A characteristic of Homer's style is the use of epithets, as in "rosy-fingered" Dawn or "swift-footed" Achilles. Epithets are used because of the constraints of the dactylic hexameter (i.e., it is convenient to have a stockpile of metrically fitting phrases to add to a name) and because of the oral transmission of the poems; they are mnemonic aids to the singer and the audience alike. Formulae in epic poetry from various Indo-European traditions may be traced to a common tradition. For example, the phrase for "everlasting glory" or "undying fame" can be found in the Homeric Greek as / and Vedic Sanskrit as / . These two phrases were, in terms of historical linguistics, equivalent in phonology, accentuation, and quantity (syllable length). In other words, they descend from a fragment of

poetic diction Poetic diction is the term used to refer to the linguistic style, the vocabulary, and the metaphors used in the writing of poetry. In the Western tradition, all these elements were thought of as properly different in poetry and prose up to the time ...

(reconstructable as Proto-Indo-European ) which was handed down in parallel over many centuries, in continually diverging forms, by generations of singers whose ultimate ancestors shared an archetypal repertoire of poetic formulae and narrative themes. In contrast to the more general term 'epithet' (), which is used in poetic contexts, for the

ancient Greek religion Religious practices in ancient Greece encompassed a collection of beliefs, rituals, and mythology, in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. The application of the modern concept of "religion" to ancient cultures has been ...

, the epiclesis ( (; literally 'calling upon')) was used as the surname that was associated with a deity during religious

invocations An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of: *Supplication, prayer or spell. *A form of possession. *Command or conjuration. *Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms are d ...

. Epithets alter the meaning of each noun to which they are attached. They specify the existential nature of a noun; that is to say, Achilles is not called "swift-footed" only when he runs; it is a marker of a quality that does not change. Special epithets, such as patronymics, are used exclusively for particular subjects and distinguish them from others, while generic epithets are used of many subjects and speak less to their individual characters. In these examples, the epithet can be contradictory to the past state of the subject: in '' Odyssey'' VI.74, for instance,

Nausicaa Nausicaa (; grc, Ναυσικάα, Nausikáa, or , ) also spelled Nausicaä or Nausikaa, is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. She is the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia. Her name means "burner of ships" ( 'ship'; 'to b ...

takes her "radiant clothing", , to be washed; since it is dirty, it is unlikely to be radiant.Parry 1971: 121

List

General

*men **shining, divine (, ) **born from Zeus (, ) **god-like (, ; , ) **high-hearted **brilliant *leaders **lord of men (, ) *women **white-armed (, ) **lovely-haired (, ) **ox eyed (, ) *goddesses **of the golden distaff with (, ) *day **the day of return (, — ''

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

'' also comes from ) *sea **loud-roaring () **grey **wine-colored () *lions **eating raw flesh () **mountain-bred () **fiery ()

Nations

* Albanes **swift (, ) **sporting long hair (, ) * Achaeans **hairy-headed (, ) **bronzed-armored (, ) **strong-greaved (, ) **glancing-eyed (, ) **with hollow ships * Trojans **tamers of horses (, )

Individuals

* Achilles **son of Peleus ( ) **swift-footed ( ; ; ) **breaking through men ( ) **lion-hearted ( ) **like to the gods ( ) **shepherd of the people ( ) * Aeneas **Son of Anchises ( ) **Counselor of the Trojans ( ) **Lord of the Trojans ( ) **Great-hearted ( ) **King of men ( ) **Great ( ) * Agamemnon **son of Atreus ( : also transliterated ) **wide-ruling lord ( ) **the lord marshal **powerful **shepherd of the people ( ) **lord of men ( ) **brilliant * Aias/Ajax **Son of Telamon ( ) **swift **gigantic ( ) ***the mighty * Andromache **daughter of Eetion ( ) **white-armed * Aphrodite **laughter-loving ( ) **daughter of Zeus ( ) **goddess of love **fair ( ) * Apollo **Phoebus, i.e. the Bright or Pure, ( ) **with unshorn hair; i.e., ever-young ( ) **destroyer of mice ( ) **distant deadly Archer ( ) **far-aiming lord ( ) **rouser of armies **son of Zeus ( ) **of the silver bow ( ) **famous with the bow ( ) **whom the sleek-haired Leto has born ( ) *

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...

**slayer of men ( ) **sacker of cities **bronzen ( ) **furious ( ) **destroyer of city walls ( ) **of the glinting helmet **women raping * Athena **Pallas ( ) **gray-, bright-eyed ( ) **daughter of Zeus **third-born of the gods **whose shield is thunder **hope of soldiers **tireless one * Ariadne **lovely-haired ( ) * Artemis **the archer-goddess **shooter of arrows ( ) *

Briseis Briseis (; grc, Βρῑσηΐς ''Brīsēís'', ) ("daughter of Briseus"), also known as Hippodameia (, ), is a significant character in the ''Iliad''. Her role as a status symbol is at the heart of the dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon t ...

**fair-cheeked ( ) **fair-haired ( ) * Calypso **beautiful nymph **softly-braided nymph **divine **goddess most divinely made **daughter of Atlas **cunning goddess ( ) *

Chryseis In Greek mythology, Chryseis (, grc, Χρυσηΐς, translit=Khrysēís, ) is a Trojan woman, the daughter of Chryses. Chryseis, her apparent name in the ''Iliad'', means simply "Chryses' daughter"; later writers give her real name as Astynome ...

**beautiful-cheeked ( ) * Circe **enchantress *

Cronus In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or , from el, Κρόνος, ''Krónos'') was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans, the divine descendants of the primordial Gaia (Mother Earth) and ...

(Kronos) **crooked-counselling, devious-devising ( ) **all-powerful *

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

**fair-haired *

Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; grc-gre, Διομήδης, Diomēdēs, "god-like cunning" or "advised by ...

**son of Tydeus **great spearman **master of the war cry **god-like **strong **breaker of horses * Hector **tall **shepherd of the people **of the glinting helmet, of the shining helm ( ) **man-killing **horse-taming *

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

**long-dressed **daughter of a noble house *

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

**ox-eyed lady ( ) * Hephaestus **the famous craftsman **the famous lame god **of the strong arms * Hermes **messenger of the gods and conductor of men ( ) **slayer of Argos ( ) **son of Zeus **giant-killer **the strong one **keen eyes emissary *

Ino Ino or INO may refer to: Arts and music *I-No, a character in the ''Guilty Gear'' series of video games *Ino (Greek mythology), a queen of Thebes in Greek mythology *INO Records, an American Christian music label *Ino Yamanaka, a character in th ...

**lovely-ankled () * Iris **wind-footed * Menelaus **red-haired, fair-haired, flaming-haired **master of the war-cry **son of Atreus ( ) **war-like **spear-famed **loved by Ares ( ) **cherished by Zeus ( ) * Naubolos **great-hearted *

Nestor Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, L ...

**Godly Nestor **Gerenian charioteer **son of Neleus ( ) **Pylos born king **sweet spoken **wise old *

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odysse ...

**resourceful, man of many resources, of many turns, man of twists and turns ( ) **much-enduring ( ) **great-hearted ( ) **sacker of cities ( ) **wise **loved of Zeus **great glory of the Achaeans **master mariner **mastermind of war **hotheaded **man of action **the great teller of tales **man of exploits **man of pain **that kingly man **the hero **Raider of Cities **the great tactician **cunning ( ) * Onchestos **sacred *

Pandaros Pandarus or Pandar (Ancient Greek: Πάνδαρος ''Pándaros'') is a Trojan aristocrat who appears in stories about the Trojan War. In Homer's ''Iliad'' he is portrayed as an energetic and powerful warrior, but in medieval literature he b ...

**son of Lykaon *

Patroclus In Greek mythology, as recorded in Homer's ''Iliad'', Patroclus (pronunciation variable but generally ; grc, Πάτροκλος, Pátroklos, glory of the father) was a childhood friend, close wartime companion, and the presumed (by some later a ...

**son of Menoitius ( ) **Zeus-born, sprung from Zeus () **dear to Zeus () **great-hearted ( ) **horseman ( or ) **peerless () **peer to gods in counsel () **gentle () **hero () * Paris **Alexandros **magnificent * Penelope **cautious, careful, circumspect, discreet, wise, self-obsessed * Poseidon **Earth-shaker ( or ) **earth-moving, earth-carrying ( ) * Sarpedon **leader of the Lycians *

Suitors Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...

**swaggering **haughty * Telemachus **poised **thoughtful * Thetis **silver-footed *

Thersites In Greek mythology, Thersites (; Ancient Greek: Θερσίτης) was a soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War. Family The ''Iliad'' does not mention his father's name, which may suggest that he should be viewed as a commoner rathe ...

**of the endless speech * Tydeus **driver of horses * Zeus **mighty **son of Kronos ( ) **wide-seeing **cloud-gatherer ( ) **father of gods and men **of the dazzling bolt ( ) **loud-thundering ( ) **delighting in thunder ( ) ** aegis-holding ( ) **who marshals the thunderheads

Shared

* Paris, Hector,

Polites Polites is the name of two characters in Greek mythology of the Trojan War, and a genus of butterflies. *Polites (friend of Odysseus) is a Greek warrior in the ''Iliad.'' * Polites (prince of Troy) is a Trojan killed by Neoptolemus.Homer, ''Iliad'' ...

**son of Priam ( ) *

Antilochus In Greek mythology, Antilochus (; Ancient Greek: Ἀντίλοχος ''Antílokhos'') was a prince of Pylos and one of the Achaeans in the Trojan War. Family Antilochus was the son of King Nestor either by Anaxibia or Eurydice. He was the brot ...

Pisistratus Pisistratus or Peisistratus ( grc-gre, Πεισίστρατος ; 600 – 527 BC) was a politician in ancient Athens, ruling as tyrant in the late 560s, the early 550s and from 546 BC until his death. His unification of Attica, the triangular ...

**son of Nestor ( ) * Hector, Agamemnon,

Atreus In Greek mythology, Atreus ( , ; from ἀ-, "no" and τρέω, "tremble", "fearless", gr, Ἀτρεύς ) was a king of Mycenae in the Peloponnese, the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Collectively, hi ...

**breaker of horses, horse-tamer ( ) * Agamemnon, Achilles,

**best of the Achaeans * Hector,

**manslaughtering

Notes

Sources

* Parry, Milman. "L'Épithète traditionnelle dans Homère: Essai sur un problème de style homérique." Paris: Société d'Éditions "Les Belles Lettres", 1928. * Parry, Milman, ed. Adam Parry. "The Making of Homeric Verse: The Collected Papers of Milman Parry." Oxford: The Clarendon PRess, 1971. * Edwards, Mark. "Homer and the Oral Tradition: The Formula (part one)." ''Oral Tradition'' 1 (1986) 171-230. * Edwards, Mark. "Homer and the Oral Tradition: The Formula (part two)." ''Oral Tradition'' 3 (1988) 11-60. * Reece, Steve. "Greek Epic Formulae," in Giorgios Giannakis (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics'' (Leiden: Brill, 2014) 613-615
Greek_Epic_Formulas
* Reece, Steve. "Epithets," in Margalit Finkelberg (ed.), ''Homeric Encyclopedia'' (Oxford: Blackwell, 2011) 257-259
Epithets
* V.J. Howe, "Epithets in Homer." Available online at http://www.angelfire.com/art/archictecture/articles/008.htm. (Retrieved October 16, 2007.) * Fagles, Robert. "The Odyssey." Penguin Books, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Epithets In Homer Homeric Greek Homer