Homeric Darkness: Patterns and Manipulation of Death Scenes in the 'Iliad'

Author(s): James V. Morrison

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Hermes, 127. Bd., H. 2 (2nd Qtr., 1999), pp. 129-144
Published by: Franz Steiner Verlag
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4477298 .
Accessed: 11/01/2013 15:12

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Franz Steiner Verlag is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Hermes.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
HOMERICDARKNESS:PATTERNSAND MANIPULATIONOF
DEATHSCENESIN THE >ILIAD<

Antilochus is the first warriorto kill a Trojanin the Iliad. After his opponent,
Echepolus, is struck, >darknesscovered his eyes.<<(A 457-62) Throughoutthe
epic >>black night<< is said to cover the eyes of a victim; this is one of
or >>darkness<<
the ways the poet signals the death of a hero. The focus of this paper will be on
descriptions of death-scenes in the >Iliad<.I will be exploring the ways in which
Homer describes the moment of death from the perspectiveof the composition of
the poet. My purposeis to seek out the typical elements and sequences, so that we
will be in a betterposition to appreciatethe dramaticuse Homer makes of aspects
of the death scene at key juncturesof the narrative'.
This paperfalls into threesections. First I isolate the key elements of Homer's
description of the moment of death and show how these elements may be com-
bined to producevarioussequences. Second, I examine the metaphoricallanguage
used to describe death. While the force of these terms is colored by their associa-
tion with death, the language remains dynamic and is adaptedto other episodes,
such as protectionand rescue. Finally I turnto the poet's manipulationof the death
scene, as he transfersthe elements of these patternsto other situations, effecting
surprise or pathos. I began pursuing this topic in part because I noticed the
inventiveness of Homerin his descriptionsof death.We see the same resourceful-
ness here as in other better studied aspects of the poem, as the poet exploits a
variety of options for invention, elaboration,and manipulation.
First an analysis of the elements of the death scene. The three most common
elements are (1) the attack:a weapon strikesa victim causing a fatal injury;(2) the
picture:an image of the victim; and (3) the result:a descriptionof the death of the

l Most valuable to this analysis have been B. FENIK, Typical Battle Scenes in the Iliad.
Studies in the Narrative Techniques of Homeric Battle Description (Wiesbaden 1968; hereafter
undTod in derIlias (Gottingen1956;hereafter?FRIE-
>>FENIK<<);W.-H.FRIEDRICH. Verwundung
DRICH<<);R. GARLAND, The Causationof Deathin the Iliad,B.I.C.S.28 (1981) 43-60 (hereafter
>>GARLAND?<);J. GRIFFIN, HomericPathosandObjectivity, Cl. Qu.n.s. 26 (1976) 161-87 (hereafter
GRIFFIN>>Pathos<<)and Homer on Life and Death (Oxford 1980; hereafter GRIFFIN >>Lifeand
Death<); H. JORDAN. Der Erzihlungsstil in den Kampfszenen der Ilias (Zurich 1904; hereafter
>>JORDAN<<);W. MARG, KampfundTod in derIlias,Wurzburger Jahrbucher 2 (1976) 1-19 (=Die
Antike 18, 1942-167ff.); S. D. SULLIVAN, A multi-faceted term: Psyche in Homer, the Homeric
Hymns and Hesiod, Stud. Ital. di filologia classica 6 (1988) 151-80 (hereafter >>SULLIVAN<<);E.
VERMEULE. Aspectsof Deathin EarlyGreekArtandPoetry(Berkeley1979;hereafter
>>VERMEULE<<);

and J. WARDEN PYXH in Homeric Death-Descriptions, Phoenix 25 (1971) 95-103 (hereafter

>>WARDEN<<). On highlighting the first warrior to draw blood (A 457, A 92, 11 284), see FENIK
113-4.

Hermes, 127. Band, Heft 2 (1999)

? Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH, Sitz Stuttgart

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 130 JAMES V. MORRISON

victim. In this paper I ignore the prelude and follow-up to such scenes. (The
prelude may include movement on the battlefield and a verbal challenge; the
follow-up may contain a boast over the corpse and an attemptto stripthe armor.)
Element 1 - the attack-containsa verbof throwing(most commonly P61XXo) or
thrusting (most frequentare oitado and vvao), often followed by some sort of
anatomical descriptionof the injury2.For example (these are only representative
examples):
(a) (1) artp Mev?Xao; dp'to; oiv-rae6avTa
atpvov yu evovTa nap' a ia. (l 311-12)
Element 2 - the picture-presentsan image or view of the victim. There is al-
most always a visual component:the victim falls to or lies on the ground;at times,
an auraldimension is present such as the sound of armorcrashingto the ground.
(b) (2) o6& c o vovi
icadsxa?v av, (dpw X?p (peiXot; -?rapotCat
i?raTaa;. (N 548-9)
"
(c) (2) 6 6 apa pr1vi ?it yaii
l(?tTOTa0?ist' (D 118-9)3

Passages d, e, and f have an auralcomponent.The victim ?falls with a thud<<,

?his armorclattersupon him<<,or ?he drops to his knee with a cry<<.
(d) (2) 8oU5rnGaev U, n?acbV. ( l 599)4
'
(e) (2) `pme, 6s Fg %F@ov, tei6
ap6ianoe &M X ctu,rC. (E)260)5
(f) (2) yVvi 6' ?ptn' oijtt6a;. (v 417)
Element 3 - the result- presentsdeathitself. I distinguish(3A) which contains
metaphorical language indicating that the victim has died from (3B) which
presents the poet's comment on the psyche or thymos departingfrom the corpse.
Either 3A or 3B is sufficient to convey the idea that the victim has died. Common
for (3A) is the phrase >darknesscovered the eyes<<of the dying hero (used 12
times in the Iliad).
(g) (3A) 6ov& cKOcto;
06ac? ic6a?uye(v). (A 461)6
Variations include >hateful darknesso<taking the victim and ?black night<<
covering the victim's eyes:

2 See discussion in FRIEDRICH 43-63.

3 Cf. A 179-80, Y 483. L.S.J. defines npnvAs as ?with the face downwards<<or >falling
forwards,<<but in the >Iliad<,it almost always refers to men dying in battle or to corpses lying on
the plain (13 of 16 times). See, e.g., B 418, E 544, M 396. The exceptions are B 414, Z 43, Q 11.
Cf. npigviA; 0 435; iSintio; H 289, P 523; ltd6,ogat 0 543, Y 418.
4 Also P 580, Y 388.
5 Also P 619; cf. P 50, P 311. Armor of course is quite noisy: see T 13.
6 A 503, A 526, Z 11, N 575, _ 519, 0 578, H1316, H 325, Y 393, Y 471, (D 181; also
appearing at H.H. Ap. 370.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 HomericDarkness:PatternsandManipulationof Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 131

(h) (3A) at(yepo5 6 'apa Itv iKoT5o;drxs. (E 47)7

(i) (3A) tov &E'icai 0qi?pakgdv ?peI3vvll vti caluxv(v). (E 659)8

It may be
A second common descriptionof death makes use of the verb XU0o2.
active:
(j) (3A) Xiae& yTta. (A 240)10
(k) (3A) ethap 6 uiro youvai ?cUaE(V). (N 412)1

Or passive:
(1) (3A) toi5 6 auit X&i)tngEvo5. (P 298)12

Each of these expressions is equivalentto saying the victim has died'3.

Element 3A may point to an agent otherthan darkness,night, or the opposing
death<<,
warrior,such as >>spirit-shattering or >>ill-namedfate?.

(m) (3A) ,gupi E o't la'vaTo;

xUto itiiopacti. (N 54)14
(n) (3A) npO6i?sv ydp gtv oitpa ua6o'vuo; adeKazicdtev
E^yEt' IojiEvio;, d'yauoi A?UKCaXi5ao. (M 1 16-7)'5
The language of 3A is highly metaphorical,including such images as night,
darkness, loosening, covering, taking, and pouring'6. Seldom is the straightfor-
ward verb adnoi5viqaco)used. (The reason in partis metrical:adFiavev has four
short syllables, but cf. ahavato;)17.
For the second aspect of element 3 - (3B) - the poet may comment on the
psyche or thymos departingfrom the corpse.

7 See N 672, rI607.

8 Also N 580.
9 See WARDEN 99.
10 Also A 260, n 312, rI 465;cf.0 435,HI341, P 524.
11 N 412, P 349; cf. Priam'sdescriptionof Ares' killingmanyof his sons (Q 498). FENIK
(132) comments that >the phrase yovvara UctV always means, in whatever form it appears, to
kill an enemy.<
12 Also n 332, P 298.
13 See note 30 below.
14 Also H 414, II 580.
15 Cf. I6V & KaELt0 e/k4e i0 edvaTo; icA jotpa Kparaill (E 82-3, [I 334, Y
itopqv'pso;
476-77; cf. E 68).
16 See also >>sleeping
a bronzesleep<< (Kotg.aa?o XclxeoviSicvov-A 241). VERMEULE105
discussesdeathas a feastto whichthe >>guests?fareinvited(Kdxaciav-n 693, X 297), withZeus
Forthe verb&ax.dlcw(A 98, M 186,Y 400), see VERMEULE101;cf. its erotic
as steward(tapLiis;).
application(E 316).
17 1ave at B 642, 4 106, KdtlEavsat I 320, 4 107;iaaV ( 610, i5avietv at 0 289, X 426.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 132 JAMESV. MORRISON

(o) (3B) r6Ov

6&XinE -%n. (E 696)18
(p) 6 ?K
(3B) rVui1 p?Fc FOV rtagevi"AI6O6?a ?PFcK?. (II 856 = X 362)
(q) (3B) a'no6 ''n
? cao vugo'q. ( 17469)19
These are the basic elements. They are typical in that they are repeated
numerous times throughoutthe epic; many clearly consist of formulae or consti-
tute an entire line of hexameterverse. This storehouseprovides the potential for
building a wide range of sequences with two or three elements20.Examples may
include two elements:
(r) [EI5pi5itioo] ati 'a nrap'ai)rov icv, (1) icc' a'1ovt1aF8o0pV(pa?v6o
Da cvuac6rilv'Aitaaova, noi*u va Xa65v,
'it [36x
i1j7tap
vn6 irpcsiiiov, (3A) Eltap 6 'nroyouvaT ?VX6?V (A 577_79)21

Or three elements:
(s) (1) VXaico; 6 'InnoX6o%otonart;,Atociov acyo6;
av3pCv,
'Ipivoov fk XE3oxpi cata icpaTEpivuapivnv
AEt?ai6riv, iitw@v 6ktagVOV ' iCetai6ov,
'
&,jiov (2) O 6' ti7rCOVXapI6&t;na (3A) ?vvTo ? yiczta (H 13-16).
Some scenes contain both (3A) and (3B), e.g.:
(t) (1) t6v f36X'&to yvatl4totoxiacoucato; (3B) c?OYKa
6s i5,utos
l) ET ano6peOXwv,(3A) atVycpO' 6 apa pIv aic6-ro;? x V (N 671-2).
I make no attemptto be exhaustive;these are merely representativeexamples.
A fairly simple patternwith elements 1, 2, and 3 underliesthe tremendousvariety
of combinations used to presentthe death of a warrior22.

18 _ 518-19; Odyssey K 559-60. For a discussion of WYoXN

in Homer, see SULLIVAN and
WARDEN.
19 See A 333-34, 0 251-2; Odyssey A 221. For a discussion of ti)S6; in Homer, see
GARLAND 47-50.
20 This is analogous to the situation for battle scenes described by FENIK 45: >>Theresult of
this manner of composition is that in the entire poem no two combats are exactly alike even
though the battle scenes are almost one hundred percent typical.<<In discussing battle scenes,
FENIK concludes that >>Almostall the Iliad's battle narrativeconsists of an extensive, but limited,
store of >typical<or repeated details and action-sequences which undergo numerous and repeated
combinations. The poet put[s] together his battle description in much the same way as he
constructed his verses and sentences, namely out of smaller, relatively unchanging >>building
blocks<<-phraseand sentence formulae at one level, typical descriptive details and action-se-
quences at another. Verse building and action narrativethus represent two aspects of basically the
same compositional technique< (from >>Summaryof Contents<<).An analogue to this is found in
the dominant pattern of death scenes, replete with a variety of combinations.
21 Also e.g., E
657-59, Z 5-11, H 11-12, M 182-86, N 410-12, N 541-44.
22 In considering
only the areas of the body where the fatal wound occurs, we find that
injuries to the head, chest, shoulder, and neck occur 5-6 times each as most common. Still the

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Homeric Darkness: Patterns and Manipulation of Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 133

At this point we might turnto options for expansion:the obituarynotice (OB)

and the simile (SIM). The obituary notice, studied fully by J. GRIFFIN, is an
expansion of the Homericpropensityto name the victim (few deathsin Homer are
anonymous)23.An example occurs in the death-sceneof Lycophron.
(u) c'O;sCiirVAiavro; ["EKco)p] aKOvrta?8o0pi paitvo.
toio ,U?v a"4api3,(1) 6 65 ?'nvra AuKo(ppova,Mctaropo; viov,
A:iavto; 1iepadovta KutAptov, (OB) ospa rap'av'5icb
vai', e7Cei a'vdpa racreKTaKv4poial 4acxotai,
( 1) tv p F,-`Xsv Kep O' Xakcio,
CXXTV U1CSp01X0`o 0t

O'at6 dy% AWavto; (2) o6 'iirto; ?v KovtiGT

vrj6; diro itp~5i.tvri;xc &tnt as, (3A) ?c,6vro U?yuta (0 429-35).
In this obituarynotice we learnthatLycophronlived with Ajax afterhe killed
a man in his native Cythera. Often we find mention of the victim's homeland,
parents,wife, and children24.
The simile functions as an expansion of element 2, the picture.In passage (v),
Alcimedon's spear enters Aretus' lower abdominalregion: the leap forward of
Aretus is likened to the consequences of a man axing a bull.
(v) i p npois?t 3OXIAi`aov
a, (1) Kicza g,Ut?nax&OV
p,YXO,
Kc P6xsv
aicat ca acmib8a
'Apfjtw icar
? 'Ailoto i6to
&aric navroca ia
?im-tn
5oii aato xQX6;
,

&t6 U? ?iA9t0
9,

6n6 UK?705?U'r,
F-Yxo; F-puo 8tanpO, K
V?taip, 6 ?Vycactpt &ta 4&oaTfpo;?Xaaa*-v.
(SIM) c6;a or a av o v ?f(wv 1g??KVV aT4io; acv4p,
cfaa; E67 ev KapctV /o6; c4paioio,
KO
,rva a,uq diA 'zoraav, o Se 7cpot9op6'v ?p7a1oV,
(2) 6'; a9'p' 06yc npoi5opov nE?a?v i5rto; (3A) ?v 6? oi ?yxo;
v1&0io-t0t ,uad' OR Kpa&atvto6vov XV?e yxiTtc. (P 516-24)

The positioning of the obituaryor the simile is quite fluid: the obituarymay
come early or late in the sequence; the simile generally appearsbefore or after
element 225.
Similes used in death scenes are not used as frequentlyas in battle scenes. The
victim is comparedmost frequentlyto an animal or a tree.

the
poet avoids monotony: see Appendix. GARLAND 50 states that there are 60 ways of conveying
>>There is an almost baroque magnificence in the
idea >>Xdied.<<VERMEULE 96 comments:
physical ruin of Homer's heroes.<<
23 GRIFFIN >>Pathos<<. For anonymous deaths in the >Iliad<,see K 487-8, A 158-62, A 177-80,
0 328, H 661-2, H 784-5, ( 17-26.
24 GRIFFIN 183 describes the combination of a factual style (the absence of explicitly
seen
emotional words) with the appearance of parents, wives, and children who are not otherwise
Narrative and Harv. Stud. 68
on the battlefield. See also C. R. BEYE, Homeric Battle Catalogues,
(1964) 345-73.
25 The obituary comes in the final position at P 288-303.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 134 V. MORRISON
JAMES

Animal: ox (N 571-73), fish draggedfrom the sea (HI406-9), bull (P 520-23),

a bellowing bull (Y 403-6); cf. diver (Hl742-3)26.
Botanical: poplar (A 482-89), ash (N 178-81), oak, poplar, pine (N 389-92= H
482-5), poppy (O 306-8); cf. poppyhead(E 498-99).
Helminth: earthworm(N 654-55).
Inanimate: tower (A 462), tresses of the Graces (P 51-60).
There is only a single repetitionfrom this set of similes in the death scenes of
the Iliad27.
It is worth mentioning that there is an abbreviateddescriptionof death (AB),
which often consists of nothingmore thana warriorin the nominativecase, a verb
of killing, and one or more victims in the accusative. An abbreviateddescription
may be isolated or in a series (the example of a series below has a change of
subject).
(w) (AB-isolated) Apfjaov6 EI5pvaXo;Kca'i.O(p?Xn0ov4E{vapt{E. (Z 20)
(x) (AB-series) Aia; 'a ipcino; Tekagc'6vto;"Ypitov o 3ma
Iuporutai6v,Mtacov i yi,copa KQaptpoiOco)v
6 'AvtikXoXo;
cDaIcKTcv ica M?p,uepov EvapiE
Minpt'l6v &6M'pvv ta Kic Iiriotova KaI-rca,
Tei5cpo;56? Hpo6owvadX ?v4p'aro icai Hept rnmv (b-511-15)28
Other verbs used in the abbreviateddescription are ?E(v)29, VV 5,i?eVF,
FaX/Wxl e, outa, FXaaFe(v),ac6votaFe(v),tiu'e, irite, and e"pve/icxpve30.
In looking at the abbreviateddescription,we gain fuller insight into the poet's
options. The introductionof an abbreviatedsequence actually presents a choice.
The death scene may remain brief (AB) allowing the poet to move on to other
material, or the scene may be expanded to include elements 2 and 3, and an
obituary or simile. As FENIK notes for battle scenes, >>Anespecially significant
combat is given the weight and length that it deserves by the simple process of
addition and lengthening<<31.We find the same to be true of death scenes as the
instances of Sarpedon,Patroclus,and Hector demonstrate(discussed below).
The poet controls the different emphases in his description of dying heroes.
Such descriptions may be brief or expanded; they may cover gristly detail,

26 For the conquering warrior as a lion vanquishing other animals, see E 556-60, A 239.
27 Cf. N 437-40; see C. MOULTON, Similes in the Homeric Poems. Hypomnemata Heft 49
(Gottingen 1975) esp. 86-87 on how similes serve the goal of expansion (or intensification).
28 Cf. Z 29-36, ( 209-10. For these slaying catalogs, see FENIK 84, 91. On the variety of
descriptionat E 42-83, see FRIEDRICH 75.
29 For an attempted supplication and subsequent slaughter by Agamemnon, see Z 37-65
introduced by xo6v?X?'.
30 GARLAND 53 states the he has >>assumed that such verbs as axe, ?x?, &apcaasa?, vge, and
oi5taae indicate a fatal wound except where there is an explicit statement to the contrary.<<
31 FENIK 204.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 HomericDarkness:PatternsandManipulationof Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 135

imagery, biography, and a range of metaphorical expressions indicating the

moment of death. In fact, we find certain patterns emerging which indicate
deliberatecare not only for variety but also for conscious recall of earlier scenes.
In the first 70 lines of battle descriptionat the end of bk. 4, the poet moves in his
descriptionof death from sight to sound to alliterationof words:
(y) sight: (2) 4ptze 6, (SIM) 05 6wriVpyo;, ?Vit cpaTEpi,iagiVi,. (A 462)
'
(z) sound: (2) So iacev&?iead)v, apdf3iiae &? t3XE auwrto (A 504).
(aa) alliteration: (2) 'ex 6 apa nLaat
xvvro;cauai ro1AdSe, (3A) c"to;r o60aae1XUEl?
6ov&? (A 525-6)32.
The deliberateecho of line bb below (used only threetimes) links the deathsof
Sarpedon,Patroclus,and Hector.
(bb) (3A) 6o dpct
ap v ePicova tFXo0 aavadoto'o iaciXuvv.
(H7502, [l 855, X 361)33
The echo continues for Patroclusand Hector:
(cc) (3B) run.'i6' ?ic p?iFhV itaiivv1 `At86a6sF Pe[ t,
ov lrg6tov yoo6aa, Xunoui a'v8potijraocciKa't
injv (17856-7= X 362-3)34.
While a fatal injurygenerally leads to an immediatedeath, these three heroes
speak between (2) the pictureand (3) the momentof death.That is, this is another
way the poet may expand a scene: he has the option of introducingthe dying
words of the victim. This is used sparingly as only Sarpedon, Patroclus, and
Hector speak after receiving the fatal blow35.
We can now produce a full scheme of the poet's options for description of
death scenes.
(1) A warriorhurls or thrusts,strikingthe victim (option for AB)36.
(OB) Option for obituarynotice.

32 We also find groupingsof the same image. In books 20-22, manyof the fatal injuries
inflictedby Achillesarein the back.The imageof a victimgrabbingthe groundat deathappears
twice in 15 lines:N 506-8, N 518-20; also A 425, 449-52, P 315.
33 ta?o; lavadoto is also foundat E.553;cf. Hes. W. & D. 166, bracketedby MERKELBACH
andWEST in the O.C.T.
34 Forthe commonelementsof the deathscenesof PatroclusandHector,see FENIK217-18.
He also discusses dying words (69-70). Cf. E 682-88 where a woundedSarpedonspeaks,
thinkinghe is aboutto die.
35 Supplicationscenes areanotheroptionforexpansion:see Z 46-60, A 131-42, and 74-
(
113.
injury:
36 A thrustor throwmightof courselead to a miss (e.g., H 477-79) or to a nonfatal
Menelaos (A 127-220, N 586-97), Agamemnon (A
for examplesof woundedwarriors,see e.g.,
(A 434-88), Machaon (A 505-20), Eurypylos (A 581-4); cf. Hector and
251-83), Odysseus
Aeneasdiscussedbelow:E 297ff., A 349ff., - 402ff., andsee GARLAND53. Forpossiblevictims
408,
avoidingdeath,variousexpressionsrecur:F6Xaeo icip' ?Xetivov(A 585, N 566, N 596,

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 136 JAMES V. MORRISON

(2) Picture of Victim.

(SIM) Option for simile.
*Dying words (restricteduse).*
(3A) Metaphoricaldescriptionof death.
(3B) 'P'X' or ituo'6 leaves victim's body.
Generally when the emphasis is upon the victorious hero, we have a series of
slayings (e.g., Diomedes in bk. 5 or Achilles in bk. 20). When the victim is a major
figure, the death scene is expandedto signal the character'simportance.
The second part of this paper explores the metaphoricallanguage from the
scenes of death-description,in particular,the network of associations for key
terms or phrases, such as >>blacknight<<,>>darkness<<, and >>coveringthe eyes<<.
While these expressions are appliedpredominantlyto describedeath,we also find
them adaptedto related situations.
As we have seen, darknessor black night is often said to cover the eyes of the
victim at the moment of death, signifying in fact that the hero has died. For
>>darkness<< the word is a6KO;o5;for >?night<<there is variationbetween ?pFJ3Evvi
vit and K0Xatvi vvg. The basic dichotomy of light and darknessassociated with
life and death needs no elaborationhere37.The realmof Hades, home of the dead,
is described as dark or misty () 56, X 482-3; cf. v 244, Od. X 15). KaX1urc-ro,
>>cover<<, is most frequently the transitive verb used when the victim dies. The
agent may be darkness,night, death(takvato;-E 68), fate (jioipcz),the end of death
(t?Xo; i5xvaotow-notedabove), the black cloud of death (H 350), or a blue cloud
(Y 417-18)38. In element 3A of the death sequence, the eyes of the victim are
>>covered<<, contrastingwith a living person who sees the light of the sun39.E.g.,
Diomedes describes living in such terms:

HI817); de?vato Kfipa pXatvav (H 254, _ 462); cfipac dXiga; (cf. 0 287; I 816-7; P 305, D
548-49 and the counterfactual at 1H687).
37 Cf. ?pE?FVsvviVicrti icaXiviat (N 425). ?p?Fi?vvf is derived from Erebus (see Hes. Theog.
669); cf. I 572, HI326-7. Apollo is likened to night as he brings the plague (A 47; cf. M 462-3,
Odyssey Y 362). For a list of the metaphors of death, see GARLAND 46 and Tables 4 and 5 (p. 55).
See discussion by D. TARRANT, Greek Metaphors of Light, Cl. Qu. 10 (1960) 181-87, GRIFFIN,
Life and Death 41, 91, 94, 143, 162, 170-72, and J. M. FOLEY, Immanent Art. From Structure to
Meaning in Traditional Oral Epic (Bloomington 1991; hereafter >>FOLEY<<)150-54. VERMEULE 33
speaks of Hades as the place where the sun never shines; at 41 she comments on the connections
of *davaro; with darkness and cloud. We might compare the RgVeda: >>Thewaters bear off
Vrtra's nameless body: the foe of Indra sank to during darkness<<(1.32.10), >>Deepdarkness fell
upon the slain, and Indra won by victory the right of being first invoked.<<(10.1 13.7) I owe these
references in Indian epic to M. L. WEST,The Rise of Greek Epic, J. H. Stud. 108 (1988) 154-55.
38 Cf. the cloud of war at P 269.
39 Homer explicitly notes that both the eyes and nose of Sarpedon are covered at H 502-3.
VERMEULE 25-6 discusses the brightness of sight as indicative of intelligence.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 HomericDarkness:PatternsandManipulationof Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 137

(dd) >>oU6?,U?(pvCRS
,np'v i 6?atait Xagnt6vpco; 'EioMo? (E 119-20)40
To die is no longer to see the light of day41.The image of covering the eyes in
connection with death- when the victim no longer sees - is often associated with
a mist or cloud covering the eyes, which also may signal death, e.g.:
(ee) t6v &? Xiie t 6
KcctcL IC,XT a' Xi5;.
(pt5aXZcov (E 696)42
The force of these metaphoricalterms is colored by theirpredominantassoci-
ation with death.Yet Homer's languageremainsdynamic.At times night- not the
metaphor-iswelcome to the Greeksor to the Trojansin bringingan adverseday of
battle to an end, e.g.:
(ff) a Yrap' aot
ckwraaiti rpitUro0 EX'nixl i5 V 4e /3e vv. (H 487-88)43
That is, the darknessof night may allow for life to continue,by ending combat
and bringingrelief and potentialescape. It should also be pointedout thatthe verb
KCLXullto, so strongly linked to death44,is also employed in describingthe impact
of strong emotions, such as woe and grief, e.g.:
(gg) 6ov6 XiEo; Vsp?Xii eta6Xi?,Xalva. (P 591)45

The verb icalXuircoalso signals protection(E 315, ( 547-49, IP 188-91) and

rescue ('P 443-46, ( 596-8, cf. E 23), especially when linked with cloud or mist
(which elsewhere signal death)46.Before Achilles faces Hector for the last time,
Apollo rescues Agenor:

40 Cf. A 88, Q 556-8.

In journeying to the realm of the dead, Odysseus has left the light of the sun (utrdv pdo;
41
iieXioto-1 1.93). FOLEY 152 views the light of sun as the >>metonymicequivalent of life.<<Cf.
Aesch. Pers. 710 and RgVeda: >>OWaters, teem with medicine to keep my body safe from harm,
So that I long may see the Sun.<<(1.23.21); cf. >>MayI, enjoying lengthened life, still seeing, enter
old age as >twerethe house I live in<<<. (1.116.25 - my emphasis)
42 Cf. E 127, H 344, Y 419-2 1. At Od. A 15 the Cimmerians, next to the land of the dead, are
described as i?pt icai vsq?iln KsKaXw?vot; cf. Aesch. Pers. 667-8 (1?vyia...a% As). Else-
where mist thwarts heroes (P 268-7 1, e.g.). On mist in the >Iliad<,see FENIK53-54.
43 See also H 282, K 200-201, E 267-8. Night would allow for the escape planned by
Agamemnon (- 77-80). For a discussion of how the battle becomes more savage, diminishing the
relief brought by night (e.g., bk. 10), see J. V. MORRISON.Homeric Misdirection. False Predictions
in the Iliad (Ann Arbor, 1992; hereafter >>MORRISON<<) 83-85.
44 Other associations of Kakiro) with death include preparing the dead for burial and
mourning (E 352-3, Q 162-3, Q 795-6). See Hes. Erga 121, 140, and Aesch. Pers. 645-6, 917.
45 dao; also at E 22, Iv1i5o; at A 249-50; cf. the use of d tpaXc,rc with desire (gpw;) for
_
Paris and Zeus (F 442, 294). For the association of sex, sleep, and death, see VERMEULE145-
178. A phrase describing fear which recollects death scene language is X.6t0v 6' Vn6 yuta
icda'Tc/tapPoaDv13-Od.0 341-42.
46 Cf. the golden cloud which protects Zeus and Hera (_ 343-44; cf. Y 321-42).

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 138 JAMES
V. MORRISON

(hh) 1
a,XX uv ?i4jp1raet, KAcv`ieV i
a ap X0,ro,
ijcnuxcov 6'' pa gtv n0X?RD ?CKnrC VC,aotat. (0 597-98)

We come to appreciate that in spite of the >thousandsof spirits of death<<

which hover nearby (12.326-7), key terms such as >>night<(
and >>covering<< may
also be employed in scenes of protectionand rescue.
I now turn to the third part of this paper, the poet's manipulation of the
elements of the death scene. Homer makes sophisticated use of many of these
typical elements in situations analogous to death scenes. These include attacks
upon the gods, the wounding of heroes, and episodes of high passion. In bk. 21
during the theomachia,Athene attackingAres:
(ii) in 6' avaXaGoaPgv1 Xtiaov 'tiXso X?1tpi nax1c ii
K?1g?VOV ?V 7IE6io(gEQVa, tp1X)V tS jtiyav T?,
tov p av6pc; np6Otepott?aav ?`IEVat oUopova,pou'p P
(-1) tGofa?Xi?oi3pov `Apna KaclarvX?va. (~3 A) X?ae &?yuta.
(~2) t-'na' 6' CnEa%Xe nr?XsiGpaireadv, ?iKOVIaC&C aita;,
t?i5?a
tX a6ppapa,hae, y?Xasa? &' RlaXXdc; 'Aihvil,
Kca oi s7rCUe%0oVj ia
v,?rl tp6evtc itpouar (4 403-9)
(-1) Athene strikes Ares (0a36?)in the neck with a rock, (~3A) looses his
limbs, and then (~2) Ares falls to the ground (ne?acOV),dirties his hair, and his
armorclatters. Athene's boast follows (0 410ff.). As is frequentelsewhere, here
Homer uses familiar language to highlight the similarities between gods and
mortals, while still making clear the distinction of divine immortality. Some
humor is evident as the enormous god crashes down over seven nrXst?,pa(about
two acres)47.
Elements 1, 2, and 3 of the death scene also appear in descriptions of the
wounding of heroes and situations of high passion. I look briefly at four scenes
where the poet uses these elements not to describedeath,but to introducesurprise
and to indicate pathos.When a hero is struckwith a weapon, the injurymay not be
fatal48.Of particularinterestare those situationswhere deathcould result- and is
even likely - but the hero is saved at the last moment. Homer emphasizes this
extreme dangerby using elements fromthe deathscene. In book 5 Diomedes faces
Aeneas, striking him with a rock in the hip socket and snappinghis tendons49.
jj) (-1) 6 6? %?pjd61tov Xdaf3 %?1pi
Tx6ei6i;, ji-ya ?pyov, OoV56VoY' av6pe qppot?V,
Otot V5v Ppotoi & *O66 ptv?a
v na,x? icc OtO;.

47 See also the fight of Athene and Aphrodite (1 423-6, esp. -ri 6 alvtoi3 1-ko yoi6vata Ktai
pilov 'rrop-425;cf. ( 489-96).
48 For injured heroes, see note 36 above.
49 FENIK 207 calls the breaking of r?vovrte a >>favoriteanatomical detail<<.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 HomericDarkness:PatternsandManipulationof Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 139

tCj)Ia3xv Aiveiao icai i'a%iov,?vita 'e 9np0

iaxti EVcTpe(petrat, KOti TnV6?e, ptv IcaX?o1-
'
i51taae- & oi iOTi,XiV, tpOS; dgqxo pfr -? rivovt
0)ae 6 anoirptvOvtPXi; Xiiao; (E 302-8)
night
At this point Aeneas goes down and the formulaic 3A follows: >>dark
covered his eyes<<50.
(-2) auttap O 6 1npco
iaTlt yviE ?purdv Kat ?petiaato Xtpt Irax%eh1
yaiin (-3 A) a,jupi &e 6aae? iKXatvii VUit ?icKadXux (E 308-10).

Up to this point, we find a familiarpatternof the sort which leads to (or even
constitutes) death. It should be pointed out that the injuryis to the hip ratherthan
the chest, shoulder, neck, or stomach51.Homer then introducesa counterfactual
emphasizing how close Aeneas has come to perishing:
Kai v5ulc?v ?'Iv adio)otro avvag a&v6pv AivFita;,
?1 6i v'ia At6; iThyavrp 'Appo&mn,
aip'
J3OVKOII?OVTL
gTnp, (~OB) i4UwvV'ir'Ay*iaC?K?re/cS
a pl 0 pIXOVUI6V
t0V X?axTO7ntX? X?UsKCd,
ipOai?e 6 oi X?xX010oo
paetvorny "rcdwiAV?v,
?pico; Epiev J3eXkcov,9in-t; Aavaciv ta%unWXov
XacAoiv ?Vi on,5e?ac palcbv ?K aD6Ov ?X0oro. (E 311-17)

Aphroditeis not wholly successful in rescuing her son: Diomedes wounds the
goddess, and Apollo must come to take Aeneas away from the battlefield (E 432-
53). Still from what we know about Aeneas' destiny (see r' 301-8), this descrip-
tion must give a jolt to the audience who up through line 310 is hearing what
sounds very much like a descriptionof the death of Aeneas52.
In the second andthirdexamples (kk, 11)Homerdescribesinjuriesto Hector on
his day of glory (bks. 11-18). In (kk) Diomedes injures him-his spear hits
Hector's helmet - Hector retreats, goes to his knees, and black night covers
Hector's eyes53.Yet he revives and avoids death.

6 0aa? iceXatvi vig cAV is not used to signify death; it

50 In fact the expression dap'ti aE'
on the
appearsonly here and for the injuredHector(A 356, discussedbelow). Nevertheless
>>darknight<< vi4) to
appears havean sense
identical as night<
>>black
surfacethephrase (1csXatvi
ipefkvv vig dicak which always signals
(?pepFsvvii viu) in the line t6v 8? icKai 0qpaawv
death;cf. t6v Meas6,zo; 6acreKicdluX4.
51 Thesearethemostcommonfatalinjuries.Onthefrequencyof suchinjuries,see Appendix.
bks. 5, 8,
52 27-3 1. FENIK33-48 discusses two situations: a pattern of escape in
See JORDAN
518ff., A
11, and 20 (p. 35); and episodeswherethe victimis first woundedand then slain (A
Y
527ff., E 580ff., Y 457ff., 478ff., e.g.).
114
53 GARLAND 47 finds no linguisticdistinctionbetweendeathandfainting,except for 1
212 note 12 says the of
>>oss psyche
(see his Table6, p. 55 on loss of consciousness).VERMEULE

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 140 JAMES V. MORRISON

(kk) H 1) Kai I 9ov ?rxo

poa,(~ guteircav irpoist 68oXt '
Kcz 6Xv, oi6' a p6iapTe, TVwcic6Kgevo; Ke(pct?aqfipV,

ctlcprnvKlec1copvo(pW nXy'xian a% xctxic6qnxaxxc6;,

V
o0S ieezlo%p6a Ka6v. V'pVl)1cKE yap Tpixpd&ct
TpitvC%os0 avctuCnti, rr'v oit no'pF?(D0tpo 'Ano'l?,cv.
'EKtIcp 6 O)C' ltnXS1pOV ave6pcxpie, .leiKto 65 o6itXc,

(-2) cri &? yvit ?pt6ov K(if EpEiCaatO X%1pitra%X?in

yaii5 (~3A) 6j.p' &6?aas ice?aivn vit e6XV?v.
0(ppa&?Tudi&; geta& 8oupato; cj,ei
%? pcoiv
'Xs?&t ipog X0v, 6 Klo i cataeiato yair%,
tOP' EK-rop urnVutO,Kal ai E; 6PppOV Opoiaca;
?gXad u5iXaV, Kcai Wteicno KcpauE)aivav (A 349-60)54.

Here the poet signals thatthe injurywill not be fatal - the speardoes not reach
the skin (A 352) - but the surpriseis of a differentsort. Just 150 lines earlierZeus
had guaranteedsuccess to Hector until sundown after Agamemnon receives an
injury (A 191-4-A 206-9). Yet almost immediately after Agamemnon's with-
drawal, Hector is here driven back (strongly accented by ?darknight covered his
eyes<<)and not heard from for 350 lines. That is, both the context and the
description work in concert to contradictthe audience's expectations of Hector's
drive to the ships at this point of the story.
Later that day Hector is injuredagain. Ajax hits him in the chest with a rock;
then there is double simile, the second one an extended simile comparingHector
to an oak tree smitten by a thunderboltfrom Zeus.
(11)( 1v) gOv,U?v Enevlr? arto6vta j-ya; TeXajicivto; Aka;
epga6tcc, p,td 'Pa noxX, ioaocov FX,gata vic5v,
nap rroAtgapvag-vcov ?Kxu?JV6tO?,tCOV ?v a,Epa;
atffio; pKe
F-P?X' ?nr,p avmyo; ay6Xot 6tpfi;,
(SIM 1) atpo,6gfov 6 6n5'c' ?EUVfaXv, irFpi 65 ?6pap?e ia,vtM,.
(SIM2) C); 6 603 Uino inXyfi; narpo6; ,At; ?gpinjn 6pi5;
npopptCo;, 6&tVi &? teciou Yi7yvsat O6`gi

?g cL1 i oj,-6vv oi
OVrp p X?t opa6ao; 05K ic-v 'Thrat
?yi; 5C6OV, Xa?zcXs; 6" At6; gvYcaXoto KicpacV0;,
(-2) C6Saire "Eicropo; JOKaXa,Ual gFVO ?V KOv l,]imt
,, , .
6 FcJ,,axv E`YXo;, toc & &ait; F-,
icat KicOp, (-2) a,gut a oit
pcAFpxe -UXa notxciXa xa?lcco (E 409-20).

can signify fainting<<,citing E 696, X 466, Q 348. SULLIVAN 158: >>Faintingis a death-like
condition in which the psyche >departs<for a short period of time.<<The ancient commentators'
response was to call the authenticity of these lines into question: see Sch. A 11.356: ov5y7yovF
yazpo0poapnz itXlyi ...ircj oiVv?aKCOTdor; On surprise in the narrativeand false anticipation more
generally, see MORRISON 35-49.
54 See FENIK 93-95. On avoiding death, see note 36 above.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Homeric Darkness: Patterns and Manipulation of Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 141

Again the poet employs elements from the overall patternof a death scene,
which at the very least holds the audience's attention.It is truethat at this point of
the narrativethere are reasons for expecting a Greekrally:Herahas just distracted
Zeus, allowing Poseidon to bring supportto the Greeks. Still the flnal four lines -
after Hector retreatsto the Xanthos River with the help of his allies-contain a
variationon element 3A. After he catches his breathand looks up from his knees,
>>blacknight [here vie ... g?Xatva] covered his eyes<<.
0 6 ?pUtVV Kat aVF6paiK?V 0qvP&caitoiatv,
t 9, >,, s -~~~~~~T \ 9 ',,
?'6gFevo;6 ?7rtyoiva Kxeatve(pw;aci a ae?aaF-V-
au-rt; 6 F-ogioIaco
nXi0jo iYovi, (~3A) 176&?01 ocaae
vi4 EKiAvyfeu?ta.vc P?Xo; 6 ?1t 0-ogOV ?6jaiva (E 436-39)55.
JANKOcomments: >>Hector'sduel with Aias, albeit understatedso as not to
detract from the larger battle, arouses tension because, until 432, we are unsure
whether he still lives, so grave is the blow he suffers (418ff.); his revival and
renewed fainting (433-9) are addedto remove any doubt<<56. Again the language
of the death scene indicates how close Hector comes to dying57.
The final example occurs in book 22 at a moment of great emotion58.An-
dromache hears the wailing of Trojans at Hector's death and sees his body
dragged aroundthe city of Troy. Adaptationof termsemployed in descriptionsof
death find their way into Homer's description of Andromache's reaction. Her
limbs are shaken(?XXi%l? yuta), the image of falling to the grounddescribesher
loom rod (Xagat &? oi 'K7IWCsE K?epKi;),>>black night covered her eyes<<(t1vv
KaLt 0piaX1id.v ?peI3svvin viR ?KcXV ), she falls (iptre & ?0oniaow), and
breathes out her soul (aciot &? vVuniv ?Ka6nuaas).
5 T1CKOIXY
(mm) KCU)tVXOt) oi4o)y15 awro irupyov
K1CL
zf5
7J gAeA'I9i yvia, Zapai ? oi E?Kr?eaeKepKl1...
au5tapEne& nciPYOV ?reKaic av6pdiv1*eV o6ItXov,

55 Cf. 8agc,do, note 16 above.

56 R. JANKO, The Iliad: A Commentary. Vol. IV: bks. 13-16, general ed. G. S. KIRK

(Cambridge 1992) 213. JANKO goes on to say that this duel >>followsthe pattern where Trojan A
fails to kill Greek B, and B then kills A (FENIK, T.B.S. 1 1); thus we should sense from the start that
Hector will lose.<<Later he remarks that >>Thesimile [of lightning and the oak tree] misleads us
into thinking that Hector is dead.<<(214-15)
57 Cf. also the boxing contest at P 677-99, esp. ai),oi yap Dsnnptne qpai8ia yita-69 1.
58 Another example would be the mourning of Achilles in E 22ff.: >>Ablack cloud of woe
covered him<<(TOV 6v a%?x0o VeqXil ?lcdke gXatva-1 22); >>helay stretched out in the dust<<
(cc0o ?V
v v pCta; ?o-xi tavVrficeVro- 26-7); cf. his cry (aipaog ov
comments:
6'@Riogv-35). M. W. EDWARDS, Homer Poet of the Iliad (Baltimore 1987) 270
>>Theselast expressions are used elsewhere in the Iliad only of dead men (for example, H 775-76,
485), and in the Odyssey describe Achilles' own death (Q 39-40). Furthermore, the slave
women...wail around him, as if around a corpse.<<Cf. XU5?ev8' i-n6 yuta ?Ka?t'M (E 31) and
Thetis holding the head of her son (E 71).

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 142 JAMES
V. MORRISON

i?a-ri ica7r-nvcvad ?i Te?i%t, TOV&? V0Oaev

?XiO6gvov irp0iEV -ToQiap; & wvV't'ICot
7evit6
E`X0V a' 11,ar(o5 -KOIb?a;
?9ntvfa5 'AXatov.
(-3A) zrv & KaiccOfTOaAdipv
'pEVVi4 vi)CbciZVYIsV,
ac (~3B) adroSE "ivyiv?Kadrvaae.
(~2) 4puie E4orIa,
(X 447-8, 462-67)
This passage has been analyzed by C. SEGAL, who explores how Homer has
used language from the battlefield to raise the suffering of Andromacheto the
status of a hero dying in battle. As he puts it, Homer >>equatesher sufferings with
the more >public<sufferings of heroes themselvesx<59. The only additionalpoint I
would make is that the recollection of her wedding day linked by the headdress
which Andromacheknocks from her head - in this context - recalls the obituary
notice. The impulse, I think, is the same, namely, to increase the pathos6.
s
-rijX? Ct6 ict'pat6; OU? Mrajata atyaX6evta,
re,i6' irXni?x-n"v
ag4fWca XcPEcpUT6aXv a'va5?agiiv
iCpfOv iv, (-OB) O'pa oi 3dKeXpv 'i ApoSiri
ij,ua-n o"q1e mlv KOpV t93cOA.o4yayet9e 'ETcrcop
E?K S6pov 'He'riwvo;,?g?eizope pvpia gsva.
j,qt. MsjIv yaXoCO'reicAte'tvc ?a'aV,
clt ? ,UTa a(PIatv eiXoV a(og'r v1V a'o7CXma1atl.
%
'n ??OV
S9 O'OVt
0 RV0
JiltVUtO a
1Cat P?a
(ppeVc 151*50 ayep
?P15
a,opi6riv yocoaa ?ae' Tpcnwv
E`EFnv (X 468-76)
Just as the obituarynotice looks to an earliertime of peace in the company of
one's family, this echo of Andromache's marriageevokes what SEGAL calls the
>>once-upon-a-time of Andromache'shappy past<<,now sharplyjuxtaposed with
her husband's death and Troy's imminentdestruction61.Throughoutthese scenes
Homer has introducedfamiliarelements of the death-scenein significantly altered
contexts to show the audience the connections between distinct experiences.
ROBERT GARLANDtallies 240 warriorswho die in the >Iliad<,a work rightly
characterized as a book about life and death, a book on the subject of human
mortality62.Indeed the everpresent threat of death dogs the major and minor

59 C. SEGAL, Andromache'sAnagnorisis:FormulaicArtistryin Iliad 22.437-476, Harv.

Stud.75 (1971) 33-57 (hereafter>>SEGAL<<);the quoteherecomes fromp. 55.
60 Cf. Sch. bT 22.448 on the loom rod:dvtnr'ppl3irov6tdao9andSch. bT 22.446.
61 SEGAL 50. His conclusion (53) is that Homer's >>greatnesslies not only in using the
traditionalformulaswith extraordinary appropriatenessto obtainhis characteristiceffects of
elevation, restraint, and solemn fatality, but also in boldly and unexpectedly applying thefamiliar
formulas to new and unfamiliar contexts<<(my emphasis).
62 GARLANDTable 1 pp. 52-53. S. E. BAssETr,The Poetryof Homer(1938) 256 note 37
tallies 318 heroeskilled,243 of whomarenamed.VERMEULE83-4 commentson the happyhero,
such as Odysseuswho delightsin battlewinninghonorandriches:this is a way of life.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 HomericDarkness:PatternsandManipulationof Death Scenes in the >Iliad< 143

figures in this epic. However grisly this analysis has been, it attests to Homer's
poetic abilities. Although at some level, the same thing happens 240 times, the
poet shows considerable skill in varying the description of that moment. He
capturesthe audience's attentionwith introductionof biographicaldetail, telling
simile, or merely the brute fact of a fatal injury. Perhaps because of its high
content of metaphor, the descriptive language of death-scenes lends itself to
applicationin other situations,even paradoxicallyto protectionand rescue in the
case of >>coveringwith a mist<<.Beyond this, we find the poet's willingness to
adaptthese conventionaldescriptionsin unexpectedor emotionally chargedsitua-
tions, as he highlights near-deathexperiences and extreme suffering with the
language of death as establishedin the >Iliad<63.

Appendix:The Fatal Injury64

Homer's descriptionof the fatal injuryis vivid, and for the most partanatom-
ically precise. It is clear thatthereis greatcare takento avoid monotony.The grim
list below attests to the sheer poetic inventiveness of Homer, who in the case of
fatal injuries introduces relatively few repetitions. Just as the obituary notices
show the inventive powers of the poet, we find similarmultiplicityof description
here.
I have organizedthe fatal injuriesby general areas of the body and frequency
in the >Iliad<(indicating those appearing more than once by the number of
repetitionsin parentheses).
Headandneck:Neck (9)65, head (6)66,forehead(5)67, temples (4)68, jaw and ear
(3)69, mouth (2)70,ear (2)71,eye72, jaw73, throat74,vertabrae75.

63 (X15);
For the most part,the sameexpressionsappearin the Odyssey:(1) use of Pk6XXo
(2) 8o)nriav &? ieao'v (X 91); on mist for element (3A), see x 88; for the departureof WjuXiand
'wog6in element(3B), see k 559-60, X221.
64 See discussionin VERMEULE 96-97.
65 aiUX5v: E 657, H 12, K 455-57, A 240, N 547, IH332, n 339, Y 455, Y 481-2; cf. the
divine injury at 4' 406.
66
KweaIA:0 433, n 412, n 578, Y 387, Y 475; cdcp: A 261.
67 gt1to0ov: A 460, Z 10-11, A 95, N 614-18; Iietomtov: n 739
68 Kcpora(po;: A 502, Y 397; Kc6pCa:E 584, N 576
69 mno6yvai5oto ati oiuato;: N 671, H 606, P 617.
70 az6iia H 345-50, s6ga%Xo; P 47; cf. E 290-96.
71 1)10 oivaro;:N 177, Y 472-4; cf. the divineinjuryat ( 491.
72 _ 493-495.
73 yvaidg6;:H 405.
74
latii6;: N 542.
75 veiato; datpdya?,o;: _ 465-66.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 144 JAMESV. MORRISON

Torsoand arns: Chest (17)76, stomach (10)77, shoulder (9)78, back (5)79, collar-
bone (4)80, liver (4)81, navel (4)82, flank (3)83, groin (2)84,buttocks (2)85.
Leg: Thigh (2)86,leg87, shin88.
See also the nonfatalinjuriesto Aeneas and Hectordiscussed above (E 305, A
349-56, _ 409-36).

Danville JAMES V. MORRISON

76 aT'0oo:A 480, E 19, e 121, E 259, e 303, e 313, E 326, A 108,A 144, N 186, N 438, N
586, 0 577, 0 650, n 597-8, P 606; ax?pvov: H 312.
77yarp: E 539, E 616, N 372, N 398,n465, P 313, P 519, ( 180;vi86: P 524, Y 486.
78 0oi: E 46, E 80, H 16, - 450-51,0 341,0 541, n 289, H 323, n 343; cf. the injury at E
98, A 507; equine death at n 467-69.
79 pFutppsvov: E 56, E 258, Y 402, Y 488; vc?ra: Y 413-4.
80 KIct;: E 146, E
579, P 309, ( 117.
81 iap: A 578, N 412, P 349, Y 469.
82
6gipao6: E 525, N 192, Y 416, ( 180.
83 awrpn: Z 64, _517, n 318.
84 yi ica't
rieov tt? 6VpipaXoi: N 568; Poi$i6v: A 492.
85 yX,o-o6;: E 66, N 651.
86 wnp6;:E 694, H
308-10; cf. the injury at A 582-3.
87 ?rptVVO ? o;: n 313-16.
88
iCvipl A 519.

This content downloaded on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:12:14 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions