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Book Eleven
437-8 Athene's action in warding off a fatal blow is typical, cf. 4.127-9,
but her mention at this point is a momentary lapse (or jagon de parler). Zeus
can incline the course of the battle from the summit of Ida, but the lesser
gods must be physically present in order to exert their power. Athene, along
with the other gods, has been banished from the battlefield, cf. 75ff.
437 Aristarchus' XP°°S (Did/A) is almost unintelligible, as Erbse observes,
and ignores the digamma of pepyaOsv ( = 'cut off,' cf. 5.147 and n.).
438 i-yKacji: a heteroclite form, according to Leumann, HW 158 n. 1,
from an adjective *iyKOCTOS parallel to laxocTOS (10.434^); but there is no
trace of singular eyKOCTOV before Hellenistic times. This is the only time the
word is used in the Iliad for human guts, in place of evxepcc (5X between
13.507 and 20.420).
439 TEAOS: 'the spear did not come to a fatal end', even with the support
of Aristarchus and the xapi«7T6pai, is an unhappy expression and has very
slender MS attestation. (3EAOS as subject of fjAOev was read by Zenodotus and
the vulgate, and causes no difficulty except for those like Aristarchus who
suppose that [3EAOS must denote a missile weapon (Sokos appears to have
thrust at Odysseus), cf. OUK EV Koapko 6£u Trdyr) (3EAOS 4.185, and van der
Valk, Researches 11 11.
441 If Sokos used a thrusting weapon, as 434ff. seem to envisage, then
he is now almost disarmed. Odysseus seems to realize his advantage, and at
446 Sokos loses his nerve and tries to escape. & SEIA' expresses genuine
commiseration at 816 but here is clearly offensively patronizing, cf. 17.199-
20m.
443-5 =5.652-4 (with a variation in the first hemistich of 653, Sarpedon
speaking), a formular threat. Verse 445 = 16.625. For KAUTOTTCOAOS as an
epithet of Hades, see Nilsson, GgrR 425, who accepts the suggestion that in
one concept of Hades the god appeared with his chariot to carry off the souls
of the dying, cf. the rape of Persephone. In the epic of course the soul makes
its way to the underworld without assistance. Generally in Greek religion
the horse is associated with Poseidon, cf. Burkert, Religion 138.
447-8 =8.258-9.
450-5 These verses explain why it was so important to recover the
corpses of the slain. After the chivalrous proposals of Hektor that the victor
take the armour but release the body of the slain for decent burial (7.76-91)
Odysseus' boast sounds a mean, unpleasant note. Dogs and vultures are the
fate of the common soldiers (1.4-5, 2 -393> 4- 2 37> 8.379), but this is the first
time in the Iliad that a named victim is threatened with them. Henceforth,
however, the tension of the narrative rises and there is a crescendo of
atrocity, see Segal, Mutilation. For similar unpleasant boasts cf. 391-5, and
15.349, 21.122, 22.335. None apparently were actually put into effect.
454 Epuouoi: the tense is future, cf. 15.35 m. couriered Epuoucn is formular,
273