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    Esclanda Epithets

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    Junior Payatot
    This document discusses Homeric epithets, which are descriptive tags or nicknames used in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to refer to characters. The epithets add color and help fit the meter, while also serving as a mnemonic device. Examples of common Homeric epithets are provided for characters like Athena, Odysseus, and Zeus. The document also lists epithets describing students and teachers as modern examples of the practice.

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    Esclanda Epithets

    Uploaded by

    Junior Payatot
    179 views4 pages
    This document discusses Homeric epithets, which are descriptive tags or nicknames used in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to refer to characters. The epithets add color and help fit the meter, while also serving as a mnemonic device. Examples of common Homeric epithets are provided for characters like Athena, Odysseus, and Zeus. The document also lists epithets describing students and teachers as modern examples of the practice.

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    This document discusses Homeric epithets, which are descriptive tags or nicknames used in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to refer to characters. The epithets add color and help fit the meter, while also serving as a mnemonic device. Examples of common Homeric epithets are provided for characters like Athena, Odysseus, and Zeus. The document also lists epithets describing students and teachers as modern examples of the practice.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    179 views4 pages

    Esclanda Epithets

    Uploaded by

    Junior Payatot
    This document discusses Homeric epithets, which are descriptive tags or nicknames used in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to refer to characters. The epithets add color and help fit the meter, while also serving as a mnemonic device. Examples of common Homeric epithets are provided for characters like Athena, Odysseus, and Zeus. The document also lists epithets describing students and teachers as modern examples of the practice.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Esclanda, Maria Carmela Rachel G.

    PdD English
    08/31/2019

    Homeric Epithet
    Usually called an epithet or a Homeric epithet, but sometimes called a Homeric
    epitaph, it is one of the most noticeable features of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Epithet comes
    from the Greek for putting (something) on (something). It is a tag or nickname that can be
    used on its own or together with the real name, depending on other features of the Greek
    language.
    Purpose and Use

    Epithets add a bit of color and also fill out the meter when the name on its own
    doesn't quite fit. In addition, epithets serve as a mnemonic device reminding listeners that
    they have, indeed, already heard mention of the character. The epithets, generally compound
    adjectives, are picturesque, which certainly helps make the assignment of character to epithet
    memorable.

    Examples
    Most of the important people in the Iliad have a special epithet that serves as an extra
    name. Athena is the only one described as glaucopis 'grey-eyed'. She is called thea glaukopis
    Athene 'goddess grey-eyed Athena' and also Pallas Athene 'Pallas Athena'. On the other hand,
    Hera shares her epithet leukolenos 'white-armed'. Hera does not, however, share the longer
    epithet thea leukolenos Hera 'goddess white-armed Hera'; nor does she share the
    epithet bouopis potnia Hera 'cow-eyed mistress/queen Hera'.

    Homer never calls the Greeks 'Greeks'. Sometimes they are Achaeans. As Achaeans,
    they receive the epithets 'well-greaved' or 'brazen-clad Achaeans'. The title anax andron 'lord
    of men' is most often given to the leader of the Greek forces, Agamemnon, although it is also
    given to others. Achilles receives epithets based on the swiftness of his
    feet. Odysseus is polutlos 'much-suffering' and polumytis 'of many devices, crafty'. There are
    other epithets for Odysseus beginning with polu-'many/much' that Homer selects on the basis
    of how many syllables he needs for the meter. The messenger goddess, Iris (note: the
    messenger deity is not Hermes in the Iliad), is called podenemos 'wind-swift'. Perhaps the
    most familiar epithet is the one used for the passage of time, rhododaktulos Eos  'rosy-
    fingered Dawn.'

    Epithets for Odysseus

     Son of Laertes
     Laertes’ son
     Raider of cities
     The strategist Odysseus
     Wily Odysseus
     The man skilled in all ways of contending
     Resourceful Odysseus
     The man of many resources,
     He of many twists and turns
     Much-enduring Odysseus
     Great-hearted Odysseus
     Sacker of cities
     Wise Odysseus
     Great glory of the Achaeans
     Odysseus, the master mariner
     Mastermind of war
     Hotheaded Odysseus
     The man of action
     The great teller of tales
     Man of exploits
     Man of pain
     That kingly man
     Odysseus the hero
     The great tactician
     Cunning Odysseus

    Epithets for Athena


     The grey-eyed goddess
     Grey-eyed Athena
     Goddess of wisdom
     Bright-eyed daughter of Zeus
     Hope of soldiers
     Third-born of the gods
     Pallas
     Tireless one

    Epithets for Poseidon


     The blue girder of the islands
     He who sets the earth atremble
     The earthshaker
     The sea god
     Earth-moving Poseidon
     The earth-carrying god

    Epithets for Penelope


     Faithful Penelope
     Cautious Penelope
     Circumspect Penelope
     Discreet Penelope
     Wise Penelope

    Epithets for Telemachus


     The poised Telemachus
     Thoughtful Telemachus
    Epithets for Zeus
     Mighty Zeus
     Son of Kronos
     Wide-seeing Zeus
     The cloud-gatherer
     Father of gods and men
     Zeus of the dazzling bolt
     Loud-thundering Zeus
     He who delights in thunder
     Aegis-holding Zeus
     Zeus who marshals the thunderheads

    Epithets for Calypso


     The beautiful nymph
     Softly-braided nymph
     Divine Calypso
     The goddess most divinely made
     Daughter of Atlas
     The cunning goddess
     Loveliest among goddesses

    Other Common Epithets in The Odyssey


     Rosy-fingered Dawn
     Dawn, with fingertips of rose
     The wine-dark sea

    Epithets from other sources


     Aragorn, son of Arathorn
     Gimli, son of Gloin
     Legolas of the Woodland Realm
     Robin, Brave Sir Robin
     Catherine the Great
     Alexander the Great
    Epithets describing students
     Katie the frequently absent
     Spencer of the complicated nasal surgeries
     Miranda the Bold
     Richard the Lionhearted
     Matt, master of goofy laughter
     Righteously indignant Brittany
     Braxton the vaguely confused
     Gage the not-quite-so-confused-as-Braxton
     Jaron of the eternally raised hand
     Erin the easily distracted
     Whispering Arielle
     Kris the inquisitive
     Brooklyn the merry
     Katherine the nimble-footed
     Erica the lip-reader quietly conversed with her friend Marie, she who mouths the
    sentences from across the room, while Morgan the muffled giggler looked on.
     Justin the pen-spinning truant sits in front of Christine the uncharacteristically silent.
     Vociferous Kaleigh shouts to Katie the braided warrior.
     Eternally distracted Omar, curse of teachers and bane of pretty girls everywhere.
     Inquisitive Kierra
     Maria the charming
     Hailey the hungry
     Smiling Valerie the Grateful
     Dark-eyed Carolina
     Side-saddle Kelcee, she who can’t face forward in a desk
     Wandering Sean, he of the dull pencil and duller mind
     5th Period: Silent desolation in a vacuum

    More to come…
    Epithets describing Teachers
     Thompson the bald
     Carter, king of the comb-over
     Darth Holcomb and/or The Incredible Holcomb

    References:

    Gill, N.S. "Homeric Epithet." ThoughtCo, Feb. 18, 2019, thoughtco.com/homeric-epithet-in-


    the-iliad-119093.

    Thompson. (2019). Homeric epithets from the odyssey of Thompson.


    wolfmanenglishteacher.com

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