Thoughts on a Vanishing Distinction: A Discussion of Teiresias' and Circe's Warnings about the

Cattle of Helios in "Odyssey" 11 and 12

Author(s): J. Ceri Stephens
Source: The Classical Journal, Vol. 71, No. 2 (Dec., 1975 - Jan., 1976), pp. 169-176
Published by: The Classical Association of the Middle West and South
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3296078
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THE FORUM editor: RICHARD T. SCANLAN

THOUGHTSON A VANISHING DISTINCTION: A DISCUSSION

OF TEIRESIAS'AND CIRCE'SWARNINGSABOUT THE CATTLE
OF HELIOS IN ODYSSEY 11 AND 12.

There are probablymore readersof Homer alive now than there

have been in any previousgeneration,and it may well be that the
audience watching an ancient tragedy or comedy performedon
televisionin a singleeveningis as large as all its previousaudiences
in nearly 2,500 years taken together.'

This statementcannotbe far from the truthin light of the increasedop-

portunitiesfor advancededucationsince World War II, the paperback
explosion, and the many classicalscholarswho have availedthemselves
of both and producedseveral very readabletranslations.But it is not
the aim of this essay to discuss translationsand the relative merits of
literal accuracyover freer but more poetical renditions; rather I wish
to use a couple of passagesfrom Homer'sOdysseyto illustratehow, in
English at least, a change in languageusage is producingan ambiguity
which was not possiblesome years ago. I hope to show as well that in
the passagesin questionthe use of currenteverydayspeech can result
in unintentional,but still unfair, assessmentsof Odysseus'self-control
as well as his loyaltyto his men.
The mattermightnot seem important,yet it is a fact thatjustat York-
the younger of Toronto'stwo Universities-between five hundred and
one thousandstudentsare readingthe Odysseyin Englishin the 1974-75
session alone; they are also engagingin some heated discussionsabout
the moralcharacterof the hero and the moralstanceof the epic to which
he gives his name. While ProfessorStanford'sUlysses Theme2 demon-
strates that radical differencesin moral assessmentsof Odysseushave
long been firmlypart of the tradition,one cannot pretendthat in most
of the humanitiesand literaturecourseswherehis behaviouris regularly
debated,the debateitself and the preparationfor it are not as important
as whateverconclusionis reached; however,in the passagesunder dis-
cussionhere Homer did make a distinctionwhich, if kept, speakshighly
of Odysseus,and which,if lost, suppliesmore ammunitionfor his moral
critics.

1L.A.Moritz,"An Approachto ClassicalLiterature,"

in Classics,An Outline
for the Intending Student (London 1970) 23.
2W.B. Stanford, The Ulysses Theme (Oxford 1963).
169

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170 DECEMBER-JANUARY
The distinctionI referto is that betweenao6 (thou) and
6/ueis(ye)3
and the passagesreferredto are Teiresias'prophecy (11.100-17) and
that of Circe (12.127-41) regardingthe cattleof Helios. In both places
Odysseusis forewarnedof the dangersand decisionsthat awaithim, and,
typically,wherethe informationis the same, so is the languageused to
convey it.4 Includedin this essay are some of the more widely-read
Englishtranslationsalong with a few that are in wide use in other lan-
guages. This is clearlynot meantto be exhaustive,simplysome demon-
strationof the point. The rest of the essay investigatesthe significance
of the distinction.
The lines within the two propheciesin which this distinctionhas
significanceare 11.104-5, 110-4, and 12.137-41, the text of the last two
being almostidentical. As our purposeis not particularlyto enjoy the
translationsas much as to investigatetheir accuracyin distinguishing
betweenthe 2nd personsingularand the 2nd personplural,they will be
laid out in a mannerwhichfor any otherpurpose,admittedly,would be
confusingand certainlytedious. My hope is that for my purpose this
layout will be self-explanatoryand will save a considerableamountof
verbiage. At the end of the quotationsa chart is includedwhich traces
more clearlysome of the patterns.
On the top is the Greek text and underneathare the translationsof
the nine editionslooked at. The list below specifiesthose editions and
marksthem with the firstletterof the surname. At the end of each line
of translationappearsone of three letters: C, A, or I, standingfor
Correct, Ambiguous or Incorrect,respectively. Where the words of
Teiresiasand Circe are identicalbut are translatedin differentways in
the Englishand German,both are given. In B6rard'stext and translation
the lines are omittedfromthe text of Book 12.
Greek Text: Homeri Opera, Tomus III (Oxford 1917).
M. Homer, The Odyssey ([trans. A.T. Murray] Cambridge,Mass.
1919).
R. Homer, The Odyssey([trans. W.H.D. Rouse] New York 1949 [first
publishedin 1937]).
F. The Odysseyof Homer ([trans. RobertFitzgerald]New York 1963).
L. The Odyssey of Homer ([trans. RichmondLattimore]New York
1965).
C. Homer, The Odyssey([trans. AlbertCook] New York 1967).
TS. HomersOdyssee([trans. Thessitovon Scheffer]Wiesbaden1948).
RS. HomersOdyssee([trans.Rudof AlexanderSchroeder]Berlin 1948).

3Obviouslyin an inflectedlanguagelike ancientGreekthesetwo pronounswill

not alwaysbe in the text as theirworkis doneby the verbending. In the modern
languages dealt with here they are less dispensable.
4Odyssey 11.110-4 and 12.137-41 are identical except for the beginning of
11.111: KaLKEYSe' ... and 12.138 i 7' iv r' . . . Furthermore,Teiresias adds
a little more informationin 11.104-5whichpertainsto Thrinaciaspecifically.

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 THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL 171
WS. Homer, die Odyssee ([trans. WolfgangSchadewalt]Hamburg
1958).
B. L'Odyssde([trans. Victor Berard] Paris 1968 [from the 1933 edi-
tion]).5

11.104: dXX'97 /LJVKE KcX(S KrOKaa rep

raPXoVTEr LKOCO9e,
M. Yet even so ye may reachhome, thoughin evil plight, C
R. Nevertheless,you may all get safe home still, althoughnot without
sufferingmuch, C
F. One narrowstraitmay take you throughhis blows, A
L. But even so and still you mightcome back, aftermuch suffering, A
C. You may get thereyet, even so, thoughyou sufferills, A
TS. DennocherreichtetihrfreilichtrotzschwererLeidendie Heimat, C
RS. Doch vermoegt ihr's auch so, wie sehr ihr auch Leides erduldet, C
WS. Doch moegtihr auchso noch, wenn auchSchlimmesleidend,
heimwaertsgelangen, C
B. Et pourtantil se neut traverstous les maux,vous arriviez
au terme, C qu'a.

11.105: aKt X' 0 O1Js

0bvOv.bv KOc &cdwLV,
EpVKE•CKtV
M. if thou wilt curbthineown spirit and thatof thy comrades, C
R. if you can controlyourselfand your companions, C
F. denialof yourself,restrainof shipmates. C
L. if you can containyourown desire,and containyourcompanions', C
C. If you are willingto check your spiritand yourcompanions', C
TS. Koenntestdu deineBegierdeund die derGefaehrtenbezaehmen, C
RS. Wennihr das Herze nurzaemt,du selbstund deine Gesellen, I
WS. Wenndu deinemMut und dem der GefaehrtenEinhalttun
wolltest, C
B. si tu sais consentir"amaltriserton coeuret celui de tes gens. C

11.110 and 12.137: rd

' et LeV K was~ ~ias v6arov re la1,
d•
M. If thou leavesttheseunharmed and heedestthy homewardway, C
R. If you sail on withouthurtingthem, A
If you leave these unharmedand attendto the businessof
getting home, A
F. Avoid those kine, hold fast to your intent, A
Now give those kine a wide berth,keep your thoughtsintent
upon your coursefor home, A
L. Then, if you keep yourmindon homecoming,andleave these
unharmed, A
C. If you let themgo unmolestedandthinkof your return, A
TS. Laesstdu sie unverletzt,nurum die Rueckkehrbekuemmert, C

5The same text is used in Hombre Iliade Odyssde, "Bibliothdquede la Pleiade"

(1957).

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172 DECEMBER-JANUARY
RS. Laesstdu sie unversehrt,und bleibstder Heimatgedenkend, C
Wenndu derHeimatdenkstund laessestdie Rinderin Frieden, C
WS. Wenndu dieseunversehrtlaesstund auf deineHeimfahrt
bedacht bist, C
B. Respecteses troupeaux,ne songe qu' au retour, C
1
11.111: KaCrKe;' eis 'IOKtV KcKC rrep
?eriXovrres gKOWLToe
"
12.138: 7' atV T' els I dKnV
KaL
KcK~ P
raip aXOVTEs i'KOe*
M. verilyye may yet reachIthaca,thoughin evil plight. C
R. you maycome safeto Ithaca,althoughnot withoutsufferingmuch. A
you may yet reachIthaca,althoughnot withoutsuffering. A
F. andhardseafaringbringsyou all to Ithaka. C
L. you mightall makeyourway to Ithaka,aftermuchsuffering; C
C. You may yet get to Ithaca,thoughyou do sufferills. A
You mayget to Ithaca,thoughyou do sufferills. A
TS. Koenntetihr Ithakawohl trotzschwererLeidenerreichen; C
RS. Kaemtihr nach Ithakaalle, wie sehrihr auch Leideserduldet; C
Kaemtihr nach Ithakaalle, so viel ihr auch Leides erduldet. C
WS. dannmoegtihr, wennauchSchlimmesleidend,wohl noch nach
Ithaka gelangen. C
B. et je crois qu' en Ithaque,a traverstous les maux, vous
rentrerez encor; C

11.112 and 12.139: el • 767

Ke pivLlcXL, 70T TEK/Alp'OI, dxeOpov,
M. But if thouharmestthem,thenI foreseeruin C
But if thouharmestthem,thenI foretellruin C
R. But if you do themhurt,thenI foretelldestruction A
But if you do any damage,thenI foretelldestruction A
F. Butif you raidthe beeves,I see destruction A
L. butif you do harmthem,thenI testifyto the destruction A
C. If you molestthem,thenI prophesydestruction A
But if you molestthem,thenI prophesydestruction A
TS. wenndu sie aberraubst,so kuendeich dirunddenDeinen' C
RS. Wennihrsie aberversehrt,so sagich SchiffundGefaehrten I
Wenndu sie aberberuehrst,so sagich Schiffund Gefaehrten C
WS. Doch wenndu die verletzensolltest,dannsageich dir ...
Verderbenan. C
Doch wenndu sie verletzensolltest,dannsageich dir ...
den Untergangvoraus. C
B. maisje te garantis,si vousles maltraitez,que c'estfini I
6It would seem that Scheffer translates roLas the dative of o6rsince he has: so
kuende ich dir und den Deinen / Und dem Schiffe Verderben. No one else in the
group does this; they either take it as dative after rTEKCLp' Or as a general particle
in the sense of "for your information." The Greek word order would argue him
wrong. However, should he be right, the dE rEpKEY WOuld let Homer and
Teiresias off the hook! d•6•.s

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 THE CLASSICALJOURNAL 173
11.113 and 12.140: vt re KaCL
e
Cj7TiS 5' S rep KEV dXj~IS,
No translationis necessary &ipo"
for this line as the context and the use of
autos in the text leaves no room for ambiguity. The following chart
presents more clearly the accuracy of the translations.

11.104 105 110 111 112 113 12.137 138 139 140
M. C C C C C C C C C C
R. C C A A A C A A A A
F. A C A C A C A C A C
L. A C A C A C A C A C
C. A C A A A C A A A C
TS. C C C C C C C C C C
RS. C I C C I C C C C C
C. A C A A A C A A A C
WS. C C C C C C C C C C
B. C C C C I C

From the abovechartit is clearthat only threeof the nine translations

reveal the exact termsof the prophecies. In three cases a translationis
marked Incorrectbecause those two languages,unlike recent English,
retain the relevantdistinctionand the two translatorshave everywhere
else been faithfulto the Greek; thus the translationcan be termedIn-
correctratherthanAmbiguous. The degreeof significanceof each single
translationranges,of course,from high to minimal.
As mentionedearlierthisjuxtaposingof the severaltranslations,though
confusing,does make its own point. Some of them, mostly the recent
English ones, leave certainpossibilitiesambiguous. However, Homer's
text, adheredto most faithfullyby Murray,Schefferand Schadewaldt,
opens up severalpossibilitiesfor Odysseus. One could join thousands
of skepticalundergraduates andclaimthatdespitea K''04EXsof 11.105,
or el . . . Ke'ds Of 11.110, there is merely a semblance of choice
and that it prettywell is determinedwhat will happen,especiallyin light
of Teiresias'wordsthat follow. But that is to misunderstandHomer. A
readingof the whole poem will show that the hero is confrontedwith
choiceson every step of his way, and that even when certainissues seem
prettywell determinedby some higherauthority,the choice still remains
to accept them with laughteror tears, sorrowor joy. Surelyone of the
poet'spurposesin offeringpossibilitiesthat nevercome to fruitionis not
to depict man as mocked by the gods and helpless,but to demonstrate
the naturallimitationsof his knowledgeand power, and to dramatize
his inabilityto cope on everyoccasion.
One otherpossibleclaim need not take too much time: the claim that
the strict demands of Homer's metre made him more its slave than its
master. Considering the richness of the two epics such objections do not
need much refuting. There were indeed limitations in the vocabulary,

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174 DECEMBER-JANUARY
but none of this nature. However,the objectiondoes highlightone fact
that is importanthere, namely that Homer would not have made the
distinctionhad he not meantsomethingby it, and it is this meaningthat
we are tryingto locate.
It is clear from Teiresias'words (11.100-4) that Poseidon intendsto
harass Odysseus,7but nowherein the Odyssey are we told that either
Odysseusor his men necessarilywill die as a resultof Poseidon'swrath.
Polyphemuscertainlypraysfor destructionfor them all (9.528-35), but
if we accept as evidence only what we are told either in narrativeor
dramaticformby the poet, then our conclusionmust be that it is Helios'
cattle and the god's sense of honour that are the decidingelements in
the fate of Odysseus'men. We may arguecircumstantially that Poseidon
lands them on Thrinaciaand somehowkeeps them there by containing
the-winds that would save them,8but why should we do this when we
are told thatit is Helioswho asksfor theirdestruction,Zeuswho executes
it, and all as a resultof the crew exercisingone of the optionsarticulated
in the above passagesby Teiresiasand Circe? Eurylochus'argument
(12.340-51) that it is betterto die at sea than to starveslowly to death,
is certainly persuasivein the circumstances;furthermore,Odysseus'
words in 12.295 and 371-3, which suggest that some god is weaving
doom for him, are typical of such occasions; but despite all this, and
althoughthe alternativesare hardlyattractive,the fact remainsthat the
crewhave a choice.
In contrast, starvingis the alternativethat Odysseuschooses for al-
thoughthe cattle are by now slain,he still does not partakeof the meat.
This is the point of the distinctionthat Homerso carefullymakes. If we
examinethe possibleimplicationsof 11.104-5 and 12.137-41, we learn
that if Odysseusis willingto controlhis own thumos ("will") and that
of his men, they may all reach home. This he shows himselfwillingto
do albeitwithoutsuccess. 11.110-113 introduceanotherset of alterna-
tives: if he, Odysseus,leaves the cattle unharmed,then, perhaps,they
may all get home, but if he, Odysseus,harms them, then death is fore-
seen for ship and comrades. It is pointed out that Odysseusmay still
escape himself even if he harmsthe cattle, and the frequentprophecies
throughoutregardingthe eventualdoom of the suitorsadds strengthto

7Cf. also 1.74-5.

8Cf. 12.325-6. 13.341-3 could be construed to argue that none of the problems
would have arisen had not Poseidon been angry. We are told on several occasions
that Poseidon is harassing Odysseus, but the problem is to know where his in-
volvement begins and where it ends. Odysseus is no help as he knows nothing
definite except when told. At other times he makes general statements in which
he blames Zeus or the gods generally (cf. 9.553-5). He believes that Poseidon is
up to something (9.536) and the sea god is there in person in 5.286-90; further-
more, Ino refers to him in 5.339-40. But because Poseidon might be the indirect
cause for a considerable amount of trouble, it does not necessarily mean that he
is involved on every occasion unless the poet, and not Odysseus, specifically says
as much.

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 THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL 175
this possibility,9but his men will not surviveif he, Odysseus,harmsthe
cattle.
To recapthen: the languagestates that if Odysseusharmsthe cattle,
his men will certainlydie; if he does not and the men do not, they may
all get home. Whatis left unclearis what will happenif the men (with-
out Odysseus) harm the cattle, althoughthe likelihood is that he will
survivehimself,since this is hinted even if he kills them himself. That
is what happens-the men kill the cattle in his absence and he returns
to findthe deed done.
Even so he resiststhe flesh althoughhe has every reason to be as
hungryas they. Insteadhe holds out for the six days they spendfeasting
and takes care not to implicatehimself in their act. This must be seen
as an effortto do all he can to save their lives, for only in the event of
his harmingthe cattle does he know for certainthat they will be de-
stroyed. This, I believe, is a fair readingof the passagesinvolved and,
if so, it shows that Homertook pains to distinguishbetweenthe various
possibilities.
His careful distinctionshere between or6 and ?Ie~s bring into focus
one of the main contrastsin the whole epic-that between Odysseus,
7rouX4lrTs,combiningthe meaningof inventiveand experienced,and his
men, vlnro&(1.8), 'childrenand fools' as Fitzgeraldso aptly translates
it. Despite all his efforts to save them (1.6-7), they perish . . . 'through
their own blind folly' (Murray). Is not this episode a graphicexample
of the extent of his effort to save them? And does it not also describe
exactlywhy the men die? No vengeanceof Poseidonthis! Nowhere is
he mentionedin the episode. It is a case of clear alternatives,a typical
situationwhere the human will is severely tested by externalcircum-
stances and in which the inferiorin mind and perseverencesuccumb,
althoughwarned,to a very real temptationand perish as a result. On
carefulscrutiny,and in the face of a not uncommonunderstandingthat
Poseidonlies behindit all, and that Odysseus'men perishas a resultof
Polyphemus'curse,we see that the punishmentis the act of Zeus alone
at Helios' request. That request follows the destructionof his cattle
which itself resultsfrom a deliberatechoice by men who know the al-
ternativesbut do not have the enduranceof theirleader. It is, perhaps,
the most crucialscene in the epic for emphasizingthis contrast,and it is
significantthat Poseidon is not mentioned. It cannot be denied that
Odysseus'crew ran more riskswith him as theirleaderthan they would
have run with a more conservativeand less inquisitivecaptain,but that
is not the point in question. He puts his own life in jeopardyas well on

9These prophecies or hints are not given to Odysseus, of course, except for that
of Teiresias (11.115 ff.). But the listeners are primed on several occasions: eg
1.294-6, 17.546-7. In almost every book where they are mentioned, someone hopes
for, or anticipates, the death of the suitors-Telemachus, Menelaus, Nestor,
Teiresias, Eurycleia, Philoetius, Penelope, Laertes.

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 176 DECEMBER-JANUARY
these occasionsand he has the graceto admit an errorwhen he feels it
is his.'0 But that he used the lives of his men as pawns is an argument
too severeeven if not uncommon,and this passageis one of many that
help disprove it.
Such an interpretationof the passages--whateverthe extent of its
significance-is impossiblewhen and ib6eltsare commonlydepicted
as 'you'. Englishtranslatorsmustar6 recognizethis problemsince keeping
'thou'and 'ye' just for such occasionsis not feasible,and to keep them
for the whole poem is too archaicfor the popularear. There are ways
aroundit that will certainlynot tax the considerableingenuityof modern
translators.Personally,I regretthe disappearanceof 'thou'and 'ye' from
the languagenot only for reasonsof precisionbut also on aestheticand
sentimentalgrounds; but when the absenceof the distinctioncan lead
to a not insignificantmisunderstanding of what Homer is saying,it calls
for even more ingenuityfrom those who would preparethe Homeric
feast for so many'Greekless'banqueters.
J. CERI STEPHENS
YorkUniversity

109.228-30. Dante expands on this aspect of Odysseus' charcter. He draws a

magnificent picture of the inquisitive wanderer, but makes his final judgement by
locating him low down in Hell (see Inferno XXVI).

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