Posin En don Eon ta: Etymolog y and Li ter ary A nalysis at Ody ssey 19.477

Edw in D. Floyd

Universi ty of Pi ttsburgh

Frisk's preference for etymologizing the Greek word ἔνδον "within, etc." is as a

combination of ἐν "in" + Indo-European *dom "house". Chantraine, on the other hand, rejects

the connection with *dom and instead prefers some sort of strictly adverbial development.

There is thus agreement on the first element ἐν "in" – which seems obvious, in view of the

combination's meaning "within ". But is the second element a separate word or some sort of

suffix? The answer may lay more in poetics than in linguistics per se.

In Odyssey, Book 19, Penelope's proposal of a bow contest to select a new husband

seems to make most sense if she already knows the true identity of the Stranger (the disguised

Odysseus). Archery would give the real Odysseus, famous as a bowman, his best chance against

the Suitors. It would therefore not really be a "contest to select a new husband"; instead,

Penelope's proposal would be entirely consistent with her long-standing devotion to Odysseus.

Especially in the 1950's and '60's, this was a popular stance in Homeric criticism, but the idea

that Greek society was permeated with a male dominance of women has since hardened. As a

result, it is now widely thought that Penelope would be unlikely to be presented in any

intellectually positive fashion in the Odyssey.

A key passage, vis-à-vis both the preceding literary question and the etymology of

ἔνδον, is Odyssey 19.478-479 and its context.

On the literary front, Russo, in the most recent comprehensive commentary on the

Odyssey (edited by Heubeck, 1988-1992), describes 19.478-479 as the "biggest obstacle" to the

view that Penelope has already recognized the disguised Odysseus. When Eurykleia attempts to

catch Penelope's attention to tell her that Odysseus has returned, she cannot do so, because

Athena distracts Penelope. According to Russo, this indicates that Penelope did not already

know of the Stranger's true identity.

A basically "literary" answer to Russo's stance is provided by Ahl & Roisman (1996: 234).

According to them, it really works the other way than indicated by Russo. If, in a situation

which clamors for interaction, Penelope is capable of paying no attention to Eurykleia, her

(Penelope's) recognition of Odysseus must already have taken place, they say.

I would say Ahl and Roisman are correct – but their argument is also somewhat

subjective, especially since it does not really address Athena's role. More objective is

Edwin D. Floyd 2

etymology. As stated in line 477 (immediately before the two lines on which Russo comments),

what Eurykleia wished to inform Penelope was πόσιν ἔνδον ἐόντα "her husband being ἔνδον".

In this phrase, the context suggests Frisk's stronger sense "at home". To take ἔνδον more

blandly as just "within", on the other hand, would be a bit vacuous, inasmuch as there is no

additional location with which the Stranger's location could be compared.

Beyond the words which appear on the surface, the passage, with its sequence πόσιν ... -

δον, also calls to mind the Greek word δεσπότης "master", cognate with Sanskrit dámpatiḥ

"master". (As analyzed by both Frisk and Chantraine, both the Sanskrit and Greek words are

combined from *dom + *potis "master".)

In the Rig-Veda, dámpatiḥ is predominantly used as a dual dámpatī, in association with

a wedded couple as masters of their household (8 out of 12 occurrences of the word). The usage

is also Homeric, even though δεσπότης itself does not occur, partly at least because of metrical

considerations. At Odyssey 7.53, though, we find the corresponding feminine δέσποινα

"mistress" used to refer to Arete the mistress of the household on more or less equal terms

with her husband Alkinoos, or even as being more important than he is.

Another suggestive correlation is provided by Odyssey 6.51-52 and 23.71. In the former

passage, there is reference to Arete and Alkinoos, in connection with ἔνδον and the phrase ἐπ᾽

ἐσχάρῃ "by the hearth, and in the latter we find a similar combination πόσιν ἔνδον ἐόντα παρ᾽

ἐσχάρῃ. Both correlate with Vedic occurrences of dámpatī with Agni.

Putting together Odyssey 6.51-52, 7.53, 19.477, 23.71, and other passages, we should

therefore hear Homer as alluding, in Book 19, to a specific ancient linguistic pattern (i.e., the

etymology of ἔνδον that is endorsed by Frisk), which is consistent with the wife's positive

contribution to the subsequent development of events. At the same time, though, "husband"

and "master" are basically identical in 19.477, and the passage therefore fits the more or less

starkly patriarchal view of Homeric society which one might expect.

Overall, though, it is not just a matter of "Penelope recognizes the Stranger as

Odysseus" in Book 19. Rather, both at this point and through the rest of the Odyssey, there is

also a subtheme of the possibility that the disguised Odysseus might actually be "a god

disguised as Odysseus". This theme, adumbrated in the prolongation of Dawn at Odyssey 23.241-

246 (exactly the same motif as appears in the story of Zeus and Alkmene), is also illustrated in

the resonances of at least two Indo-European patterns, viz., (1) δυσώνμος "ill-named" at Odyssey

19.571 (cognate with Vedic durṇāma, used at Rig-Veda 10.162.1-2, and (2) the combination

ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀγήραον "immortal and ageless", used at Odyssey 23.336 and semantically

identical to ajárāmṛ́tā, used of Dawn at Rig-Veda 1.113.13.

Edwin D. Floyd 3

References:

Ahl, Frederick and Roisman, Hanna M. The Odyssey Re-Formed. Cornell University Press.

Ithaca and London. 1996.

Chantraine, Pierre. Dictionnaire Étymologique de la langue grecque: Histoire des mots. Paris:

Klincksieck. 1999.

Frisk, Hjalmar. Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols. Heidelberg: Carl Winter. 1960-

1972.

Russo, Joseph, pp. 1-127 in vol. 3 (1992) of Heubeck, Alfred, ed. A Commentary on Homer's

Odyssey, 3 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1988-1992.