Homer's Knowledge of Helen in Egypt and Poetic Evidence — Herodotus, Histories Book 2 (2.116.1–2.116.6), Greek & English

§2.116.1

Ἑλένης μὲν ταύτην ἄπιξιν παρὰ Πρωτέα ἔλεγον οἱ ἱρέες γενέσθαι· δοκέει δέ μοι καὶ Ὅμηρος τὸν λόγον τοῦτον πυθέσθαι· ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίως¹ ἐς τὴν ἐποποιίην εὐπρεπὴς ἦν τῷ ἑτέρῳ τῷ περ ἐχρήσατο, ἑκὼν μετῆκε αὐτόν, δηλώσας ὡς καὶ τοῦτον ἐπίσταιτο τὸν λόγον·

The priests said that this arrival of Helen at the court of Proteus occurred; and it seems to me that Homer also heard of this story; but since it was not so suitable for epic poetry as the other one which he actually used, he willingly set it aside, though showing that he also knew this story.

§2.116.2

δῆλον δὲ κατὰ ἐποίησε² ἐν Ἰλιάδι (καὶ οὐδαμῇ ἄλλῃ ἀνεπόδισε ἑωυτόν) πλάνην τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου, ὡς ἀπηνείχθη ἄγων Ἑλένην τῇ τε δὴ ἄλλῃ πλαζόμενος καὶ ὡς ἐς Σιδῶνα τῆς Φοινίκης ἀπίκετο.

And this is clear from where he composed in the Iliad (and nowhere else did he contradict himself) concerning the wandering of Alexander, how he was driven off course while bringing Helen, wandering both to other places and how he arrived at Sidon in Phoenicia. And this is clear from where he composed in the Iliad (and nowhere else did he contradict himself) concerning the wandering of Alexander, how he was driven off course while bringing Helen, wandering both to other places and how he arrived at Sidon in Phoenicia.

§2.116.3

ἐπιμέμνηται δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν Διομήδεος ἀριστείῃ· λέγει δὲ τὰ ἔπεα ὧδε. "ἔνθʼ ἔσαν οἱ πέπλοι παμποίκιλοι, ἔργα γυναικῶν Σιδονίων, τὰς αὐτὸς Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής ἤγαγε Σιδονίηθεν, ἐπιπλὼς εὐρέα πόντον, τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν³ Ἑλένην περ ἀνήγαγεν εὐπατέρειαν." ἐπιμέμνηται δὲ καὶ ἐν Ὀδυσσείῃ ἐν τοῖσιδε τοῖσι ἔπεσι. "τοῖα Διὸς θυγάτηρ ἔχε φάρμακα μητιόεντα, ἐσθλά, τά οἱ Πολύδαμνα πόρεν Θῶνος παράκοιτις Αἰγυπτίη, τῇ πλεῖστα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα φάρμακα, πολλὰ μὲν ἐσθλὰ μεμιγμένα, πολλὰ δὲ λυγρά." καὶ τάδε ἕτερα πρὸς Τηλέμαχον Μενέλεως λέγει. "Αἰγύπτῳ μʼ ἔτι δεῦρο θεοὶ μεμαῶτα νέεσθαι ἔσχον, ἐπεὶ οὔ σφιν ἔρεξα τεληέσσας ἑκατόμβας." ἐν τούτοισι τοῖσι ἔπεσι δηλοῖ ὅτι ἠπίστατο τὴν ἐς Αἴγυπτον Ἀλεξάνδρου πλάνην· ὁμουρέει γὰρ ἡ Συρίη Αἰγύπτῳ, οἱ δὲ Φοίνικες, τῶν ἐστὶ ἡ Σιδών, ἐν τῇ Συρίῃ οἰκέουσι.

He mentions this in “The Valiant Deeds of Diomedes”; and he speaks the verses thus: “There were the richly embroidered robes, the handiwork of Sidonian women, whom godlike Alexander himself had brought from Sidon, sailing over the wide sea, on that voyage on which he brought back Helen of noble birth.” “ And he mentions it also in the Odyssey in these verses: “Such cunning drugs did the daughter of Zeus possess, excellent ones, which Polydamna, the wife of Thon, an Egyptian woman, had given her; to her the grain-giving earth bears very many drugs, many excellent when mixed, and many baneful.” “ And Menelaus says these other things to Telemachus: “In Egypt still, though I was eager to return here, the gods held me back, because I did not offer them perfect hecatombs.” “ In these verses he makes it clear that he knew of Alexander’s wandering to Egypt; for Syria borders on Egypt, and the Phoenicians, to whom Sidon belongs, dwell in Syria.

Syntax notes3 items

2.116.1ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίως
The conjunction γάρ usually introduces a reason, but here it precedes the main clause (ἑκὼν μετῆκε αὐτόν), meaning "for, since it was not...". Alternatively, it can be understood as an ellipse: "but [he did not use it], for..."
2.116.2κατὰ ἐποίησε
A contraction for καθ' ἃ ἐποίησε (or κατὰ ἃ ἐποίησε), where ἃ is the neuter plural accusative of the relative pronoun, meaning "according to what he composed" or "in the passages where he wrote."
2.116.3τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν
The relative pronoun ἣν has τὴν ὁδὸν as its antecedent and functions as a cognate accusative with the verb ἀνήγαγεν. The whole phrase means "on that journey/voyage on which he brought back Helen."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.116.1-2.116.6