    νηδυμος. The meaning of this word is not known. It would appear to be related to ἡδυς ("sweet"), and since that translation does no violence to the text, most scholars accept it as a reasonable guess. The usual explanation is that the letter ν became prefixed to Ϝηδυμος ("sweet, pleasant"). But it might be worth considering a connection with the word νηδυς, which refers to the inner cavities of the body. Perhaps there is an underlying sense of the dream taking place within a person much as mystical ceremonies occurred inside of caves.

24    παννυχιον. See the above comment on line 2.

43    νηγατεον. An unknown word with no obvious derivation. It also occurs in Book 14, once again in the phrase κᾱλῶι νηγατεωι, referring to the white veil that Hera puts on as a finishing touch when she is dressing herself seductively for Zeus. We can logically deduce that κᾱλος νηγατεος is a poetic phrase of great antiquity, and that it refers to some quality of finely made cloth. Since in Book 14 the veil's description is extended by comparing its whiteness to the sun, the idea of "shining" or "glistening" has been proposed by some. (LSJ suggests "newly made.") Given the contexts in the Iliad, however, the most reasonable assumption is that reference is being made to the cloth's silky flexibility and clinging quality, as opposed to the stiffer nature of a cloth of coarser weave. The sleeveless undershirt and the veil share that characteristic.

58    σμεγεθος. I have prefixed a sigma to μεγεθος by analogy with the variant σμικρος = μικρος. This is the simplest way to reconcile the meter, on the assumption that the form was subsequently normalized to μεγεθος.