Hesiod's ῎Ατη

Author(s): Hanna Roisman

Source: Hermes, 111. Bd., H. 4 (1983), pp. 491-496
Published by: Franz Steiner Verlag
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4476340
Accessed: 26-05-2017 19:46 UTC

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.

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

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

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 MISZELLEN

HESIOD'S "Atr

The concept of dTii in Hesiod has been largely neglected by scholars - in

contrast to the Homeric concept of ct r, the exact meaning of which has been
carefully investigated'. 'Ar1l in Hesiod is usually interpreted as 'damage' or
'destruction'2. However, if &Til in the 'Theogony' or 'Works and Days'
indicates objective or final destruction, we must suppose that it is conceived
by Hesiod as irrevocable punishment for wrongdoing. Such a perception of
d,rn would differ considerably from that found in Homer. In the Homeric
epics it signifies mainly a stage of intellectual error which leads to a mistaken
act or decision3, considered irrational by society4 or by the 6irTi-stricken
person himself when he recovers from his delusion5. DODDS claims that while
the view that 5TTi represents punishment is post-Homeric, it does appear in
Hesiod6. The question is whether such a change in the concept can really be
found in the Hesiodic text.
In attempting to determine the meaning and function of &it1 in Hesiod, it
is helpful to examine her in the context of her companions, the children of
'Epi; in the 'Theogony'. "Ept; (Strife, Conflict, Hostility) is the daughter of
Night, the primal mother of all negative things in the 'Theogony'7. Her

I See for example: E. R. DODDS, The Greeks and the Irrational (Berkely 1951), esp. ch. I;
J. M. BREMER, Hamartia, Tragic Error in the Poetics of Aristotle and in Greek Tragedy
(Amsterdam 1969), pp. 99- 112; R. D. DAWE, Some Reflections on Ate and Hamartia, Harvard
Studies in Classical Philology, 72 (1967): esp. 76- 101.
2 For example: J. GRUBER, Ober einige abstrakte Begriffe des frithen Griechischen (Diss.,
Beitrdge zur Klassischen Philologie, Heft 9, 1963), pp. 56, 62. For a similar view see
J. STALLMACH, ATE. Zur Frage des Selbst- und Welt-Verstandnisses des frtlhgriechischen
Menschen (Diss., Beitrage zur Klassischen Philologie, Heft 18, 1968), pp. 59 -60. F. SOLMSEN,
Hesiod and Aeschylus (New-York 1949), pp. 29, 35, 88, 90 refers to the Hesiodic dtij
interchangeably as 'disaster', 'infatuation' or 'wholesale destruction'.
3 So for example the cases of Patroclus (Il. 16. 805), Agastropus (Il. 11. 339- 342) who was
wounded in a midst of a fight and, since his horses were not nearby, lost his composure (ddoaro
8t), tried to break through on foot and lost his life. For a similar case see that of Ajax (Od. 4. 503,
509).
4 See for example the case of Priamos, who enters Achilles' tent to the amazement of all
those present. The poet compares him to a man stricken by FT?i (II. 24, 480).
s Agamemnon's case in the 'Iliad' is the best example of that. Agamemnon blames dzr1, his
temporary lack of careful thought, for his decision to take Briseis from Achilles (I1. 19, 88.
135 - 137). See also Helen's reference to her own decision to leave the city and family as drtr (Od.
4, 260- 264).
6 pp. 18, 38.
7 H. FRANKEL, Dichtung und Philosophie des frtihen Griechentums (New-York, 1951), p.
144; cf. also id. Drei Interpretationen aus Hesiod, in: Festschrift flr Richard Reitzenstein
(Leipzig und Berlin 1931), p. 5. In 'Works and Days' 11 - 13 Hesiod corrects himself and says
that there is also a positive 'Ept4. For the problem of attributing the positive 'Ept4 of the 'Works
and Days' to Night's descendants, see FRANKEL, Dichtung und Philosophie, p. 160, n. 4. See also
the discussion of SOLMSEN, Hesiod and Aeschylus, pp. 29-31, 47, 78, 80-81, 85.

Hermes, 111. Band, Heft 4 (1983) ? Franz Steiner Verlag GmbH, D-6200 Wiesbaden

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 492 Miszellen

negative nature is em
'hardhearted' and artyspt] (226) - 'abhorred'. Her children mentioned in
'Theogony' 226 - 232, which are in fact her implied and actual realizations,
testify to the same effect8. One can divide them into two main categories: the
first includes the children mentioned in verses 226 - 228, which are elements
of "Ept; in the battlefield, and the second, in verses 229 - 232, characterizes
"Ept; in verbal disputes. These categories can be subdivided into the actual
realizations of 'Ept4 - which I shall call part 'a' - and the consequences of
these realizations - part 'b'. The subdivision of the two groups is set in a
chiasmic pattern of b a a b:

Group 1 Group 2
Consequences, 11. 226- 227 Realizations, 1 229

H'6vo; Ns'xsct
A11tOS f part 'b' part 'a' j
Altgo' A6'yot
"AXysa 3 ,' 'A(piloyixt

Realizations, 1. 228 /
'Yopgdvat ' N' uv~i

MD6at part 'a' part 'b' AT?

'Av8poxtucoOal J pxo4

The suggested subdivision of the groups is supported by the attribute of

VEpic,-children: ouViVss;$ iTXijcnv (Th. 230) - 'dwelling with each other',
which can be taken to mean that one group of them is usually accompanied by
the other ?. And indeed, part 'b' of group 1 consists of long-range con-
sequences of wEpt; in the battlefield. Fighting usually causes toil (ir6vo;),
oblivion (= death, Xi'hT), hunger (Xt1i6;) and suffering (6.Ay&).
Furthermore, in both poems the constituents of part 'b', group 1 are
repeatedly associated with battles. In 'Theogony' 629 f. we are told about the
r6voC, of the Titans and Cronus' children, who are fighting each other. In
verse 881 Hesiod refers to the Titanomachy as rc6vo4. A similar connection is
found between hunger and war: in 'Works and Days' 225 - 231, Hesiod states
that those who give true judgments are rewarded with peace and that Zeus
>>never decrees cruel war against them, neither Xqi6; nor crit ever haunts men
who do justice.. .<<. 'Ayea are connected with force and violence as well.

8 For the fact that Hesiod appears to express the sequence of causality and result in terms of
one deity giving birth to another, see SOLMSEN, Hesiod and Aeschylus, p. 97. See also, FRANKEL,
Festschrift, pp. 6- 10, who views the children of 'Ept; as her consequences but divides and
classifies them in a different manner than the one proposed in this paper.
9 This reading follows F. SOLMSEN, Hesiodi Theogonia, Opera et Dies, Scutum (OCT, 1970),
ad loc.
10 1 take these words as referring to all the children of 'Ept;. Such a generalizing term
accompanying a series of relatives is not exceptional in Hesiod. In 'Theogony' 60, the Muses are
called 6z6(ppove,; - 'of one mind', in 139 the Cyclopes are said to have Untpoitov frrop -
'overbearing heart', see also Th. 366, 385. SOLMSEN, Hesiod and Aeschylus, p. 97 relates this
phrase to A&ucvogil and 'Atil exclusively. FRANKEL, Festschrift, p. 9, n. 1, attributes the words to
Auavogill and AAT?, but admits that they can refer to the other children of 'Eptg as well.

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 Miszellen 493

After Uranos casts the three Hundredhanders into Tartarus, they suffer
Weyca (Th. 621). In like manner the hawk in 'Works and Days' 209 -211 tells
the nightingale that whoever attempts to withstand the stronger is a fool, for
he does not succeed but only suffers adysa in addition to his shame.
Two main features characterize the consequences of "Eptr in both groups.
First, Aptg is not their sole cause. Hesiod mentions other factors that may
bring them about. Hlovog, for example, is the result of female curiosity".
'Akyea characterize the existence of the second and fifth generations of men
(WD. 133, 200) in consequence of the continuous moral deterioration of
human society. AAXy?a are also superstitiously believed to accompany certain
days (WD. 799) and routine activities (WD. 741) with no connection
whatsoever to Ept;. Atio6;, like 6Tac, can be the result of idleness (WD. 29
404, 413). In sum, moral failings such as inquisitiveness, Diopt; of the vari
generations and idleness'2 may cause the same effects that ?pt; has in her
materialization either in the battlefield or in verbal dessension.
The second common feature is that in contrast to the constituents of tpt;'
realization (parts 'a' of groups 1 and 2), which are specified, the consequences
are depicted more vaguely. Thus, in the description of "Ept; on the battlefield
one finds a distinction between fighting ('Yopivat, 1. 228) and battle (Maxat,
1. 228), and between murder (O6vot 1. 228) and manslaughter ('Av8poxtati'al,
1. 228). In fact this is the only occurrence of the words (povor, and
otv6poxtaoia in Hesiod; and conversely, words which signify violent inter-
action of a more general nature such as no't6Xjor, ait;, or &jqtorij, although
common in Flesiod, are not mentioned among the children of 'Epi; at all. In
contrast to this detailed list of "Eptg' materializations in the battlefield, her
consequences are more ambiguous; the negative nature of Toil, Oblivion and
Suffering is clear, but their precise meanings are not. The consequences of the
realization of 'Epi; in verbal disputes are even more indefinite. Of her three
consequences in this field: Aovogdr , 'A-nn and 'Opxog, only 'Opxo; is
somewhat specified. In 'Theogony' 794- 804 Hesiod instructs us about the
punishment which follows forswearing by the immortals; the penalty allotted
to the humans, on the other hand, is unclear and connected with aTTI, another
ambiguous consequence of verbal dispute (WD 282- 284). Of Auavovdii,
since the word occurs only once in Hesiod, we know nothing more than that it
is the opposite of EuvoRii (Th. 902). Hence we are left with "ATi. "AtN
occurs more frequently in Hesiod than any other of the consequences of 'Ept;
in the field of verbal dispute. However, none of the contexts in which she
appears reveal an exact meaning. Like the other consequences of "Ept;, she
can be evoked by other causes. "ArT can strike men as a result of unjust gain
(WD. 352) or idleness (WD. 413).
Can one survive dtr? No clear cut answer can be given to this question
solely on the basis of -trl's occurrences, but a comparison of the two sets of
the consequences of 'Eptg may be instructive. One certainly may live with and
even overcome Toil, Hunger and Suffering (group 1). Since Pandora opened
the jar; all mankind lives with xa?.&rt? i6vo; (WD. 91); the slave who

1 1 Although one may claim that it was the 'Epi; between Zeus and Prometheus that promoted
it. See WD. 47 ff.
12 Hesiod considers idleness a moral transgression. According to him the gods censure it as
well (WD. 303 f.).

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 494 Miszellen

ploughs intentionall
may diappear together with its cause - fighting (Th. 881). Similarly, one may
overcome hunger through work (WD. 404) and live with continuous dXy&i
(WD. 133).
From the second set of consequences we know nothing about Auavojli.
The punishment which follows the gods' forswearing ('Opxo;) is only
temporary; after nine years of banishment, the guilty deity is allowed to rejoin
the other gods in the tenth year. In the fifth generation of men false swearing
is a common phenomenon we live with (WD. 194). It seems reasonable,
therefore, that drni, like other consequences of 'Eptg, can be outlived. I
'Works and Days' 413 Hesiod claims that a man who puts off his work wrestles
(na?tctXa) with 'at.r. It is reasonable to assume, surely, that as long as there is a
struggle one may hope for victory. The man who forswears himself and thus
offends justice is said vXE?TOV 6.ao&i (WD. 283), to be the victim of dni,
and beyond help. The following verse specifies his misfortune: roO 6? T
dtp.taupoTtpui yFvsrgFT6nto?F st?rF?tntat (284) - 'his family is left obscure
thereafter', as opposed to be better condition of the family of a man who
swears truly (285). Being struck by &rTr, then, may make one's existence less
fulfilling but does not cause complete annihilation13. It appears, therefore,
that as far as one can judge from the text of Hesiod, 6.rrT does not connote
final destruction.
The cryptic and nebulous manner in which Hesiod describes the
consequences of 'Ept; as opposed to the preciseness in his list of her
realizations is understandable. Vagueness is one of the most powerful
elements of a threat, and it is much easier to threaten with unclear but
horrifying consequences than with actual realizations. Of all the cited
consequences which recur in Hesiod 6.-n is the most enigmatic, and thus the
most horrifying as well. She is also the only one whose Homeric background
associates her with a frightening outcome . Thus, she would be a suitable
choice to represent final, irrevocable punishment. But on the basis of the
evidence in the Hesiodic text, there is no reason to assume that the concept of
&.ni had changed from Homer, where it signifies the initial deterioration
indicated by one's temporary incapacity for logical thought, followed finally
by irreversible disaster Is. Hesiod's innovation is not in the perception of rTI
but in her function and sphere of operation. Whereas the Homeric .ruil, as
stated by DODDS, has no connection with moral guilt 16, Hesiod, by linking her
with unjust dispute, gain or quarrel, makes her a part of the ethical and moral
scheme he tries to design and present in his work. However, in spite of her
connection with moral transgressions, she is never said in Hesiod to have been
sent by Zeus as the agent of justice, although a tradition to that effect is found

13 For a similar interpretation see M. L. WEST, Hesiod, Works and Days (Oxford, 1978), ad
loc.
14 Such a horrifying description of dTn is not surprising if the described dispute in 'Works and
Days' was not a fictitious one (for the different views on the subject see WEST, 'Works and Days',
pp. 33 - 40) and the subject of the consequences of verbal disputes weighed on Hesiod's mind.
Or, if he anticipated any troubles with his brother while still composing the 'Theogony'.
15 DODDS tends to see drl's basic Homeric connection with irrational behavior even in
Euripides, idem, p. 38. For the passage in 11. 9. 510- 512, which may characterize dTn1 as
punishment, see DODDS, p. 6; BREMER, P. 107.
16 p.6.

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 Miszellen 495

in Homer'7. The various abstract negative forces in the form of the children
of -Ept; were created before Zeus' rule, and he does not subject them as he
does the other deities (Th. 901 - 906); instead he creates forces contradictory
to the realizations and consequences of 'Eptr in both of her fields'8. In
oppositions to the various forms of fighting he creates Eipiivtl (Th. 902)
- thus, for example, where there is peace, there is no war (realization of
'Ept;) or hunger (consequence of "Ept; [WD. 228 - 230]): To oppose 'Eptg
in the sphere of verbal dispute he fathers Aixi and EUivogii; along with these
two he also fathers the Modtpat who allot good and bad to mortals. In allotting
the 'bad' the Molpai have some control over the children of 'Ept;, but the
latter are not under the direct sway of Zeus. This lack of direct subjection may
allude to the fact that Hesiod initially conceived the scheme of reward and
punishment as the natural sequel of actions themselves, only later subjecting
this scheme to the rule of Zeus. This transition is acknowledged in the 'Works
and Days', where Hesiod needs a harsh scheme to support his claim against
Perses. But even in the 'Works and Days' there is no evidence that 6trrq is an
externally imposed penalty with no possible recovery - it seems rather to be
the starting point of a causally connected chain of events which, if not stopped
in time, will end in disaster. Thus the passage in 'Works and Days' 213 -216,
which is usually considered an example of dr11 representing an objective
disaster as a punishment 19, is actually meant to portray dTn as the first stage
in the deterioration of behavior. Hesiod tells Perses not to get involved in
'iPpt;, since even an iapk?tp & G' 'n' ctt',rfr tyxipoa; (hitv
'once he falls into &ran, is weighed down by 513ppg'. It is the falling into 6,rat
- lack of careful thought - that promotes hybristic conduct, not the
reverse20.
Thus, to be stricken by 6tii does not necessarily mean that one will meet
with irreversible doom; and in no case is there any indication that 6tri in
Hesiod suggests penalty. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the

17 See for example, 11. 9. 17f; 19. 87f, 137, 270

18 SOLMSEN, Hesiod and Aeschylus, p. 31, claims that neither Zeus nor any other of the
traditional Greek gods was qualified to represent these evils or be thought of as their father,
>>They (the evils) are not the children of Zeus; for Zeus stands for something altogether different,
and even if in the Pandora story of the Works and Days Zeus sends them to human beings, they
still do not become inherent characteristics of his rule<.
19 See DODDS, p. 38; BREMER, P. 112; T. A. SINCLAIR, Works and Days (Hildesheim 1966), ad
loc.
20 This sequence of occurrences, although without any explanation, or further implication for
our subject, has been already stated by R. E. DOYLE, S. J., -OABOE, K6POE, YBMPI and
'ATH , Traditio, 26 (1960): 244. Such an understanding is strongly supported by the aorist
participle tyx6pcac, which serves here in a combined causal-temporal function and reflects an
action prior to that of Pap6kt. It should also be stated that such a sequence of time is the
prevalent one for the aorist participles occuring in the 'Works and Days'. For the claim of
reversed sequence of occurrences see for example 0. BECKER, Das Bild des Weges, Hermes
Einzelschr., 4 (1937): 87: >)Hybris namlich ist schlimm fOr einen schwachen Menschen, und auch
ein starker vermag sie nicht leicht zu tragen, er wird schwer von ihr und gerdt in Schaden.<<
SINCLAIR, ad loc.
DOYLE'S other assumption, ibidem: >the use of the plural C'dicailav is quite rare, and the same
meaning applicable to the Homeric passages which employ the plural, viz., 'follies' or 'false
hopes' suits the Hesiodic context admirably. Indeed dni could hardly mean 'ruin' or 'disaster' in
this context...<< is correct but mistakenly proven. 'ATr in Homer means 'folly' regardless of
number.

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 496 Miszellen

concept of &iT did not change from Homer to Hesiod; it still indicates the
stage of irrationality, which is potentially but not necessarily the cause of
one's downfall. The conception of 6.tn as an objective disaster, the last stage
of one's deteriorating conduct, must be, therefore, not only post-Homeric,
but post-Hesiodic as well.

Seattle, Wa. HANNA ROISMAN

ALCMAN 59A p.

-Epcog gts 16.rT Ku6ipt6o; Exart

yXuxU,g xcTEiJkov xap8tr;v iaiv&I.

Commentators are not very helpful on the picture that underlies these
lines. 'Lo again, at the Cyprian's command sweet Eros distils and melts my
heart' is BOWRA'S rendering ', apparently taking xatciFicp as transitive. So too
LSJ s. v. II 'trans., flood, overflow, metaph.'; the entry is rightly deleted by
the Supplement, which correctly takes the present example as intransitive like
CAMPBELL ad loc. 2 and others. Dripping love is connected with the eyes of the
beloved in Hes. Th. 9103: det6 sBB(p&pcov gpog siIT3ro and (however we
interpret it) Eur. Hipp. 525 ff.: Epcog, 'Epw;, o xat' 6ggajrv | 0latFtg
n6aov, sioAvY ylUxtiav a U 6ptv4. But our passage differs from
these5, inasmuch as no eyes are mentioned. Admittedly the fragment is only
two lines long; but it is not easy to see how the beloved's eyes can originally

1 Greek Lyric Poetry2 (Oxford 1961) p. 32.

2 Greek Lyric Poetry: A Selection (1967) p. 220.
3 The Hesiodic line is cited ad loc. by several commentators on the fragment of Alcman (e. g.
WEIR, SMYTH, Greek Melic Poetry (1900) p. 196; DEGANi and BURZACCHINI, Lirici Greci:
Antologia (Florence 1977) p. 293 .
4 BARRETr in his commentary (ad loc. and p. 433 f.) thinks the love is dripped down by Eros
into the eyes of the beloved, rather than being dripped down from those eyes.
s Apart from the Euripidean passage and our fragment, WEST'S note on Th. 910 refers to
ONIANS, The Origins of European Thought (Cambridge 1951) p. 202 for love's >>drippingx<.
ONIANS there observes that o> sexual love is repeatedly described as a process of 'liquefying,
melting' (t1ixEa&u) and is characterised as Uyp6;, 'liquid, wet'((. Of the passage he cites (p. 202
n. 4) the following are relevant to the picture of love as wet or liquid: Plato Phaedr. 251 (b -c in
particular); Plut. Mor. 136B (r6 oeljia ... tv f8ova, tix6gFvov &Etpco; xcai X?036ivov .. .
Ttal4 18oVal; AkUypaivEIv xaci dVacXEIV Ta oii)ata), and H. H. Pan 33 f. with its reference to
716304 6yp6;. Cf. Plutarch fr. 137 SANDBACH: 6 Epco ... oXE86V otov Avrijxwv tacur6v. E. J.
KENNEY reminds me of Asclepiades A. P. 5,153 = H. E. 820 GOW-PAGE: n6&%oic IFOagipivov
... irp6oonrov (where Gow and PAGE ad loc. (2.119) cite HEADLAM on Herodas 3,93 for the
underlying idea of a fluid). In the other passages cited by ONIANS, Anacreon 459 P (tcaxep6; 8'
Epo;), Xen. Symp. 8,3 ('Epp4oytv -ys ye v rig fgcov ot5x oi6&v ilg, 6 rT NoT' cvTIv h
xalox&yaGia,, TO TaOri; ?pcorT xarcarxFrat;), Plut. Mor. 681B (6atF ?Clv xai AXioaGal Tr6v
tportx6v 6rcav ?1X?nij Trot; xaciot; olov xX.ogevov ci; aw5ro6g), we perhaps pass over to the
circle of ideas concerning love and lovers as wasting and wasted, for which see NISBET -
HUBBARD on Horace Odes 1,36,17 (adding Alcman 3 (ii) 61 f. P.: rcixcporcpti 8' oinvco xci
oavdrco nort8ipxcrat and Pind. fr. 123 10f. SN: X1P6; ; ...I ... rdxojtat, with VAN
GRONINGEN ad loc. (Pindare au Banquet [19601 p. 68f.).

Hermes, 1i1. Band, Heft 4 (1983) ? Franz Steiner Verlag GmbH, D-6200 Wiesbaden

This content downloaded from 131.220.203.202 on Fri, 26 May 2017 19:46:11 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms