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Book Twelve
speaking 342 is paralleled by 9.224 and 10.476 (see nn). The immediate
passage into direct speech adds an impression of urgency to Menestheus'
words. — AiavTa: Zenodotus (ArnDid/A), followed by Pap. 9 and part of
the medieval paradosis, emended to AiavTe here and in 343, because of the
following plural and dual at 353 and 354. The singular is clearly right, as
the following dcucpoTepco uev uaAAov shows. Zenodotus made the same emendation
at 15.301. 0OCOTT|S, 'swift', is a significant herald name, see 9.170^
OVOUOCTOOETIKOS 6 TTOirjTris, as Didymus commented.
343-4 Aias is the best fighter on the Achaean side still capable of wielding
a spear and, as the sequel shows, defence is his forte. That is sufficient
reason for Menestheus' appeal. There is no suggestion in the Iliad that their
being neighbours at home gave Athenian Menestheus a special claim to
Salaminian Aias' aid. The additive syntax of Menestheus' remarks ('Fetch
Aias - or rather both of them') conveys his alarm.
346 Zenodotus (Am/A) took CO5E in a local sense, 'against this point', a
function that Aristarchus wished to deny to the word. Zenodotus then
changed CO8E at 359 in the herald's speech to KEKTE, 'against that point', just
as TT)5E at 345 becomes KETOI at 358. For CO8E = 'hither' cf. 10.537^
347 ^axpTjEis, 'powerful' (5.525, 13.684), probably represents a primitive
^axpocpEES (xP a vco) with the Aeolic intensive prefix £a-, as in £af|s, £d6Eos.
TEAEOOUCTI is present because the Lycian leaders, who were mighty before
(iT&pos 346) are mighty still.
349 = 362 : aAAa TTEp qualifies the whole sentence 'but at least let
Telamonian Aias come by himself. CCAKIUOS Aias is not a free alternant of
the formula 9ai8iuos Aias (6x ), but occurs only here (and in the repeated
verse 362) as part of the expanded expression TEAaucovios OCAKIUOS Aias.
OCAKIUOS properly belongs to the formula CXAKIUOS uios (9X //. only), where it
does indeed alternate with 9ai8iuos. Note that 6(3piuos, which might seem
especially suitable for the massive Aias, is a special epithet of Hektor (4X )
and Ares (5X ) and in other respects is of very restricted use.
350 This verse was athetized by Aristophanes and Aristarchus (Arn/A).
They objected to Teukros' being specially summoned since he always
fought alongside his half-brother. Consequently 363 in the delivery of the
message and 371 in the narrative were also rejected.
353-4 Verse 353 = l l-l°l ( with eecov for KICOV); 354 = 4- 28 5v,
used once with 'ETTEICOV at 4.437, is properly the epithet of
(22 x //., 2X Od.). 'ApyEicov f)yf|Top£ x a ^ K oX lTCOVCOV 1S formed
similarly to the epithet phrase in the whole-verse address to Aineias, Tpcocov
(3ouAr|96p£ xaAKoxiTcovcov, and also to the description of Stikhios, BOICOTCOV
fjyfjTopa x a ^ KO X lTCOVCOV (^-SS 0 )- The open vowel at the end of these
case-forms of f|yf|TCop precludes the usual complement f|6e UE8OVTES. In 354
Aiavx', 'ApyEicov f]yf)Top£ is independently formular (2X ).
356