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Homer · Odyssey §19.405-19.471

Naming of Odysseus and Origin of the Boar Scar

Passage 139 of 173 · Greek

Summary

Autolycus names his grandson Odysseus, and the story recalls Odysseus's youth when he was wounded by a boar on Mount Parnassus; in the present, Eurycleia recognizes him by touching this very scar.

§19.405τὴν δʼ αὖτʼ Αὐτόλυκος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε· §19.406γαμβρὸς ἐμὸς θυγάτηρ τε, τίθεσθʼ ὄνομʼ ὅττι κεν εἴπω·
Then Autolycus answered her in turn and spoke: "My son-in-law and daughter, give him whatever name I shall say.
§19.407πολλοῖσιν γὰρ ἐγώ γε ὀδυσσάμενος τόδʼ ἱκάνω, §19.408ἀνδράσιν ἠδὲ γυναιξὶν ἀνὰ χθόνα πουλυβότειραν· §19.409τῷ δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ὄνομʼ ἔστω ἐπώνυμον·
For since I come here having become angry with (or having been hated by) many, both men and women throughout the nourishing earth, let him have the name Odysseus as a name-sake.
αὐτὰρ ἐγώ γε, §19.410ὁππότʼ ἂν ἡβήσας μητρώϊον ἐς μέγα δῶμα §19.411ἔλθῃ Παρνησόνδʼ, ὅθι πού μοι κτήματʼ ἔασι, §19.412τῶν οἱ ἐγὼ δώσω καί μιν χαίροντʼ ἀποπέμψω. §19.413τῶν ἕνεκʼ ἦλθʼ Ὀδυσεύς, ἵνα οἱ πόροι ἀγλαὰ δῶρα.
But for my part, whenever he, having grown to manhood, comes to the great maternal home at Parnassus, where indeed my possessions are, of those I will give to him and send him away rejoicing." For the sake of these things Odysseus went, so that he might give him glorious gifts.
§19.414τὸν μὲν ἄρʼ Αὐτόλυκός τε καὶ υἱέες Αὐτολύκοιο §19.415χερσίν τʼ ἠσπάζοντο ἔπεσσί τε μειλιχίοισι· §19.416μήτηρ δʼ Ἀμφιθέη μητρὸς περιφῦσʼ Ὀδυσῆϊ §19.417κύσσʼ ἄρα μιν κεφαλήν τε καὶ ἄμφω φάεα καλά.
Autolycus and the sons of Autolycus welcomed him with their hands and with gentle words; and his mother's mother, Amphithea, clasping Odysseus, kissed his head and both his beautiful eyes.
§19.418Αὐτόλυκος δʼ υἱοῖσιν ἐκέκλετο κυδαλίμοισι §19.419δεῖπνον ἐφοπλίσσαι· τοὶ δʼ ὀτρύνοντος ἄκουσαν, §19.420αὐτίκα δʼ εἰσάγαγον βοῦν ἄρσενα πενταέτηρον·
And Autolycus called to his glorious sons to prepare dinner; and they listened to his urging, and immediately brought in a five-year-old male ox.
§19.421τὸν δέρον ἀμφί θʼ ἕπον, καί μιν διέχευαν ἅπαντα, §19.422μίστυλλόν τʼ ἄρʼ ἐπισταμένως πεῖράν τʼ ὀβελοῖσιν, §19.423ὤπτησάν τε περιφραδέως, δάσσαντό τε μοίρας.
They flayed it and busied themselves about it, and cut it all up, and divided it skillfully into small pieces and pierced them with spits, and roasted them carefully, and distributed the portions.
§19.424ὣς τότε μὲν πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα §19.425δαίνυντʼ, οὐδέ τι θυμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐΐσης·
Thus then for the whole day until the going down of the sun they feasted, nor did their heart lack anything of the equal feast.
§19.426ἦμος δʼ ἠέλιος κατέδυ καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθεν, §19.427δὴ τότε κοιμήσαντο καὶ ὕπνου δῶρον ἕλοντο.
But when the sun went down and darkness came on, then indeed they lay down and took the gift of sleep.
§19.428ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς, §19.429βάν ῥʼ ἴμεν ἐς θήρην, ἠμὲν κύνες ἠδὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ §19.430υἱέες Αὐτολύκου· μετὰ τοῖσι δὲ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς §19.431ἤϊεν· αἰπὺ δʼ ὄρος προσέβαν καταειμένον ὕλῃ §19.432Παρνησοῦ, τάχα δʼ ἵκανον πτύχας ἠνεμοέσσας.
And when the early-rising, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, they went to the hunt, both the dogs and the sons of Autolycus themselves; and with them noble Odysseus went; and they climbed the steep mountain of Parnassus clothed with forest, and soon they reached the windy folds.
§19.433Ἠέλιος μὲν ἔπειτα νέον προσέβαλλεν ἀρούρας §19.434ἐξ ἀκαλαρρείταο βαθυρρόου Ὠκεανοῖο, §19.435οἱ δʼ ἐς βῆσσαν ἵκανον ἐπακτῆρες· πρὸ δʼ ἄρʼ αὐτῶν §19.436ἴχνιʼ ἐρευνῶντες κύνες ἤϊσαν, αὐτὰρ ὄπισθεν §19.437υἱέες Αὐτολύκου· μετὰ τοῖσι δὲ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς §19.438ἤϊεν ἄγχι κυνῶν, κραδάων δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος.
The sun was then newly striking the fields from the gently-flowing, deep-currented Oceanus, when the huntsmen came to the glade; and before them the dogs went searching for tracks, but behind the sons of Autolycus; and with them noble Odysseus went close to the dogs, brandishing his long-shadowing spear.
§19.439ἔνθα δʼ ἄρʼ ἐν λόχμῃ πυκινῇ κατέκειτο μέγας σῦς· §19.440τὴν μὲν ἄρʼ οὔτʼ ἀνέμων διάει μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων, §19.441οὔτε μιν Ἠέλιος φαέθων ἀκτῖσιν ἔβαλλεν, §19.442οὔτʼ ὄμβρος περάασκε διαμπερές· ὣς ἄρα πυκνὴ §19.443ἦεν, ἀτὰρ φύλλων ἐνέην χύσις ἤλιθα πολλή.
And there in a thick lair lay a great boar; through this neither did the force of wet-blowing winds blow, nor did the beaming sun strike it with his rays, nor did the rain penetrate through; so thick it was, and there was a vast abundance of fallen leaves within.
§19.444τὸν δʼ ἀνδρῶν τε κυνῶν τε περὶ κτύπος ἦλθε ποδοῖϊν, §19.445ὡς ἐπάγοντες ἐπῇσαν· ὁ δʼ ἀντίος ἐκ ξυλόχοιο §19.446φρίξας εὖ λοφιήν, πῦρ δʼ ὀφθαλμοῖσι δεδορκώς, §19.447στῆ ῥʼ αὐτῶν σχεδόθεν· ὁ δʼ ἄρα πρώτιστος Ὀδυσσεὺς §19.448ἔσσυτʼ ἀνασχόμενος δολιχὸν δόρυ χειρὶ παχείῃ, §19.449οὐτάμεναι μεμαώς· ὁ δέ μιν φθάμενος ἔλασεν σῦς §19.450γουνὸς ὕπερ, πολλὸν δὲ διήφυσε σαρκὸς ὀδόντι §19.451λικριφὶς ἀΐξας, οὐδʼ ὀστέον ἵκετο φωτός.
And around him came the noise of the feet of men and dogs, as they came on driving him; and he, facing them from his lair, bristling well his crest, and with fire shining in his eyes, stood near them; and Odysseus was the very first to rush, holding up the long spear in his thick hand, eager to wound him; but the boar forestalled him and struck above the knee, and tore away much flesh with his tusk rushing sideways, yet he did not reach the bone of the man.
§19.452τὸν δʼ Ὀδυσεὺς οὔτησε τυχὼν κατὰ δεξιὸν ὦμον, §19.453ἀντικρὺ δὲ διῆλθε φαεινοῦ δουρὸς ἀκωκή· §19.454κὰδ δʼ ἔπεσʼ ἐν κονίῃσι μακών, ἀπὸ δʼ ἔπτατο θυμός.
But Odysseus wounded him, hitting him on the right shoulder, and straight through went the point of the shining spear; and he fell down in the dust, crying out, and his life flew away.
§19.455τὸν μὲν ἄρʼ Αὐτολύκου παῖδες φίλοι ἀμφεπένοντο, §19.456ὠτειλὴν δʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος ἀντιθέοιο §19.457δῆσαν ἐπισταμένως, ἐπαοιδῇ δʼ αἷμα κελαινὸν §19.458ἔσχεθον, αἶψα δʼ ἵκοντο φίλου πρὸς δώματα πατρός.
Him then the dear sons of Autolycus busied themselves about, and the wound of noble, godlike Odysseus they bound up skillfully, and with a charm the dark blood they stayed, and quickly they came to the house of their dear father.
§19.459τὸν μὲν ἄρʼ Αὐτόλυκός τε καὶ υἱέες Αὐτολύκοιο §19.460εὖ ἰησάμενοι ἠδʼ ἀγλαὰ δῶρα πορόντες §19.461καρπαλίμως χαίροντα φίλην ἐς πατρίδʼ ἔπεμπον §19.462εἰς Ἰθάκην.
Him then Autolycus and the sons of Autolycus, having healed him well and having given him glorious gifts, quickly sent him rejoicing to his dear native land, to Ithaca.
τῷ μέν ῥα πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ §19.463χαῖρον νοστήσαντι καὶ ἐξερέεινον ἕκαστα, §19.464οὐλὴν ὅττι πάθοι· ὁ δʼ ἄρα σφίσιν εὖ κατέλεξεν §19.465ὥς μιν θηρεύοντʼ ἔλασεν σῦς λευκῷ ὀδόντι, §19.466Παρνησόνδʼ ἐλθόντα σὺν υἱάσιν Αὐτολύκοιο.
To him his father and revered mother rejoiced at his return and questioned him about everything, what wound he had suffered; and he recounted to them well how a boar had struck him with his white tusk while hunting, when he had gone to Parnassus with the sons of Autolycus.
§19.467τὴν γρηῢς χείρεσσι καταπρηνέσσι λαβοῦσα §19.468γνῶ ῥʼ ἐπιμασσαμένη, πόδα δὲ προέηκε φέρεσθαι· §19.469ἐν δὲ λέβητι πέσε κνήμη, κανάχησε δὲ χαλκός, §19.470ἂψ δʼ ἑτέρωσʼ ἐκλίθη· τὸ δʼ ἐπὶ χθονὸς ἐξέχυθʼ ὕδωρ.
The old woman, taking it with the palms of her hands facing down, recognized it by feeling it, and she let go of the foot to fall; and his shin fell into the basin, and the bronze rang out, and it was tilted backward to the other side; and the water was spilled on the ground.
§19.471τὴν δʼ ἅμα χάρμα καὶ ἄλγος ἕλε φρένα, τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε
And joy and pain seized her heart at the same time, and her two eyes

Notes

  1. §19.407ὀδυσσάμενος — A participle of the verb ὀδύσσομαι (primarily used in the middle voice). It allows for a double interpretation: active ('having harbored anger against many') or passive ('having been hated or caused anger in many'). This serves as the etymological explanation of the name Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς).
  2. §19.412τῶν — A partitive genitive of the relative pronoun. The antecedent is κτήματα ('possessions') in the preceding line (411), representing 'some of those things' as the direct object of the verb δώσω ('I will give').
  3. §19.449φθάμενος — A participle expressing temporal priority in relation to the main verb ἔλασεν, idiomatically translated as 'anticipating him' or 'forestalling him'. It denotes that the boar struck first before Odysseus could deliver his blow.
  4. §19.468γνῶ ῥʼ ἐπιμασσαμένη — The aorist participle ἐπιμασσαμένη ('having touched' or 'feeling') expresses the means or simultaneous action associated with the main verb γνῶ ('recognized'). It describes the physical process of recognition: 'she recognized it by touching it'.

Cite this passage

Homer, Odyssey §19.405-19.471. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:19.405-19.471

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