Homer’s Similes: A Compendium of Similes in the Iliad

and Odyssey
by John Ziolkowski, Robert Farber and Denis Sullivan

Description: The Table of Contents below provides links to the Compendium itself as well as

related explanatory information in an Introduction and Summary Remarks, a Bibliography and

ten Appendices. The links are shown in blue, and there are return links on each page to the

Table of Contents.

The database for the similes and related figures may also be searched interactively through a

Homeric Similes website at http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~sullivan/SimileSearchR3.html. This

website provides a listing of the similes and related figures allowing access to the Greek text

and translation showing the structure (e.g., prothesis, vehicle, tenor). In addition, the database

may be searched using 17 criteria, such as book number, vehicle, tenor, prothesis, and speaker.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

A. What is a Simile?

B. How Many Similes Are There In Homer?

C. Conventions and Symbols Used in the Compendium

Compendium I: Similes in the Iliad (344 similes)

1 (Α) 2 (Β) 3 (Γ) 4 (Δ) 5 (Ε) 6 (Ζ) 7 (Η) 8 (Θ)

9 (Ι) 10 (Κ) 11 (Λ) 12 (Μ) 13 (Ν) 14 (Ξ) 15 (Ο) 16 (Π)

17 (Ρ) 18 (Σ) 19 (Τ) 20 (Υ) 21 (Φ) 22 (Χ) 23 (Ψ) 24 (Ω)

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Compendium II: Similes in the Odyssey (128 similes)

1 (a) 2 (b) 3 (g) 4 (d) 5 (e) 6 (z) 7 (h) 8 (q)

9 (i) 10 (k) 11 (l) 12 (m) 13 (n) 14 (c) 15 (o) 16 (p)

17 (r) 18 (s) 19 (t) 20 (u) 21 (f) 22 (x) 23 (y) 24 (w)

Summary Remarks

A. Our Goals

B. The Function(s) of Similes

C. Summary of Ten Appendices

Appendices

Appendix I: Similes Attached to Vehicles in the Iliad (A) and Odyssey (B)

Appendix II: Similes Attached to Tenors in the Iliad (A) and Odyssey (B)

Appendix III: Protheses Used in the Iliad (A) and Odyssey (B)

Four Color Charts of Prothesis Types

1. Protheses

2. No Prothesis

3. Protheses of Abstract Qualities (Distance/Quantity/Volume etc.)

Appendix IV: Location of Protheses Within the Lines of the Iliad (A) and the Odyssey (B)

Color Charts and Table

Appendix V: Types of Similes in the Iliad and Odyssey

A. Multiple-Vehicle Similes

B. Negative Similes

C. Repeated Similes
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D. Similetic Adjectives, Adverbs and Verbs

Appendix VI: Summary of Simile Characteristics in the Iliad and Odyssey (Tables VI-1 and 2)

Appendix VII: Distribution of Similes

A. Distributions Within Books of Iliad and Odyssey (Tables VII-1 and 2)

B. Locations and Lengths of Similes (Tables VII-3, 4, and 5)

C. Clusters of Closely-Spaced Similes (Tables VII-6, 7, 8 and 9)

D. Large Line Gaps Between Similes (Table VII-10)

Appendix VIII: Divine Comparisons in the Iliad (A) and Odyssey (B)

Appendix IX: Transformations and Disguises in the Iliad (A) and Odyssey (B)

Appendix X: Varia

A. Similes in This Compendium Not Listed in Lee

B. Similes in Lee (List A) Not Counted As Similes In This Compendium

C. Statistics of Similes and Related Types (Tables X-1 and 2)

D. Speakers of Similes in the Iliad and the Odyssey (Table X-3 through 7)

Bibliography
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Preface

Although there are many excellent studies of Homer’s similes, a collection has not been

published since W. C. Green’s The Similes of Homer’s Iliad (London 1877). The following

compendium includes all the similes of the Iliad and Odyssey, with the Greek text first, along

with a literal English translation of the Greek hexameters. For this purpose we have relied

heavily on the text and translations in Perseus.1 We have followed Lee’s List A (D. J. N. Lee, The

Similes of the Iliad and the Odyssey Compared, Melbourne University Press, 1964) in making our

initial compilation of similes, with asterisks denoting others not found in his list. References

are added to scholarly works that are particularly relevant. At the beginning of each book a

tabulation is provided to show which similes depict scenes and which are merely short

phrases. Following the similes is a section containing “Similar Rhetorical Figures” such as

“Transformations and Disguises” and “Divine Comparisons”. Our collection contains 344

similes from the Iliad and 128 from the Odyssey. The Introduction that follows provides details

about defining similes and distinguishing them from other rhetorical figures2.

1
Perseus Digital Library. Ed. Gregory R. Crane. Tufts University. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu.
We have modernized and altered the translations as appropriate. For the Iliad, these are
credited to Samuel Butler (1898) and an unidentified translator from 1924 (? A. T. Murray in the
Loeb Classical Library). For the Odyssey, these are credited to Samuel Butler (1900 ?) revised
by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy.
2
The idea of making a compendium of Homeric similes began in the fall of 2014. A small group
of friends who enjoy classical Greek literature in the original Greek read much of Homer’s Iliad
and Odyssey together. At one point it became clear that there was no single source to consult
which would supply the similes that come up so frequently in these poems, although there are
many commentaries, articles and chapters of books devoted to them. Our topic evolved from
this consideration. Although most group members did not have time to work regularly on the
book, helpful discussions provided much inspiration for the three of us who completed this
task. For this we would like to gratefully acknowledge the other members of this class: Michie
Hunt, Suzanne Legault, Hardee Mahoney, Ted Perlman, Sandy Soundararajan.
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Introduction

A-What is a Simile?

A.1 Since we began with the very helpful list of similes in Lee’s book (cited above), we did

not have immediate concerns about what a simile is. But we soon found other similes not

contained in Lee’s list so that we did have to confront that question eventually. Most of the

similes in Homer reflect the common definition of an explicit comparison of two essentially

unlike things (or figurative comparison), e.g. ὃ δ᾽ ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς = “And he <Apollo> came like

night” (Iliad 1.47). Traditional terminology refers to the three basic parts of similes as tenor (ὃ /

he), prothesis (ἐοικώς / like), and vehicle (νυκτὶ / night). There are numerous ways to say “like”

in Greek (see Appendix III). In some cases the prothesis is not a separate word but contained in

adjective (see Appendix III.2): τοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή (Iliad 1.249) —

“From his tongue flowed speech sweeter than honey”; or θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας

ἵππους — “[You will pray that] your fair-maned horses be swifter than falcons” (Iliad 13.819).

We have also added the term apothesis to identify the word that often introduces the tenor:

(“just like (ἠΰτε - prothesis) thick tribes of bees (vehicle) / that come from some hollow rock

ever anew / and fly in clusters over the spring flowers, / some darting en masse here, others

there; even so (ὣς - apothesis) did their many tribes (tenor) march in line from the ships” (Iliad

2.87).

A.2 Many comparative constructions appear to be similes in form but the vehicle is merely

factual and informative, not figurative, such as the following:

There was not anyone like (ὁμοῖος) him.

Iliad 14.521
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οὐ μὲν γάρ τί πού ἐστιν ὀϊζυρώτερον ἀνδρὸς.

For surely there is nothing anywhere more miserable than man.

Iliad 17.446

Moreover, the poems include numerous instances when deities (or other characters) take

on the appearance of specific human beings. For example, several times in Book Two of the

Iliad the gods take on other shapes: e.g. Athena as a herald (line 280), or Iris as Polites (line

791). We have listed such passages in the “Similar Rhetorical Figures” section under the

heading “Transformations and Disguises”. Appendix IX provides a further listing of the

Transformations and Disguises.

A.3 Another category not counted as similes is similar but more problematic: when

humans are compared to deities. Often these are simple epithets meaning “god-like” (e.g.

θεοειδής, ἀντίθεος, θεῖος, ἰσόθεος). In other expressions, however, mortals are portrayed

acting like, appearing like or being treated like deities. Examples include:

αἰνῶς ἀθανάτῃσι θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἔοικεν.

‘She is dreadfully like immortal goddesses to look on.’ Trojan elders speaking about

Helen

Iliad 3.158

Ἰδομενεὺς δ᾽ ἑτέρωθεν ἐνὶ Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὣς

ἕστηκ᾽, ἀμφὶ δέ μιν Κρητῶν ἀγοὶ ἠγερέθονται.

Idomeneus on the other side amid the Cretans stood like a god, / and about him

were gathered the leaders of the Cretans.

Iliad 3.230–231
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ἐκ δ᾽ Ἑλένη θαλάμοιο θυώδεος ὑψορόφοιο

ἤλυθεν Ἀρτέμιδι χρυσηλακάτῳ ἐικυῖα.

Out of her fragrant high-roofed chamber / came Helen, like Artemis of the golden

arrows.

Odyssey 4.121–122

Lee lists the second (citing six more examples) and third excerpts above as similes but not the

first. He also counts the following underlined phrase as a simile at Iliad 5.438 and cites eight

other passages where it appears:

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ τὸ τέταρτον ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος.

But when for the fourth time he rushed upon him like a god.

Since there are so many examples of this type (and many are essentially epithets), we have

decided not to include these comparisons to divinities in our listing of similes, but instead have

listed examples under the heading of “Divine Comparisons” in the “Similar Rhetorical Figures”

section for each book. A more complete listing of Divine Comparisons is provided in Appendix

VIII. The distinction admittedly is arbitrary since, if the final expression were “like a lion”

instead of “like a god”, we would consider it a simile.

A.4 There is also the question of metaphors. Simile and metaphor are not necessarily

contradictory terms since metaphor is an expression of meaning (a shift in meaning), whereas

simile is a grammatical construction consisting of two nouns (tenor and vehicle) that are

compared figuratively, usually joined by a prothesis (“like” or “as”). Similes make things

clearer; metaphors make them more familiar (establishing a bond between the speaker and

listener, perhaps avoiding an unpleasant word or alluding to something well-known, playing

on the double meaning of a word): “You [sea nymphs] now plunge into the wide bosom
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5

(κόλπον) of the sea (θαλάσσης)” (Iliad 18.140). “The gods spun the skein (ἐπεκλώσαντο) of

destruction (ὄλεθρον) for men” (Odyssey 8.579). In a metaphor a word or phrase is used in

reference to something to which it is not literally applicable (“bosom” of the sea or “spin”

destruction). In a simile the word or phrase is literal, but the comparison is figurative “Apollo

came like (ἐοικώς) night”, thus different from factual comparisons (e.g., “There was not

anyone like (ὁμοῖος) him.” In general, we have not listed metaphors except as examples.

A.5 We have included one group of similes under the heading “Protheses of Abstract

Qualities” (see Appendix III.A.3 and III.B.3), which may be a less familiar category. Most of

these indicate comparisons that depend upon such abstract qualities as distance, quantity and

volume. Lee includes many of these in his List A. They occur throughout; both epics have

correlative prothesis and apothesis (e.g., ὅσση . . τόσσον). Examples:

ὅσση δ᾽ αἰγανέης ῥιπὴ ταναοῖο τέτυκται, / . . . τόσσον ἐχώρησαν Τρῶες.

As far as is the flight of a long javelin . . . so far did the Trojans draw back.

Iliad 16.589: distance

τὴν δὲ γυναῖκα / εὗρον, ὅσην τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφήν

They found there his <Laestrygonian Antiphates’s> wife, / as big as the peak of a

mountain

Odyssey 10.113: size

B-How Many Similes Are There In Homer?

B.1 After pointing out our general policy for identifying similes, it is instructive to compare

scholarly opinions on total numbers. As Wilkins 1920:147 stated it in the preface to her list:
 6

For one thing, the number of similes so presented is somewhat larger than the

figures ordinarily given. Ludwig Friedlander [Zwei Homerische Wörterverzeichnisse

788 (Leipzig 1860)] gives for the Iliad 182 detailed similes, 17 comparatively

short, and 27 of the very briefest compass [note 4] — or, if we combine the first

two numbers, 199 fairly long, and 27 short. If we make proper subtractions for

passages containing more than one object of comparison, this classification

reveals 218 similes which form a complete clause or sentence, or have at least

one modifying clause, and 124 occurring in a mere phrase of one or two words

only. So too, for the Odyssey, Friedlander gives 45 long similes and 13 short,

while our figures are 53 and 76 respectively.3 In the case of the brief similes

there are naturally many repetitions, but by a conservative count they are

drawn from at least 52 different sources in the Iliad and 40 in the Odyssey.

Instances of the actual verbal repetition of the longer ones are few — at most 2

in the Odyssey and 6 in the Iliad.

Note 4: Zwei Homerische Wörterverzeichnisse 788 (Leipzig, 1860). Friedlander's

figures are based on a list of similes (786 ff.) in which he follows a similar one by

G. F. C. Gunther in Athenaeum, etc.

B.2 Lee 1964:3 also cites Friedländer’s numbers before giving his own figures (with different

terminology: Internal = simple and Full = long): “From my classification the following figures

emerge: Odyssey, Internal 72 (plus 15 “other”. . . ), Full 45: Iliad, Internal 133 (plus 20 . . .) and

197 Full.” Lee does not count as similes “such a phrase as Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον” (Iliad 2.169).

3
By our count of Friedländer’s listings on 786–788 the numbers are slightly higher: 233 for the
Iliad (189 + 17 + 27) and 54 total in the Odyssey (34 + 7 + 13).
 7

B.3 Both Scott and Fränkel give lists of similes in their Appendices that also provide

additional information about each simile. By counting the similes cited one can easily

determine the totals for each. For Fränkel 1921:116–119 the figures are 399 (Iliad) and 139

(Odyssey); for Scott 1974:191–205 they are 341 (Iliad) and 123 (Odyssey). The citations do not

distinguish between short and long similes. Fränkel’s categories refer to sections of his book in

Part II, pp16–97 (A–L: A. Die Elementargewalten, B. Bäume und Pflanzen, C. Der Fedlbau, etc. – L.

“Götter”). Scott indicates the first line of each simile as well as the context (e.g. ‘Journey’ or

‘Measurement’) and the subject matter (e.g. Lion or Fire). Again, the differences in numbers

are primarily due to classifying some passages as similes which we call “Divine Comparisons”

or “Transformations and Disguises”.

B.4 De Jong 2012:21 says more generally that of “the c. 200 similes in the Iliad only six are

repeated verbatim (in the Odyssey the figure is two out of forty).”4 She adds that “[m]ost

extended similes take one of the following three forms:” (1) “X did Y, like a . . . ; thus X did Y:”

“(22.22–4; 26–32 and 308–11 have the same structure.)” p22: (2) “X did Y. As (when) a . . .: thus

X did Y:” (22.92–7; cf. 138–44). (3) “As (when) a . . .; thus X did Y:” “(22.162–6; cf. 189–93, 199–

201, 317–2).”

B.5 Thus in summary, our list of 344 similes from the Iliad may be compared to:

226 (Freidländer 1860); 342 (Wilkins 1920); 399 (Fränkel 1921); 350 (Lee 1964); 341 (Scott

1974); ca. 200 (De Jong 2012).

Our list totals 128 from the Odyssey, compared to:

58 (Freidländer 1860); 129 (Wilkins 1920); 139 (Fränkel 1921); 132 (Lee 1964); 123 (Scott

1974); 40 extended (De Jong 2012).

4
De Jong’s numbers reflect those of Bassett 1921:132: “There are about 200 in the Iliad and
about 40 in the Odyssey.”
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From the preceding discussion one can see why the totals vary, although there would be little

difference in the count of the longer (and traditional) Homeric similes. Thus these figures

serve as relative indicators dependent on the various guidelines for defining similes.

C-Conventions and Symbols Used In the Compendium

C.1 The similes are identified by book number, index number, and the line number of the

prothesis. The index numbers identify the sequence of similes through each book. The index

number and line number alone are used to identify similes in cases where the book number is

obvious from context, such as in the summary of the similes at the beginning of each book in

the Compendium. Thus, Book 1 #2 (104) refers to simile index number 2 found in Book 1 with a

prothesis at line 104 of Book 1. In the summary at the beginning of Book 1 in the Compendium,

this simile is referred to by #2 (104). An asterisk (*) is added to the index number to identify a

simile that is not included Lee’s List A.

C.2 For each book in the Compendium, a summary of the similes in the book is included

before the more detailed listing. This summary distinguishes between similes that are “Short

Clauses and Phrases” and similes that describe longer “Scenes”. In the Appendices, these two

groupings of similes are distinguished by adding a plus symbol (+) to the simile identifier of

Scene similes. In some cases the distinction between “Short Clauses and Phrases” and “Scenes”

is somewhat arbitrary since occasionally short similes do indicate a scene. In any case, it seems

useful to distinguish between fully developed similes and short phrases. (Lee does this even

more precisely in his List A, citing the number of feet and/or verses.)

C.3 After the summary, the listing of each simile in the compendium includes the Greek

text from Perseus, an English translation, and a summary of the parts of the simile. The

following identifies the conventions used in the listing.

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C.3.1 In the Greek text, the prothesis, tenor and, vehicle are underlined. Italics are

occasionally used to call attention to the same word used in both tenor and vehicle of the

Greek text:

αἳ δ᾽ ὑπολευκαίνονται ἀχυρμιαί: ὣς τότ᾽ Ἀχαιοὶ

λευκοὶ ὕπερθε γένοντο κονισάλῳ . . .

And the heaps of chaff grow white; even so then did the Achaeans / grow

white over head and shoulders beneath the cloud of dust.

Iliad Book 5 #8 (502–503)

C.3.2 In the translation, the prothesis, tenor, and vehicle are highlighted in bold. The

following conventions have been used in the translation:

A forward slash is added to identify the end of a hexameter in the Greek.

[…]

Words in square brackets are implied by the Greek but not explicitly stated. These

words are typically added to make the translation more understandable.

<. . .>

Names in angled brackets are added after a pronoun to identify who is meant by the

pronoun in cases where it is not apparent from the excerpted Greek and the

translation.

C.3.2 In the summary of each simile at the start of each book and after the translation, the

three parts of the simile (tenor, prothesis and vehicle) are summarized in square brackets as in

the following:
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[Agamemnon’s eyes ≈ blazing fire] Narrator

The following conventions are used in these summaries:

The approximately equal symbol indicates the prothesis of a simile.

NOT ≈

Some similes identify that the tenor is not like the vehicle. For such similes, NOT has

been added to the approximately equal symbol.

>

The > symbol is used to signify “is to” in the tenor and vehicle as in Iliad Book 8 #1*

(16):

‘[Tartarus] as far beneath Hades as heaven is above earth.’

[Tartarus > Hades ≈ heaven > earth] Zeus

The name after the summary identifies who is the speaker of the simile. In the examples above,

“Narrator” refers to Homer, and Zeus is the speaker of the simile about Tartarus.

C.4 Discussions of individual similes may be found in the various commentaries ad loc. and

are not generally included here.

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Similes of the Iliad Book 1 (A)

SUMMARY

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (47) [Apollo ≈ night]
#2 (104) [Agamemnon’s eyes ≈ blazing fire]
#3* (249) [Nestor’s voice ≈ honey]
#4 (359) [Thetis ≈ mist]

***

SIMILES

ἔκλαγξαν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὀϊστοὶ ἐπ᾽ ὤμων χωομένοιο,

1 (47) αὐτοῦ κινηθέντος: ὃ δ᾽ ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς.

The arrows rattled on the shoulders of the angry [god Apollo] / as he moved, and he
came like the night.
[Apollo ≈ night] Narrator
Cf. Odyssey Bk 11 #8 (606) ὁ δ᾽ ἐρεμνῇ νυκτὶ ἐοικώς
***

ἤτοι ὅ γ᾽ ὣς εἰπὼν κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζετο: τοῖσι δ᾽ ἀνέστη

ἥρως Ἀτρεΐδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
ἀχνύμενος: μένεος δὲ μέγα φρένες ἀμφιμέλαιναι
2 (104) πίμπλαντ᾽, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐΐκτην.

When [Calchas] had thus spoken, he sat down, and among them arose / the warrior,
son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon, / deeply troubled. With rage his black heart was
wholly / filled, and his eyes were like blazing fire.
[Agamemnon’s eyes ≈ blazing fire] Narrator
NB: Iliad Bk 1 #2 (104) = Odyssey Bk 4 #6 (662)
***
3* (249) τοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή

From whose tongue flowed speech sweeter than honey

[Nestor’s voice ≈ honey] Narrator about Nestor
***
4 (359) καρπαλίμως δ᾽ ἀνέδυ πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἠΰτ᾽ ὀμίχλη.

And speedily [Thetis] came forth from the grey sea like a mist.
[Thetis ≈ mist] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***
For brief comments about these similes see D. Feeney 2014.

* ***

Similes of the Iliad Book 2 (B)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (87) [tribes of Argives ≈ tribes of bees]
#2 (144) [aroused assembly ≈ long waves lashed by winds]
#3 (147) [whole assembly stirred ≈ field of grain stirred by the wind]
#5 (209) [clamor of army ≈ thunder of wave]
#7* (326) [we will take Troy after 9 years ≈ serpent devoured 9 sparrows]
#9 (394) [shouting Argives ≈ crashing wave]
#10 (455) [dazzling gleam of bronze ≈ glare of a consuming fire]
#11 (459) [many tribes of Achaeans ≈ many tribes of birds]
#13 (469) [numerous Achaeans ≈ numerous tribes of flies]
#14 (474) [Achaean leaders ≈ goatherds]
#15 (480) [Agamemnon to warriors ≈ bull to cattle]
#19 (781) [earth groaning under the feet of the army ≈ earth groaning under
Zeus’s lashing]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#4 (190) [an Achaean leader NOT ≈ coward]
#6 (289) [Argives ≈ little children and widows]
#8* (337) [Argives ≈ little boys]
#12 (468) [numberless Achaeans ≈ leaves and flowers in season]
#16 (754) [Titaressus river ≈ olive oil]
#17 (764) [Eumelas’ horses ≈ birds]
#18 (780) [marching Achaean army ≈ fire]
#20 (800) [Achaean army ≈ leaves or sand]
#21 (872) [Nastes decked in gold ornaments ≈ a girl]
***

…ἐπεσσεύοντο δὲ λαοί.
1 (87) ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων ἁδινάων
πέτρης ἐκ γλαφυρῆς αἰεὶ νέον ἐρχομενάων,
βοτρυδὸν δὲ πέτονται ἐπ᾽ ἄνθεσιν εἰαρινοῖσιν:
αἳ μέν τ᾽ ἔνθα ἅλις πεποτήαται, αἳ δέ τε ἔνθα: 90
ὣς τῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων
ἠϊόνος προπάροιθε βαθείης ἐστιχόωντο
ἰλαδὸν εἰς ἀγορήν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But the armies rushed forward, / just like thick tribes of bees / that come from some
hollow rock ever anew / and fly in clusters over the spring flowers, / some darting en
masse here, others there; / even so did their many tribes march in line from ships and
huts / in squads before the broad shore / to the assembly.
[tribes of Argives ≈ tribes of bees] Narrator

See Muellner 1990:66, Feeney 2014:190–194.

***

2 (144) κινήθη δ᾽ ἀγορὴ φὴ κύματα μακρὰ θαλάσσης

πόντου Ἰκαρίοιο, τὰ μέν τ᾽ Εὖρός τε Νότος τε 145
ὤρορ᾽ ἐπαΐξας πατρὸς Διὸς ἐκ νεφελάων.

The assembly was stirred like the long waves of the sea, the Icarian sea, when east
wind and south wind arise darting down from Father Zeus’ clouds.
[aroused assembly ≈ long waves lashed by winds] Narrator
NB φὴ = ὣς
***

3 (147) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κινήσῃ Ζέφυρος βαθὺ λήϊον ἐλθὼν

λάβρος ἐπαιγίζων, ἐπί τ᾽ ἠμύει ἀσταχύεσσιν,
ὣς τῶν πᾶσ᾽ ἀγορὴ κινήθη: τοὶ δ᾽ ἀλαλητῷ
νῆας ἔπ᾽ ἐσσεύοντο, ποδῶν δ᾽ ὑπένερθε κονίη 150
ἵστατ᾽ ἀειρομένη:

As when Zephyrus arrives / rushing rapidly, he stirs a deep field of grain and causes
the ears of grain to droop, / even so their whole assembly was stirred; with a loud
cry / they rushed towards the ships, and the dust from under their feet rose.
[whole assembly stirred ≈ field of grain stirred by the wind] Narrator
***
4 (190) ‘δαιμόνι᾽ οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς δειδίσσεσθαι. 190

‘Dear sir, it is not right to threaten you as if you were a coward.’

[an Achaean leader NOT ≈ coward] Odysseus
***
ὣς ὅ γε κοιρανέων δίεπε στρατόν: οἳ δ᾽ ἀγορὴν δὲ
αὖτις ἐπεσσεύοντο νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων
5 (209) ἠχῇ, ὡς ὅτε κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης
αἰγιαλῷ μεγάλῳ βρέμεται, σμαραγεῖ δέ τε πόντος. 210

Thus masterfully did he range through the army, and they / rushed back to the place of
assembly from their ships and huts / with a clamor, as when a wave of the loud-
resounding sea / thunders on the long beach, and the sea roars.
[clamor of army ≈ thunder of wave] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***
6 (289) ὥς τε γὰρ ἢ παῖδες νεαροὶ χῆραί τε γυναῖκες
ἀλλήλοισιν ὀδύρονται οἶκον δὲ νέεσθαι. 290

‘For like little children or widowed women / [the Argives] wail to one another in
longing to return home.’
[Argives ≈ little children and widows] Odysseus
***
ἔνθ᾽ ἐφάνη μέγα σῆμα: δράκων ἐπὶ νῶτα δαφοινὸς
σμερδαλέος, τόν ῥ᾽ αὐτὸς Ὀλύμπιος ἧκε φόως δέ,
βωμοῦ ὑπαΐξας πρός ῥα πλατάνιστον ὄρουσεν. 310

Then a great portent appeared: a serpent, blood-red on the back, / terrible, which the
Olympian himself had sent forth to the light, / glided from beneath the altar and darted to
the plane-tree.

ἡμῖν μὲν τόδ᾽ ἔφηνε τέρας μέγα μητίετα Ζεὺς

ὄψιμον ὀψιτέλεστον, ὅου κλέος οὔ ποτ᾽ ὀλεῖται. 325
7* (326) ὡς οὗτος κατὰ τέκνα φάγε στρουθοῖο καὶ αὐτὴν
ὀκτώ, ἀτὰρ μήτηρ ἐνάτη ἦν ἣ τέκε τέκνα,
ὣς ἡμεῖς τοσσαῦτ᾽ ἔτεα πτολεμίξομεν αὖθι,
τῷ δεκάτῳ δὲ πόλιν αἱρήσομεν εὐρυάγυιαν.

‘To us Zeus the counsellor has showed this great sign, / late in coming, late in
fulfillment, whose fame shall never perish. / Just as this <serpent> devoured the
sparrow's little ones and [the mother] herself, / eight, and the mother that bore the
children was the ninth, / so shall we make war here for so many years, / but in the
tenth we take the broad-wayed city.’
[we will take Troy after 9 years ≈ serpent devoured 9 sparrows] Calchas

Cf. the bird omen in Book 12 #7 (219), also turned into a simile.
***
8* (337) ‘ὦ πόποι ἦ δὴ παισὶν ἐοικότες ἀγοράασθε
νηπιάχοις οἷς οὔ τι μέλει πολεμήϊα ἔργα.’

‘Enough! You are holding assembly like little boys / that care not for deeds of war.’
[Argives ≈ little boys] Nestor to the Argives
***
9 (394) ὣς ἔφατ᾽, Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγ᾽ ἴαχον ὡς ὅτε κῦμα
ἀκτῇ ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλῇ, ὅτε κινήσῃ Νότος ἐλθών, 395
προβλῆτι σκοπέλῳ: τὸν δ᾽ οὔ ποτε κύματα λείπει
παντοίων ἀνέμων, ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἔνθ᾽ ἢ ἔνθα γένωνται.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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So [Agamemnon] spoke, and the Argives shouted loudly as when a wave / [crashes]
against a high headland, when the south wind comes and stirs / it against a jutting crag
that is never left by the waves / of all the winds that come from this side or from that.
[shouting Argives ≈ crashing wave] Narrator
***
10 (455) ἠΰτε πῦρ ἀΐδηλον ἐπιφλέγει ἄσπετον ὕλην
οὔρεος ἐν κορυφῇς, ἕκαθεν δέ τε φαίνεται αὐγή,
ὣς τῶν ἐρχομένων ἀπὸ χαλκοῦ θεσπεσίοιο
αἴγλη παμφανόωσα δι᾽ αἰθέρος οὐρανὸν ἷκε.

Even as a consuming fire makes an immense forest blaze / on the peaks of a

mountain, and from afar its glare is visible, / even so, as they marched forth, from their
innumerable bronze / the dazzling gleam went up through the sky to the heavens.
[dazzling gleam of bronze ≈ glare of a consuming fire] Narrator
***
11 (459) τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ
χηνῶν ἢ γεράνων ἢ κύκνων δουλιχοδείρων 460
Ἀσίω ἐν λειμῶνι Καϋστρίου ἀμφὶ ῥέεθρα
ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα ποτῶνται ἀγαλλόμενα πτερύγεσσι
κλαγγηδὸν προκαθιζόντων, σμαραγεῖ δέ τε λειμών,
ὣς τῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ νεῶν ἄπο καὶ κλισιάων
ἐς πεδίον προχέοντο Σκαμάνδριον. 465

And as the many tribes of winged birds, / geese or cranes or long-necked swans / on
an Asian meadow by the streams of the Kayster, / flutter this way and that, glorying in
their wings, / and alight with loud shrieks, and the meadow resounds; / even so the
many tribes <of Achaeans> poured forth from ships and huts / onto the plain of
Scamander.
[many tribes <of Achaeans> ≈ many tribes of birds] Narrator

See Muellner 1990:62.

***
ἔσταν δ᾽ ἐν λειμῶνι Σκαμανδρίῳ ἀνθεμόεντι
12 (468) μυρίοι, ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ.

So [the Achaeans] took their stand in the flowery meadow of Scamander, /

numberless, as are the leaves and the flowers in season.
[numberless Achaeans ≈ leaves and flowers in season] Narrator

See Muellner 1990:62.

Cf. Odyssey Bk 9 #1* (51) ἦλθον ἔπειθ᾽ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ
***

13 (469) ἠΰτε μυιάων ἁδινάων ἔθνεα πολλὰ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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αἵ τε κατὰ σταθμὸν ποιμνήϊον ἠλάσκουσιν 470

ὥρῃ ἐν εἰαρινῇ ὅτε τε γλάγος ἄγγεα δεύει,
τόσσοι ἐπὶ Τρώεσσι κάρη κομόωντες Ἀχαιοὶ
ἐν πεδίῳ ἵσταντο διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες.

Even as numerous dense tribes of flies / that swarm to and fro throughout the sheep
fold / in the season of spring, when the milk splashes in the pails, / even in such
numbers stood the long-haired Achaeans / upon the plain against the Trojans, eager
to destroy them.
[numerous Achaeans ≈ numerous tribes of flies] Narrator

Cf. 4.433–435 and 16.641–643 (on which see T. Neal 2006)

***
14 (474) τοὺς δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰπόλια πλατέ᾽ αἰγῶν αἰπόλοι ἄνδρες
ῥεῖα διακρίνωσιν ἐπεί κε νομῷ μιγέωσιν, 475
ὣς τοὺς ἡγεμόνες διεκόσμεον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα
ὑσμίνην δ᾽ ἰέναι.

And even as goatherds separate easily the wide-scattered flocks of goats, / when they
mingle in the pasture, / so their leaders marshalled them on this side and on that / to
enter into the battle.
[Achaean leaders ≈ goatherds] Narrator
***
15 (480) ἠΰτε βοῦς ἀγέληφι μέγ᾽ ἔξοχος ἔπλετο πάντων
ταῦρος: ὃ γάρ τε βόεσσι μεταπρέπει ἀγρομένῃσι:
τοῖον ἄρ᾽ Ἀτρεΐδην θῆκε Ζεὺς ἤματι κείνῳ
ἐκπρεπέ᾽ ἐν πολλοῖσι καὶ ἔξοχον ἡρώεσσιν.

Even as an ox among the herd is pre-eminent among all, a bull, as he is conspicuous

among the gathering cattle, even so Zeus made the son of Atreus on that day /
conspicuous among many, and pre-eminent among the warriors.
[Agamemnon to warriors ≈ bull to cattle] Narrator
***
οὐδ᾽ ὅ γε Πηνειῷ συμμίσγεται ἀργυροδίνῃ,
16 (754) ἀλλά τέ μιν καθύπερθεν ἐπιρρέει ἠΰτ᾽ ἔλαιον:
ὅρκου γὰρ δεινοῦ Στυγὸς ὕδατός ἐστιν ἀπορρώξ. 755

Yet he <the Titaressus river> does not mingle with the silver eddies of Peneius, / but
flows on over his waters like olive oil; / for he is a branch of the water of Styx, the
dread river of oath.
[Titaressus river ≈ olive oil] Narrator
***
ἵπποι μὲν μέγ᾽ ἄρισται ἔσαν Φηρητιάδαο,
17 (764) τὰς Εὔμηλος ἔλαυνε ποδώκεας ὄρνιθας ὣς.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὄτριχας οἰέτεας σταφύλῇ ἐπὶ νῶτον ἐΐσας. 765

Of horses best by far were the mares of the son of Pheres, / those that Eumelas drove,
swift as birds, with like hair, of the same age, equal in height to a hair.
[Eumelas’ horses ≈ birds] Narrator
***
18 (780) οἳ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴσαν ὡς εἴ τε πυρὶ χθὼν πᾶσα νέμοιτο.

So they <Achaean army> marched then as if all the land were swept with fire.
[marching Achaean army ≈ fire] Narrator
***
19 (781) γαῖα δ᾽ ὑπεστενάχιζε Διὶ ὣς τερπικεραύνῳ
χωομένῳ ὅτε τ᾽ ἀμφὶ Τυφωέϊ γαῖαν ἱμάσσῃ
εἰν Ἀρίμοις, ὅθι φασὶ Τυφωέος ἔμμεναι εὐνάς:
ὣς ἄρα τῶν ὑπὸ ποσσὶ μέγα στεναχίζετο γαῖα
ἐρχομένων. 785

And the earth groaned beneath them, as beneath Zeus who delights in the
thunderbolt / in his wrath, when he lashes the earth about Typhoeus / in the country of
the Arimi, where men say is the couch of Typhoeus. / Even so the earth groaned
greatly beneath their feet as they went.
[earth groaning under the feet of the army ≈ earth groaning under Zeus’ lashing]
Narrator

See Lowell, 2011:17–63.

***
ἀλλ᾽ οὔ πω τοιόνδε τοσόνδέ τε λαὸν ὄπωπα:
20 (800) λίην γὰρ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἢ ψαμάθοισιν 800
ἔρχονται πεδίοιο μαχησόμενοι προτὶ ἄστυ.

‘But never yet have I seen an army so fine and so great; / for they are most like to
leaves or sands, / as they march over the plain to fight against the city.’
[Achaean army ≈ leaves or sand] Iris disguised as Polites
***
τῶν μὲν ἄρ᾽ Ἀμφίμαχος καὶ Νάστης ἡγησάσθην, 870
Νάστης Ἀμφίμαχός τε Νομίονος ἀγλαὰ τέκνα,
21 (872) ὃς καὶ χρυσὸν ἔχων πόλεμον δ᾽ ἴεν ἠΰτε κούρη
νήπιος, οὐδέ τί οἱ τό γ᾽ ἐπήρκεσε λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐδάμη ὑπὸ χερσὶ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο
ἐν ποταμῷ, χρυσὸν δ᾽ Ἀχιλεὺς ἐκόμισσε δαΐφρων. 875

Amphimachus and Nastes led them, Nastes and Amphimachus, the glorious sons of
Nomion. / And he came to the war all decked with gold, like a girl, / fool that he was;

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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but his gold in no way prevented bitter destruction. / He was slain beneath the hands of
the swift-footed son of Aeacus / in the river; and fiery-hearted Achilles took the gold.
[Nastes decked in gold ornaments ≈ a girl] Narrator
***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

The dream as Nestor:

20* στῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς Νηληΐῳ υἷι ἐοικώς
Νέστορι, τόν ῥα μάλιστα γερόντων τῖ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων:
τῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος προσεφώνεε θεῖος ὄνειρος

[The Dream] stood over the head [of Agamemnon] like the son of Neleus / Nestor,
whom above all elders Agamemnon held in honor / likening himself to him the divine
dream spoke.
***
57* μάλιστα δὲ Νέστορι δίῳ
εἶδός τε μέγεθός τε φυήν τ᾽ ἄγχιστα ἐῴκει:

And most of all it was like divine Nestor / in form and size and build.
***
Athena as a herald:
παρὰ δὲ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη
280* `εἰδομένη κήρυκι σιωπᾶν λαὸν ἀνώγει

And by his side flashing-eyed Athena / in the likeness of a herald commanded the
army to keep silent.
***
Iris as Polites:
ἀγχοῦ δ᾽ ἱσταμένη προσέφη πόδας ὠκέα Ἶρις: 790
791* εἴσατο δὲ φθογγὴν υἷϊ Πριάμοιο Πολίτῃ,
ὃς Τρώων σκοπὸς ἷζε ποδωκείῃσι πεποιθὼς
τύμβῳ ἐπ᾽ ἀκροτάτῳ Αἰσυήταο γέροντος,
δέγμενος ὁππότε ναῦφιν ἀφορμηθεῖεν Ἀχαιοί:
τῷ μιν ἐεισαμένη προσέφη πόδας ὠκέα Ἶρις: 795

And swift-footed Iris stood near and spoke to them; / and she made her voice like that
of Polites, son of Priam, / who used to sit as a sentinel of the Trojans, trusting in his
fleetness of foot, / on the topmost part of the barrow of aged Aesyetes, / waiting until the
Achaeans should sally forth from their ships. Likening herself to him swifted-footed
Iris spoke to [Priam].
[Iris ≈ Polites (in voice)]
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Divine Comparisons:

Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον (169*), ‘god-like Odysseus’ (335*), Ὀδυσῆα

Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον (407*).
***
μετὰ δὲ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
478 ὄμματα καὶ κεφαλὴν ἴκελος Διὶ τερπικεραύνῳ,
Ἄρεϊ δὲ ζώνην, στέρνον δὲ Ποσειδάωνι.

Lord Agamemnon among them / his eyes and head like Zeus who hurls the
thunderbolt, / his waist like Ares and his chest like Poseidon.
[Agamemnon ≈ Zeus (eyes and head), Ares (waist), Poseidon (chest)] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

***

Similes of the Iliad Book 3 (Γ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#2 (3) [shrieking Trojans ≈ shrieking cranes]
#3 (10) [dense dust ≈ fog]
#6 (23) [Menelaus to Paris ≈ lion to stag or goat]
#7 (33) [Alexander (Paris) seeing Menelaus ≈ a man who sees a snake]
#8 (60) [Hector’s heart ≈ axe]
#9 (151) [speakers (leaders of the Trojans) ≈ cicadas]
#11 (197) [Odysseus > men ≈ ram > ewes]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (2) [shrieking Trojans ≈ birds]
#4* (11) [fog ≈ night]
#5* (12) (hosson/tosson) [visibility distance ≈ stone’s throw distance]
#10 (196) [Odysseus ≈ lead ram]
#12* (219) [Odysseus ≈ an ignorant man]
#13 (222) [Odysseus’ words ≈ snow-flakes]
#14 (449) [Menelaus ≈ wild animal]
#15* (454) [Paris/Alexander ≈ black death]

***

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κόσμηθεν ἅμ᾽ ἡγεμόνεσσιν ἕκαστοι,

1 (2) Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽ ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν ὄρνιθες ὣς

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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2 (3) ἠΰτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων πέλει οὐρανόθι πρό:

αἵ τ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν χειμῶνα φύγον καὶ ἀθέσφατον ὄμβρον
κλαγγῇ ταί γε πέτονται ἐπ᾽ ὠκεανοῖο ῥοάων 5
ἀνδράσι Πυγμαίοισι φόνον καὶ κῆρα φέρουσαι:
ἠέριαι δ᾽ ἄρα ταί γε κακὴν ἔριδα προφέρονται.

But when they each were arrayed with their commanders, the Trojans with a shriek
and a battle cry advanced like birds / just as the shriek of cranes goes forth to
heaven / when they flee winter and indescribable rain / and fly with a shriek over the
streams of Ocean / bringing slaughter and death on Pygmy men; high in the air they
bring evil strife.
#1 (2) [shrieking Trojans ≈ birds]
#2 (3) [shrieking Trojans ≈ shrieking cranes] Narrator

See Muellner 1990 passim.

***
3 (10) εὖτ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφῇσι Νότος κατέχευεν ὀμίχλην 10
4* (11) ποιμέσιν οὔ τι φίλην, κλέπτῃ δέ τε νυκτὸς ἀμείνω,
5* (12) τόσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἐπιλεύσσει ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ λᾶαν ἵησιν:
ὣς ἄρα τῶν ὑπὸ ποσσὶ κονίσαλος ὄρνυτ᾽ ἀελλὴς
ἐρχομένων: μάλα δ᾽ ὦκα διέπρησσον πεδίοιο.

As when the South Wind spreads a fog upon the mountain tops, / not at all dear to
shepherds but better than night for a thief, / and one can see (so far) as far as he
can throw a stone, / even so rose the dense dust of the storm / of those advancing;
and very quickly they crossed the plain.
#3 (10) [dense dust ≈ fog]
#4* (11) [fog ≈ night]
#5* (12) [visibility distance ≈ stone’s throw distance] Narrator

See the reference to Nannini 2003 at end of this chapter.

***
τὸν δ᾽ ὡς οὖν ἐνόησεν ἀρηΐφιλος Μενέλαος
ἐρχόμενον προπάροιθεν ὁμίλου μακρὰ βιβάντα,
6 (23) ὥς τε λέων ἐχάρη μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ σώματι κύρσας
εὑρὼν ἢ ἔλαφον κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα
πεινάων: μάλα γάρ τε κατεσθίει, εἴ περ ἂν αὐτὸν 25
σεύωνται ταχέες τε κύνες θαλεροί τ᾽ αἰζηοί:
ὣς ἐχάρη Μενέλαος Ἀλέξανδρον θεοειδέα
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδών: φάτο γὰρ τίσεσθαι ἀλείτην:

When Menelaus dear to Ares noticed him / coming forth before the ranks with long
strides, / as a lion is glad that lights on a large carcass / and finds a horned stag or wild
goat / while being hungry and he indeed devours it, even though / swift dogs and

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energetic youths might set upon him, / even thus was Menelaus glad when his eyes
caught sight of god-like Alexander, / for he thought that now he would be revenged on a
sinner.
[Menelaus to Paris ≈ lion to stag or goat] Narrator

See M. Clarke 1995:146–147.

***
7 (33) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε δράκοντα ἰδὼν παλίνορσος ἀπέστη
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς, ὑπό τε τρόμος ἔλλαβε γυῖα,
ἂψ δ᾽ ἀνεχώρησεν, ὦχρός τέ μιν εἷλε παρειάς, 35
ὣς αὖτις καθ᾽ ὅμιλον ἔδυ Τρώων ἀγερώχων
δείσας Ἀτρέος υἱὸν Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής.

As when a man seeing a snake springs back and stands away / in mountain glades,
and trembling seizes his limbs beneath him / and he retreats and pallor comes over his
cheeks, / even so did god-like Alexander plunge back into the throng of lordly Trojans,
/ terror-stricken at [the sight of] the son Atreus.
[Alexander (Paris) seeing Menelaus ≈ a man who sees a snake] Narrator

Sed S. R. van der Mije 2011:372–373.

***
8 (60) αἰεί τοι κραδίη πέλεκυς ὥς ἐστιν ἀτειρὴς
ὅς τ᾽ εἶσιν διὰ δουρὸς ὑπ᾽ ἀνέρος ὅς ῥά τε τέχνῃ
νήϊον ἐκτάμνῃσιν, ὀφέλλει δ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἐρωήν:
ὣς σοὶ ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἀτάρβητος νόος ἐστί:

‘Your <Hector’s> heart is always unyielding like an axe / that is driven through a beam
by a man who skillfully / hews out a ship's timber, and it increases the man’s force; /
even so is the heart in your breast undaunted.’
[Hector’s heart ≈ axe] Alexander (Paris)

Note: The two tenors, κραδίη and νόος, are synonyms as used here.
***
γήραϊ δὴ πολέμοιο πεπαυμένοι, ἀλλ᾽ ἀγορηταὶ 150
9 (151) ἐσθλοί, τεττίγεσσιν ἐοικότες οἵ τε καθ᾽ ὕλην
δενδρέῳ ἐφεζόμενοι ὄπα λειριόεσσαν ἱεῖσι:
τοῖοι ἄρα Τρώων ἡγήτορες ἧντ᾽ ἐπὶ πύργῳ.

Because of old age having ceased from war, but excellent speakers, / like cicadas that
in a forest / sitting upon a tree pour out their lily-like voice; / even so the leaders of the
Trojans sat upon the tower.
[speakers (leaders of the Trojans) ≈ cicadas] Narrator

See W. B. Stanford 1969.

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***

10 (196) αὐτὸς δὲ κτίλος ὣς ἐπιπωλεῖται στίχας ἀνδρῶν:

11 (197) ἀρνειῷ μιν ἔγωγε ἐΐσκω πηγεσιμάλλῳ,
ὅς τ᾽ οἰῶν μέγα πῶϋ διέρχεται ἀργεννάων.

‘But he <Odysseus> goes himself around like the lead ram through the ranks of men.
/ I compare him to a ram, a ram of thick fleece, that goes through a great flock of white
ewes.’
#10 (196) [Odysseus ≈ lead ram]
#11 (197) [Odysseus > men ≈ ram > ewes] Priam
***
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ πολύμητις ἀναΐξειεν Ὀδυσσεὺς
στάσκεν, ὑπαὶ δὲ ἴδεσκε κατὰ χθονὸς ὄμματα πήξας,
σκῆπτρον δ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ὀπίσω οὔτε προπρηνὲς ἐνώμα,
12* (219) ἀλλ᾽ ἀστεμφὲς ἔχεσκεν ἀΐδρεϊ φωτὶ ἐοικώς:
φαίης κε ζάκοτόν τέ τιν᾽ ἔμμεναι ἄφρονά τ᾽ αὔτως. 200
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ ὄπα τε μεγάλην ἐκ στήθεος εἵη
13 (222) καὶ ἔπεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίῃσιν,
οὐκ ἂν ἔπειτ᾽ Ὀδυσῆΐ γ᾽ ἐρίσσειε βροτὸς ἄλλος:

‘But whenever wily Odysseus would arise, / he would stand and look down with his
eyes fixed on the ground. / He would move the staff neither forward nor backward, / but
he would hold the staff stiffly like an ignorant man. / You would say he was a surly
man or a fool. / But when [he uttered] his great voice from his chest / and words like
winter snow-flakes, / then no other mortal man could contend with Odysseus.’
#12* (219) [Odysseus ≈ an ignorant man]
#13 (222) [Odysseus’ words ≈ snow-flakes] Priam

See Held 1995.

***
14 (449) Ἀτρεΐδης δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἐφοίτα θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
εἴ που ἐσαθρήσειεν Ἀλέξανδρον θεοειδέα. 450

The son of Atreus <Menelaus> strode among the throng like a wild animal / [to see]
if he might somewhere catch sight of god-like Alexander.
[Menelaus ≈ wild animal] Narrator
***
15* (454) ἶσον γάρ σφιν πᾶσιν ἀπήχθετο κηρὶ μελαίνῃ.

[Paris/Alexander] was hated by all equal to black death.

[Paris/Alexander ≈ black death] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

Iris ≈ Laodice:
Ἶρις δ᾽ αὖθ᾽ Ἑλένῃ λευκωλένῳ ἄγγελος ἦλθεν
122* εἰδομένη γαλόῳ Ἀντηνορίδαο δάμαρτι,
τὴν Ἀντηνορίδης εἶχε κρείων Ἑλικάων
Λαοδίκην Πριάμοιο θυγατρῶν εἶδος ἀρίστην.

But Iris went as a messenger to white-armed Helen, / in the likeness of her

husband's sister, the wife of Antenor's son, / whom Antenor’s son lord Helicaon had
[for a wife], / Laodice, the fairest of Priam’s daughters.

Aphrodite ≈ an old woman:

386* γρηῒ δέ μιν ἐϊκυῖα παλαιγενέϊ προσέειπεν
εἰροκόμῳ, ἥ οἱ Λακεδαίμονι ναιετοώσῃ
ἤσκειν εἴρια καλά, μάλιστα δέ μιν φιλέεσκε:
τῇ μιν ἐεισαμένη προσεφώνεε δῖ᾽ Ἀφροδίτη:

In the likeness of an old woman, a wool-comber, she spoke to her <Helen> / who
used to card the fair wool for her when she lived in Lacedaimon / and whom she
especially loved / in her likeness goddess Aphrodite spoke to her.
***
Divine Comparisons:

158* αἰνῶς ἀθανάτῃσι θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἔοικεν: 158

‘She is dreadfully like immortal goddesses in the face.’

[Helen ≈ goddesses] Trojan elders speaking about Helen

230 Ἰδομενεὺς δ᾽ ἑτέρωθεν ἐνὶ Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὣς

ἕστηκ᾽, ἀμφὶ δέ μιν Κρητῶν ἀγοὶ ἠγερέθονται.

Idomeneus on the other side amid the Cretans stood like a god, / and about him were
gathered the leaders of the Cretans.
[Idomeneus ≈ a god] Helen

Lee listed counted this as a simile (along with twelve other places where the phrase
appears in the Iliad).

***
Nannini 2003:Chapter One 7–47 examines similes with an 'external observer/spectator'.
N. contends that such similes are a unique feature of the Iliad, where they typically take

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

the form of pastoral comparisons in which the figure of the shepherd/goatherd cannot be
identified with a character in the simile's direct context. This figure is 'external' to the
simile in the sense that it 'inserts itself between tenor and vehicle'. In the analyses of
Iliadic similes that follow, N. demonstrates that the shepherds in all cases assume a role
of 'observer', to which she assigns a number of different communicative functions:
controlling the audience's pathos, distantiation of the audience from the heroic world,
comment on the action of the main narrative, metapoetic comment etc.
For example, the presence of the shepherd and the thief in Iliad Book 3 lines 10 –
12 cannot be equated with a point of view in the main narrative. The cloud of dust
thrown up by the advancing army (tenor) corresponds to the fog on the mountains
(vehicle) — but what about the thief who profits from the weather and the shepherd who
watches with apprehension? Their singularity makes them a locus for authorial
comment on the narrative's main action: shepherd and thief illustrate 'the continuous
alternation between winners and losers in the natural course of events'.
http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2004/2004-12-02.html#t3

* **
Similes of the Iliad Book 4 (Δ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (75) [Athena ≈ gleaming star]
#2 (130) [Athena kept arrow from Menelaus ≈ a mother keeps fly from child]
#3 (141) [Menelaus’ thighs stained with blood ≈ ivory stained with scarlet]
#4 (243) [Argives ≈ fawns]
#6 (275) [Achaean phalanxes ≈ a cloud blacker than pitch]
#8 (422) [battalions of Danaans ≈ waves of the sea]
#9 (433) [clamor of the Trojans ≈ bleating of ewes]
#10 (452) [shouting and toil of Trojans and Greeks ≈ thunder of rivers in winter]
#13 (482) [fallen Simoeisios ≈ felled poplar tree]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#5 (253) [Idomeneus ≈ wild boar]
#7* (277) [a dark cloud ≈ blacker than pitch]
#11 (462) [Echepolus ≈ falling tower]
#12 (471) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ wolves]

***
1 (75) οἷον δ᾽ ἀστέρα ἧκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω
ἢ ναύτῃσι τέρας ἠὲ στρατῷ εὐρέϊ λαῶν
λαμπρόν: τοῦ δέ τε πολλοὶ ἀπὸ σπινθῆρες ἵενται:
τῷ ἐϊκυῖ᾽ ἤϊξεν ἐπὶ χθόνα Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη,
κὰδ δ᾽ ἔθορ᾽ ἐς μέσσον: θάμβος δ᾽ ἔχεν εἰσορόωντας
Τρῶάς θ᾽ ἱπποδάμους καὶ ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς. 80

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

Just as the son of crooked-counselling Cronus sends a star / to be a portent either for
seamen or for a wide army of warriors, / a gleaming star, and from it many sparks fly; /
like this Pallas Athena darted to earth, / and down she leaped into their midst; and
amazement came on those that saw, / both on horse-taming Trojans and well-greaved
Achaeans.
[Athena ≈ gleaming star] Narrator
***
2 (130) ἣ δὲ τόσον μὲν ἔεργεν ἀπὸ χροὸς ὡς ὅτε μήτηρ 130
παιδὸς ἐέργῃ μυῖαν ὅθ᾽ ἡδέϊ λέξεται ὕπνῳ.

She <Athena> kept [an arrow] just away from the flesh, as when a mother / keeps
away a fly from her child when he lies in sweet slumber.
[Athena kept arrow from Menelaus ≈ a mother keeps fly from child] Narrator

See Dué and Ebbott 2012:8–9.

***
3 (141) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τ᾽ ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ
Μῃονὶς ἠὲ Κάειρα παρήϊον ἔμμεναι ἵππων:
κεῖται δ᾽ ἐν θαλάμῳ, πολέες τέ μιν ἠρήσαντο
ἱππῆες φορέειν: βασιλῆϊ δὲ κεῖται ἄγαλμα,
ἀμφότερον κόσμός θ᾽ ἵππῳ ἐλατῆρί τε κῦδος: 145
τοῖοί τοι Μενέλαε μιάνθην αἵματι μηροὶ
εὐφυέες κνῆμαί τε ἰδὲ σφυρὰ κάλ᾽ ὑπένερθε.

As when a woman stains ivory with scarlet, / some woman of Maeonia or Caria, to be
a cheek-piece for horses, / and it lies in a treasure-chamber, and many horsemen pray /
to wear it; but it lies there as a king's treasure, / both an ornament for his horse and to
its driver a glory; / such, Menelaus, were your shapely thighs stained with blood, /
and your legs and your fair ankles beneath.
[Menelaus’ thighs stained with blood ≈ ivory stained with scarlet] Narrator
***
4 (243) τίφθ᾽ οὕτως ἔστητε τεθηπότες ἠΰτε νεβροί,
αἵ τ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔκαμον πολέος πεδίοιο θέουσαι
ἑστᾶσ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ἄρα τίς σφι μετὰ φρεσὶ γίγνεται ἀλκή: 245
ὣς ὑμεῖς ἔστητε τεθηπότες οὐδὲ μάχεσθε.

‘Why is it that you stand so dazed, like fawns / that, when they have grown weary with
running over a wide plain, / stand still, and in their hearts is no valor? / Thus you stand
dazed and do not fight.’
[Argives ≈ fawns] Agamemnon
***
5 (253) Ἰδομενεὺς μὲν ἐνὶ προμάχοις συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκήν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

Idomeneus [was] amid the foremost fighters like a wild boar in valor.
[Idomeneus ≈ wild boar] Narrator
***
6 (275) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδεν νέφος αἰπόλος ἀνὴρ
ἐρχόμενον κατὰ πόντον ὑπὸ Ζεφύροιο ἰωῆς:
7* (277) τῷ δέ τ᾽ ἄνευθεν ἐόντι μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα
φαίνετ᾽ ἰὸν κατὰ πόντον, ἄγει δέ τε λαίλαπα πολλήν,
ῥίγησέν τε ἰδών, ὑπό τε σπέος ἤλασε μῆλα;
τοῖαι ἅμ᾽ Αἰάντεσσι διοτρεφέων αἰζηῶν 280
δήϊον ἐς πόλεμον πυκιναὶ κίνυντο φάλαγγες
κυάνεαι, σάκεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσι πεφρικυῖαι.

As when from some lookout place a goatherd sees a cloud / coming over the face of
the sea before the blast of Zephyrus, / and to him being far off it seems blacker than
pitch / as it passes over the deep, and it brings a mighty whirlwind; / and he shudders
at sight of it, and drives his flocks beneath a cave; / such were the phalanxes of Zeus-
nourished men / moving by the side of the Ajaxes / dark and closely packed, into furious
battle, bristling with shields and spears.
#6 (275) [Achaean phalanxes ≈ a cloud blacker than pitch]
#7* (277) [a dark cloud ≈ blacker than pitch] Narrator
***
8 (422) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν αἰγιαλῷ πολυηχέϊ κῦμα θαλάσσης
ὄρνυτ᾽ ἐπασσύτερον Ζεφύρου ὕπο κινήσαντος:
πόντῳ μέν τε πρῶτα κορύσσεται, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
χέρσῳ ῥηγνύμενον μεγάλα βρέμει, ἀμφὶ δέ τ᾽ ἄκρας 425
κυρτὸν ἐὸν κορυφοῦται, ἀποπτύει δ᾽ ἁλὸς ἄχνην:
ὣς τότ᾽ ἐπασσύτεραι Δαναῶν κίνυντο φάλαγγες
νωλεμέως πόλεμον δέ.

As when on a beach resounding [with surf] waves of the sea / rise, one after another,
before the driving Zephyrus; / out on the deep at the first [each wave] is gathered in a
crest, but thereafter / when broken upon the land it thunders aloud, and round about the
headlands / it swells and rears its head, and spews forth the sea’s foam: / so then did
the battalions of the Danaans move, / one after another, without cease, into battle.
[battalions of Danaans ≈ waves of the sea] Narrator
***

9 (433) Τρῶες δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ὄϊες πολυπάμονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν αὐλῇ

μυρίαι ἑστήκασιν ἀμελγόμεναι γάλα λευκὸν
ἀζηχὲς μεμακυῖαι ἀκούουσαι ὄπα ἀρνῶν, 435
ὣς Τρώων ἀλαλητὸς ἀνὰ στρατὸν εὐρὺν ὀρώρει:
οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἦεν ὁμὸς θρόος οὐδ᾽ ἴα γῆρυς,
ἀλλὰ γλῶσσα μέμικτο, πολύκλητοι δ᾽ ἔσαν ἄνδρες.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But the Trojans, just as ewes in the farm-yard of a man of great wealth / stand in
throngs past counting to be milked of their white milk, / and bleat without ceasing as
they hear the voices of their lambs: / so arose the clamor of the Trojans throughout
the wide host; / for they had not all like speech or one language, / but their tongues were
mingled, and they were men summoned from many lands.
[clamor of the Trojans ≈ bleating of ewes] Narrator
***
10 (452) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε χείμαρροι ποταμοὶ κατ᾽ ὄρεσφι ῥέοντες
ἐς μισγάγκειαν συμβάλλετον ὄβριμον ὕδωρ
κρουνῶν ἐκ μεγάλων κοίλης ἔντοσθε χαράδρης,
τῶν δέ τε τηλόσε δοῦπον ἐν οὔρεσιν ἔκλυε ποιμήν: 455
ὣς τῶν μισγομένων γένετο ἰαχή τε πόνος τε.

As when rivers in winter, flowing down the mountains / to a place where two valleys
meet, join the mighty floods / from their great springs in a deep gorge, / and far off in the
mountains the shepherd hears the thunder thereof; / so from the joining of these [in
battle] came shouting and toil.
[shouting and toil of Trojans and Greeks ≈ thunder of rivers in winter]
Narrator
***
τόν ῥ᾽ ἔβαλε πρῶτος κόρυθος φάλον ἱπποδασείης,
ἐν δὲ μετώπῳ πῆξε, πέρησε δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὀστέον εἴσω 460
αἰχμὴ χαλκείη: τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψεν,
11 (462) ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε πύργος ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ.

[Antilochus] first struck him <Echepolus> upon the horn of his helmet with crest of
horse-hair, / and drove [the spear] into his forehead, and into the bone passed / the
point of bronze; and darkness enfolded his eyes, / and he fell as when a tower <falls>
in a mighty conflict.
[Echepolus ≈ falling tower] Narrator
***
ὣς τὸν μὲν λίπε θυμός, ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ δ᾽ ἔργον ἐτύχθη
12 (471) ἀργαλέον Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν: οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
ἀλλήλοις ἐπόρουσαν, ἀνὴρ δ᾽ ἄνδρ᾽ ἐδνοπάλιζεν.

So his spirit left him, and over his body the onerous work / of Trojans and Achaeans
continued. Like wolves / they leaped on one another, and man attacked man.
[Trojans and Achaeans ≈ wolves] Narrator
***

πρῶτον γάρ μιν ἰόντα βάλε στῆθος παρὰ μαζὸν 480

δεξιόν: ἀντικρὺ δὲ δι᾽ ὤμου χάλκεον ἔγχος
13 (482) ἦλθεν: ὁ δ᾽ ἐν κονίῃσι χαμαὶ πέσεν αἴγειρος ὣς
ἥ ῥά τ᾽ ἐν εἱαμενῇ ἕλεος μεγάλοιο πεφύκει

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

λείη, ἀτάρ τέ οἱ ὄζοι ἐπ᾽ ἀκροτάτῃ πεφύασι:

τὴν μέν θ᾽ ἁρματοπηγὸς ἀνὴρ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ 485
ἐξέταμ᾽, ὄφρα ἴτυν κάμψῃ περικαλλέϊ δίφρῳ:
ἣ μέν τ᾽ ἀζομένη κεῖται ποταμοῖο παρ᾽ ὄχθας.

For [Telemonian Ajax] first struck him <Simoeisios> on the right breast beside the nipple
as he advanced; / and clean through his shoulder went the spear of bronze, / and he
fell to the ground in the dust like a poplar tree / that has grown up in the bottom land of
a great marsh, / smooth, but at the very top of it branches grow: / a chariot builder has
cut down this [tree] with the gleaming iron / that he might bend a wheel rim for a
beautiful chariot, / and it lies drying by a river's banks.
[fallen Simoeisios ≈ felled poplar tree] Narrator
***
Similar Rhetorical Figure

Transformations and Disguise:

86* ‘ἣ δ᾽ ἀνδρὶ ἰκέλη Τρώων κατεδύσεθ᾽ ὅμιλον

Λαοδόκῳ Ἀντηνορίδῃ κρατερῷ αἰχμητῇ,
Πάνδαρον ἀντίθεον διζημένη εἴ που ἐφεύροι.

But she <Athena> entered the throng of the Trojans in the guise of a man, /
Laodocus, son of Antenor, a valiant spearman, / seeking if she could find god-
like Pandarus.

* **
Similes of the Iliad Book 5 (Ε)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (5) [flame from Diomedes' helmet and shield ≈ star of harvest time]
#2 (87) [son of Tydeus ≈ flooding river in winter]
#3 (136) [fury of Diomedes against Trojans ≈ fury of wounded lion against sheep]
#4 (161) [Diomedes against Echemmon & Chromius ≈ lion against heifer or cow]
#8 (499) [Achaeans growing white ≈ chaff growing white]
#9 (522) [Danaans ≈ motionless clouds]
#10 (554) [Diocles’ twin sons subdued by Aeneas ≈ two lions subdued by axe
men]
#12 (597) [Diomedes ≈ man startled by a swift river]
#13 (ὅσσον/τόσσον) (770) [springing distance of horses of the gods ≈ distance a
man sees into a haze]
#16 (ὅσσόν) (860) [Ares’ bellow ≈ the cry of 9000–10,000 men in battle]
#17 (οἵη/τοῖος) (864) [Ares ≈ black mist]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

#18 (902) [blood of Ares’ wound ≈ milk curdled by fig juice]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#5 (299) [Aeneas ≈ lion]
#6 (476) [Hector’s sisters' husbands and his brothers ≈ dogs around a lion]
#7 (487) [Hector and Trojans ≈ someone snared in flax]
#11 (560) [Diocles’ twin sons, Crethon and Orsilochus ≈ fir-trees]
#14 (778) [Athena and Hera ≈ timorous doves]
#15 (782) [Argives around Diomedes ≈ carnivorous lions and wild boars]

* ***
*
δαῖέ οἱ ἐκ κόρυθός τε καὶ ἀσπίδος ἀκάματον πῦρ
1 (5) ἀστέρ᾽ ὀπωρινῷ ἐναλίγκιον, ὅς τε μάλιστα
λαμπρὸν παμφαίνῃσι λελουμένος ὠκεανοῖο:

She <Athena> kindled from his <Diomedes’> helmet and shield an unwearying flame, /
like the star of harvest time that shines bright above all others / when it has bathed in
the stream of Ocean.
[flame from Diomedes' helmet and shield ≈ star of harvest time] Narrator
***
2 (87) θῦνε γὰρ ἂμ πεδίον ποταμῷ πλήθοντι ἐοικὼς
χειμάρρῳ, ὅς τ᾽ ὦκα ῥέων ἐκέδασσε γεφύρας:
τὸν δ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἄρ τε γέφυραι ἐεργμέναι ἰσχανόωσιν,
οὔτ᾽ ἄρα ἕρκεα ἴσχει ἀλωάων ἐριθηλέων 90
ἐλθόντ᾽ ἐξαπίνης ὅτ᾽ ἐπιβρίσῃ Διὸς ὄμβρος:
πολλὰ δ᾽ ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἔργα κατήριπε κάλ᾽ αἰζηῶν:
ὣς ὑπὸ Τυδεΐδῃ πυκιναὶ κλονέοντο φάλαγγες
Τρώων, οὐδ᾽ ἄρα μιν μίμνον πολέες περ ἐόντες.

For he stormed across the plain like a river in winter at the full, / that with its swift flood
sweeps away the embankments; / the close-fenced embankments do not hold it back, /
neither do the fences of the fruitful vineyards stay / its sudden coming when the rain of
Zeus drives it on; / and before it in multitudes the fair works of men fall in ruin. / Even so
before the son of Tydeus the thick phalanxes of the Trojans were driven in rout, / and
they did not withstand him despite being so many.
[son of Tydeus ≈ flooding river in winter] Narrator
***
3 (136) δὴ τότε μιν τρὶς τόσσον ἕλεν μένος ὥς τε λέοντα
ὅν ῥά τε ποιμὴν ἀγρῷ ἐπ᾽ εἰροπόκοις ὀΐεσσι
χραύσῃ μέν τ᾽ αὐλῆς ὑπεράλμενον οὐδὲ δαμάσσῃ:
τοῦ μέν τε σθένος ὦρσεν, ἔπειτα δέ τ᾽ οὐ προσαμύνει,
ἀλλὰ κατὰ σταθμοὺς δύεται, τὰ δ᾽ ἐρῆμα φοβεῖται: 140
αἳ μέν τ᾽ ἀγχιστῖναι ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλῃσι κέχυνται,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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αὐτὰρ ὃ ἐμμεμαὼς βαθέης ἐξάλλεται αὐλῆς:

ὣς μεμαὼς Τρώεσσι μίγη κρατερὸς Διομήδης.

Now indeed fury three times as great took him, even as [it takes] a lion / that a
shepherd in the field, guarding his fleecy sheep, / has wounded as he leaped over the
wall of the sheep-fold, but has not subdued; / he has roused his might, but thereafter
makes no more defense, / but [the lion] went among the farm buildings, and the
deserted flock is driven in rout, / and the sheep heaped up, very near each other, / but
the lion eagerly leaps out of the high fold; / even so mighty Diomedes eagerly engaged
the Trojans.
[fury of Diomedes against Trojans ≈ fury of wounded lion against sheep] Narrator
***
4 (161) ὡς δὲ λέων ἐν βουσὶ θορὼν ἐξ αὐχένα ἄξῃ
πόρτιος ἠὲ βοὸς ξύλοχον κάτα βοσκομενάων,
ὣς τοὺς ἀμφοτέρους ἐξ ἵππων Τυδέος υἱὸς
βῆσε κακῶς ἀέκοντας, ἔπειτα δὲ τεύχε᾽ ἐσύλα:

Even as a lion leaps among the cattle and breaks the neck / of a heifer or a cow as they
graze in a woodland pasture, / so the son of Tydeus threw both <Echemmon and
Chromius> / violently [and] unwillingly from their chariot, then stripped their armor.
[Diomedes against Echemmon and Chromius ≈ lion against heifer or cow] Narrator
***
5 (299) ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῷ βαῖνε λέων ὣς ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς.

Over him <Pandarus>, [Aeneas] strode like a lion confident in his strength.
[Aeneas ≈ lion] Narrator
***
6 (476) ἀλλὰ καταπτώσσουσι κύνες ὣς ἀμφὶ λέοντα.

‘But they cower like dogs around a lion.’

[Hector’s sisters' husbands and his brothers ≈ dogs around a lion] Sarpedon
***
7 (487) μή πως ὡς ἀψῖσι λίνου ἁλόντε πανάγρου
ἀνδράσι δυσμενέεσσιν ἕλωρ καὶ κύρμα γένησθε:

‘Beware that you <Hector and the other Trojans>, as if caught in the meshes of all-
ensnaring flax, / become a prey and spoil for your enemy.’
[Hector and Trojans ≈ someone snared in flax] Sarpedon
***
8 (499) ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ἄχνας φορέει ἱερὰς κατ᾽ ἀλωὰς
ἀνδρῶν λικμώντων, ὅτε τε ξανθὴ Δημήτηρ 500
κρίνῃ ἐπειγομένων ἀνέμων καρπόν τε καὶ ἄχνας,
αἳ δ᾽ ὑπολευκαίνονται ἀχυρμιαί: ὣς τότ᾽ Ἀχαιοὶ
λευκοὶ ὕπερθε γένοντο κονισάλῳ, ὅν ῥα δι᾽ αὐτῶν

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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οὐρανὸν ἐς πολύχαλκον ἐπέπληγον πόδες ἵππων

ἂψ ἐπιμισγομένων: ὑπὸ δ᾽ ἔστρεφον ἡνιοχῆες. 505

And even as the wind carries chaff about the sacred threshing-floors / of men that are
winnowing, when fair-haired Demeter / amid the driving blasts of wind separates the
grain from the chaff, / and the heaps of chaff grow white; even so then the Achaeans
/ grew white beneath the cloud of dust that through them / the hooves of their horses
beat up to the brazen heaven, / as the fight was joined again; and the charioteers
wheeled round.
[Achaeans growing white ≈ chaff growing white] Narrator
***
9 (522) ἀλλ᾽ ἔμενον νεφέλῃσιν ἐοικότες ἅς τε Κρονίων
νηνεμίης ἔστησεν ἐπ᾽ ἀκροπόλοισιν ὄρεσσιν
ἀτρέμας, ὄφρ᾽ εὕδῃσι μένος Βορέαο καὶ ἄλλων
ζαχρειῶν ἀνέμων, οἵ τε νέφεα σκιόεντα 525
πνοιῇσιν λιγυρῇσι διασκιδνᾶσιν ἀέντες:
ὣς Δαναοὶ Τρῶας μένον ἔμπεδον οὐδὲ φέβοντο.

Yet these stood their ground like clouds that the son of Cronus / in still weather sets on
the mountain-tops / motionless, when the might of Boreas sleeps and of the other /
furious winds that blow with shrill blasts / and scatter this way and that the shadowy
clouds; / even so the Danaans withstood the Trojans steadily, and did not flee.
[Danaans ≈ motionless clouds] Narrator
***
10 (554) οἵω τώ γε λέοντε δύω ὄρεος κορυφῇσιν
ἐτραφέτην ὑπὸ μητρὶ βαθείης τάρφεσιν ὕλης: 555
τὼ μὲν ἄρ᾽ ἁρπάζοντε βόας καὶ ἴφια μῆλα
σταθμοὺς ἀνθρώπων κεραΐζετον, ὄφρα καὶ αὐτὼ
ἀνδρῶν ἐν παλάμῃσι κατέκταθεν ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ:
τοίω τὼ χείρεσσιν ὑπ᾽ Αἰνείαο δαμέντε
11 (560) καππεσέτην, ἐλάτῃσιν ἐοικότες ὑψηλῇσι. 560

As two lions on the mountain tops / are reared by their mother in the thickets of a deep
wood; / and the two snatch cattle and fat sheep / and make havoc of the farmsteads of
men, until they themselves / are killed at the hands of men with the sharp bronze; /
even so these two <Diocles’ twin sons, Crethon and Orsilochus> were subdued by
the hands of Aeneas and fell, like tall fir trees.
#10 (554) [Diocles’ twin sons subdued by Aeneas ≈ two lions subdued by axe men]
#11 (560) [Diocles’ twin sons, Crethon and Orsilochus ≈ fir-trees] Narrator

***
τὸν δὲ ἰδὼν ῥίγησε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Διομήδης:
12 (597) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἀπάλαμνος ἰὼν πολέος πεδίοιο
στήῃ ἐπ᾽ ὠκυρόῳ ποταμῷ ἅλα δὲ προρέοντι

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ἀφρῷ μορμύροντα ἰδών, ἀνά τ᾽ ἔδραμ᾽ ὀπίσσω,

ὣς τότε Τυδεΐδης ἀνεχάζετο. 600

At sight of him Diomedes, good at the war-cry shuddered; / and even as when a man in
passing over a great plain / halts in dismay at a swift-streaming river that flows on to the
sea, / and seeing it seething with foam starts backward, / even so now did the son of
Tydeus give ground.
[Diomedes ≈ man startled by a swift river] Narrator
***
13 (770) ὅσσον δ᾽ ἠεροειδὲς ἀνὴρ ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν
ἥμενος ἐν σκοπιῇ, λεύσσων ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον,
τόσσον ἐπιθρῴσκουσι θεῶν ὑψηχέες ἵπποι.

As far as a man sees with his eyes into the haze / as he sits on a look-out place and
gazes over the wine-dark sea, / even so far do the loud-neighing horses of the gods
spring.
[springing distance of horses of gods ≈ distance a man sees into a haze] Narrator
***
14 (778) αἳ δὲ βάτην τρήρωσι πελειάσιν ἴθμαθ᾽ ὁμοῖαι.
ἀνδράσιν Ἀργείοισιν ἀλεξέμεναι μεμαυῖαι:
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἵκανον ὅθι πλεῖστοι καὶ ἄριστοι
ἕστασαν ἀμφὶ βίην Διομήδεος ἱπποδάμοιο
15 (782) εἰλόμενοι λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν
ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν, τῶν τε σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν.

Then the two <Hera and Athena> went their way with steps like those of timorous
doves, eager to assist the Argives. / But when they were come where the most and the
bravest <Argives> / stood close crowding about mighty Diomedes, tamer of horses, /
like carnivorous lions or / wild boars, whose strength is not weak.
#14 (778) [Hera and Athena ≈ timorous doves]
#15 (782) [Argives around Diomedes ≈ carnivorous lions and wild boars] Narrator
***
…ὃ δ᾽ ἔβραχε χάλκεος Ἄρης
16 (860) ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι 860
ἀνέρες ἐν πολέμῳ ἔριδα ξυνάγοντες Ἄρηος.

Then brazen Ares bellowed / as loud as nine thousand men or ten thousand / cry in
battle, when they join in the strife of Ares.
[Ares’ bellow ≈ the cry of 9000–10,000 men in battle] Narrator
***
17 (864) οἵη δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἐρεβεννὴ φαίνεται ἀὴρ
καύματος ἐξ ἀνέμοιο δυσαέος ὀρνυμένοιο, 865
τοῖος Τυδεΐδῃ Διομήδεϊ χάλκεος Ἄρης
φαίνεθ᾽ ὁμοῦ νεφέεσσιν ἰὼν εἰς οὐρανὸν εὐρύν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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As a black mist appears from the clouds / when after heat a blustering wind arises,
even so to Diomedes, son of Tydeus, brazen Ares / appeared, as he went amid the
clouds to broad heaven.
[Ares ≈ black mist] Narrator
***
καρπαλίμως δ᾽ ἵκανε θεῶν ἕδος αἰπὺν Ὄλυμπον,
πὰρ δὲ Διὶ Κρονίωνι καθέζετο θυμὸν ἀχεύων,
δεῖξεν δ᾽ ἄμβροτον αἷμα καταρρέον ἐξ ὠτειλῆς, 870
…
18 (902) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπὸς γάλα λευκὸν ἐπειγόμενος συνέπηξεν
ὑγρὸν ἐόν, μάλα δ᾽ ὦκα περιτρέφεται κυκόωντι,
ὣς ἄρα καρπαλίμως ἰήσατο θοῦρον Ἄρηα.

Speedily he came to the abode of the gods, steep Olympus, / and sat down by the side
of Zeus, son of Cronus, troubled at heart, / and showed the immortal blood flowing from
the wound.
…
As when the juice of the fig speedily causes the white milk / that is liquid to grow
thick, but is quickly curdled as a man stirs it, / so [Paiêon] speedily healed furious Ares.
[blood of Ares’ wound ≈ milk curdled by fig juice] Narrator

See Willcock 1976 for discussion of how flow of blood from Ares’ wound was stopped.
***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

αὐτὰρ ὃ εἴδωλον τεῦξ᾽ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων

450* αὐτῷ τ᾽ Αἰνείᾳ ἴκελον καὶ τεύχεσι τοῖον,
ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ εἰδώλῳ Τρῶες καὶ δῖοι Ἀχαιοὶ

Silver-bowed Apollo fashioned an image / like Aeneas himself and with armor like his
/ and around the image the Trojans and noble Achaeans [fought].
***
461–2* Τρῳὰς δὲ στίχας οὖλος Ἄρης ὄτρυνε μετελθὼν
εἰδόμενος Ἀκάμαντι θοῷ ἡγήτορι Θρῃκῶν:

Destructive Ares entering the Trojan ranks urged them on in the likeness of swift
Acamas, leader of the Thracians.
***
604* καὶ νῦν οἱ πάρα κεῖνος Ἄρης βροτῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς.

‘even now Ares is by his side in the likeness of a mortal man.’

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***
ἔνθα στᾶσ᾽ ἤϋσε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη
785* Στέντορι εἰσαμένη μεγαλήτορι χαλκεοφώνῳ.

Standing there the white-armed goddess Hera shouted / in the likeness of great-
hearted Stentor of the brazen voice.

Divine Comparisons:

438 ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ τὸ τέταρτον ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος.

But when for the fourth time [he] rushed upon him like a god.
[Diomedes ≈ god] Narrator (phrase repeated at 459)

Lee counts this as a simile.

cf. αὐτὰρ ἔπειτ᾽ αὐτῷ μοι ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος. 459

‘[Diomedes] then rushed at me myself like a god.’ Apollo

***

***

Similes of the Iliad Book 6 (Ζ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (οἵη/τοίη) (146) [lineage of men ≈ lineage of leaves]
#6 (506) [Paris ≈ horse]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2 (295) [Sidonian robe ≈ a star]
#3* (389) [Andromache ≈ a raging woman]
#4 (401) [Hector’s son ≈ fair star]
#5 (443) [Hector ≈ coward]
#7 (513) [Paris in armor ≈ shining sun]

***

τὸν δ᾽ αὖθ᾽ Ἱππολόχοιο προσηύδα φαίδιμος υἱός:

‘Τυδεΐδη μεγάθυμε τί ἢ γενεὴν ἐρεείνεις; 145
1 (146) οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν.
φύλλα τὰ μέν τ᾽ ἄνεμος χαμάδις χέει, ἄλλα δέ θ᾽ ὕλη
τηλεθόωσα φύει, ἔαρος δ᾽ ἐπιγίγνεται ὥρη:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὣς ἀνδρῶν γενεὴ ἣ μὲν φύει ἣ δ᾽ ἀπολήγει.

Then the glorious son of Hippolochus spoke to him: / ‘Great-souled son of Tydeus, why
do you inquire about my lineage? / Just as is the lineage of leaves, such [is that] also
of men. / As for the leaves, the wind scatters some upon the earth, but the forest, / as it
blooms, puts forth others when the season of spring arrives; / thus the lineage of men:
one [generation] springs up and another passes away.’
[lineage of men ≈ lineage of leaves] Glaucus

“φύλλων: a pun on φύλa, ‘tribes’, which is close in meaning to γενεὴ = ‘race’; . . .

Punning language is a feature of wisdom literature . . . Here it encourages a shift in
meaning from γενεὴ = ‘family’ to γενεὴ = ‘race’.” (Graziosi-Haubold 2010:117)

For an argument that this is not a simile see Pelliccia 2002.

***
τῶν ἕν᾽ ἀειραμένη Ἑκάβη φέρε δῶρον Ἀθήνῃ,
ὃς κάλλιστος ἔην ποικίλμασιν ἠδὲ μέγιστος,
2 (295) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν: ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.

Of these Hecuba took one <a Sidonian robe>, and carried it as an offering for Athena,
/ the one that was fairest in its embroidery and largest, / and shone like a star, and lay
under all others.
[Sidonian robe ≈ a star] Narrator

“Star similes are frequent in the Iliad and are often ominous (e.g. 11.61-55 and 22.25-
32; . . . ). . . . The simile adds to the sense of foreboding.” (Graziosi-Haubold
2010:117)
***
ἣ μὲν δὴ πρὸς τεῖχος ἐπειγομένη ἀφικάνει
3* (389) μαινομένῃ ἐϊκυῖα: φέρει δ᾽ ἅμα παῖδα τιθήνη.

‘She <Andromache> has gone to the wall in haste / like a raging woman and a nurse
is carrying the child.’
[Andromache ≈ a raging woman] A housekeeper to Hector

“ ‘looking like a madwoman’; . . . Later, at 22.460, the poet describes Andromache

leaving the house and running ‘like a maenad’. . . . “One difference between the two
descriptions is that the poet offers a precise likeness, whereas the housekeeper gives
her subjective impression of Andromache’s behavior.” (Graziosi-Haubold 2010: 188)
***
ἥ οἱ ἔπειτ᾽ ἤντησ᾽, ἅμα δ᾽ ἀμφίπολος κίεν αὐτῇ
παῖδ᾽ ἐπὶ κόλπῳ ἔχουσ᾽ ἀταλάφρονα νήπιον αὔτως 400
4 (401) Ἑκτορίδην ἀγαπητὸν ἀλίγκιον ἀστέρι καλῷ,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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She then met him, and a handmaid came with her / bearing in her bosom the tender
boy, a mere baby, / the well-loved son of Hector <Astyanax>, like a fair star.
[Hector’s son ≈ fair star] Narrator

τὴν δ᾽ αὖτε προσέειπε μέγας κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ: 440

‘ἦ καὶ ἐμοὶ τάδε πάντα μέλει γύναι: ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ αἰνῶς
αἰδέομαι Τρῶας καὶ Τρῳάδας ἑλκεσιπέπλους,
5 (443) αἴ κε κακὸς ὣς νόσφιν ἀλυσκάζω πολέμοιο:

Then great Hector of the flashing helm spoke to her: / ‘Lady, I too take thought of all
this, but I am dreadfully / ashamed before the Trojans and the Trojans' wives with
trailing robes, / if like a coward [standing] apart I shun battle.’
[Hector ≈ coward] Hector
***
6 (506) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ
δεσμὸν ἀπορρήξας θείῃ πεδίοιο κροαίνων
εἰωθὼς λούεσθαι ἐϋρρεῖος ποταμοῖο
κυδιόων: ὑψοῦ δὲ κάρη ἔχει, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται
ὤμοις ἀΐσσονται: ὃ δ᾽ ἀγλαΐηφι πεποιθὼς 510
ῥίμφά ἑ γοῦνα φέρει μετά τ᾽ ἤθεα καὶ νομὸν ἵππων:
ὣς υἱὸς Πριάμοιο Πάρις κατὰ Περγάμου ἄκρης
7 (513) τεύχεσι παμφαίνων ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ ἐβεβήκει
καγχαλόων, ταχέες δὲ πόδες φέρον:

As when a horse in his stall that has had his fill at the manger / breaks free of his tether
and runs stamping over the plain, / accustomed to bathe in the fair-flowing river, / and
exults; he holds his head high, and about his shoulders his mane / streams back, and
as he trusts in his splendor, / his knees nimbly bear him to the haunts and pastures of
horses; / so Paris, son of Priam, strode down from high Pergamos, / all gleaming in his
armor like the shining [sun], / laughing aloud, and his swift feet carried him on.
#6 (506) [Paris ≈ horse]
#7 (513) [Paris in armor ≈ shining sun] Narrator

Graziosi-Haubold 2010:226 point out the identity of simile #6 with that in Iliad 15 (Iliad
Book 6 lines 506–511 = Iliad Book 15 lines 263–268) and call attention (228) to
the “entirely dactylic, ‘galloping’ line [511]” with which this description of the horse
climaxes. For detailed discussion they cite Fränkel 1921:77–78, Kirk 1990:226
and Fagan 2001.

***

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Similes of the Iliad Book 7 (Η)

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (4) [Hector and Paris to longing Trojans ≈ fair wind to longing sailors]
#2 (οἵη/τοῖαι) (63) [ranks of Trojans and Achaeans ≈ ripple of West Wind]
#4 (235) [Hector NOT ≈ a puny boy or a woman who does not know warfare]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (219) [Ajax’ shield ≈ tower]
#5 (256) [Hector and Ajax ≈ carnivorous lions or wild boars]

***

1 (4) ὡς δὲ θεὸς ναύτῃσιν ἐελδομένοισιν ἔδωκεν

οὖρον, ἐπεί κε κάμωσιν ἐϋξέστῃς ἐλάτῃσι 5
πόντον ἐλαύνοντες, καμάτῳ δ᾽ ὑπὸ γυῖα λέλυνται,
ὣς ἄρα τὼ Τρώεσσιν ἐελδομένοισι φανήτην.

And as a god gives to longing seamen / a fair wind when they have grown weary of
beating the sea with polished oars of fir, / and with weariness their limbs are undone; /
so appeared these two <Hector and Paris> to the longing Trojans.
[Hector and Paris to longing Trojans ≈ fair wind to longing sailors] Narrator
***

2 (63) οἵη δὲ Ζεφύροιο ἐχεύατο πόντον ἔπι φρὶξ

ὀρνυμένοιο νέον, μελάνει δέ τε πόντος ὑπ᾽ αὐτῆς,
τοῖαι ἄρα στίχες εἵατ᾽ Ἀχαιῶν τε Τρώων τε 65
ἐν πεδίῳ.

Just as there is spread over the face of the deep the ripple of Zephyrus, / that is
newly risen, and the deep grows black beneath it, / such were the ranks of the
Achaeans and Trojans sitting in the plain.
[ranks of Trojans and Achaeans ≈ ripple of West Wind] Narrator
***

3 (219) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον

χάλκεον ἑπταβόειον, ὅ οἱ Τυχίος κάμε τεύχων 220

So Ajax drew near, bearing his shield that was like a tower, / a shield of bronze with
seven layers of bull’s hide, which Tychios had toiled at in making.
[Ajax’ shield ≈ tower] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

τὸν δ᾽ αὖτε προσέειπε μέγας κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ:

‘Αἶαν διογενὲς Τελαμώνιε κοίρανε λαῶν
4 (235) μή τί μευ ἠΰτε παιδὸς ἀφαυροῦ πειρήτιζε 235
ἠὲ γυναικός, ἣ οὐκ οἶδεν πολεμήϊα ἔργα.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν εὖ οἶδα μάχας τ᾽ ἀνδροκτασίας τε:

Great Hector of the flashing helm then made answer to him: / ‘Ajax, sprung from Zeus,
son of Telamon, captain of the army, / in no way make trial of me as of some puny boy
/ or a woman that does not know warfare. / No, I know well battles and killing of men.’
[Hector NOT ≈ a puny boy or a woman who does not know warfare] Narrator
***
τὼ δ᾽ ἐκσπασσαμένω δολίχ᾽ ἔγχεα χερσὶν ἅμ᾽ ἄμφω
5 (256) σύν ῥ᾽ ἔπεσον λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν
ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν, τῶν τε σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν.

Then the two <Hector and Ajax> both at one moment drew out their long spears with
their hands, / and fell together, like carnivorous lions or / wild boars, whose strength
is not weak.
[Hector and Ajax ≈ carnivorous lions or wild boars] Narrator

***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

κὰδ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἀθηναίη τε καὶ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων

7:59* ἑζέσθην ὄρνισιν ἐοικότες αἰγυπιοῖσι
φηγῷ ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλῇ πατρὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο 60
ἀνδράσι τερπόμενοι.

And Athena and Apollo of the silver bow / in the likeness of vultures /
sat upon the lofty oak of father Zeus the aegis-bearer, / rejoicing in the warriors.
[Athena and Apollo ≈ vultures] Narrator
***

Divine Comparison:

7:208 σεύατ᾽ ἔπειθ᾽ οἷός τε πελώριος ἔρχεται Ἄρης,

ὅς τ᾽ εἶσιν πόλεμον δὲ μετ᾽ ἀνέρας οὕς τε Κρονίων

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θυμοβόρου ἔριδος μένεϊ ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι. 210

τοῖος ἄρ᾽ Αἴας ὦρτο πελώριος ἕρκος Ἀχαιῶν
μειδιόων βλοσυροῖσι προσώπασι.

Then he sped as huge Ares goes forth / when he enters into battle amid warriors whom
the son of Cronus / has brought together to contend in the fury of soul-devouring strife. /
Even so sprang forth huge Ajax, the bulwark of the Achaeans, / with a smile on his
grim face.
[huge Ajax ≈ huge Ares] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Similetic Epithet/Adjectives:

228* θυμολέοντα Achilles lion-hearted

270* εἴσω δ᾽ ἀσπίδ᾽ ἔαξε βαλὼν μυλοειδέϊ πέτρῳ,

throwing a rock that was like a millstone (millstone in form)

***
Similes of the Iliad Book 8 (Θ)

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1* (ὅσον/τόσσον) (16) [Zeus to other gods ≈ Hades to Tartarus ≈ heaven to
earth]
#5 (306) [Gorgythion’s helmeted head ≈ fruit-laden, rain-drenched poppy]
#6 (338) [Hector presses Achaeans ≈ dog pursues boar or lion]
#7 (555) [Trojan fires ≈ stars]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2 (94) [Odysseus ≈ coward]
#3 (131) [Trojans ≈ lambs]
#4 (271) [Teucer ≈ child]
***

ἤ μιν ἑλὼν ῥίψω ἐς Τάρταρον ἠερόεντα

τῆλε μάλ᾽, ἧχι βάθιστον ὑπὸ χθονός ἐστι βέρεθρον,
ἔνθα σιδήρειαί τε πύλαι καὶ χάλκεος οὐδός, 15
1* (16) τόσσον ἔνερθ᾽ Ἀΐδεω ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστ᾽ ἀπὸ γαίης
γνώσετ᾽ ἔπειθ᾽ ὅσον εἰμὶ θεῶν κάρτιστος ἁπάντων.
…

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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τόσσον ἐγὼ περί τ᾽ εἰμὶ θεῶν περί τ᾽ εἴμ᾽ ἀνθρώπων. 27

‘Or taking him <a disobedient god> I will throw him into dark Tartarus / quite far, where
the deepest pit under the earth is / and where the gates are iron and the floor is bronze,
/ as far beneath Hades as heaven is above the earth. / You will know by how much I
am the most powerful of all the gods. / … / By so much, I am superior to gods and
superior to men.’
[Zeus to other gods ≈ Hades to Tartarus ≈ heaven to earth] Zeus threatening the other
gods

There are two comparisons. The first one in line 16 is a simple factual comparison
(Tartarus is as far [τόσσον] beneath Hades as [ὅσον] heaven is above earth). The
second comparison is a simile comparing the Hades-Tartarus and heaven-earth
distances to the superiority of Zeus relative to the other gods.
***
σμερδαλέον δ᾽ ἐβόησεν ἐποτρύνων Ὀδυσῆα:
διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχαν᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ
2 (94) πῇ φεύγεις μετὰ νῶτα βαλὼν κακὸς ὣς ἐν ὁμίλῳ;

And [Diomedes] shouted with a terrible shout, urging on Odysseus: / ‘Zeus-born son of
Laertes, Odysseus of many wiles, / whither do you flee with your back turned, like a
coward in the throng?’
[Odysseus ≈ coward] Diomedes
***
3 (131) καί νύ κε σήκασθεν κατὰ Ἴλιον ἠΰτε ἄρνες.

And they would have been penned in Ilium like lambs.

[Trojans ≈ lambs] Narrator
***
4 (271) αὐτὰρ ὃ αὖτις ἰὼν πάϊς ὣς ὑπὸ μητέρα δύσκεν
εἰς Αἴανθ᾽: ὃ δέ μιν σάκεϊ κρύπτασκε φαεινῷ.

And he <Teucer> would go back, as a child runs behind his mother, / to Ajax, and Ajax
was hiding him with his shining shield.
[Teucer ≈ child] Narrator

See Dué and Ebbott 2012:7–8.

***
5 (306) μήκων δ᾽ ὡς ἑτέρωσε κάρη βάλεν, ἥ τ᾽ ἐνὶ κήπῳ
καρπῷ βριθομένη νοτίῃσί τε εἰαρινῇσιν,
ὣς ἑτέρωσ᾽ ἤμυσε κάρη πήληκι βαρυνθέν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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And [Gorgythion] bowed his head to one side like a poppy that in a garden / is laden
with its fruit and the rains of spring; / so he bowed to one side his head, weighed
down by his helmet.
[Gorgythion’s helmeted head ≈ fruit-laden, rain-drenched poppy] Narrator
***
6 (338) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε κύων συὸς ἀγρίου ἠὲ λέοντος
ἅπτηται κατόπισθε ποσὶν ταχέεσσι διώκων
ἰσχία τε γλουτούς τε, ἑλισσόμενόν τε δοκεύει, 340
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ὤπαζε κάρη κομόωντας Ἀχαιούς,
αἰὲν ἀποκτείνων τὸν ὀπίστατον: οἳ δὲ φέβοντο.

And even as when a dog pursues with swift feet after a wild boar or a lion, / and
snatches at him from behind / either at flank or buttock, and watches for him as he
wheels; / even so Hector pressed upon the long-haired Achaeans, / ever killing the
ones in the rear; and they were driven in rout.
[Hector presses Achaeans ≈ dog pursues boar or lion] Narrator
***
7 (555) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρα φαεινὴν ἀμφὶ σελήνην
φαίνετ᾽ ἀριπρεπέα, ὅτε τ᾽ ἔπλετο νήνεμος αἰθήρ:
ἔκ τ᾽ ἔφανεν πᾶσαι σκοπιαὶ καὶ πρώονες ἄκροι
καὶ νάπαι: οὐρανόθεν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπερράγη ἄσπετος αἰθήρ,
πάντα δὲ εἴδεται ἄστρα, γέγηθε δέ τε φρένα ποιμήν:
τόσσα μεσηγὺ νεῶν ἠδὲ Ξάνθοιο ῥοάων 560
Τρώων καιόντων πυρὰ φαίνετο Ἰλιόθι πρό.

Even as when, in heaven about the gleaming moon, the stars / shine clear, when the
air is windless, / and there appear to view all the mountain peaks, high headlands, / and
glades, and from heaven breaks open the infinite air, / and all stars are seen, and the
shepherd has joy in his heart; / even in such numbers, between the ships and the
streams of Xanthus, the fires shone that the Trojans kindled before Ilium.
[Trojan fires ≈ stars] Narrator

***

Similar Rhetorical Figure

Divine Comparisons:

305* καλὴ Καστιάνειρα δέμας ἐϊκυῖα θεῇσι.

Fair Castianeira, in form like the goddesses.

[Castianeira (Gorgythion’s mother) ≈ goddesses] Narrator
***

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Ἕκτωρ …
349* Γοργοῦς ὄμματ᾽ ἔχων ἠδὲ βροτολοιγοῦ Ἄρηος.

Hector … / having the eyes of a Gorgon and Ares bane of mortals.

[Hector ≈ Gorgon and Ares in his eyes] Narrator

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similes of the Iliad Book 9 (Ι)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (4) [Achaean hearts torn ≈ sea stirred by winds]
#2 (14) [weeping Agamemnon ≈ a fountain]
#3 (323) [Achilles ≈ (a mother) bird]
#5 (481) [Peleus > Phoenix ≈ loving father > a beloved son]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#4* (ὅσα/τόσα) (385) [Agamemnon’s gifts ≈ sand and dust]
#6* (563) [the mother of Alcyone ≈ a halcyon bird]
#7 (648) [Achilles ≈ an alien]
***

1 (4) ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμοι δύο πόντον ὀρίνετον ἰχθυόεντα

Βορέης καὶ Ζέφυρος, τώ τε Θρῄκηθεν ἄητον 5
ἐλθόντ᾽ ἐξαπίνης: ἄμυδις δέ τε κῦμα κελαινὸν
κορθύεται, πολλὸν δὲ παρὲξ ἅλα φῦκος ἔχευεν:
ὣς ἐδαΐζετο θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν.

As two winds stir up the teeming sea, / Boreas and Zephyrus that blow from Thrace, /
coming suddenly, and at the same time the dark wave / rears itself in crests and casts
much sea weed out along the sea; / so were the hearts of the Achaeans torn within
their chests.
[Achaean hearts torn ≈ sea stirred by winds] Narrator
***
ἷζον δ᾽ εἰν ἀγορῇ τετιηότες: ἂν δ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων
2 (14) ἵστατο δάκρυ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος
ἥ τε κατ᾽ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης δνοφερὸν χέει ὕδωρ: 15
ὣς ὃ βαρὺ στενάχων ἔπε᾽ Ἀργείοισι μετηύδα.

So they sat in the assembly, deeply troubled, and Agamemnon / stood up weeping like
a fountain of dark water / that down over the face of a jutting rock pours its dusky
water; / thus with deep groaning he spoke to the Argives.
[weeping Agamemnon ≈ a fountain] Narrator
***
3 (323) ὡς δ᾽ ὄρνις ἀπτῆσι νεοσσοῖσι προφέρῃσι
μάστακ᾽ ἐπεί κε λάβῃσι, κακῶς δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ πέλει αὐτῇ,
ὣς καὶ ἐγὼ πολλὰς μὲν ἀΰπνους νύκτας ἴαυον, 325
ἤματα δ᾽ αἱματόεντα διέπρησσον πολεμίζων
ἀνδράσι μαρνάμενος ὀάρων ἕνεκα σφετεράων.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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As a bird brings in her bill to her unfledged chicks / whatever she may find, but it goes
badly for herself, / so I was accustomed to watch through many a sleepless night, / and
I spent bloody days in battle,/ fighting with warriors for their wives’ sake.
[Achilles ≈ (mother) bird] Achilles

See Dué and Ebbott 2012:2–3.

***
4* (385) οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι τόσα δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε, 385
οὐδέ κεν ὧς ἔτι θυμὸν ἐμὸν πείσει᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων.

‘Not even if he gave me as many gifts as the sand and dust, / not even so would
Agamemnon persuade my heart.’
[Agamemnon’s gifts ≈ sand and dust] Achilles
***
… ὃ δέ με πρόφρων ὑπέδεκτο, 480
5 (481) καί μ᾽ ἐφίλησ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φιλήσῃ
μοῦνον τηλύγετον πολλοῖσιν ἐπὶ κτεάτεσσι.

And he <Peleus> received me <Phoenix> with a ready heart, / and cherished me as a

father cherishes his well-beloved /only son, heir to great possessions.
[Peleus > Phoenix ≈ loving father > a beloved son] Phoenix
***
τὴν δὲ τότ᾽ ἐν μεγάροισι πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ
Ἀλκυόνην καλέεσκον ἐπώνυμον, οὕνεκ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῆς
6* (563) μήτηρ ἀλκυόνος πολυπενθέος οἶτον ἔχουσα
κλαῖεν ὅ μιν ἑκάεργος ἀνήρπασε Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων.

Then in her halls, her father and lady mother called her / Alcyone by name because her
/ mother having the fate of [= ‘like’] a much-grieving halcyon / wept because far-
working Apollo had snatched her [child] away.
[the mother of Alcyone ≈ a halcyon bird] Phoenix
***
μνήσομαι ὥς μ᾽ ἀσύφηλον ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἔρεξεν
7 (648) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.

‘I will remember how the son of Atreus has inflicted indignity upon me among the
Argives, / as though I were some alien that had no rights.’
[Achilles ≈ an alien] Achilles

The translation of μετανἀστης here is disputed. A range of vagabond, wanderer,

refugee, vagrant and resident alien have been suggested. See Perry 2010:53n28.

* ***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figure

Divine Comparison:

603* ἶσον γάρ σε θεῷ τίσουσιν Ἀχαιοί.

‘The Achaeans will honor you as a god.’

[you ≈ a god] Phoenix to Achilles.
***

Similes of the Iliad Book 10 (K)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (5) [Agamemnon ≈ Zeus]
#3 (183) [Achaeans to Trojans ≈ sheep dogs to a wild beast]
#5* (ὅσσόν) (351) [distance to Dolon ≈ the range of mules plowing]
#6 (360) [Diomedes and Odysseus to Dolon ≈ hunting dogs to deer or hare]
#9 (485) [Diomedes to Thracian warriors ≈ lion to sheep or goats]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2 (154) [flash of bronze ≈ lightning]
#4 (297) [Diomedes and Odysseus ≈ (two) lions]
#7* (437) [horses ≈ whiter than snow]
#8 (437) [horses ≈ wind]
#10 (547) [horses ≈ sunbeams]
***

1(5) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀστράπτῃ πόσις Ἥρης ἠϋκόμοιο 5

τεύχων ἢ πολὺν ὄμβρον ἀθέσφατον ἠὲ χάλαζαν
ἢ νιφετόν, ὅτε πέρ τε χιὼν ἐπάλυνεν ἀρούρας,
ἠέ ποθι πτολέμοιο μέγα στόμα πευκεδανοῖο,
ὣς πυκίν᾽ ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀνεστενάχιζ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων
νειόθεν ἐκ κραδίης, τρομέοντο δέ οἱ φρένες ἐντός. 10

As when fair-haired Hera's husband <Zeus> flashes his lightning / and causes
indescribable rain or hail / or snow when the snow flakes are sprinkled over the ground,
/ or again [as a sign that he will open] the wide jaws of hungry war, / so Agamemnon
heaved many a deep sigh in his chest / from the depth of his heart, within him.
[Agamemnon ≈ Zeus] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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…ἔγχεα δέ σφιν
ὄρθ᾽ ἐπὶ σαυρωτῆρος ἐλήλατο, τῆλε δὲ χαλκὸς
2 (154) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διός: αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ἥρως
εὗδ᾽, ὑπὸ δ᾽ ἔστρωτο ῥινὸν βοὸς ἀγραύλοιο, 155
αὐτὰρ ὑπὸ κράτεσφι τάπης τετάνυστο φαεινός.

Their spears / were driven into the ground upright on the spikes of their butts, and the
bronze flashed afar / like the lightning of father Zeus. The warrior / was sleeping with
the skin of an ox spread under [him], / with a piece of fine carpet stretched under his
head.
[flash of bronze ≈ lightning] Narrator
***
3 (183) ὡς δὲ κύνες περὶ μῆλα δυσωρήσωνται ἐν αὐλῇ
θηρὸς ἀκούσαντες κρατερόφρονος, ὅς τε καθ᾽ ὕλην
ἔρχηται δι᾽ ὄρεσφι: πολὺς δ᾽ ὀρυμαγδὸς ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ 185
ἀνδρῶν ἠδὲ κυνῶν, ἀπό τέ σφισιν ὕπνος ὄλωλεν:
ὣς τῶν νήδυμος ὕπνος ἀπὸ βλεφάροιιν ὀλώλει
νύκτα φυλασσομένοισι κακήν: πεδίον δὲ γὰρ αἰεὶ
τετράφαθ᾽, ὁππότ᾽ ἐπὶ Τρώων ἀΐοιεν ἰόντων.

As dogs keep a troubled watch over their flocks in the enclosure, / and hear a fearless
wild beast coming through the mountain forest towards them — / there is a great hue
and cry / of men and dogs, and their sleep is perishes — / even so from the eyes [of
the Achaeans] sweet sleep perished / as they kept the watches of the evil night, for
they turned constantly towards the plain / whenever they might hear the Trojans
coming.
[Achaeans to Trojans ≈ sheep dogs to a wild beast] Narrator
***
οἳ δ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἠρήσαντο Διὸς κούρῃ μεγάλοιο,
4 (297) βάν ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέοντε δύω διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν
ἂμ φόνον, ἂν νέκυας, διά τ᾽ ἔντεα καὶ μέλαν αἷμα.

When they <Diomedes and Odysseus> had done praying to the daughter of great
Zeus <Athena>, / they went like two lions by dark night / amid slaughter, corpses,
armor, and black blood.
[they ≈ (two) lions] Narrator
***
5* (351) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἀπέην ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐπὶ οὖρα πέλονται
ἡμιόνων: αἱ γάρ τε βοῶν προφερέστεραί εἰσιν
ἑλκέμεναι νειοῖο βαθείης πηκτὸν ἄροτρον:
τὼ μὲν ἐπεδραμέτην, ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔστη δοῦπον ἀκούσας.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But when [Dolon] was as far away as is the range of mules in plowing, / — for they
are superior to oxen / at drawing a jointed plow through deep fallow land — / then the
two <Diomedes and Odysseus> ran after him, and he stopped on hearing the sound.
[they were away (implied: so far / tosson) ≈ as (hosson) the range of mules plowing]
Narrator

The simile continues at 357: when they were just ‘a spear-throw or even less’ away
(ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἄπεσαν δουρηνεκὲς ἢ καὶ ἔλασσον).
***
6 (360) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καρχαρόδοντε δύω κύνε εἰδότε θήρης 360
ἢ κεμάδ᾽ ἠὲ λαγωὸν ἐπείγετον ἐμμενὲς αἰεὶ
χῶρον ἀν᾽ ὑλήενθ᾽, ὃ δέ τε προθέῃσι μεμηκώς,
ὣς τὸν Τυδεΐδης ἠδ᾽ ὃ πτολίπορθος Ὀδυσσεὺς
λαοῦ ἀποτμήξαντε διώκετον ἐμμενὲς αἰεί.

As when two skilled, sharp-toothed dogs / press forward continuously after a deer or
hare / through the wooded land and the prey runs forward shrieking, / so the son of
Tydeus <Diomedes> and city sacking Odysseus / pursued him <Dolon>
continuously and cut him off from his own people.
[Diomedes and Odysseus to Dolon ≈ hunting dogs to deer or hare] Narrator
***
τοῦ δὴ καλλίστους ἵππους ἴδον ἠδὲ μεγίστους:
7*, 8 (437) λευκότεροι χιόνος, θείειν δ᾽ ἀνέμοισιν ὁμοῖοι.

‘His <Thracian king Rhesus's> horses are the finest and biggest that I have seen, / they
are whiter than snow and they run like the wind.’
#7* (437) [horses ≈ whiter than snow]
#8 (437) [horses ≈ wind] Dolon
***
9 (485) ὡς δὲ λέων μήλοισιν ἀσημάντοισιν ἐπελθὼν 485
αἴγεσιν ἢ ὀΐεσσι κακὰ φρονέων ἐνορούσῃ,
ὣς μὲν Θρήϊκας ἄνδρας ἐπῴχετο Τυδέος υἱὸς
ὄφρα δυώδεκ᾽ ἔπεφνεν.

As a lion comes upon an unguarded flock / of sheep or goats and springs on them
with evil intent, / so the son of Tydeus <Diomedes> set upon the Thracian warriors /
until he had killed twelve.
[Diomedes to Thracian warriors ≈ lion to sheep or goats] Narrator
***
εἴπ᾽ ἄγε μ᾽ ὦ πολύαιν᾽ Ὀδυσεῦ μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν
ὅππως τοῦσδ᾽ ἵππους λάβετον καταδύντες ὅμιλον 545
Τρώων, ἦ τίς σφωε πόρεν θεὸς ἀντιβολήσας.
10 (547) αἰνῶς ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιο.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘Come tell me, renowned Odysseus, great glory of the Achaians, / how did you two
<Diomedes and Odysseus> get these horses <white horses stolen from Thracian king
Rhesus>? Did you sneak into a crowd / of Trojans, or did some god meet you and give
them to you? / They are quite like sunbeams.’ [horses ≈ sunbeams] Nestor

***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Divine Comparisons:

βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἀνστήσων ὃν ἀδελφεόν, ὃς μέγα πάντων

33* Ἀργείων ἤνασσε, θεὸς δ᾽ ὣς τίετο δήμῳ.

Then he went to rouse his brother, who ruled all the Argives mightily, and was honored
in his district as though he <Agamemnon> were a god.

***

Similes of the Iliad Book 11 (Λ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (27) [serpents on Agamemnon’s shield ≈ rainbows]
#2 (οἷός) (62) [Hector in the ranks ≈ star amid the clouds]
#4 (67) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ reapers]
#6 (ἦμος/τῆμος) (86) [time the Danaans broke the enemy columns ≈ time for
woodsman’s midday meal]
#7 (113) [Agamemnon’s attacks on Isos and Antiphos causing Trojans to flee ≈
lion attacks on fawns causing mother deer to flee]
#10 (155) [Trojans falling to Agamemnon’s attack ≈ thickets falling in a fire]
#11 (172) [Agamemnon in pursuit of Trojans singling out the last one for death ≈
lion in pursuit of cows singling out one for death]
#14 (269) [pangs of pain of Agamemnon ≈ labor pang of pain]
#15 (292) [Hector sics Trojans on Achaeans ≈ hunter sics dogs on boars/lions]
#16 (297) [Hector ≈ windstorm]
#17 (305) [Hector > Greek chieftains ≈ Zephyrus > clouds]
#18 (324) [Odysseus and Diomedes against Trojans ≈ two wild boars amid dogs]
#21 (414) [Trojans set upon Odysseus ≈ dogs and youths set on boar]
#22 (474) [Trojans around Odysseus ≈ jackals around stag]
#24 (492) [Ajax chases and slaughters horses and men ≈ flooded river sweeps
away oaks, pines and mud]
#26 (548) [Ajax retreats from Trojans ≈ lion retreats from peasants]
#27 (558) Trojans and allies pursue Ajax and strike his shield with spears ≈ boys
chase and beat ass with clubs ]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (66) [Hector’s armor ≈ lightning]
#5 (72) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ wolves]
#8 (129) [Agamemnon ≈ lion]
#9 (147) [head of Hippolochus ≈ round stone]
#12 (237) [point of spear ≈ lead]
#13 (239) [Agamemnon ≈ lion]
#19 (383) [Trojans fear Diomedes ≈ goats fear a lion]
#20 (389) [Paris ≈ woman or boy]
#23 (485) [shield ≈ tower]
#25 (546) [Ajax ≈ wild beast]
#28 (596) [fight of Achaeans ≈ blazing fire]
#29 (747) [Nestor ≈ whirlwind]

***

κυάνεοι δὲ δράκοντες ὀρωρέχατο προτὶ δειρὴν

1 (27) τρεῖς ἑκάτερθ᾽ ἴρισσιν ἐοικότες, ἅς τε Κρονίων
ἐν νέφεϊ στήριξε, τέρας μερόπων ἀνθρώπων.

[On the shield of Agamemnon] dark blue serpents reared themselves up towards the
neck, / three on either side, like rainbows which the son of Cronus <Zeus> / has set in
clouds as a sign for mortal men.
[serpents on Agamemnon’s shield ≈ rainbows] Narrator
***
Ἕκτωρ δ᾽ ἐν πρώτοισι φέρ᾽ ἀσπίδα πάντοσ᾽ ἐΐσην,
2 (62) οἷος δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἀναφαίνεται οὔλιος ἀστὴρ
παμφαίνων, τοτὲ δ᾽ αὖτις ἔδυ νέφεα σκιόεντα,
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ὁτὲ μέν τε μετὰ πρώτοισι φάνεσκεν,
ἄλλοτε δ᾽ ἐν πυμάτοισι κελεύων: πᾶς δ᾽ ἄρα χαλκῷ 65
3 (66) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.
4 (67) οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἀμητῆρες ἐναντίοι ἀλλήλοισιν
ὄγμον ἐλαύνωσιν ἀνδρὸς μάκαρος κατ᾽ ἄρουραν
πυρῶν ἢ κριθῶν: τὰ δὲ δράγματα ταρφέα πίπτει:
ὣς Τρῶες καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισι θορόντες 70
δῄουν, οὐδ᾽ ἕτεροι μνώοντ᾽ ὀλοοῖο φόβοιο.
5 (72) ἴσας δ᾽ ὑσμίνη κεφαλὰς ἔχεν, οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
θῦνον.

Hector carried a well-balanced round shield in the front ranks, / and, like a destructive
star that sometimes appears shining amid the clouds / then again is hidden in shadowy
clouds, / thus Hector sometimes appeared in the front ranks / and sometimes in the
rear ranks giving commands, and all in bronze / he gleamed like the lightning of aegis-

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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bearing father Zeus. / And now as opposite one another reapers / mow swathes of
wheat or barley upon a rich man's land, / and the bundles fall thick before them, / so did
the Trojans and Achaeans spring at / and cut down one another; neither side gives
thought to destructive flight. / And the battle had equal heads, but they charged like
wolves.
#2 (62) [Hector in the ranks ≈ star amid the clouds]
#3 (66) [iHector’s armor ≈ lightning]
#4 (67) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ reapers]
#5 (72) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ wolves] Narrator
***
6 (86) ἦμος δὲ δρυτόμος περ ἀνὴρ ὁπλίσσατο δεῖπνον
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃσιν, ἐπεί τ᾽ ἐκορέσσατο χεῖρας
τάμνων δένδρεα μακρά, ἅδος τέ μιν ἵκετο θυμόν,
σίτου τε γλυκεροῖο περὶ φρένας ἵμερος αἱρεῖ,
τῆμος σφῇ ἀρετῇ Δαναοὶ ῥήξαντο φάλαγγας 90
κεκλόμενοι ἑτάροισι κατὰ στίχας.

At the time of day when a woodsman prepares his midday meal / in mountain
valleys — for he has tired his arms / cutting tall trees; he is tired out, / and an appetite
for sweet food overcomes him — / at that time the Danaans, by their prowess, broke
the phalanxes of the enemy, / crying out to their companions in the ranks.
[time the Danaans broke the enemy columns ≈ time for woodsman’s midday meal]
Narrator
***
7 (113) ὡς δὲ λέων ἐλάφοιο ταχείης νήπια τέκνα
ῥηϊδίως συνέαξε λαβὼν κρατεροῖσιν ὀδοῦσιν
ἐλθὼν εἰς εὐνήν, ἁπαλόν τέ σφ᾽ ἦτορ ἀπηύρα: 115
ἣ δ᾽ εἴ πέρ τε τύχῃσι μάλα σχεδόν, οὐ δύναταί σφι
χραισμεῖν: αὐτὴν γάρ μιν ὑπὸ τρόμος αἰνὸς ἱκάνει:
καρπαλίμως δ᾽ ἤϊξε διὰ δρυμὰ πυκνὰ καὶ ὕλην
σπεύδουσ᾽ ἱδρώουσα κραταιοῦ θηρὸς ὑφ᾽ ὁρμῆς:
ὣς ἄρα τοῖς οὔ τις δύνατο χραισμῆσαι ὄλεθρον 120
Τρώων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπ᾽ Ἀργείοισι φέβοντο.

As a lion takes the fawns of a swift mother deer / and easily crushes them in his
powerful jaws, / robbing them of their tender life while going back to his lair; / the deer
can do nothing for them even though she is close by, / for she is in an agony of fear, /
and darts swiftly through the thick woods and forest, / sweating, and racing from the
powerful beast’s attack — / so none of the Trojans could ward off their <Isos and
Antiphos> destruction, / for they were themselves fleeing in panic from the Argives.
[Agamemnon’s attacks on Isos and Antiphos causing Trojans to flee ≈ lion attacks on
fawns causing mother deer to flee] Narrator
***
8 (129) …ὃ δ᾽ ἐναντίον ὦρτο λέων ὣς 130

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Ἀτρεΐδης: τὼ δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἐκ δίφρου γουναζέσθην.

The son of Atreus <Agamemnon> sprang upon them like a lion, / and the pair
<Peisandrus and Hippolochus> sought his pity from their chariot.
[Agamemon ≈ lion] Narrator
***
Ἱππόλοχος δ᾽ ἀπόρουσε, τὸν αὖ χαμαὶ ἐξενάριξε. 145
χεῖρας ἀπὸ ξίφεϊ τμήξας ἀπό τ᾽ αὐχένα κόψας,
9 (147) ὅλμον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε κυλίνδεσθαι δι᾽ ὁμίλου.

Hippolochus jumped away, but Agamemnon killed him on the ground; / he cut off his
arms with a sword and severed [the head] at the neck — / he sent sent it rolling in
among the crowd as though it were a round stone.
[head of Hippolochus ≈ round stone] Narrator
***
10 (155) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πῦρ ἀΐδηλον ἐν ἀξύλῳ ἐμπέσῃ ὕλῃ, 155
πάντῃ τ᾽ εἰλυφόων ἄνεμος φέρει, οἳ δέ τε θάμνοι
πρόρριζοι πίπτουσιν ἐπειγόμενοι πυρὸς ὁρμῇ:
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ὑπ᾽ Ἀτρεΐδῃ Ἀγαμέμνονι πῖπτε κάρηνα
Τρώων φευγόντων, …

As when destructive fire falls on a dense forest — / the eddying wind carries [the fire] in
all directions and the thickets / to the root fall, struck by the blast of the flame — / so
the heads of the fleeing Trojans fell before Agamemnon son of Atreus.
[Trojans falling to Agamemnon’s attack ≈ thickets falling in a fire] Narrator
***
11 (172) οἳ δ᾽ ἔτι κὰμ μέσσον πεδίον φοβέοντο βόες ὥς,
ἅς τε λέων ἐφόβησε μολὼν ἐν νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ
πάσας: τῇ δέ τ᾽ ἰῇ ἀναφαίνεται αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος:
τῆς δ᾽ ἐξ αὐχέν᾽ ἔαξε λαβὼν κρατεροῖσιν ὀδοῦσι 175
πρῶτον, ἔπειτα δέ θ᾽ αἷμα καὶ ἔγκατα πάντα λαφύσσει:
ὣς τοὺς Ἀτρεΐδης ἔφεπε κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
αἰὲν ἀποκτείνων τὸν ὀπίστατον: οἳ δ᾽ ἐφέβοντο.

Meanwhile they <Trojans> kept on fleeing over the middle of the plain like cattle, / all of
which a lion has put to flight coming in the dead of night; / utter destruction appears to
one, / he breaks her neck taking it in his strong teeth / first and then gulps her blood and
all her entrails / so King Agamemnon son of Atreus pursued them, / ever
slaughtering the last one, as they fled.
[Agamemnon in pursuit of Trojans singling out the last one for death ≈ lion in pursuit of
cows singling out one for death] Narrator
***
οὐδ᾽ ἔτορε ζωστῆρα παναίολον, ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρὶν
12 (237) ἀργύρῳ ἀντομένη μόλιβος ὣς ἐτράπετ᾽ αἰχμή.

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καὶ τό γε χειρὶ λαβὼν εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων

13 (239) ἕλκ᾽ ἐπὶ οἷ μεμαὼς ὥς τε λίς,…

He did not pierce the gleaming belt, but far earlier / the point [of the spear] struck
against the silver and was turned aside as though it had been lead. / Wide ruling
Agamemnon took it with his hand, / and drew it towards him furiously like a lion.
#12 (237) [point of spear ≈ lead
#13 (239) [Agamemnon ≈ lion] Narrator
***
14 (269) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὠδίνουσαν ἔχῃ βέλος ὀξὺ γυναῖκα
δριμύ, τό τε προϊεῖσι μογοστόκοι Εἰλείθυιαι 270
Ἥρης θυγατέρες πικρὰς ὠδῖνας ἔχουσαι,
ὣς ὀξεῖ᾽ ὀδύναι δῦνον μένος Ἀτρεΐδαο.

As when a sharp pang takes hold of a woman in labor — / a stinging [pang] which the
Eileithuiai, goddesses of childbirth, / daughters of Hera and keepers of cruel pain, / send
upon a woman when she is in labor — / so sharp pangs of pain set upon the might of
the son of Atreus <Agamemnon>.
[pangs of pain of Agamemnon ≈ labor pang of pain] Narrator
***
15 (292) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πού τις θηρητὴρ κύνας ἀργιόδοντας
σεύῃ ἐπ᾽ ἀγροτέρῳ συῒ καπρίῳ ἠὲ λέοντι,
ὣς ἐπ᾽ Ἀχαιοῖσιν σεῦε Τρῶας μεγαθύμους
Ἕκτωρ Πριαμίδης βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ. 295
αὐτὸς δ᾽ ἐν πρώτοισι μέγα φρονέων ἐβεβήκει,
16 (297) ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ ὑσμίνῃ ὑπεραέϊ ἶσος ἀέλλῃ,
ἥ τε καθαλλομένη ἰοειδέα πόντον ὀρίνει.

As when a hunter sics his white-toothed dogs / on a wild boar or lion, / so Hector,
son of Priam, equal to man-destroying Ares, / sicced the proud Trojans on the
Achaeans. / He himself full of hope plunged in among the first, / and fell on the fight
like a gale-force windstorm that swoops down and lashes the violet-hued sea.
#15 (292) [Hector sics Trojans on Achaeans ≈ hunter sics dogs on boars or lions]
#16 (297) [Hector ≈ windstorm] Narrator
***
τοὺς ἄρ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἡγεμόνας Δαναῶν ἕλεν, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
17 (305) πληθύν, ὡς ὁπότε νέφεα Ζέφυρος στυφελίξῃ 305
ἀργεστᾶο Νότοιο βαθείῃ λαίλαπι τύπτων:
πολλὸν δὲ τρόφι κῦμα κυλίνδεται, ὑψόσε δ᾽ ἄχνη
σκίδναται ἐξ ἀνέμοιο πολυπλάγκτοιο ἰωῆς:
ὣς ἄρα πυκνὰ καρήαθ᾽ ὑφ᾽ Ἕκτορι δάμνατο λαῶν.

Hector slew the chieftains of the Danaans, / and then the multitude. As when the
Zephyrus buffets the clouds / of the white south wind and beats them down with its

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fierce tempest; / the huge waves of the sea roll afar, / and the spray is scattered aloft by
the gusting wind / so the numerous heads of the army were overcome by Hector.
[Hector > Greek chieftains ≈ Zephyrus > clouds] Narrator
***
18 (324) τὼ δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἰόντε κυδοίμεον, ὡς ὅτε κάπρω
ἐν κυσὶ θηρευτῇσι μέγα φρονέοντε πέσητον: 325

The two <Odysseus and Diomedes> went on spreading confusion through the crowd,
as when two wild boars / furiously fall on the hunting dogs.
[Odysseus and Diomedes against Trojans ≈ two wild boars amid dogs] Narrator
***
οὕτω κεν καὶ Τρῶες ἀνέπνευσαν κακότητος,
19 (383) οἵ τέ σε πεφρίκασι λέονθ᾽ ὡς μηκάδες αἶγες.

‘For thus the Trojans would have had a rest from evil; / they fear you <Diomedes> as
bleating goats [fear] a lion.’
[Trojans fear Diomedes ≈ goats fear a lion] Paris
***
νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐπιγράψας ταρσὸν ποδὸς εὔχεαι αὔτως.
20 (389) οὐκ ἀλέγω, ὡς εἴ με γυνὴ βάλοι ἢ πάϊς ἄφρων.

‘Now, you <Paris> boast in this way having grazed the sole of my foot. / I <Diomedes>
care no more than if a woman or some silly boy had hit me.’
[Paris ≈ woman or boy] Diomedes
***
21 (414) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κάπριον ἀμφὶ κύνες θαλεροί τ᾽ αἰζηοὶ
σεύωνται, ὃ δέ τ᾽ εἶσι βαθείης ἐκ ξυλόχοιο 415
θήγων λευκὸν ὀδόντα μετὰ γναμπτῇσι γένυσσιν,
ἀμφὶ δέ τ᾽ ἀΐσσονται, ὑπαὶ δέ τε κόμπος ὀδόντων
γίγνεται, οἳ δὲ μένουσιν ἄφαρ δεινόν περ ἐόντα,
ὥς ῥα τότ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ Ὀδυσῆα Διῒ φίλον ἐσσεύοντο
Τρῶες:… 420

As when dogs and vigorous youths set upon a wild boar / that goes from a deep
thicket sharpening his white tusks with his curving lower jaws, / and they attack him
from every side, and so there is the gnashing of tusks, / but for all his fierceness they
still hold their ground, / so furiously the Trojans then set upon Odysseus, dear to Zeus.
[Trojans set upon Odysseus ≈ dogs and youths set on boar] Narrator
***
…ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτὸν
22 (474) Τρῶες ἕπονθ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε δαφοινοὶ θῶες ὄρεσφιν
ἀμφ᾽ ἔλαφον κεραὸν βεβλημένον, ὅν τ᾽ ἔβαλ᾽ ἀνὴρ 475
ἰῷ ἀπὸ νευρῆς: τὸν μέν τ᾽ ἤλυξε πόδεσσι
φεύγων, ὄφρ᾽ αἷμα λιαρὸν καὶ γούνατ᾽ ὀρώρῃ:

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αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τόν γε δαμάσσεται ὠκὺς ὀϊστός,

ὠμοφάγοι μιν θῶες ἐν οὔρεσι δαρδάπτουσιν
ἐν νέμεϊ σκιερῷ: ἐπί τε λῖν ἤγαγε δαίμων 480
σίντην: θῶες μέν τε διέτρεσαν, αὐτὰρ ὃ δάπτει:
ὥς ῥα τότ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ Ὀδυσῆα δαΐφρονα ποικιλομήτην
Τρῶες ἕπον πολλοί τε καὶ ἄλκιμοι, αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ἥρως
ἀΐσσων ᾧ ἔγχει ἀμύνετο νηλεὲς ἦμαρ.
23 (485) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον, 485
στῆ δὲ παρέξ: Τρῶες δὲ διέτρεσαν ἄλλυδις ἄλλος.

The Trojans had gathered around him <Odysseus> like carnivorous mountain jackals /
around some horned stag, wounded when a man hit it / with an arrow from a bow string
— the stag escaped him on foot / so long as its blood was warm and knees have
strength to move, / but when the swift arrow overcame it, / the flesh-eating jackals
devour it / in a shady glade in the mountains. Then a daimôn led on a hungry lion; / the
jackals fled in terror, and the lion devours [the prey] — / even so the many and brave
Trojans gathered around fierce-hearted, crafty Odysseus, but the warrior / attacking
warded off the destructive day with his spear. / Ajax then came near carrying his shield
before him like a tower, / and stood close by; the Trojans fled in all directions.
#22 (474) [Trojans around Odysseus ≈ jackals around stag]
#23 (485) [shield ≈ tower] Narrator
***
24 (492) ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότε πλήθων ποταμὸς πεδίον δὲ κάτεισι
χειμάρρους κατ᾽ ὄρεσφιν ὀπαζόμενος Διὸς ὄμβρῳ,
πολλὰς δὲ δρῦς ἀζαλέας, πολλὰς δέ τε πεύκας
ἐσφέρεται, πολλὸν δέ τ᾽ ἀφυσγετὸν εἰς ἅλα βάλλει, 495
ὣς ἔφεπε κλονέων πεδίον τότε φαίδιμος Αἴας,
δαΐζων ἵππους τε καὶ ἀνέρας.

As when a flooding river comes rushing on to the plain, / winter-swollen from the
mountains, swollen with the rain of Zeus; / it sweeps away many dry oaks and many
pines, / and it throws much mud into the sea / so glorious Ajax pursued driving [them]
over the plain, / slaughtering both horses and men.
[Ajax chases and slaughters horses and men ≈ flooded river sweeps away oaks, pines
and mud] Narrator
***
Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ Αἴανθ᾽ ὑψίζυγος ἐν φόβον ὦρσε:
στῆ δὲ ταφών, ὄπιθεν δὲ σάκος βάλεν ἑπταβόειον, 545
25 (546) τρέσσε δὲ παπτήνας ἐφ᾽ ὁμίλου θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
ἐντροπαλιζόμενος ὀλίγον γόνυ γουνὸς ἀμείβων.
26 (548) ὡς δ᾽ αἴθωνα λέοντα βοῶν ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο
ἐσσεύαντο κύνες τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἀγροιῶται,
οἵ τέ μιν οὐκ εἰῶσι βοῶν ἐκ πῖαρ ἑλέσθαι 550
πάννυχοι ἐγρήσσοντες: ὃ δὲ κρειῶν ἐρατίζων

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ἰθύει, ἀλλ᾽ οὔ τι πρήσσει: θαμέες γὰρ ἄκοντες

ἀντίον ἀΐσσουσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν
καιόμεναί τε δεταί, τάς τε τρεῖ ἐσσύμενός περ:
ἠῶθεν δ᾽ ἀπὸ νόσφιν ἔβη τετιηότι θυμῷ: 555
ὣς Αἴας τότ᾽ ἀπὸ Τρώων τετιημένος ἦτορ
ἤϊε πόλλ᾽ ἀέκων: περὶ γὰρ δίε νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.
27 (558) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὄνος παρ᾽ ἄρουραν ἰὼν ἐβιήσατο παῖδας
νωθής, ᾧ δὴ πολλὰ περὶ ῥόπαλ᾽ ἀμφὶς ἐάγῃ,
κείρει τ᾽ εἰσελθὼν βαθὺ λήϊον: οἳ δέ τε παῖδες 560
τύπτουσιν ῥοπάλοισι: βίη δέ τε νηπίη αὐτῶν:
σπουδῇ τ᾽ ἐξήλασσαν, ἐπεί τ᾽ ἐκορέσσατο φορβῆς:
ὣς τότ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ Αἴαντα μέγαν Τελαμώνιον υἱὸν
Τρῶες ὑπέρθυμοι πολυηγερέες τ᾽ ἐπίκουροι
νύσσοντες ξυστοῖσι μέσον σάκος αἰὲν ἕποντο. 565

Then father Zeus from his high throne roused Ajax to flight, / so that he stood there
dazed and threw his shield of seven ox-hides over his back / looking fearfully at the
throng [of his foes] as though he were a wild beast, / and he turned about, shifting
[back] slowly from leg to leg. / As peasants with their dogs chase / a tawny lion from
their stockyard, / and prevent his carrying off the fattest of their herd, / watching all night
long — the lion, hungry for meat, / presses forward, but he is unsuccessful, for the darts
/ from many a strong hand fall thick around him, / with burning brands that scare him for
all his fury, / and when morning comes he goes away troubled at heart — / so Ajax then
troubled at heart and / quite against his will retreated before the Trojans, fearing for the
ships of the Achaeans. / Or as when some lazy ass forces his way into a field in spite
of boys / and many clubs are broken about his back / when he enters the field wasting
the tall crop — the boys / beat him with clubs but their strength is child-like, / still when
he has had his fill of fodder they barely drive him from the field — / so then the bold
Trojans and their numerous allies / pursue great Ajax, son of Telamon, / ever hitting
the middle of his shield with their spears.
#25 (546) [Ajax ≈ wild beast]
#26 (548) [Ajax retreats from Trojans ≈ lion retreats from peasants]
#27 (558) [Trojans and allies pursue Ajax and strike his shield with spears ≈ boys chase
and beat ass with clubs ] Narrator
***
28 (596) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο:
Νέστορα δ᾽ ἐκ πολέμοιο φέρον Νηλήϊαι ἵπποι
ἱδρῶσαι.

Thus then they <Achaeans> fought like a blazing fire. / Meanwhile the sweating mares
of Neleus were bearing Nestor out of the fight
[fight of Achaeans ≈ blazing fire] Narrator
***
29 (747) αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπόρουσα κελαινῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος,

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πεντήκοντα δ᾽ ἕλον δίφρους.

‘And I <Nestor> swept down on them <Epeans> like a black whirlwind / and took fifty
chariots…’
[Nestor ≈ whirlwind] Nestor
***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Divine Comparisons:

58* Αἰνείαν θ᾽, ὃς Τρωσὶ θεὸς ὣς τίετο δήμῳ,

Aeneas, who was honored in Troy by the people as a god.
Cf. Book 10 line 33, Book 11 line 58, Book 13 line 218, and Book 16 line 605.
***
60* τρεῖς τ᾽ Ἀντηνορίδας . . . ἐπιείκελον ἀθανάτοισιν.
And the three sons of Antenor [were honored] like the immortals.
***
295 Ἕκτωρ Πριαμίδης βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ: Hector . . . equal to Ares.

Lee counts this as a simile.

***
ὃ δὲ κλισίηθεν ἀκούσας
604 ἔκμολεν ἶσος Ἄρηϊ, κακοῦ δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ πέλεν ἀρχή.

And he <Patroclus> heard and came out of the tent like Ares, and this for him was the
beginning of evil.

Lee counts this as a simile.

***
638 γυνὴ ἐϊκυῖα θεῇσιν a woman like the goddesses

Metaphoric Simile:

72 ἴσας δ᾽ ὑσμίνη κεφαλὰς ἔχεν

The battle had equal heads.

[evenness of battle (implied comparison) ≈ equal heads] Narrator

797* αἴ κέν τι φόως Δαναοῖσι γένηαι.

‘Then let him <Zeus> send you <Patroclus>, and let the rest of the Myrmidons follow,
that you may become a light for the Danaans.’
[effect of Patroclus on battle (implied comparison) ≈ light] Nestor

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Cf. Book 16 line 39 and line 95; Book 17 line 615

***
Similes of the Iliad Book 12 (Μ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#2 (41) [Hector to Argives ≈ a wild boar or lion to dogs and huntsmen]
#3 (132) [Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ oaks]
#4 (146) [Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ wild boars]
#5 (156) [stones ≈ snow-flakes]
#6 (167) [Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ wasps or bees]
#7* (219) [Trojans ≈ high-flying eagle that did not complete its mission]
#8 (278) [stones flew thick ≈ snow falls thick]
#10 (299) [Sarpedon ≈ a mountain lion]
#13 (421) [the Lycians and Danaans fight ≈ two men struggle around boundary
stones]
#14 (433) [Lycians and Danaans fought evenly ≈ a careful spinner woman
holding a balance]
#15 (451) [Hector lifting a heavy stone ≈ a shepherd carrying the fleece of a ram
in one hand]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (40) [Hector ≈ windstorm]
#9 (293) [Sarpedon against Argives ≈ a lion against cattle]
#11 (375) [Lycians ≈ a dark whirlwind]
#12 (385) [Epicles falling from the high tower ≈ a diver]
#16 (463) [Hector’s face ≈ night]
***
Ἀργεῖοι δὲ Διὸς μάστιγι δαμέντες
νηυσὶν ἔπι γλαφυρῇσιν ἐελμένοι ἰσχανόωντο
Ἕκτορα δειδιότες, κρατερὸν μήστωρα φόβοιο:
1 (40) αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ὡς τὸ πρόσθεν ἐμάρνατο ἶσος ἀέλλῃ: 40
2 (41) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι
κάπριος ἠὲ λέων στρέφεται σθένεϊ βλεμεαίνων:
οἳ δέ τε πυργηδὸν σφέας αὐτοὺς ἀρτύναντες
ἀντίον ἵστανται καὶ ἀκοντίζουσι θαμειὰς
αἰχμὰς ἐκ χειρῶν: τοῦ δ᾽ οὔ ποτε κυδάλιμον κῆρ 45
ταρβεῖ οὐδὲ φοβεῖται, ἀγηνορίη δέ μιν ἔκτα:
ταρφέα τε στρέφεται στίχας ἀνδρῶν πειρητίζων:
ὅππῃ τ᾽ ἰθύσῃ τῇ εἴκουσι στίχες ἀνδρῶν:
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἰὼν ἐλλίσσεθ᾽ ἑταίρους
τάφρον ἐποτρύνων διαβαινέμεν. 50

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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And the Argives, conquered by the whip of Zeus, / penned by their hollow ships were
held in check / fearing Hector, the mighty deviser of rout, / but he, as before, fought
like a windstorm. / And as when, among dogs and huntsmen, / a wild boar or a
lion turns, exulting in his strength, / and these like a wall, arraying themselves / stand
against him, and hurl thick / javelins from their hands; yet his noble heart is not at all /
fearful or frightened, though his courage gets him killed; / and he turns on the thick
ranks of men testing them; / and wherever he charges, there the ranks of men give way;
/ thus Hector going through the throng sought out his comrades / urging [them] to cross
the trench.
#1 (40) [Hector ≈ windstorm]
#2 (41) [Hector to Argives ≈ a wild boar or lion to dogs and huntsmen] Narrator

NB the adverbial simile πυργηδὸν (43: like a wall).

***
τὼ μὲν ἄρα προπάροιθε πυλάων ὑψηλάων
3 (132) ἕστασαν ὡς ὅτε τε δρύες οὔρεσιν ὑψικάρηνοι,
αἵ τ᾽ ἄνεμον μίμνουσι καὶ ὑετὸν ἤματα πάντα
ῥίζῃσιν μεγάλῃσι διηνεκέεσσ᾽ ἀραρυῖαι:
ὣς ἄρα τὼ χείρεσσι πεποιθότες ἠδὲ βίηφι 135
μίμνον ἐπερχόμενον μέγαν Ἄσιον οὐδὲ φέβοντο.

These two <Polypoetes and Leonteus> before the high gate(s) / stood firm as (when)
oaks of lofty crest in the mountains, / that stay the wind and rain day by day, / firm fixed
with roots great and long; / thus these two, trusting in their arms and strength, / waited
for great Asius coming on and did not flee.
[Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ oaks] Narrator
***
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῖχος ἐπεσσυμένους ἐνόησαν
Τρῶας, ἀτὰρ Δαναῶν γένετο ἰαχή τε φόβος τε,
ἐκ δὲ τὼ ἀΐξαντε πυλάων πρόσθε μαχέσθην 145
4 (146) ἀγροτέροισι σύεσσιν ἐοικότε, τώ τ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσσιν
ἀνδρῶν ἠδὲ κυνῶν δέχαται κολοσυρτὸν ἰόντα,
δοχμώ τ᾽ ἀΐσσοντε περὶ σφίσιν ἄγνυτον ὕλην
πρυμνὴν ἐκτάμνοντες, ὑπαὶ δέ τε κόμπος ὀδόντων
γίγνεται εἰς ὅ κέ τίς τε βαλὼν ἐκ θυμὸν ἕληται: 150
ὣς τῶν κόμπει χαλκὸς ἐπὶ στήθεσσι φαεινὸς
ἄντην βαλλομένων: μάλα γὰρ κρατερῶς ἐμάχοντο
λαοῖσιν καθύπερθε πεποιθότες ἠδὲ βίηφιν.

But when [the Achaeans] saw the Trojans rushing upon the wall, / while there was
shouting and panic from the Danaans, / the two <Polypoetes and Leonteus> rushing
from the gate(s) fought in front / like wild boars which in the mountains / receive the
tumultuous throng of men and dogs coming [against them], / and charging from both

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sides they crush the trees about them, / cutting them at the root, and there arises a
clatter of tusks, / until one throwing [a spear] takes their life away: / so the bright bronze
clattered about their chests / as they were struck facing [their enemy], for very strongly
they fought, / trusting in their army above them and in their own strength.
[Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ wild boars] Narrator
***
5 (156) νιφάδες δ᾽ ὡς πῖπτον ἔραζε,
ἅς τ᾽ ἄνεμος ζαὴς νέφεα σκιόεντα δονήσας
ταρφειὰς κατέχευεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ:
ὣς τῶν ἐκ χειρῶν βέλεα ῥέον ἠμὲν Ἀχαιῶν
ἠδὲ καὶ ἐκ Τρώων: κόρυθες δ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ αὖον ἀΰτευν 160
βαλλομένων μυλάκεσσι καὶ ἀσπίδες ὀμφαλόεσσαι.

And [the stones] fell earthward like snow-flakes, / that a stormy wind, driving
shadowy clouds, / pours thick upon the bounteous earth; / so the missiles flowed from
the hands both of Achaeans / and also Trojans; and helmets rang harshly / and bossed
shields as they were hit with large stones.
[stones ≈ snow-flakes] Narrator
***
6 (167) οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τε σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι ἠὲ μέλισσαι
οἰκία ποιήσωνται ὁδῷ ἔπι παιπαλοέσσῃ,
οὐδ᾽ ἀπολείπουσιν κοῖλον δόμον, ἀλλὰ μένοντες
ἄνδρας θηρητῆρας ἀμύνονται περὶ τέκνων, 170
ὣς οἵ γ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλουσι πυλάων καὶ δύ᾽ ἐόντε
χάσσασθαι πρίν γ᾽ ἠὲ κατακτάμεν ἠὲ ἁλῶναι.

‘But they <the Achaeans> as wasps of nimble waist or bees / make their nests in a
rugged path, / and leave not their hollow home, but remaining / ward off human hunters
from around their young; / thus these men are not willing, even though only two, / to
give ground from the gate(s) before they either kill or are killed.’
[Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ wasps or bees] Asius
***
ὧδε γὰρ ἐκτελέεσθαι ὀΐομαι, εἰ ἐτεόν γε
Τρωσὶν ὅδ᾽ ὄρνις ἦλθε περησέμεναι μεμαῶσιν
7* (219) αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπ᾽ ἀριστερὰ λαὸν ἐέργων
φοινήεντα δράκοντα φέρων ὀνύχεσσι πέλωρον 220
ζωόν: ἄφαρ δ᾽ ἀφέηκε πάρος φίλα οἰκί᾽ ἱκέσθαι,
οὐδ᾽ ἐτέλεσσε φέρων δόμεναι τεκέεσσιν ἑοῖσιν.
ὣς ἡμεῖς, εἴ πέρ τε πύλας καὶ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν
ῥηξόμεθα σθένεϊ μεγάλῳ, εἴξωσι δ᾽ Ἀχαιοί,
οὐ κόσμῳ παρὰ ναῦφιν ἐλευσόμεθ᾽ αὐτὰ κέλευθα: 225
πολλοὺς γὰρ Τρώων καταλείψομεν, οὕς κεν Ἀχαιοὶ
χαλκῷ δῃώσωσιν ἀμυνόμενοι περὶ νηῶν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘For thus, I think, it will turn out, if in truth / this bird has come upon the Trojans, as they
were eager to cross over, / a high-flying eagle, skirting the army on the left, / bearing in
his talons a blood-red, monstrous snake, / still living, yet he let it fall before he reached
his own nest, / and did not complete [his mission], to bring [it home and] give it to his
little ones. / Thus shall we, even if we break the gates and the wall of the Achaeans / by
our great might, and the Achaeans give way, / come back over the same roads from the
ships in disarray; / for we shall leave behind many of the Trojans, whom the Achaeans
/will kill with the bronze in defense of their ships.’
[Trojans ≈ high-flying eagle that did not complete its mission] Polydamus

An omen (ὅδ᾽ ὄρνις) of an eagle (αἰετὸς, 200–201), called a portent of Zeus (Διὸς
τέρας) at 209, is described just above in 201–209; the Trojan Polydamus tries to
interpret it here as a simile (217–229) with the Trojans as the high-flying eagle that
returns to its nest after an unsuccessful bout with a snake.
***
8 (278) τῶν δ᾽, ὥς τε νιφάδες χιόνος πίπτωσι θαμειαὶ
ἤματι χειμερίῳ, ὅτε τ᾽ ὤρετο μητίετα Ζεὺς
νιφέμεν ἀνθρώποισι πιφαυσκόμενος τὰ ἃ κῆλα: 280
κοιμήσας δ᾽ ἀνέμους χέει ἔμπεδον, ὄφρα καλύψῃ
ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων κορυφὰς καὶ πρώονας ἄκρους
καὶ πεδία λωτοῦντα καὶ ἀνδρῶν πίονα ἔργα,
καί τ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἁλὸς πολιῆς κέχυται λιμέσιν τε καὶ ἀκταῖς,
κῦμα δέ μιν προσπλάζον ἐρύκεται: ἄλλά τε πάντα 285
εἴλυται καθύπερθ᾽, ὅτ᾽ ἐπιβρίσῃ Διὸς ὄμβρος:
ὣς τῶν ἀμφοτέρωσε λίθοι πωτῶντο θαμειαί,
αἱ μὲν ἄρ᾽ ἐς Τρῶας, αἱ δ᾽ ἐκ Τρώων ἐς Ἀχαιούς,
βαλλομένων: τὸ δὲ τεῖχος ὕπερ πᾶν δοῦπος ὀρώρει.

And as flakes of snow fall thick / on a winter's day, when Zeus, the counsellor, is
moved / to snow, making clear to men these arrows of his, / lulling the winds he pours
[the flakes] continually, until he has covered / the peaks of the lofty mountains and the
high headlands / and the grassy plains, and the rich farms of men; / and over harbors
and shores of the grey sea [the snow] is poured, / but the wave beating against it keeps
it off; and all other things / are wrapped from above, when the storm of Zeus drives it on:
thus from both sides the stones flew thick, / some upon the Trojans, and some from
the Trojans upon the Achaeans, / throwing [at one another]; and over all the wall the din
arose.
[stones flew thick ≈ snow falls thick] Narrator
***

οὐδ᾽ ἄν πω τότε γε Τρῶες καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ 290

τείχεος ἐρρήξαντο πύλας καὶ μακρὸν ὀχῆα,
εἰ μὴ ἄρ᾽ υἱὸν ἑὸν Σαρπηδόνα μητίετα Ζεὺς
9 (293) ὦρσεν ἐπ᾽ Ἀργείοισι λέονθ᾽ ὣς βουσὶν ἕλιξιν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Yet not even then the Trojans and glorious Hector / would have broken the gates of the
wall and the long bar, / had not Zeus the counsellor roused his own son, Sarpedon, /
against the Argives, as a lion against sleek cattle.
[Sarpedon against Argives ≈ a lion against cattle] Narrator
***
τὴν ἄρ᾽ ὅ γε πρόσθε σχόμενος δύο δοῦρε τινάσσων
10 (299) βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπιδευὴς
δηρὸν ἔῃ κρειῶν, κέλεται δέ ἑ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ 300
μήλων πειρήσοντα καὶ ἐς πυκινὸν δόμον ἐλθεῖν:
εἴ περ γάρ χ᾽ εὕρῃσι παρ᾽ αὐτόφι βώτορας ἄνδρας
σὺν κυσὶ καὶ δούρεσσι φυλάσσοντας περὶ μῆλα,
οὔ ῥά τ᾽ ἀπείρητος μέμονε σταθμοῖο δίεσθαι,
ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἢ ἥρπαξε μετάλμενος, ἠὲ καὶ αὐτὸς 305
ἔβλητ᾽ ἐν πρώτοισι θοῆς ἀπὸ χειρὸς ἄκοντι:
ὥς ῥα τότ᾽ ἀντίθεον Σαρπηδόνα θυμὸς ἀνῆκε
τεῖχος ἐπαΐξαι διά τε ῥήξασθαι ἐπάλξεις.

Holding this <his shield> before him [and] brandishing two spears, / [Sarpedon] went
his way like a mountain-nurtured lion that for a long time / lacked meat, and his proud
spirit compels him / to go even into the close-built fold to make an attack upon the
flocks. / For even if he finds at that very spot herdsmen / with dogs and spears keeping
guard over the flocks, / yet he is not impelled to be driven from the pen without trying, /
but either he leaps amid [the flock and] seizes one, or is himself / struck among the first
by a javelin from a swift hand: / thus his spirit then urged god-like Sarpedon / to rush
upon the wall, and break-down the battlements.
[Sarpedon ≈ a mountain lion] Narrator
***

εὖτε Μενεσθῆος μεγαθύμου πύργον ἵκοντο

τείχεος ἐντὸς ἰόντες, ἐπειγομένοισι δ᾽ ἵκοντο,
11 (375) οἳ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐπάλξεις βαῖνον ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσοι 375
***
οὐδέ κέ μιν ῥέα
χείρεσσ᾽ ἀμφοτέρῃς ἔχοι ἀνὴρ οὐδὲ μάλ᾽ ἡβῶν,
οἷοι νῦν βροτοί εἰσ᾽: ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑψόθεν ἔμβαλ᾽ ἀείρας,
θλάσσε δὲ τετράφαλον κυνέην, σὺν δ᾽ ὀστέ᾽ ἄραξε
12 (385) πάντ᾽ ἄμυδις κεφαλῆς: ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς 385
κάππεσ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλοῦ πύργου, λίπε δ᾽ ὀστέα θυμός.

Now when [Ajax and Teucer] reached the tower of great-souled Menestheus / going
within the wall, and came to the hard-pressed men, / the [Lycians] were going upon the
battlements like a dark whirlwind, / . . . Not easily / with both hands could a man hold it
<a huge jagged rock>, not even a young one / such as mortals now are, but he <Ajax>

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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lifted it on high and hurled it, / and he shattered the four-horned helmet, and crushed
together all the bones / of the head [of Epicles]; and he fell like a diver / from the high
tower, and his spirit left his bones.
#11 (375) [Lycians ≈ a dark whirlwind]
#12 (385) [Epicles falling from the high tower ≈ a diver] Narrator
***
13 (421) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ οὔροισι δύ᾽ ἀνέρε δηριάασθον
μέτρ᾽ ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες ἐπιξύνῳ ἐν ἀρούρῃ,
ὥ τ᾽ ὀλίγῳ ἐνὶ χώρῳ ἐρίζητον περὶ ἴσης,
ὣς ἄρα τοὺς διέεργον ἐπάλξιες: οἳ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ αὐτέων
δῄουν ἀλλήλων ἀμφὶ στήθεσσι βοείας 425
ἀσπίδας εὐκύκλους λαισήϊά τε πτερόεντα.

But as two men dispute around boundary-stones / in a common field, having

measuring-rods in their hands, / and in a narrow space contend each for his equal
share; / thus the battlements held these apart [the Lycians and Danaans], and over
them / they struck about one another's chests the ox-hide / round shields and fluttering
targets.
[the Lycians and Danaans fight ≈ two men struggle around boundary stones] Narrator
***
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὧς ἐδύναντο φόβον ποιῆσαι Ἀχαιῶν,
14 (433) ἀλλ᾽ ἔχον ὥς τε τάλαντα γυνὴ χερνῆτις ἀληθής,
ἥ τε σταθμὸν ἔχουσα καὶ εἴριον ἀμφὶς ἀνέλκει
ἰσάζουσ᾽, ἵνα παισὶν ἀεικέα μισθὸν ἄρηται: 435
ὣς μὲν τῶν ἐπὶ ἶσα μάχη τέτατο πτόλεμός τε,
πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δὴ Ζεὺς κῦδος ὑπέρτερον Ἕκτορι δῶκε
Πριαμίδῃ, ὃς πρῶτος ἐσήλατο τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν.

But not even so could they bring about a rout of the Achaeans, / but they held [their
ground] as a careful woman spinner [holds] a balance / and she raises the weight
and the wool in either scale, / making them equal, that she may win a meager wage for
her children; / so evenly their war and battle was strained, until when Zeus gave the
highest glory to Hector, / son of Priam, who first scaled the wall of the Achaeans.
[Lycians and Danaans fought evenly ≈ a careful spinner woman holding a balance]
Narrator
***
τόν οἱ ἐλαφρὸν ἔθηκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω. 450
15 (451) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ποιμὴν ῥεῖα φέρει πόκον ἄρσενος οἰὸς
χειρὶ λαβὼν ἑτέρῃ, ὀλίγον τέ μιν ἄχθος ἐπείγει,
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἰθὺς σανίδων φέρε λᾶαν ἀείρας,
αἵ ῥα πύλας εἴρυντο πύκα στιβαρῶς ἀραρυίας.

The son of crooked-counselling Cronus made it <a stone> light for him. And as when a
shepherd easily carries the fleece of a ram alone, / taking it in one hand, and little

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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does the weight burden him; / thus Hector lifting up the stone carried it straight
against the doors / that guarded the close and strongly fitted gates.
[Hector lifting a heavy stone ≈ a shepherd carrying the fleece of a ram in one hand]
Narrator

ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔσθορε φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ

16 (463) νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀτάλαντος ὑπώπια: λάμπε δὲ χαλκῷ
σμερδαλέῳ, τὸν ἕεστο περὶ χροΐ, δοιὰ δὲ χερσὶ
δοῦρ᾽ ἔχεν: οὔ κέν τίς μιν ἐρύκακεν ἀντιβολήσας 465
νόσφι θεῶν ὅτ᾽ ἐσᾶλτο πύλας: πυρὶ δ᾽ ὄσσε δεδήει.

And glorious Hector leaped within, his face like sudden night; and he shone in terrible
bronze / with which he was clothed about his body, and in his hands / he held two
spears. None that met him could have held him back, / none apart from the gods, when
once he leaped within the gates; and his eyes blazed with fire.
[Hector’s face ≈ night] Narrator

***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Divine Comparisons:

130 τὸν δὲ Λεοντῆα βροτολοιγῷ ἶσον Ἄρηϊ. 130

Leonteus, peer of Ares the bane of men.

Lee counts this as a simile.

***
ἄλλοι δ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ ἄλλῃσι μάχην ἐμάχοντο πύλῃσιν: 175
176* ἀργαλέον δέ με ταῦτα θεὸν ὣς πάντ᾽ ἀγορεῦσαι:
πάντῃ γὰρ περὶ τεῖχος ὀρώρει θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ
λάϊνον.

But others were fighting in battle about the other gates, / and it would be difficult for me,
as though I were a god, to tell the tale of all these things, / for everywhere about the
wall of stone rose the divinely-kindled (fiercely blazing) fire.

An unusual use of the ‘divine comparison’ (175–178) to refer to the Narrator speaking in
the first person.

* **

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similes of the Iliad Book 13 (Ν)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#3 (62) [Poseidon ≈ a swift hawk]
#4 (102) [Trojans before Achaeans ≈ deer panic-stricken by jackals, panthers,
wolves]
#5 (137) [Hector ≈ a boulder]
#6 (178) [the Trojan Imbrius ≈ an ash tree that is cut down]
#7 (198) [the Ajaxes with Imbrius ≈ two lions snatching a goat from dogs]
#8 (242) [gleam of Idomeneus’ his bronze armor ≈ lightning]
#11 (334) [the battle ≈ storms and dust]
#12 (389) [Asius falling ≈ an oak or poplar or tall pine]
#15 (471) [Idomeneus ≈ a boar]
#16 (492) [army follows Aeneas ≈ sheep follow a ram]
#19 (571) [Adamas ≈ a bull bound with ropes]
#20 (588) [an arrow glances off Menelaus’ corselet ≈ beans leap from a
winnower’s shovel]
#24 (703) [the two Ajaxes fighting side by side ≈ two oxen at the plough]
#26 (795) [Trojans ≈ the blast of dire winds]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (39) [Trojans ≈ a flame or squall]
#2 (53) [Hector ≈ a flame]
#9 (292) [Idomeneus and Merioness NOT ≈ children]
#10 (330) [Idomeneus ≈ a flame]
#13 (437) [Alcathous ≈ a pillar or tree]
#14 (470) [Idomeneus NOT ≈ a darling child]
#17 (531) [Meriones ≈ a vulture]
#18 (564) [part of the spear ≈ a charred stake]
#21 (654) [Harpalion wounded by Meriones’ arrow ≈ a worm on the earth]
#22 (673) [Greeks and Trojans fighting ≈ blazing fire]
#23 (688) [Hector ≈ a flame]
#25 (754) [Hector ≈ a snowy mountain]
#27* (819) [horses swifter ≈ than falcons]

***

1 (39) Τρῶες δὲ φλογὶ ἶσοι ἀολλέες ἠὲ θυέλλῃ

Ἕκτορι Πριαμίδῃ ἄμοτον μεμαῶτες ἕποντο 40
ἄβρομοι αὐΐαχοι.

But the Trojans, all together, like a flame or a squall / were eagerly following after
Hector, son of Priam, incessantly / clamoring with loud shouts.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Trojans ≈ a flame or squall] Narrator

***
τῇ δὲ δὴ αἰνότατον περιδείδια μή τι πάθωμεν,
2 (53) ᾗ ῥ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ὁ λυσσώδης φλογὶ εἴκελος ἡγεμονεύει
Ἕκτωρ, ὃς Διὸς εὔχετ᾽ ἐρισθενέος πάϊς εἶναι.

‘But here indeed I am dreadfully fearful that we may suffer something, / where that
madman Hector is leading [them] on like a flame, / who boasts that he is a son of
mighty Zeus.’
[Hector ≈ a flame] Poseidon as Calchas
***
3 (62) αὐτὸς δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἴρηξ ὠκύπτερος ὦρτο πέτεσθαι,
ὅς ῥά τ᾽ ἀπ᾽ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης περιμήκεος ἀρθεὶς
ὁρμήσῃ πεδίοιο διώκειν ὄρνεον ἄλλο,
ὣς ἀπὸ τῶν ἤϊξε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων. 65

And <Poseidon>, himself, as a hawk, swift of flight, leaps up to fly, / who raising
himself up from a high precipitous rock, / darts over the plain to chase some other bird; /
thus from them darted Poseidon, the Shaker of Earth.
[Poseidon ≈ a swift hawk] Narrative
***
ὢ πόποι ἦ μέγα θαῦμα τόδ᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρῶμαι
δεινόν, ὃ οὔ ποτ᾽ ἔγωγε τελευτήσεσθαι ἔφασκον, 100
Τρῶας ἐφ᾽ ἡμετέρας ἰέναι νέας, οἳ τὸ πάρος περ
4 (102) φυζακινῇς ἐλάφοισιν ἐοίκεσαν, αἵ τε καθ᾽ ὕλην
θώων παρδαλίων τε λύκων τ᾽ ἤϊα πέλονται
αὔτως ἠλάσκουσαι ἀνάλκιδες, οὐδ᾽ ἔπι χάρμη:
ὣς Τρῶες τὸ πρίν γε μένος καὶ χεῖρας Ἀχαιῶν 105
μίμνειν οὐκ ἐθέλεσκον ἐναντίον, οὐδ᾽ ἠβαιόν.

‘Well now, surely this is a great marvel I see with my eyes / a dread thing which I
thought would never come to pass: / the Trojans are going against our ships, who
before this / were like panic-stricken deer, who in the forest / become the prey of
jackals and panthers and wolves / scurrying vainly [as] cowards, nor is there any fight in
them./ So the Trojans in the past at least did not wish to remain opposite the might and
hands of the Achaeans / not in the least.’
[Trojans before Achaeans ≈ deer panic-stricken by jackals, panthers, wolves] Poseidon
***
Τρῶες δὲ προὔτυψαν ἀολλέες, ἦρχε δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἕκτωρ
5 (137) ἀντικρὺ μεμαώς, ὀλοοίτροχος ὣς ἀπὸ πέτρης,
ὅν τε κατὰ στεφάνης ποταμὸς χειμάρροος ὤσῃ
ῥήξας ἀσπέτῳ ὄμβρῳ ἀναιδέος ἔχματα πέτρης:
ὕψι δ᾽ ἀναθρῴσκων πέτεται, κτυπέει δέ θ᾽ ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ 140
ὕλη: ὃ δ᾽ ἀσφαλέως θέει ἔμπεδον, εἷος ἵκηται

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ἰσόπεδον, τότε δ᾽ οὔ τι κυλίνδεται ἐσσύμενός περ:

ὣς Ἕκτωρ εἷος μὲν ἀπείλει μέχρι θαλάσσης
ῥέα διελεύσεσθαι κλισίας καὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν
κτείνων.

Then the Trojans drove forward all in one body and Hector led them, / pressing ever
forward, like a boulder from a ledge / that a river swollen by winter rains pushes down
a cliff, / when it has burst with an indescribable flood the foundations of the ruthless
ledge; / leaping high it flies, and the woods resound beneath /, and it rushes on
steadfastly until it reaches / the level plain, but then it rolls no more for all its momentum;
/ thus Hector for a time threatened to make his way easily as far as the sea / through
the huts and ships of the Achaeans, / slaying [as he went].
[Hector ≈ a boulder] Narrator

NB further along in this passage (at line 152) the one-word adverbial simile πυργηδὸν
(like a wall) in Hector’s speech: οὔ τοι δηρὸν ἐμὲ σχήσουσιν Ἀχαιοὶ / καὶ μάλα
πυργηδὸν σφέας αὐτοὺς ἀρτύναντες (‘No longer shall the Achaeans hold me back,
even though they have arrayed themselves like a wall’).
***
τόν ῥ᾽ υἱὸς Τελαμῶνος ὑπ᾽ οὔατος ἔγχεϊ μακρῷ
6 (178) νύξ᾽, ἐκ δ᾽ ἔσπασεν ἔγχος: ὃ δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἔπεσεν μελίη ὣς
ἥ τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφῇ ἕκαθεν περιφαινομένοιο
χαλκῷ ταμνομένη τέρενα χθονὶ φύλλα πελάσσῃ: 180
ὣς πέσεν, ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ βράχε τεύχεα ποικίλα χαλκῷ.

The son of Telamon hit him <Imbrius> beneath the ear with his long spear, / and he
withdrew his spear; and he fell like an ash-tree / that on the summit of a mountain
visible from afar on every side, / is cut down by the bronze [and] brings its tender leafs
to the ground; / thus he fell and around him rang his armor cunningly wrought with
bronze.
[the Trojan Imbrius ≈ an ash tree that is cut down] Narrator
***

7 (198) ὥς τε δύ᾽ αἶγα λέοντε κυνῶν ὕπο καρχαροδόντων

ἁρπάξαντε φέρητον ἀνὰ ῥωπήϊα πυκνὰ
ὑψοῦ ὑπὲρ γαίης μετὰ γαμφηλῇσιν ἔχοντε, 200
ὥς ῥα τὸν ὑψοῦ ἔχοντε δύω Αἴαντε κορυστὰ
τεύχεα συλήτην: κεφαλὴν δ᾽ ἁπαλῆς ἀπὸ δειρῆς
κόψεν Ὀϊλιάδης κεχολωμένος Ἀμφιμάχοιο,
ἧκε δέ μιν σφαιρηδὸν ἑλιξάμενος δι᾽ ὁμίλου:
Ἕκτορι δὲ προπάροιθε ποδῶν πέσεν ἐν κονίῃσι. 205

And like two lions that have snatched away a goat from sharp-toothed dogs, /
carry it through the thick brush, / holding it in their jaws high above the ground, thus the

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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two warrior Ajaxes holding [Imbrius] on high, / stripped him of his armor; and the son
of Oïleus cut the head from the tender neck, / being angry for [the slaying of]
Amphimachus, / and with a swing he sent it rolling through the throng like a ball; and it
fell in the dust before the feet of Hector.
[the Ajaxes with Imbrius ≈ two lions snatching a goat from dogs] Narrator

Cf. Book 11 #9 (147) ὅλμον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε κυλίνδεσθαι δι᾽ ὁμίλου where Agamemnon
sends Hippolochus’ head (or body) rolling like a round stone. The description here
contains the adverbial simile σφαιρηδὸν ≈ like a ball.
***
Ἰδομενεὺς δ᾽ ὅτε δὴ κλισίην εὔτυκτον ἵκανε 240
δύσετο τεύχεα καλὰ περὶ χροΐ, γέντο δὲ δοῦρε,
8 (242) βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἀστεροπῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τε Κρονίων
χειρὶ λαβὼν ἐτίναξεν ἀπ᾽ αἰγλήεντος Ὀλύμπου
δεικνὺς σῆμα βροτοῖσιν: ἀρίζηλοι δέ οἱ αὐγαί:
ὣς τοῦ χαλκὸς ἔλαμπε περὶ στήθεσσι θέοντος. 245

And Idomeneus, when he came to his well-built hut, / put his fine armor on his body,
and grasped [two] spears, / and went on his way like lightning that the son of Cronus
/taking in his hand brandishes from gleaming Olympus, / showing a sign to mortals, and
the rays brightly flash; / thus the bronze shone about his chest as he ran.
[gleam of Idomeneus' bronze armor ≈ lightning] Narrator
***
9 (292) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς
ἑσταότες, μή πού τις ὑπερφιάλως νεμεσήσῃ.

‘But come, no longer let us talk thus like children, / standing [here] lest someone
perhaps may feel resentment excessively.’
[Idomeneus and Meriones NOT ≈ children] Meriones speaking to Idomeneus
***
10 (330) οἳ δ᾽ ὡς Ἰδομενῆα ἴδον φλογὶ εἴκελον ἀλκὴν
αὐτὸν καὶ θεράποντα σὺν ἔντεσι δαιδαλέοισι,
κεκλόμενοι καθ᾽ ὅμιλον ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ πάντες ἔβησαν:
τῶν δ᾽ ὁμὸν ἵστατο νεῖκος ἐπὶ πρυμνῇσι νέεσσιν.
11 (334) ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ λιγέων ἀνέμων σπέρχωσιν ἄελλαι
ἤματι τῷ ὅτε τε πλείστη κόνις ἀμφὶ κελεύθους, 335
οἵ τ᾽ ἄμυδις κονίης μεγάλην ἱστᾶσιν ὀμίχλην,
ὣς ἄρα τῶν ὁμόσ᾽ ἦλθε μάχη, μέμασαν δ᾽ ἐνὶ θυμῷ
ἀλλήλους καθ᾽ ὅμιλον ἐναιρέμεν ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ.

Now when they <the Trojans> saw Idomeneus, equal to a flame in strength, / himself
and his squire clad in richly made armor, / calling out to one to another in the throng
they all went towards him; / and their conflict arose all together by the sterns of the
ships. / And as when storms arise from shrill winds / on a day when dust lies thickest

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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on the roads, / and the [winds] raise up confusedly a great cloud of dust; / thus their
battle came together, and they were eager in spirit / to slay one another with the sharp
bronze in the tumult.
#10 (330) [Idomeneus ≈ a flame]
#11 (334) [the battle ≈ storms and dust] Narrator
***
12 (389) ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς
ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή, τήν τ᾽ οὔρεσι τέκτονες ἄνδρες 390
ἐξέταμον πελέκεσσι νεήκεσι νήϊον εἶναι:
ὣς ὃ πρόσθ᾽ ἵππων καὶ δίφρου κεῖτο τανυσθεὶς
βεβρυχὼς κόνιος δεδραγμένος αἱματοέσσης.

And he fell as when some oak falls, or a poplar, / or a tall pine that, in the
mountains, shipbuilders / fell with whetted axes to be a ship's timber; / thus before his
horses and chariot he <Asius> lay out-stretched, / moaning aloud and clutching at the
bloody dust.
[Asius falling ≈ an oak or poplar or tall pine] Narrator
***
13 (437) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στήλην ἢ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον
ἀτρέμας ἑσταότα στῆθος μέσον οὔτασε δουρὶ
ἥρως Ἰδομενεύς.

But like a pillar or a tree, high and leafy, / as he stood not moving, the warrior
Idomeneus struck [Alcathous] with his spear in the middle of his chest.
[Alcathous ≈ a pillar or tree] Narrator
***
14 (470) ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ Ἰδομενῆα φόβος λάβε τηλύγετον ὥς,
15 (471) ἀλλ᾽ ἔμεν᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις σῦς οὔρεσιν ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς,
ὅς τε μένει κολοσυρτὸν ἐπερχόμενον πολὺν ἀνδρῶν
χώρῳ ἐν οἰοπόλῳ, φρίσσει δέ τε νῶτον ὕπερθεν:
ὀφθαλμὼ δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ πυρὶ λάμπετον: αὐτὰρ ὀδόντας
θήγει, ἀλέξασθαι μεμαὼς κύνας ἠδὲ καὶ ἄνδρας: 475
ὣς μένεν Ἰδομενεὺς δουρικλυτός, οὐδ᾽ ὑπεχώρει.

But fear did not seize Idomeneus like some darling child, / but he remained like
some boar in the mountains, trusting in his strength, / that waits for the great,
tumultuous throng of men coming against him, / in a lonely place; and he bristles up his
back / and his eyes shone with fire, and he whets his tusks, / eager to defend himself
against both dogs and men. Thus Idomeneus, famed for his spear, waited and did not
give ground.
#14 (470) [Idomeneus NOT ≈ a darling child]
#15 (471) [Idomeneus ≈ a boar] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
16 (492) λαοὶ ἕπονθ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε μετὰ κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα
πιόμεν᾽ ἐκ βοτάνης: γάνυται δ᾽ ἄρα τε φρένα ποιμήν:
ὣς Αἰνείᾳ θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι γεγήθει
ὡς ἴδε λαῶν ἔθνος ἐπισπόμενον ἑοῖ αὐτῷ. 495

But then / the army followed as if they were sheep following a ram / when they go to
drink after feeding; and the heart of the shepherd is glad / thus the heart of Aeneas
was gladdened in his chest / when he saw the flock of his army follow him.
[army follows Aeneas ≈ sheep follow a ram] Narrator
***
17 (531) Μηριόνης δ᾽ ἐξ αὖτις ἐπάλμενος αἰγυπιὸς ὣς
ἐξέρυσε πρυμνοῖο βραχίονος ὄβριμον ἔγχος,
ἂψ δ᾽ ἑτάρων εἰς ἔθνος ἐχάζετο.

And Meriones springing forth again like a vulture / drew out the mighty spear from
the lower arm [of Deïphobus] / and shrank back into the throng of his comrades.
[Meriones ≈ a vulture] Narrator
***
18 (564) καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ μεῖν᾽ ὥς τε σκῶλος πυρίκαυστος
ἐν σάκει Ἀντιλόχοιο, τὸ δ᾽ ἥμισυ κεῖτ᾽ ἐπὶ γαίης. 565

And one part of it <the spear> remained like a charred stake, / in the shield of
Antilochus, and half lay on the ground.
[part of the spear ≈ a charred stake] Narrator
***

ἔνθά οἱ ἔγχος ἔπηξεν: ὃ δ᾽ ἑσπόμενος περὶ δουρὶ 570

19 (571) ἤσπαιρ᾽ ὡς ὅτε βοῦς τόν τ᾽ οὔρεσι βουκόλοι ἄνδρες
ἰλλάσιν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα βίῃ δήσαντες ἄγουσιν:
ὣς ὃ τυπεὶς ἤσπαιρε μίνυνθά περ, οὔ τι μάλα δήν,
ὄφρά οἱ ἐκ χροὸς ἔγχος ἀνεσπάσατ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἐλθὼν
ἥρως Μηριόνης: τὸν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψε. 575

There [Meriones] planted his spear, and the other <Adamas>, leaning over the shaft /
writhed like a bull that herdsmen in the mountains / have bound with twisted ropes and
lead unwilling by force. Thus he, when hit, writhed a little while, but not for long, / until
the warrior Meriones came near and drew the spear from his flesh; and darkness
covered his eyes.
[Adamas ≈ a bull bound with ropes] Narrator
***
20 (588) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ πλατέος πτυόφιν μεγάλην κατ᾽ ἀλωὴν
θρῴσκωσιν κύαμοι μελανόχροες ἢ ἐρέβινθοι
πνοιῇ ὕπο λιγυρῇ καὶ λικμητῆρος ἐρωῇ, 590

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὣς ἀπὸ θώρηκος Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο

πολλὸν ἀποπλαγχθεὶς ἑκὰς ἔπτατο πικρὸς ὀϊστός.

And as when from a broad winnowing shovel in a great threshing-floor / the dark-
skinned beans or pulse leap / before the shrill wind and the might of the winnower, /
thus from the corselet of glorious Menelaus / the bitter arrow glanced aside and
flew far away.
[an arrow glances off Menelaus’ corselet ≈ beans leap from a winnower’s shovel]
Narrator
***
ἑζόμενος δὲ κατ᾽ αὖθι φίλων ἐν χερσὶν ἑταίρων
21 (654) θυμὸν ἀποπνείων, ὥς τε σκώληξ ἐπὶ γαίῃ
κεῖτο ταθείς: ἐκ δ᾽ αἷμα μέλαν ῥέε, δεῦε δὲ γαῖαν. 655

And sitting down where he was in the arms of his dear comrades / breathing out his life,
[Harpalion] lay stretched out like a worm on the earth; / and his black blood flowed
out and wet the ground.
[Harpalion wounded by Meriones’ arrow ≈ a worm on the earth] Narrator
***
22 (673) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.

So they <the Greeks and Trojans> fought like a blazing fire.

[fighting ≈ a blazing fire] Narrator.
***
οὐδὲ δύναντο
23 (688) ὦσαι ἀπὸ σφείων φλογὶ εἴκελον Ἕκτορα δῖον
οἳ μὲν Ἀθηναίων προλελεγμένοι.

[The Greeks from various cities] were not able to thrust back from themselves divine
Hector, [who was] like a flame,—even those who were picked men of the Athenians.
[Hector ≈ a flame] Narrator
***
24 (703) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ βόε οἴνοπε πηκτὸν ἄροτρον
ἶσον θυμὸν ἔχοντε τιταίνετον: ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρά σφι
πρυμνοῖσιν κεράεσσι πολὺς ἀνακηκίει ἱδρώς: 705
τὼ μέν τε ζυγὸν οἶον ἐΰξοον ἀμφὶς ἐέργει
ἱεμένω κατὰ ὦλκα: τέμει δέ τε τέλσον ἀρούρης:
ὣς τὼ παρβεβαῶτε μάλ᾽ ἕστασαν ἀλλήλοιιν.

But as in fallow land two wine-dark oxen strain at the jointed plough, / having an
equal spirit and around / the lower parts of their horns much sweat gushes out, / the
polished yoke alone holds the two apart / as they go along the furrow, and it [the plough]
cuts the headland of the field; thus did the two <Ajaxes> take their stand going
alongside each other.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[the two Ajaxes fighting side by side ≈ two oxen at the plough] Narrator
***
25 (754) ἦ ῥα, καὶ ὁρμήθη ὄρεϊ νιφόεντι ἐοικὼς
κεκλήγων, διὰ δὲ Τρώων πέτετ᾽ ἠδ᾽ ἐπικούρων. 755

So he [Hector] spoke, and set forth like a snowy mountain, / with loud shouting, and
he flew through the Trojans and allies.
[Hector ≈ a snowy mountain] Narrator

See Bradley 1967 for a possible explanation of this seemingly odd simile.
***
26 (795) οἳ δ᾽ ἴσαν ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ, 795
ἥ ῥά θ᾽ ὑπὸ βροντῆς πατρὸς Διὸς εἶσι πέδον δέ,
θεσπεσίῳ δ᾽ ὁμάδῳ ἁλὶ μίσγεται, ἐν δέ τε πολλὰ
κύματα παφλάζοντα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης
κυρτὰ φαληριόωντα, πρὸ μέν τ᾽ ἄλλ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐπ᾽ ἄλλα:
ὣς Τρῶες πρὸ μὲν ἄλλοι ἀρηρότες, αὐτὰρ ἐπ᾽ ἄλλοι, 800
χαλκῷ μαρμαίροντες ἅμ᾽ ἡγεμόνεσσιν ἕποντο.

And they <Trojans> came on like the blast of dire winds / that rush upon the
earth beneath the thunder of father Zeus, / and with wondrous din mingle with the salt-
sea, and in [its track] are many / surging waves of the loud-resounding sea, / high-
arched and white with foam, some in front and others after them; / thus the Trojans, in
close array, some in front and others after them, / flashing with bronze, followed
together with their leaders.
[Trojans ≈ the blast of dire winds] Narrator
***
ἀρήσῃ Διὶ πατρὶ καὶ ἄλλοις ἀθανάτοισι
27* (819) θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους

‘You will pray to father Zeus and other immortals / that your fair-maned horses be
swifter than falcons.’
[horses swifter ≈ than falcons] Ajax to Hector

***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

ἀλλὰ Ποσειδάων γαιήοχος ἐννοσίγαιος

Ἀργείους ὄτρυνε βαθείης ἐξ ἁλὸς ἐλθὼν
45* εἰσάμενος Κάλχαντι δέμας καὶ ἀτειρέα φωνήν. 45

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But Poseidon, the Enfolder and Shaker of Earth, / began to urge on the
Argives, coming from the deep sea, / being like Calchas, in form
and untiring voice.
[Poseidon ≈ Calchas] Narrator
***
69* μάντεϊ εἰδόμενος

[Poseidon] in the likeness of the seer

***
216* εἰσάμενος φθογγὴν Ἀνδραίμονος υἷϊ Θόαντι

likening his voice to that of Andraemon’s son Thoas

***
357* λάθρῃ δ᾽ αἰὲν ἔγειρε κατὰ στρατὸν ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς

Poseidon secretly always stirred on the Greeks throughout the army

in the likeness of a man.
***

Divine Comparisons:

218* θεὸς δ᾽ ὣς τίετο δήμῳ

[Thoas] was honored by the people like a god

295* Μηριόνης δὲ θοῷ ἀτάλαντος Ἄρηϊ Meriones peer of swift Ares

(repeated at 328 and 528)

298 οἷος δὲ βροτολοιγὸς Ἄρης πόλεμον δὲ μέτεισι,

τῷ δὲ Φόβος φίλος υἱὸς ἅμα κρατερὸς καὶ ἀταρβὴς
ἕσπετο, ὅς τ᾽ ἐφόβησε ταλάφρονά περ πολεμιστήν: 300
τὼ μὲν ἄρ᾽ ἐκ Θρῄκης Ἐφύρους μέτα θωρήσσεσθον,
ἠὲ μετὰ Φλεγύας μεγαλήτορας: οὐδ᾽ ἄρα τώ γε
ἔκλυον ἀμφοτέρων, ἑτέροισι δὲ κῦδος ἔδωκαν:
τοῖοι Μηριόνης τε καὶ Ἰδομενεὺς ἀγοὶ ἀνδρῶν
ἤϊσαν ἐς πόλεμον κεκορυθμένοι αἴθοπι χαλκῷ. 305

And just as man-destroying Ares goes out to war, / and with him follows Rout, his
son, equally valiant and fearless, / who routs a warrior, no matter how steady, / these
two arm themselves and go out from Thrace to join the Ephyri / or the great-hearted
Phlegyes, yet they / do not listen to both sides, but give glory to one or the other; / in
such a manner did Meriones and Idomeneus, leaders of men, go out to war,
helmeted in flaming bronze.
[Meriones and Idomeneus go forth to war ≈ Ares and Rout] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Lee counts this as a simile.

***

802 Ἕκτωρ . . . ἶσος Ἄρηϊ Hector . . . the peer of Ares

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Metaphor:

474 ὀφθαλμὼ δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ πυρὶ λάμπετον

[A boar's] eyes shone with fire

[appearance of boar's eye (implied comparison) ≈ fire] Narrator
***

Similetic Adverbs:

152* πυργηδὸν ‘like a wall’

204* σφαιρηδὸν ‘like a ball’

***
*
Similes of the Iliad Book 14 (Ξ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (16) [Nestor pondered ≈ the sea heaving]
#2 (ὅσσον/τόσσην) (148) [Poseidon’s shout ≈ (as loud as) 9000 or 10,000
warriors]
#9 (414) [Hector ≈ an oak falling]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (185) [Hera’s veil white ≈ the sun]
#4 (386) [Poseidon’s sword ≈ lightning]
#5 (ὅσση/τόσον) (394) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder
than) waves of the sea]
#6* (ὅσση/τόσσός) (396) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder
than) a blazing fire]
#7* (ὅσση/τόσσον)(398) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder
than) the shrieking wind]
#8 (413) [Hector ≈ a top whirling]
#10 (499) [Ilioneus’ head with the spear in his eye ≈ a poppy]

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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1 (16) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πορφύρῃ πέλαγος μέγα κύματι κωφῷ

ὀσσόμενον λιγέων ἀνέμων λαιψηρὰ κέλευθα
αὔτως, οὐδ᾽ ἄρα τε προκυλίνδεται οὐδετέρωσε,
πρίν τινα κεκριμένον καταβήμεναι ἐκ Διὸς οὖρον,
ὣς ὃ γέρων ὅρμαινε δαϊζόμενος κατὰ θυμὸν 20
διχθάδι᾽, ἢ μεθ᾽ ὅμιλον ἴοι Δαναῶν ταχυπώλων,
ἦε μετ᾽ Ἀτρεΐδην Ἀγαμέμνονα ποιμένα λαῶν.

And as when the great sea heaves with a soundless swell, / foreboding swift paths
of shrill winds, / vaguely, [its waves] do not roll forward to this side or to that / until some
fair wind comes down from Zeus, / thus the old man <Nestor> pondered, divided in
his mind / this way and that, / whether he should hasten into the throng of the Danaans
of swift steeds, / or go after Agamemnon, son of Atreus, shepherd of the people.
[Nestor pondered ≈ the sea heaving] Narrator
***
ὣς εἰπὼν μέγ᾽ ἄϋσεν ἐπεσσύμενος πεδίοιο.
2 (148) ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι
ἀνέρες ἐν πολέμῳ ἔριδα ξυνάγοντες Ἄρηος,
τόσσην ἐκ στήθεσφιν ὄπα κρείων ἐνοσίχθων 150
ἧκεν: Ἀχαιοῖσιν δὲ μέγα σθένος ἔμβαλ᾽ ἑκάστῳ
καρδίῃ, ἄληκτον πολεμίζειν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι.

So saying, he <Poseidon> shouted mightily, as he sped over the plain. / Loud as nine
thousand warriors, or ten thousand, cry / in battle joining in the strife of Ares, / so
[mighty] a shout did the lord, the Shaker of Earth, send forth from his chest; /and in
the heart of each man of the Achaeans he put great strength, / to war and fight
unceasingly.
[Poseidon’s shout ≈ (as loud as) 9000 or 10,000 warriors] Narrator
***
κρηδέμνῳ δ᾽ ἐφύπερθε καλύψατο δῖα θεάων
3 (185) καλῷ νηγατέῳ: λευκὸν δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς:
ποσσὶ δ᾽ ὑπὸ λιπαροῖσιν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα.

And, with a veil over all, the bright goddess <Hera> hid herself, / a fair veil, newly
made, and it was white as the sun; and beneath her shining feet she bound her fine
sandals.
[Hera’s veil white ≈ the sun] Narrator
***
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ᾽ ἕσσαντο περὶ χροῒ νώροπα χαλκὸν
βάν ῥ᾽ ἴμεν: ἦρχε δ᾽ ἄρά σφι Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων
δεινὸν ἄορ τανύηκες ἔχων ἐν χειρὶ παχείῃ 385
4 (386) εἴκελον ἀστεροπῇ: τῷ δ᾽ οὐ θέμις ἐστὶ μιγῆναι
ἐν δαῒ λευγαλέῃ, ἀλλὰ δέος ἰσχάνει ἄνδρας.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But when they had clad their bodies in gleaming bronze, / they set out, and Poseidon,
the Shaker of Earth, led them, / bearing in his strong hand a frightening, long-pointed
sword, / like lightning, and it is not right that [any mortal] should be confront this / in
dreadful war, but fear holds men in check.
[Poseidon’s sword ≈ lightning] Narrator
***
ἐκλύσθη δὲ θάλασσα ποτὶ κλισίας τε νέας τε
Ἀργείων: οἳ δὲ ξύνισαν μεγάλῳ ἀλαλητῷ.
5 (394) οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον
ποντόθεν ὀρνύμενον πνοιῇ Βορέω ἀλεγεινῇ: 395
6* (396) οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς, ὅτε τ᾽ ὤρετο καιέμεν ὕλην:
7* (398) οὔτ᾽ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι
ἠπύει, ὅς τε μάλιστα μέγα βρέμεται χαλεπαίνων,
ὅσση ἄρα Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν ἔπλετο φωνὴ 400
δεινὸν ἀϋσάντων, ὅτ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισιν ὄρουσαν.

And the sea surged up to the huts and ships / of the Argives, and they clashed with a
mighty shout. / Not so loudly bellows the wave of the sea upon the shore, / driven
up from the sea by the dread blast of Boreas, / nor so loud is the roar of blazing fire /
in the glades of a mountain when it springs up to burn the forest, / nor does the wind
shriek so loud around the high crests of the oaks / the wind that roars the loudest in
its rage / as was then the cry of Trojans and Achaeans, / shouting terribly when they
leaped upon each other.
#5 (394) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder than) waves of the sea]
#6* (396) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder than) a blazing fire]
#7* (398) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder than) the shrieking wind]
Narrator
***
τὸν μὲν ἔπειτ᾽ ἀπιόντα μέγας Τελαμώνιος Αἴας
χερμαδίῳ, τά ῥα πολλὰ θοάων ἔχματα νηῶν 410
πὰρ ποσὶ μαρναμένων ἐκυλίνδετο, τῶν ἓν ἀείρας
στῆθος βεβλήκει ὑπὲρ ἄντυγος ἀγχόθι δειρῆς,
8 (413) στρόμβον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε βαλών, περὶ δ᾽ ἔδραμε πάντῃ.
9 (414) ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ πληγῆς πατρὸς Διὸς ἐξερίπῃ δρῦς
πρόρριζος, δεινὴ δὲ θεείου γίγνεται ὀδμὴ 415
ἐξ αὐτῆς, τὸν δ᾽ οὔ περ ἔχει θράσος ὅς κεν ἴδηται
ἐγγὺς ἐών, χαλεπὸς δὲ Διὸς μεγάλοιο κεραυνός,
ὣς ἔπεσ᾽ Ἕκτορος ὦκα χαμαὶ μένος ἐν κονίῃσι:

But then as he <Hector> drew back, great Telamonian Ajax [hit] him / with a large
stone, for there were many props of the swift ships, / that rolled around their feet as they
fought; lifting one of these on high, / he hit [Hector] on the chest over the shield-rim,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

near the neck, / and set him whirling like a top with the blow and he spun [him] all
around. / And as when beneath the blast of father Zeus an oak falls / uprooted, and
a dread odor of brimstone arises / from it, then courage no longer holds him who sees /
standing near by, for dangerous is the thunder bolt of great Zeus, / so fell mighty
Hector quickly to the ground in the dust.
#8 (413) [Hector ≈ a top whirling]
#9 (414) [Hector ≈ an oak falling] Narrator
***
Πηνέλεως δὲ ἐρυσσάμενος ξίφος ὀξὺ
αὐχένα μέσσον ἔλασσεν, ἀπήραξεν δὲ χαμᾶζε
αὐτῇ σὺν πήληκι κάρη: ἔτι δ᾽ ὄβριμον ἔγχος
10 (499) ἦεν ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ: ὃ δὲ φὴ κώδειαν ἀνασχὼν
πέφραδέ τε Τρώεσσι καὶ εὐχόμενος ἔπος ηὔδα. 500

But Peneleus drawing his sharp sword / drove it into the middle of [Ilioneus’] neck, and
struck his head to the ground with the helmet, and still the mighty spear / was in his eye;
and holding it on high like a poppy-head / he showed it to the Trojans and spoke a
word exulting.
[Ilioneus’ head with the spear in his eye ≈ a poppy] Narrator

***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

136* ἀλλὰ μετ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἦλθε παλαιῷ φωτὶ ἐοικώς

[The Shaker of the Earth] went with them in the likeness of an old
man.
***
ἔνθ᾽ ἧστ᾽ ὄζοισιν πεπυκασμένος εἰλατίνοισιν
290* ὄρνιθι λιγυρῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσσι 290
χαλκίδα κικλήσκουσι θεοί, ἄνδρες δὲ κύμινδιν.

There <Sleep> sat, hidden by the branches of a fir / in the likeness of a clear-
voiced bird, which in the mountains / the gods call ‘chalkis’ and men
‘cumindis’.

Similetic Epithets:

222* ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη ≈ “ox-eyed” (with eyes like
a cow’s)

NB various compound adjectives:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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noun + noun: ox-eyed, wind-footed (podênemos)

adjective + noun: dark-haired, white-armed , great-hearted
noun + verb: cloud-gathering, aegis-bearing
adverb + noun: bent-back (palintynê)
adverb + participle: well-twisted (êustephea)

>>>>Only the first types could be considered similes, where ‘like’ is implied.

Cf. 474: ἢ πάϊς: αὐτῷ γὰρ γενεὴν ἄγχιστα ἐῴκει.

‘he is most like him <Prothoënor> in build.’

[Ajax speaking to Polydamas about Archelochus, who has just been struck
with a spear] This is factual: therefore, NOT a simile but a literal
comparison.

As 521: οὐ γάρ οἵ τις ὁμοῖος ἐπισπέσθαι ποσὶν ἦεν.

There was not anyone like him <Ajax>.

* **
Similes of the Iliad Book 15 (Ο)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (80) [Hera flew ≈ the mind of a man darts]
#2 (170) [Iris flies quickly ≈ snow or hail driven by Boreas]
#4 (237) [Apollo ≈ a fleet falcon]
#5 (263) [Hector ≈ a horse escaping from his halter]
#6 (271) [Danaans > Hector (vs other Trojans) ≈ dogs and country folk > a lion
(vs. a stag or goat)]
#7 (323) [Apollo sends panic on Achaeans ≈ two wild beasts drive in confusion
cattle or a flock of sheep]
#8 (ὅσον) (358) [Apollo made a long pathway ≈ as far as a spear throw]
#9 (362) [Apollo destroying the wall of the Achaeans ≈ a boy scattering sand by
the sea]
#10 (381) [Trojans over the wall ≈ a great wave over the sides of a ship]
#11 (410) [war and battle even (isa) ≈ a ship’s timber straight]
#12 (579) [Antilochus > you Melanippus ≈ a dog > a wounded fawn]
#13 (586) [Antilochus ≈ a wild beast]
#15 (605) [Hector ≈ Ares or fire]
#16 (618) [Danaans withstand Trojans ≈ a steep rock withstands wind and
waves]
#17 (624) [Hector against Achaeans ≈ a wave falling on a ship and crew]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

#18 (630) [Hector > the Achaeans ≈ a lion > cattle]

#19 (679) [Ajax walking over the many decks of the swift ships ≈ a skilled
horseman riding horses]
#20 (690) [Hector > a ship ≈ an eagle > a flock of birds (geese, cranes or swans)]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (196) [me/Poseidon not ≈ some coward]
#14 (592) [Trojans ≈ lions]

***

1 (80) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀΐξῃ νόος ἀνέρος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ πολλὴν

γαῖαν ἐληλουθὼς φρεσὶ πευκαλίμῃσι νοήσῃ
ἔνθ᾽ εἴην ἢ ἔνθα, μενοινήῃσί τε πολλά,
ὣς κραιπνῶς μεμαυῖα διέπτατο πότνια Ἥρη:
ἵκετο δ᾽ αἰπὺν Ὄλυμπον, …

As when the mind of a man darts quickly, who has travelled over much / of the earth
[and] thinks in his prudent mind, / ‘I wish I were here or there’, and he wishes many
things, / thus swiftly queenly Hera flew on eagerly; and she came to steep Olympus.
[Hera flew ≈ the mind of a man darts] Narrator
***
2 (170) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ νεφέων πτῆται νιφὰς ἠὲ χάλαζα
ψυχρὴ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς αἰθρηγενέος Βορέαο,
ὣς κραιπνῶς μεμαυῖα διέπτατο ὠκέα Ἶρις,
ἀγχοῦ δ᾽ ἱσταμένη προσέφη κλυτὸν ἐννοσίγαιον:

And as when from clouds there flies snow or chill hail, / driven by a blast of Boreas
born in bright heaven, / thus swift Iris quickly sped in her eagerness; /and standing near
she spoke to the famous Earth-Shaker.
[Iris flies quickly ≈ snow or hail driven by Boreas] Narrator
***
3 (196) χερσὶ δὲ μή τί με πάγχυ κακὸν ὣς δειδισσέσθω.

‘And with [his] hands let [Zeus] not [try to] frighten me <Poseidon> like some coward.’
[me/Poseidon NOT ≈ some coward] Poseidon
***
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ἄρα πατρὸς ἀνηκούστησεν Ἀπόλλων,
4 (237) βῆ δὲ κατ᾽ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς
ὠκέϊ φασσοφόνῳ, ὅς τ᾽ ὤκιστος πετεηνῶν.

So he spoke, nor was Apollo disobedient to his father, / but went down from the hills of
Ida, like a fleet falcon, / the slayer of doves, that is the swiftest of winged things.
[Apollo ≈ a fleet falcon] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***
ὣς εἰπὼν ἔμπνευσε μένος μέγα ποιμένι λαῶν.
5 (263) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ
δεσμὸν ἀπορρήξας θείῃ πεδίοιο κροαίνων
εἰωθὼς λούεσθαι ἐϋρρεῖος ποταμοῖο 265
κυδιόων: ὑψοῦ δὲ κάρη ἔχει, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται
ὤμοις ἀΐσσονται: ὃ δ᾽ ἀγλαΐηφι πεποιθὼς
ῥίμφά ἑ γοῦνα φέρει μετά τ᾽ ἤθεα καὶ νομὸν ἵππων:
ὣς Ἕκτωρ λαιψηρὰ πόδας καὶ γούνατ᾽ ἐνώμα
ὀτρύνων ἱππῆας, ἐπεὶ θεοῦ ἔκλυεν αὐδήν. 270

So saying, [Apollo] breathed great might into the shepherd of the people. / And as when
a stalled horse that has fed his fill at the manger, / breaking his halter runs stamping
over the plain / accustomed to bathe him in a fair-flowing river / exulting, and he holds
his head high and about his shoulders / his mane floats streaming, and trusting in his
splendor / his knees nimbly bear him to the haunts and pastures of mares; / thus
Hector swiftly moved his feet and knees / urging on his charioteers, when he heard the
voice of the god.
[Hector ≈ a horse escaping from his halter] Narrator
***
6 (271) οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἢ ἔλαφον κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα
ἐσσεύαντο κύνες τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἀγροιῶται:
τὸν μέν τ᾽ ἠλίβατος πέτρη καὶ δάσκιος ὕλη
εἰρύσατ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ἄρα τέ σφι κιχήμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν:
τῶν δέ θ᾽ ὑπὸ ἰαχῆς ἐφάνη λὶς ἠϋγένειος 275
εἰς ὁδόν, αἶψα δὲ πάντας ἀπέτραπε καὶ μεμαῶτας:
ὣς Δαναοὶ εἷος μὲν ὁμιλαδὸν αἰὲν ἕποντο
νύσσοντες ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν:
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ ἴδον Ἕκτορ᾽ ἐποιχόμενον στίχας ἀνδρῶν
τάρβησαν, πᾶσιν δὲ παραὶ ποσὶ κάππεσε θυμός. 280

But as dogs and country-folk / pursue a horned stag or a wild goat, / but a sheer
rock and a shadowy thicket saves him, / nor is it their lot to find him / and then at their
clamor a bearded lion appears / on the road, and immediately turns them all back
despite their eagerness, / thus the Danaans for a time followed always in throngs,
/thrusting with swords and two-edged spears. / But when they saw Hector going up and
down the ranks of men, / then were they seized with fear, and the spirits of all men sank
down to their feet.
[Danaans > Hector (vs. other Trojans) ≈ dogs and country folk > a lion (vs. a stag or
goat)] Narrator
***
7 (323) οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἠὲ βοῶν ἀγέλην ἢ πῶϋ μέγ᾽ οἰῶν
θῆρε δύω κλονέωσι μελαίνης νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ
ἐλθόντ᾽ ἐξαπίνης σημάντορος οὐ παρεόντος, 325

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὣς ἐφόβηθεν Ἀχαιοὶ ἀνάλκιδες: ἐν γὰρ Ἀπόλλων

ἧκε φόβον, Τρωσὶν δὲ καὶ Ἕκτορι κῦδος ὄπαζεν.

And as two wild beasts drive in confusion a herd of cattle / or a great flock of
sheep in the darkness of black night, / coming upon them suddenly when a herdsman is
not present, / thus the Achaeans were driven in rout with no might in them; for upon
them Apollo / had sent panic, and he was giving glory to the Trojans and Hector.
[Apollo sends panic on Achaeans ≈ two wild beasts drive in confusion cattle or a flock of
sheep] Narrator
***
προπάροιθε δὲ Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων 355
ῥεῖ᾽ ὄχθας καπέτοιο βαθείης ποσσὶν ἐρείπων
ἐς μέσσον κατέβαλλε, γεφύρωσεν δὲ κέλευθον
8 (358) μακρὴν ἠδ᾽ εὐρεῖαν, ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωὴ
γίγνεται, ὁππότ᾽ ἀνὴρ σθένεος πειρώμενος ᾗσι.

And before them Phoebus Apollo / easily dashing down with his feet the banks of the
deep trench, / cast [them] into the midst, and bridged for the men a pathway / long and
broad, as far as is a spear-cast, when a man hurls, making trial of his strength.
[Apollo made a long pathway ≈ as far as a spear throw] Narrator
***
τῇ ῥ᾽ οἵ γε προχέοντο φαλαγγηδόν, πρὸ δ᾽ Ἀπόλλων 360
αἰγίδ᾽ ἔχων ἐρίτιμον: ἔρειπε δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν
9 (362) ῥεῖα μάλ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον πάϊς ἄγχι θαλάσσης,
ὅς τ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν ποιήσῃ ἀθύρματα νηπιέῃσιν
ἂψ αὖτις συνέχευε ποσὶν καὶ χερσὶν ἀθύρων.
ὥς ῥα σὺ ἤϊε Φοῖβε πολὺν κάματον καὶ ὀϊζὺν 365
σύγχεας Ἀργείων, αὐτοῖσι δὲ φύζαν ἐνῶρσας.

By this [path] they poured forth rank on rank, and before them went Apollo, / bearing the
priceless aegis; and he cast down the wall of the Achaeans / very easily, as when a
boy [scatters] the sand by the sea, / when he then makes playthings in his
childishness, / and then again mixes it up with his hands and feet making sport, / so did
you, far-darting Phoebus, mix up the long toil and labor / of the Argives, and stirred up
rout for them.
[Apollo destroying the wall of the Achaeans ≈ a boy scattering sand by the sea] Narrator
***
10 (381) οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τε μέγα κῦμα θαλάσσης εὐρυπόροιο
νηὸς ὑπὲρ τοίχων καταβήσεται, ὁππότ᾽ ἐπείγῃ
ἲς ἀνέμου: ἣ γάρ τε μάλιστά γε κύματ᾽ ὀφέλλει:
ὣς Τρῶες μεγάλῃ ἰαχῇ κατὰ τεῖχος ἔβαινον,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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And as a great wave of the broad-wayed sea / sweeps down over the bulwarks of a
ship, whenever the might of the wind / drives it on, for it above all makes the waves
swell; / thus did the Trojans with a great cry rush down over the wall.
[Trojans over the wall ≈ a great wave over the sides of a ship] Narrator
***

11 (410) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στάθμη δόρυ νήϊον ἐξιθύνει

τέκτονος ἐν παλάμῃσι δαήμονος, ὅς ῥά τε πάσης
εὖ εἰδῇ σοφίης ὑποθημοσύνῃσιν Ἀθήνης,
ὣς μὲν τῶν ἐπὶ ἶσα μάχη τέτατο πτόλεμός τε.

But as the carpenter's line makes straight a ship's timber / in the hands of a
cunning workman, who is well skilled / in all manner of craft by the promptings of
Athena, / thus their war and battle was stretched evenly.
[war and battle even (isa) ≈ a ship’s timber straight (exithynei)] Narrator
***
12 (579) Ἀντίλοχος δ᾽ ἐπόρουσε κύων ὥς, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ νεβρῷ
βλημένῳ ἀΐξῃ, τόν τ᾽ ἐξ εὐνῆφι θορόντα 580
θηρητὴρ ἐτύχησε βαλών, ὑπέλυσε δὲ γυῖα:
ὣς ἐπὶ σοὶ Μελάνιππε θόρ᾽ Ἀντίλοχος μενεχάρμης
τεύχεα συλήσων.

And Antilochus sprang upon [Melanippus] like a dog that rushes upon a wounded
fawn, / that leaping from its lair / a hunter succeeded in hitting and loosed its limbs; /
thus steady Antilochus leaped on you, Melanippus, / to strip your armor.
[Antilochus > Melanippus ≈ a dog > a wounded fawn] Narrator
***
Ἀντίλοχος δ᾽ οὐ μεῖνε θοός περ ἐὼν πολεμιστής, 585
13 (586) ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔτρεσε θηρὶ κακὸν ῥέξαντι ἐοικώς,
ὅς τε κύνα κτείνας ἢ βουκόλον ἀμφὶ βόεσσι
φεύγει πρίν περ ὅμιλον ἀολλισθήμεναι ἀνδρῶν:
ὣς τρέσε Νεστορίδη. 590

Antilochus did not wait, swift warrior though he was, / but fled like a wild beast that
has done something bad / one that has killed a dog or a herdsman beside his cattle, /
and flees before the throng of men is gathered together; / thus the son of Nestor fled.
[Antilochus ≈ a wild beast] Narrator
***
14 (592) Τρῶες δὲ λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισι
νηυσὶν ἐπεσσεύοντο, Διὸς δ᾽ ἐτέλειον ἐφετμάς,
ὅ σφισιν αἰὲν ἔγειρε μένος μέγα, θέλγε δὲ θυμὸν
Ἀργείων. 595

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But the Trojans, like carnivorous lions, / rushed upon the ships and were fulfilling the
orders of Zeus, / who always roused great might in them, but melted the hearts / of the
Argives.
[Trojans ≈ lions] Narrator
***
15 (605) μαίνετο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης ἐγχέσπαλος ἢ ὀλοὸν πῦρ 605
οὔρεσι μαίνηται βαθέης ἐν τάρφεσιν ὕλης:
ἀφλοισμὸς δὲ περὶ στόμα γίγνετο, τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε
λαμπέσθην βλοσυρῇσιν ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσιν, ἀμφὶ δὲ πήληξ
σμερδαλέον κροτάφοισι τινάσσετο μαρναμένοιο
Ἕκτορος.

And [Hector] was raging like Ares, wielder of the spear, or a consuming fire / when it
rages on the mountains in the thickets of a deep wood; / and foam appeared around his
mouth, and his two eyes / blazed beneath his shaggy brows, and around his temples /
Hector’s helmet shook terribly as he fought.
[Hector ≈ Ares or fire] Narrator

Note: the prothesis (ὡς ὅτ᾽ ) appears to serve without a verb in the first vehicle, and
with a verb in the second: ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης ἐγχέσπαλος ἢ ὀλοὸν πῦρ . . . μαίνηται. The
first vehicle is also listed separately as a Divine Comparison.
***
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὧς δύνατο ῥῆξαι μάλα περ μενεαίνων:
16 (618) ἴσχον γὰρ πυργηδὸν ἀρηρότες, ἠΰτε πέτρη
ἠλίβατος μεγάλη πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἐγγὺς ἐοῦσα,
ἥ τε μένει λιγέων ἀνέμων λαιψηρὰ κέλευθα 620
κύματά τε τροφόεντα, τά τε προσερεύγεται αὐτήν:
ὣς Δαναοὶ Τρῶας μένον ἔμπεδον οὐδὲ φέβοντο.

Yet not even so was [Hector] able to break [the Danaans], even though he was so
eager; / for they restrained [him] solidly like a wall, like a rock, steep [and] great, being
near the grey sea, / that withstands the swift paths of the shrill winds, / and the swelling
waves that belch forth against it; / thus the Danaans withstood the Trojans steadily,
and did not flee.
[Danaans withstand Trojans ≈ a steep rock withstands wind and waves] Narrator

N.B. πυργηδὸν as a similetic adverb.

***
αὐτὰρ ὃ λαμπόμενος πυρὶ πάντοθεν ἔνθορ᾽ ὁμίλῳ,
17 (624) ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ ὡς ὅτε κῦμα θοῇ ἐν νηῒ πέσῃσι
λάβρον ὑπαὶ νεφέων ἀνεμοτρεφές: ἣ δέ τε πᾶσα 625
ἄχνῃ ὑπεκρύφθη, ἀνέμοιο δὲ δεινὸς ἀήτη
ἱστίῳ ἐμβρέμεται, τρομέουσι δέ τε φρένα ναῦται
δειδιότες: τυτθὸν γὰρ ὑπ᾽ ἐκ θανάτοιο φέρονται:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὣς ἐδαΐζετο θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν Ἀχαιῶν.

But he <Hector> shining all about with fire leaped among the throng, / and fell on them
as when a wave falls upon a swift ship / fierce [and] swollen by the winds, and it is
all / hidden by the foam, and the dread blast of wind / roars against the sail, and the
sailors shudder in their hearts / in fear, for by only a little are they carried from death;
/thus the hearts of the Achaeans were torn within their chests.
[Hector against Achaeans ≈ a wave falling on a ship and crew] Narrator
***
18 (630) αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀλοόφρων βουσὶν ἐπελθών, 630
αἵ ῥά τ᾽ ἐν εἱαμενῇ ἕλεος μεγάλοιο νέμονται
μυρίαι, ἐν δέ τε τῇσι νομεὺς οὔ πω σάφα εἰδὼς
θηρὶ μαχέσσασθαι ἕλικος βοὸς ἀμφὶ φονῇσιν:
ἤτοι ὃ μὲν πρώτῃσι καὶ ὑστατίῃσι βόεσσιν
αἰὲν ὁμοστιχάει, ὃ δέ τ᾽ ἐν μέσσῃσιν ὀρούσας 635
βοῦν ἔδει, αἳ δέ τε πᾶσαι ὑπέτρεσαν: ὣς τότ᾽ Ἀχαιοὶ
θεσπεσίως ἐφόβηθεν ὑφ᾽ Ἕκτορι καὶ Διὶ πατρὶ
πάντες.

But he [Hector] fell upon them like a destructive lion attacking cattle, that are
grazing in the bottom-land of a great marsh, / countless [cows], and among them is a
herdsman not yet skilled to fight with a wild beast over the slaughter of a curving-horned
cow; / for he walks always by their side, now with the first cattle and now with the last,
but [the lion] leaping into the middle / devours a heifer, and they all flee in terror; thus
then the Achaeans / were utterly routed one and all by Hector and father Zeus.
[Hector > the Achaeans ≈ a lion > cattle] Narrator
***
19 (679) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἵπποισι κελητίζειν ἐῢ εἰδώς,
ὅς τ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἐκ πολέων πίσυρας συναείρεται ἵππους, 680
σεύας ἐκ πεδίοιο μέγα προτὶ ἄστυ δίηται
λαοφόρον καθ᾽ ὁδόν: πολέες τέ ἑ θηήσαντο
ἀνέρες ἠδὲ γυναῖκες: ὃ δ᾽ ἔμπεδον ἀσφαλὲς αἰεὶ
θρῴσκων ἄλλοτ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἄλλον ἀμείβεται, οἳ δὲ πέτονται:
ὣς Αἴας ἐπὶ πολλὰ θοάων ἴκρια νηῶν 685
φοίτα μακρὰ βιβάς, φωνὴ δέ οἱ αἰθέρ᾽ ἵκανεν.

And like a man who knows well how to ride horses / who joins together four horses
[chosen] out of many / and who drives them from the plain, steers them toward a great
city / along a highway, while many marvel at him, / both men and women, and
continuously with sure step always / leaping passes from one [horse] to another, while
they speed on; / thus Ajax ranging over the many decks of the swift ships / went
with long strides, and his voice went up to heaven.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

[Ajax walking over the many decks of the swift ships ≈ a skilled horseman riding horses]
Narrator
***
20 (690) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν αἰετὸς αἴθων
ἔθνος ἐφορμᾶται ποταμὸν πάρα βοσκομενάων
χηνῶν ἢ γεράνων ἢ κύκνων δουλιχοδείρων,
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἴθυσε νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο
ἀντίος ἀΐξας: τὸν δὲ Ζεὺς ὦσεν ὄπισθε
χειρὶ μάλα μεγάλῃ, ὄτρυνε δὲ λαὸν ἅμ᾽ αὐτῷ. 695

But as a fiery eagle stirs up a flock of winged birds / that are feeding by a river's
bank, / [a flock] of wild geese or cranes or long-necked swans, / thus Hector made for
a dark-prowed ship, / rushing straight for it; and from behind Zeus thrust him on / with
very mighty hand, and aroused the army together with him.
[Hector > a ship ≈ an eagle > a flock of birds (geese, cranes or swans)] Narrator
***
Similar Rhetorical Figure
Divine Comparison

303* Meges “peer of (atalanton) Ares”

***

15 (605) μαίνετο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης ἐγχέσπαλος ἢ ὀλοὸν πῦρ

And [Hector] was raging like Ares

[Hector ≈ Ares] Narrator
***

Similes of the Iliad Book 16 (Π)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (3) [Patroclus crying ≈ spring pouring water]
#2 (7) [Patroclus ≈ a silly child]
#4 (156) [leaders of the Myrmidons ≈ carnivorous wolves]
#6 (212) [helmets and shields fitted as close together ≈ stones of a high house]
#7 (259) [Myrmidons ≈ wasps]
#8 (297) [Danaans > fire from their ships ≈ Zeus > a dense cloud from the crest
of a mountain]
#9 (352) [Danaans > Trojans ≈ carnivorous wolves > lambs or kids]
#10 (364) [Hector and Trojans crossing the trench ≈ a cloud going to heaven
before a storm]
#11 (384) [Trojan mares roared loudly running ≈ the rivers roar loudly flowing]
#12 (406) [Patroclus > Thestor from his chariot ≈ a man > a fish from the sea]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

#13 (428) [Sarpedon and Patroclus ≈ vultures]

#14 (482) [Sarpedon fell ≈ an oak or poplar or pine tree falls]
#15 (487) [Sarpedon killed by Patroclus ≈ a bull killed by a lion]
#16 (582) [Patroclus ≈ a fleet falcon]
#17 (ὅσση/τόσσον) (589) [the Trojans withdrew ≈ as far as the flight of a javelin]
#18 (633) [the noise from their weapons ≈ the noise from woodcutters in the
mountains]
#19 (641) [Greeks and lTrojans gathered about Sarpedon’s corpse ≈ flies around
full milk-pails]
#21 (752) [Patroclus leaping on Cebriones ≈ a lion ravaging the stalls of a farm]
#22 (756) [Hector and Patroclus fighting for the corpse of Cebriones ≈ two lions
fighting for a slain deer]
#23 (765) [Trojans and Achaeans fighting each other ≈ the East and West Winds
struggling in a storm]
#24 (823) [Hector > Patroclus ≈ a lion > a boar]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (59) [Achilles ≈ an alien without rights]
#5 (192) [Eudorus ≈ Phylas’ own son]
#20 (742) [Cebriones ≈ a diver]

***

ὣς οἳ μὲν περὶ νηὸς ἐϋσσέλμοιο μάχοντο:

Πάτροκλος δ᾽ Ἀχιλῆϊ παρίστατο ποιμένι λαῶν
1 (3) δάκρυα θερμὰ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος,
ἥ τε κατ᾽ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης δνοφερὸν χέει ὕδωρ.

Thus they were fighting around the well-benched ship [of Protesilaos]. / And Patroclus
stood near to Achilles shepherd of people / pouring warm tears like a dark spring /
which pours murky water down a sheer rock.
[Patroclus crying ≈ spring pouring water] Narrator
***
2 (7) ‘τίπτε δεδάκρυσαι Πατρόκλεες, ἠΰτε κούρη
νηπίη, ἥ θ᾽ ἅμα μητρὶ θέουσ᾽ ἀνελέσθαι ἀνώγει
εἱανοῦ ἁπτομένη, καί τ᾽ ἐσσυμένην κατερύκει,
δακρυόεσσα δέ μιν ποτιδέρκεται, ὄφρ᾽ ἀνέληται: 10
τῇ ἴκελος Πάτροκλε τέρεν κατὰ δάκρυον εἴβεις.

‘Why, Patroclus, do you stand there weeping like some silly child / that running to her
mother begs to be picked up / catching hold of her dress, and grabs her though she is in
a hurry, / and tearfully looks at her until she picks [her] up; like her, Patroclus, you are
shedding a soft tear.’
[Patroclus ≈ a silly child] Achilles

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

***
κούρην ἣν ἄρα μοι γέρας ἔξελον υἷες Ἀχαιῶν,
δουρὶ δ᾽ ἐμῷ κτεάτισσα πόλιν εὐτείχεα πέρσας,
τὴν ἂψ ἐκ χειρῶν ἕλετο κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων
3 (59) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.

‘The girl that the sons of the Achaeans chose out for me as a prize, / and that I won
with my spear, when I had laid waste a well-walled city, / her has lord Agamemnon
taken back from my arms, / the son of Atreus, as if [I were] some alien that had no
rights.’
[Achilles ≈ an alien without rights] Achilles
***
Μυρμιδόνας δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐποιχόμενος θώρηξεν Ἀχιλλεὺς
4 (156) πάντας ἀνὰ κλισίας σὺν τεύχεσιν: οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
ὠμοφάγοι, τοῖσίν τε περὶ φρεσὶν ἄσπετος ἀλκή,
οἵ τ᾽ ἔλαφον κεραὸν μέγαν οὔρεσι δῃώσαντες
δάπτουσιν: πᾶσιν δὲ παρήϊον αἵματι φοινόν:
καί τ᾽ ἀγεληδὸν ἴασιν ἀπὸ κρήνης μελανύδρου 160
λάψοντες γλώσσῃσιν ἀραιῇσιν μέλαν ὕδωρ
ἄκρον ἐρευγόμενοι φόνον αἵματος: ἐν δέ τε θυμὸς
στήθεσιν ἄτρομός ἐστι, περιστένεται δέ τε γαστήρ:
τοῖοι Μυρμιδόνων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες
ἀμφ᾽ ἀγαθὸν θεράποντα ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο 165
ῥώοντ᾽:

But Achilles going back and forth armed the Myrmidons / throughout all the huts with
their weapons, and like carnivorous wolves / in whose hearts [is] unspeakable fury /
that having slain in the hills a great horned stag / are eating it; and the jaw[s] of all are
red with gore; / and in a pack they go / to lap with their slender tongues the dark water
from a dusky spring, / belching forth the reeking blood along the top, and in their chests
their spirit / is unmoved, and their bellie[s] are gorged; / such [were] the leaders and
rulers of the Myrmidons / moving quickly around the valiant squire of the swift-footed
son of Aeacus.
[leaders of the Myrmidons ≈ carnivorous wolves] Narrator
***
τὸν δ᾽ ὃ γέρων Φύλας εὖ ἔτρεφεν ἠδ᾽ ἀτίταλλεν
5 (192) ἀμφαγαπαζόμενος ὡς εἴ θ᾽ ἑὸν υἱὸν ἐόντα.

And old Phylas nursed well and cherished him <Eudorus> / loving him dearly, as
if he were his own son.
[Eudorus ≈ Phylas’ own son] Narrator
***
6 (212) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τοῖχον ἀνὴρ ἀράρῃ πυκινοῖσι λίθοισι
δώματος ὑψηλοῖο βίας ἀνέμων ἀλεείνων,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

ὣς ἄραρον κόρυθές τε καὶ ἀσπίδες ὀμφαλόεσσαι.

And as when a man builds a wall of a high house with close-set stones, / to avoid the
might of the winds, / thus were arrayed their helmets and bossed shields.
[helmets and shields fitted as close together ≈ stones of a high house] Narrator
***
7 (259) αὐτίκα δὲ σφήκεσσιν ἐοικότες ἐξεχέοντο
εἰνοδίοις, οὓς παῖδες ἐριδμαίνωσιν ἔθοντες 260
αἰεὶ κερτομέοντες ὁδῷ ἔπι οἰκί᾽ ἔχοντας
νηπίαχοι: ξυνὸν δὲ κακὸν πολέεσσι τιθεῖσι.
τοὺς δ᾽ εἴ περ παρά τίς τε κιὼν ἄνθρωπος ὁδίτης
κινήσῃ ἀέκων, οἳ δ᾽ ἄλκιμον ἦτορ ἔχοντες
πρόσσω πᾶς πέτεται καὶ ἀμύνει οἷσι τέκεσσι. 265
τῶν τότε Μυρμιδόνες κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἔχοντες
ἐκ νηῶν ἐχέοντο.

Straightway they poured forth like (similar to) wasps / of the wayside, that boys are
accustomed to stir up / always tormenting them having their nests beside the road, /
foolish [boys that they are]; and a common evil they make for many. / And if some
traveling man comes along / and stirs [them] up unwittingly, they having bold heart[s] /
all fly forth and defend their young; / having the heart and spirit of [the wasps] then [the]
Myrmidons / poured forth from the ships.
[Myrmidons ≈ wasps] Narrator
***

8 (297) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλῆς κορυφῆς ὄρεος μεγάλοιο

κινήσῃ πυκινὴν νεφέλην στεροπηγερέτα Ζεύς,
ἔκ τ᾽ ἔφανεν πᾶσαι σκοπιαὶ καὶ πρώονες ἄκροι
καὶ νάπαι, οὐρανόθεν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπερράγη ἄσπετος αἰθήρ, 300
ὣς Δαναοὶ νηῶν μὲν ἀπωσάμενοι δήϊον πῦρ
τυτθὸν ἀνέπνευσαν, πολέμου δ᾽ οὐ γίγνετ᾽ ἐρωή:

And as when from the high crest of a great mountain / Zeus, gatherer of lightning,
moves a dense cloud, / and all mountain peaks and high headlands appear, / and
glades, and from heaven the infinite air appears, / thus the Danaans having thrust back
consuming fire from the ships, / had respite for a little while; but there was no ceasing
from war.
[Danaans > fire from their ships ≈ Zeus > a dense cloud from the crest of a mountain]
Narrator
***
9 (352) ὡς δὲ λύκοι ἄρνεσσιν ἐπέχραον ἢ ἐρίφοισι
σίνται ὑπ᾽ ἐκ μήλων αἱρεύμενοι, αἵ τ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσσι
ποιμένος ἀφραδίῃσι διέτμαγεν: οἳ δὲ ἰδόντες
αἶψα διαρπάζουσιν ἀνάλκιδα θυμὸν ἐχούσας: 355

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

ὣς Δαναοὶ Τρώεσσιν ἐπέχραον:

And as carnivorous wolves fall upon lambs or kids, / choosing them from out the
flocks, and they in the mountains / are scattered through the witlessness of the
shepherd, and seeing [them] / the wolves immediately seize them having heart[s]
without courage; / thus the Danaans fell upon the Trojans.
[Danaans > Trojans ≈ carnivorous wolves > lambs or kids] Narrator
***
10 (364) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Οὐλύμπου νέφος ἔρχεται οὐρανὸν εἴσω
αἰθέρος ἐκ δίης, ὅτε τε Ζεὺς λαίλαπα τείνῃ, 365
ὣς τῶν ἐκ νηῶν γένετο ἰαχή τε φόβος τε,
οὐδὲ κατὰ μοῖραν πέραον πάλιν.

And as when from Olympus a cloud goes toward heaven / out of the bright air, when
Zeus spreads forth a storm, / thus from the ships came shouting and fear, / and [Hector
and the Trojans] did not cross the trench again in good order.
[Hector and Trojans crossing the trench ≈ a cloud going to heaven before a storm]
Narrator
***
11 (384) ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ λαίλαπι πᾶσα κελαινὴ βέβριθε χθὼν
ἤματ᾽ ὀπωρινῷ, ὅτε λαβρότατον χέει ὕδωρ 385
Ζεύς, ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἄνδρεσσι κοτεσσάμενος χαλεπήνῃ,
οἳ βίῃ εἰν ἀγορῇ σκολιὰς κρίνωσι θέμιστας,
ἐκ δὲ δίκην ἐλάσωσι θεῶν ὄπιν οὐκ ἀλέγοντες:
τῶν δέ τε πάντες μὲν ποταμοὶ πλήθουσι ῥέοντες,
πολλὰς δὲ κλιτῦς τότ᾽ ἀποτμήγουσι χαράδραι, 390
ἐς δ᾽ ἅλα πορφυρέην μεγάλα στενάχουσι ῥέουσαι
ἐξ ὀρέων ἐπικάρ, μινύθει δέ τε ἔργ᾽ ἀνθρώπων:
ὣς ἵπποι Τρῳαὶ μεγάλα στενάχοντο θέουσαι.

And as beneath a tempest all the black earth is oppressed, / on a day in harvest-
time, when Zeus pours forth rain most violently, / when indeed being vexed with anger
against men, / who by violence give crooked judgments in the assembly, / and drive
justice out, disregarding the vengeance of the gods; / and all their rivers flow in flood, /
and the torrents cut off many hillsides, / and rushing down to the dark sea they roar
greatly / headlong from the mountains, and diminish the tilled fields of men; / thus the
Trojan mares roared loudly as they ran.
[Trojan mares roared loudly running ≈ the rivers roar loudly flowing] Narrator
***
ὃ δ᾽ ἔγχεϊ νύξε παραστὰς
γναθμὸν δεξιτερόν, διὰ δ᾽ αὐτοῦ πεῖρεν ὀδόντων, 405
12 (406) ἕλκε δὲ δουρὸς ἑλὼν ὑπὲρ ἄντυγος, ὡς ὅτε τις φὼς
πέτρῃ ἔπι προβλῆτι καθήμενος ἱερὸν ἰχθὺν
ἐκ πόντοιο θύραζε λίνῳ καὶ ἤνοπι χαλκῷ:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

ὣς ἕλκ᾽ ἐκ δίφροιο κεχηνότα δουρὶ φαεινῷ,

κὰδ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπὶ στόμ᾽ ἔωσε: πεσόντα δέ μιν λίπε θυμός. 410

And standing by his side he <Patroclus> smote [Thestor] with his spear / upon the
right jaw and drove it through his teeth; / and seizing [the spear by its] shaft he dragged
him over the chariot-rim, as when some man / sitting upon a jutting rock drags a
sacred fish / out of the sea with a line and gleaming [hook of] bronze; / thus he
dragged him from the chariot gasping on the bright spear, / and threw him down upon
his face; and life left him as he fell.
[Patroclus > Thestor from his chariot ≈ a man > a fish from the sea] Narrator
***
Πάτροκλος δ᾽ ἑτέρωθεν ἐπεὶ ἴδεν ἔκθορε δίφρου.
13 (428) οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι
πέτρῃ ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλῇ μεγάλα κλάζοντε μάχωνται,
ὣς οἳ κεκλήγοντες ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισιν ὄρουσαν. 430

And Patroclus from the other side, when he saw [Sarpedon], sprang from his chariot. /
And as vultures with crooked talons and curved beaks / fight with loud cries upon a
high rock, / so with cries they rushed against the one another.
[Sarpedon and Patroclus ≈ vultures] Narrator
***
14 (482) ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς
ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή, τήν τ᾽ οὔρεσι τέκτονες ἄνδρες
ἐξέταμον πελέκεσσι νεήκεσι νήϊον εἶναι:
ὣς ὃ πρόσθ᾽ ἵππων καὶ δίφρου κεῖτο τανυσθεὶς 485
βεβρυχὼς κόνιος δεδραγμένος αἱματοέσσης.
15 (487) ἠΰτε ταῦρον ἔπεφνε λέων ἀγέληφι μετελθὼν
αἴθωνα μεγάθυμον ἐν εἰλιπόδεσσι βόεσσι,
ὤλετό τε στενάχων ὑπὸ γαμφηλῇσι λέοντος,
ὣς ὑπὸ Πατρόκλῳ Λυκίων ἀγὸς ἀσπιστάων 490
κτεινόμενος μενέαινε.

And [Sarpedon] fell as when some oak falls, or a poplar / or a tall pine, that in the
mountains shipbuilders / cut down with whetted axes to be a ship's timber; / thus
before his horses and chariot he lay outstretched, / moaning aloud and clutching at
the bloody dust. / And as a lion coming into the midst of a herd slays a bull / tawny
[and] high-spirited among the shambling cows, / and with a groan he dies beneath the
jaws of the lion; thus beneath Patroclus did the leader of the Lycian warriors /
struggle as he was killed.
#14 (482) [Sarpedon fell ≈ an oak or poplar or pine tree falls]
#15 (487) [Sarpedon killed by Patroclus≈ a bull killed by a lion] Narrator
***
Πατρόκλῳ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἄχος γένετο φθιμένου ἑτάροιο,
16 (582) ἴθυσεν δὲ διὰ προμάχων ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

ὠκέϊ, ὅς τ᾽ ἐφόβησε κολοιούς τε ψῆράς τε:

ὣς ἰθὺς Λυκίων Πατρόκλεες ἱπποκέλευθε
ἔσσυο καὶ Τρώων, κεχόλωσο δὲ κῆρ ἑτάροιο. 585
καί ῥ᾽ ἔβαλε Σθενέλαον Ἰθαιμένεος φίλον υἱὸν
αὐχένα χερμαδίῳ, ῥῆξεν δ᾽ ἀπὸ τοῖο τένοντας.
χώρησαν δ᾽ ὑπό τε πρόμαχοι καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ.
17 (589) ὅσση δ᾽ αἰγανέης ῥιπὴ ταναοῖο τέτυκται,
ἥν ῥά τ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἀφέῃ πειρώμενος ἢ ἐν ἀέθλῳ 590
ἠὲ καὶ ἐν πολέμῳ δηΐων ὕπο θυμοραϊστέων,
τόσσον ἐχώρησαν Τρῶες, ὤσαντο δ᾽ Ἀχαιοί.

Then over Patroclus came grief for his slain comrade, / and he charged through the
foremost fighters like a fleet falcon / that drives in flight jackdaws and starlings; /
thus straight against the Lycians, Patroclus, master of horsemen, / and against the
Trojans did you charge, and your heart was full of wrath for your comrade. / And he hit
Sthenelaus, the dear son of Ithaemenes, / on the neck with a stone, and broke its
tendons away; / and the foremost fighters and glorious Hector gave ground. / As far as
is the flight of a long javelin, / which a man throws, making trial of his strength, either
in a contest, / or even in war being pressed by murderous enemy, / even so far did the
Trojans draw back, and the Achaeans pushed them.
#16 (582) [Patroclus ≈ a fleet falcon]
#17 (589) [the Trojans withdrew ≈ as far as the flight of a javelin] Narrator
***
18 (633) τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε δρυτόμων ἀνδρῶν ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς, ἕκαθεν δέ τε γίγνετ᾽ ἀκουή,
ὣς τῶν ὄρνυτο δοῦπος ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης 635
χαλκοῦ τε ῥινοῦ τε βοῶν τ᾽ εὐποιητάων,
νυσσομένων ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν.
οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἔτι φράδμων περ ἀνὴρ Σαρπηδόνα δῖον
ἔγνω, ἐπεὶ βελέεσσι καὶ αἵματι καὶ κονίῃσιν
ἐκ κεφαλῆς εἴλυτο διαμπερὲς ἐς πόδας ἄκρους. 640
19 (641) οἳ δ᾽ αἰεὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον, ὡς ὅτε μυῖαι
σταθμῷ ἔνι βρομέωσι περιγλαγέας κατὰ πέλλας
ὥρῃ ἐν εἰαρινῇ, ὅτε τε γλάγος ἄγγεα δεύει:
ὣς ἄρα τοὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον. 645

And as the noise of woodcutters arises / in the glades of a mountain, and far away
is the sound of it / so from them arose a clanging from the broad-wayed earth, / of
bronze and of hide and of well-made shields, / as they thrust at one other with swords
and two-edged spears. / Nor could a man, though he knew him well, still recognize
godly Sarpedon, / since he was utterly wrapped in arrows and blood and dust, / from his
head to the tips of his feet. / And they continuously gathered about the corpse as when
flies / in a farmstead buzz around the full milk-pails, / in the season of spring, when
the milk splashes in the vessels; / thus they gathered about the corpse.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

#18 (633) [the noise from their weapons ≈ the noise from woodcutters in the mountains]
#19 (641) [Greeks and Trojans gathered about Sarpedon’s corpse ≈ flies around full
milk-pails] Narrator
***

20 (742) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς

κάππεσ᾽ ἀπ᾽ εὐεργέος δίφρου, λίπε δ᾽ ὀστέα θυμός.

And like a diver he <Cebriones, Hector’s charioteer killed by Patroclus> fell from
the well-built car, and his spirit left his bones.
[Cebriones ≈ a diver] Narrator

The passage continues:

τὸν δ᾽ ἐπικερτομέων προσέφης Πατρόκλεες ἱππεῦ:
ὢ πόποι ἦ μάλ᾽ ἐλαφρὸς ἀνήρ, ὡς ῥεῖα κυβιστᾷ. 745
εἰ δή που καὶ πόντῳ ἐν ἰχθυόεντι γένοιτο,
πολλοὺς ἂν κορέσειεν ἀνὴρ ὅδε τήθεα διφῶν
νηὸς ἀποθρῴσκων, εἰ καὶ δυσπέμφελος εἴη,
ὡς νῦν ἐν πεδίῳ ἐξ ἵππων ῥεῖα κυβιστᾷ.
ἦ ῥα καὶ ἐν Τρώεσσι κυβιστητῆρες ἔασιν. 750

Then with mocking words you addressed him, horseman Patroclus: / ‘Hah, see how
very nimble the man is, how lightly he dives! If he were in the teeming sea, / this man
would satisfy many by seeking oysters, / leaping from his ship even if the sea were
stormy, / seeing how now on the plain he dives lightly from his car. / Surely even among
the Trojans there are divers.’
***
ὣς εἰπὼν ἐπὶ Κεβριόνῃ ἥρωϊ βεβήκει
21 (752) οἶμα λέοντος ἔχων, ὅς τε σταθμοὺς κεραΐζων
ἔβλητο πρὸς στῆθος, ἑή τέ μιν ὤλεσεν ἀλκή:
ὣς ἐπὶ Κεβριόνῃ Πατρόκλεες ἆλσο μεμαώς.

So saying [Patroclus] went towards the warrior Cebriones / with the rush of a lion that,
[while] ravaging the stalls, / was struck on the chest, and his own valor destroyed him; /
thus, Patroclus, you leaped furiously upon Cebriones.
[Patroclus leaping on Cebriones ≈ a lion ravaging the stalls of a farm] Narrator

See Appendix III.2 for other examples of this kind of simile

***
22 (756) τὼ περὶ Κεβριόναο λέονθ᾽ ὣς δηρινθήτην,
ὥ τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφῇσι περὶ κταμένης ἐλάφοιο
ἄμφω πεινάοντε μέγα φρονέοντε μάχεσθον:
ὣς περὶ Κεβριόναο δύω μήστωρες ἀϋτῆς
Πάτροκλός τε Μενοιτιάδης καὶ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ 760

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ἵεντ᾽ ἀλλήλων ταμέειν χρόα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ.

So the two <Hector and Patroclus> started fighting for Cebriones like two lions, / that
on the peaks of a mountain fight for a slain deer, / both of them hungering, both very
proud; / thus for Cebriones the two masters of the war-cry, / Patroclus, son of
Menoetius, and glorious Hector, / were eager to cut the other's flesh with pitiless bronze.
[Hector and Patroclus fighting for the corpse of Cebriones ≈ two lions fighting for a slain
deer] Narrator
***
23 (765) ὡς δ᾽ Εὖρός τε Νότος τ᾽ ἐριδαίνετον ἀλλήλοιιν 765
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς βαθέην πελεμιζέμεν ὕλην
φηγόν τε μελίην τε τανύφλοιόν τε κράνειαν,
αἵ τε πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἔβαλον τανυήκεας ὄζους
ἠχῇ θεσπεσίῃ, πάταγος δέ τε ἀγνυμενάων,
ὣς Τρῶες καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισι θορόντες 770
δῄουν, οὐδ᾽ ἕτεροι μνώοντ᾽ ὀλοοῖο φόβοιο.

And as the East Wind and the South Wind struggle with one another / in shaking a
deep forest in the glades of a mountain, / [a forest] of beech and ash and smooth-
barked cornel, / and they hurl against each other their long boughs / with a wondrous
noise, and there is a crashing of broken branches, / thus the Trojans and Achaeans
leapjng upon another / made havoc, nor would either side consider disastrous flight.
[Trojans and Achaeans fighting each other ≈ the East and West Winds struggling in a
storm] Narrator
***
24 (823) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε σῦν ἀκάμαντα λέων ἐβιήσατο χάρμῃ,
ὥ τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφῇσι μέγα φρονέοντε μάχεσθον
πίδακος ἀμφ᾽ ὀλίγης: ἐθέλουσι δὲ πιέμεν ἄμφω: 825
πολλὰ δέ τ᾽ ἀσθμαίνοντα λέων ἐδάμασσε βίηφιν:
ὣς πολέας πεφνόντα Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμον υἱὸν
Ἕκτωρ Πριαμίδης σχεδὸν ἔγχεϊ θυμὸν ἀπηύρα.

And as when a lion has overcome in battle an untiring boar, / when the two fight
with great spirit on the peaks of a mountain / for a small spring, and they both want to
drink [from it], / the lion overcomes by his force the [boar] panting hard, thus [from] the
valiant son of Menoetius, after he had slain many, / did Hector, Priam's son, take life
away, [striking him] from close at hand with his spear.
[Hector > Patroclus ≈ a lion > a boar] Narrator

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformation and Disguise:

715* ταῦτ᾽ ἄρα οἱ φρονέοντι παρίστατο Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων

ἀνέρι εἰσάμενος αἰζηῷ τε κρατερῷ τε

While he <Hector> pondered thus Phoebus Apollo came up to him / in the likeness of
a man vigorous and strong [Asius].
***

Metaphoric Similes:

39* Μυρμιδόνων, ἤν πού τι φόως Δαναοῖσι γένωμαι.

‘If I may become a light^ for the Danaans’ (Patroclus to Achilles)

(Murray 1999 translation adds ^ ‘of deliverance’)

***
τύνη δ᾽ ὤμοιιν μὲν ἐμὰ κλυτὰ τεύχεα δῦθι,
ἄρχε δὲ Μυρμιδόνεσσι φιλοπτολέμοισι μάχεσθαι, 65
66* εἰ δὴ κυάνεον Τρώων νέφος ἀμφιβέβηκε
νηυσὶν ἐπικρατέως.

‘But come, put on your shoulders my glorious armor, / and lead the war-loving
Myrmidons to the fight, / if indeed the dark cloud of the Trojans has encompassed /
the ships with great force.’
[multitude of Trojans (implied comparison) ≈ dark cloud] Achilles to Patroclus

Here, in contrast to the preceding and following examples, the prothetic phrase (“of the
Trojans”) is expressed.
***
95* ἀλλὰ πάλιν τρωπᾶσθαι, ἐπὴν φάος ἐν νήεσσι
θήῃς.

‘But come back when you have placed the light [of deliverance] among the ships’
[light ≈ deliverance] Achilles to Patroclus

The translation makes a kind of ‘genitive’ simile out of the expression.

***
τῷ δὲ καὶ Αὐτομέδων ὕπαγε ζυγὸν ὠκέας ἵππους
149* Ξάνθον καὶ Βαλίον, τὼ ἅμα πνοιῇσι πετέσθην.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Automedon put under the yoke the two swift horses, Xanthous and Balius, that flew
swift as the winds (literally: they flew with the winds).

The Murray 1999 translation makes a simile of this.

***

Divine Comparisons:

2* Πάτροκλος δ᾽ Ἀχιλῆϊ παρίστατο ποιμένι λαῶν

Achilles as a ‘shepherd’ of men is common metaphor.

321* τοῦ δ᾽ ἀντίθεος Θρασυμήδης “god-like Thrasymedes”

421* ἀντιθέοισι καθαπτόμενος Λυκίοισιν

“reproaching the god-like Lycians”

439* βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη “cow-eyed Hera”

605* Λαόγονον . . . θεὸς δ᾽ ὣς τίετο δήμῳ. Laogonus was honored by the

people as a god.

632* ὃ δ᾽ ἅμ᾽ ἕσπετο ἰσόθεος φώς

he <Meriones>followed, a god-like man.

649* ἐπ᾽ ἀντιθέῳ Σαρπηδόνι [the conflict] over god-like

Sarpedon

705* δαίμονι ἶσος [Sarpedon] equal to a god

865* Αὐτομέδοντα / ἀντίθεον θεράποντα ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο:

Automedon / the god-like attendant of swift-footed son of Aeacus

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similes of the Iliad Book 17 (Ρ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (4) [Menalaus > Patroclus ≈ a mother cow > her first calf]
#2 (τόσσον/ὅσσον) (20) [sons of Panthous ≈ leopard, lion and wild boar]
#3 (οἷον/τοῖον) (53) [Menelaus > Euphorbus ≈ a stormy wind > a sapling of an
olive tree]
#4 (61) [Trojans > Menelaus > body of Patroclus ≈ herdsmen > a mountain lion >
a heifer]
#5 (109) [Menelaus from Patroclus ≈ a bearded lion from a farm]
#7 (133) [Ajax > Patroclus ≈ a lion > his cubs]
#8 (263) [the shouting of the Trojans ≈ the roar of a mighty wave]
#9 (281) [Ajax scatters Trojans ≈ boar scatters youths and dogs]
#11 (389) [Trojans and Greeks dragging the corpse ≈ people stretching a bull’s
hide]
#12 (434) [the horses ≈ a pillar]
#14 (520) [Aretus killed by Automedon’s spear ≈ an ox slain by a man’s axe]
#16 (547) [the purple cloud covering Athena ≈ a purple rainbow sent by Zeus]
#17 (570) [courage of Menelaus ≈ the courage of a fly]
#18 (657) [Menelaus from Patroclus’ body ≈ a lion from a fat cow]
#19 (674) [Menelaus > Nestor’s son ≈ an eagle > a hare]
#20 (725) [Trojans > Achaeans ≈ dogs > a boar]
#21 (737) [the battle > the two Ajaxes ≈ a fire > a city]
#22 (742) [the two Ajaxes carried the corpse ≈ mules drag a beam or ship-timber]
#23 (747) [the two Ajaxes held back the Trojans ≈ a ridge holds back water]
#24 (755) [Aeneas and Hector > the Achaean youths ≈ a falcon > starlings and
jackdaws]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#6 (128) [Ajax’ shield ≈ a tower]
#10* (366) [Trojans and Achaeans around the body of Patroclus ≈ fire]
#13 (460) [Automedon > the Trojans ≈ a vulture > geese]
#15 (542) [Automedon (with bloody hands and feet) > the corpse of Aretus ≈ a
lion (that has just devoured) > a bull]

***

βῆ δὲ διὰ προμάχων κεκορυθμένος αἴθοπι χαλκῷ,

1 (4) ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῷ βαῖν᾽ ὥς τις περὶ πόρτακι μήτηρ
πρωτοτόκος κινυρὴ οὐ πρὶν εἰδυῖα τόκοιο: 5
ὣς περὶ Πατρόκλῳ βαῖνε ξανθὸς Μενέλαος.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Menelaus] went through the front ranks clad in flashing bronze armor / and he went
around him as some mother around her calf, / wailing her first-born not before
knowing parenthood; / thus golden-haired Menelaus went around Patroclus.
[Menalaus > Patroclus ≈ a mother cow > her first calf] Narrator
***
‘Ζεῦ πάτερ οὐ μὲν καλὸν ὑπέρβιον εὐχετάασθαι.
2 (20) οὔτ᾽ οὖν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος οὔτε λέοντος 20
οὔτε συὸς κάπρου ὀλοόφρονος, οὗ τε μέγιστος
θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι περὶ σθένεϊ βλεμεαίνει,
ὅσσον Πάνθου υἷες ἐϋμμελίαι φρονέουσιν.’

‘[By] Father Zeus, it is not a good thing to boast excessively. / Then neither [is] the might
of a leopard nor of a lion /, nor of a savage wild-boar, whose spirit is greatest / and
exults in his chest because of his strength, of such power as sons of Panthous boast.’
[sons of Panthous ≈ leopard, lion and wild boar] Menelaus
***

3 (53) οἷον δὲ τρέφει ἔρνος ἀνὴρ ἐριθηλὲς ἐλαίης

χώρῳ ἐν οἰοπόλῳ, ὅθ᾽ ἅλις ἀναβέβροχεν ὕδωρ,
καλὸν τηλεθάον: τὸ δέ τε πνοιαὶ δονέουσι 55
παντοίων ἀνέμων, καί τε βρύει ἄνθεϊ λευκῷ:
ἐλθὼν δ᾽ ἐξαπίνης ἄνεμος σὺν λαίλαπι πολλῇ
βόθρου τ᾽ ἐξέστρεψε καὶ ἐξετάνυσσ᾽ ἐπὶ γαίῃ:
τοῖον Πάνθου υἱὸν ἐϋμμελίην Εὔφορβον
Ἀτρεΐδης Μενέλαος ἐπεὶ κτάνε τεύχε᾽ ἐσύλα. 60

And as a man nourishes a fruitful sapling of an olive tree in a lonely place, / where
water wells up abundantly—/ beautiful [and] fair-growing; and the breezes of all sorts
of winds make it to quiver, / and it swells with a white blossom; / but suddenly the wind
coming with a mighty tempest, / both tore [it] out of its trench, and stretched it out upon
the earth; / such [was] Panthous' son, Euphorbus of the good ash spear / when
Menelaus, son of Atreus, killed [him] [and] stripped off [his] armor.
[Menelaus > Euphorbus ≈ a stormy wind > a sapling of an olive tree] Narrator
***
4 (61) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος ἀλκὶ πεποιθὼς
βοσκομένης ἀγέλης βοῦν ἁρπάσῃ ἥ τις ἀρίστη:
τῆς δ᾽ ἐξ αὐχέν᾽ ἔαξε λαβὼν κρατεροῖσιν ὀδοῦσι
πρῶτον, ἔπειτα δέ θ᾽ αἷμα καὶ ἔγκατα πάντα λαφύσσει
δῃῶν: ἀμφὶ δὲ τόν γε κύνες τ᾽ ἄνδρές τε νομῆες 65
πολλὰ μάλ᾽ ἰύζουσιν ἀπόπροθεν οὐδ᾽ ἐθέλουσιν
ἀντίον ἐλθέμεναι: μάλα γὰρ χλωρὸν δέος αἱρεῖ:
ὣς τῶν οὔ τινι θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐτόλμα
ἀντίον ἐλθέμεναι Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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And as when some mountain-nurtured lion, trusting in his might, / has seized from
amid a grazing herd a heifer that is finest: / taking her by the neck he seized her in his
strong jaws / first and then breaking it, he gulps down the blood and all the inner parts; /
and all around him dogs and herds-men / clamor loudly from afar but are not willing / to
come against him, for pale fear seizes [them] greatly; / thus the spirit in the breasts of
anyone did not dare / to go face to face with glorious Menelaus.
[Trojans > Menelaus > body of Patroclus ≈ herdsmen > a mountain lion > a heifer]
Narrator
***
αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ἐξοπίσω ἀνεχάζετο, λεῖπε δὲ νεκρὸν
5 (109) ἐντροπαλιζόμενος ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος,
ὅν ῥα κύνες τε καὶ ἄνδρες ἀπὸ σταθμοῖο δίωνται 110
ἔγχεσι καὶ φωνῇ: τοῦ δ᾽ ἐν φρεσὶν ἄλκιμον ἦτορ
παχνοῦται, ἀέκων δέ τ᾽ ἔβη ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο:
ὣς ἀπὸ Πατρόκλοιο κίε ξανθὸς Μενέλαος.

Then he <Menelaus> gave ground backward, and left the corpse, / turning around like a
bearded lion / that dogs and men drive from a fold / with spears and shouting; and in
his breast his valiant heart / grows chill, and unwilling he goes from the farmstead; /
thus fair-haired Menelaus went from Patroclus.
[Menelaus from Patroclus ≈ a bearded lion from a farm] Narrator
***
6 (128) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον.

But Ajax drew near, bearing his shield like a tower.

[Ajax’ shield ≈ a tower] Narrator
***
Αἴας δ᾽ ἀμφὶ Μενοιτιάδῃ σάκος εὐρὺ καλύψας
7 (133) ἑστήκει ὥς τίς τε λέων περὶ οἷσι τέκεσσιν,
ᾧ ῥά τε νήπι᾽ ἄγοντι συναντήσωνται ἐν ὕλῃ
ἄνδρες ἐπακτῆρες: ὃ δέ τε σθένεϊ βλεμεαίνει, 135
πᾶν δέ τ᾽ ἐπισκύνιον κάτω ἕλκεται ὄσσε καλύπτων:
ὣς Αἴας περὶ Πατρόκλῳ ἥρωϊ βεβήκει.

But Ajax put his broad shield around the son of Menoetius / and stood as a lion over
his cubs, / one that huntsmen have met in the forest as he leads his young; / then he
exults in his strength, / and draws down all his brows hiding his eyes; / thus Ajax
walked around the warrior Patroclus.
[Ajax > Patroclus ≈ a lion > his cubs] Narrator
***
Τρῶες δὲ προὔτυψαν ἀολλέες: ἦρχε δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἕκτωρ.
8 (263) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ προχοῇσι διιπετέος ποταμοῖο
βέβρυχεν μέγα κῦμα ποτὶ ῥόον, ἀμφὶ δέ τ᾽ ἄκραι

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ἠϊόνες βοόωσιν ἐρευγομένης ἁλὸς ἔξω, 265

τόσσῃ ἄρα Τρῶες ἰαχῇ ἴσαν.

The Trojans drove forward in close order; and Hector led [them]. / As when at the
mouth of river swollen by rain / a mighty wave roars against the stream, and on both
sides the high / sea-banks echo, as the salt-sea bellows beyond; with such a shout the
Trojans came on.
[the shouting of the Trojans ≈ the roar of a mighty wave] Narrator
***
9 (281) ἴθυσεν δὲ διὰ προμάχων συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκὴν
καπρίῳ, ὅς τ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσσι κύνας θαλερούς τ᾽ αἰζηοὺς
ῥηϊδίως ἐκέδασσεν, ἑλιξάμενος διὰ βήσσας:
ὣς υἱὸς Τελαμῶνος ἀγαυοῦ φαίδιμος Αἴας
ῥεῖα μετεισάμενος Τρώων ἐκέδασσε φάλαγγας. 285

Straight through the foremost fighters he <Ajax> advanced, in might like a wild boar /
that in the mountains easily scatters dogs and sturdy youths / wheeling upon them in the
glades; /even so the son of lordly Telamon, glorious Ajax, / easily scattered [the] ranks
of the Trojans, coming among them.
[Ajax scatters Trojans ≈ boar scatters youths and dogs] Narrator
***
10* (366) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρός, οὐδέ κε φαίης
οὔτέ ποτ᾽ ἠέλιον σῶν ἔμμεναι οὔτε σελήνην:
ἠέρι γὰρ κατέχοντο μάχης ἐπί θ᾽ ὅσσον ἄριστοι
ἕστασαν ἀμφὶ Μενοιτιάδῃ κατατεθνηῶτι.

So they <Trojans and Achaeans around the body of Patroclus> fought like fire,
and you would not say / that either the sun or moon still remained safe, / for with mist
they were held fast in the battle, all the chieftains / that stood around the slain son of
Menoetius.
[Trojans and Achaeans around the body of Patroclus ≈ fire] Narrator
***
11 (389) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην
λαοῖσιν δώῃ τανύειν μεθύουσαν ἀλοιφῇ: 390
δεξάμενοι δ᾽ ἄρα τοί γε διαστάντες τανύουσι
κυκλόσ᾽, ἄφαρ δέ τε ἰκμὰς ἔβη, δύνει δέ τ᾽ ἀλοιφὴ
πολλῶν ἑλκόντων, τάνυται δέ τε πᾶσα διὰ πρό:
ὣς οἵ γ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα νέκυν ὀλίγῃ ἐνὶ χώρῃ
εἵλκεον ἀμφότεροι. 395

And as when a man gives to his people the hide of a great bull / to stretch, all drenched
in fat, / and when they have taken it, standing in a circle they stretch it, / and
straightaway its moisture goes and the fat enters / with many people tugging, and all the

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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hide is stretched to the utmost; / thus they <Trojans and Greeks> on this side and on
that were dragging the corpse in scant space, / both sides.
[Trojans and Greeks dragging the corpse ≈ people stretching a bull’s hide] Narrator
***
‘τὼ δ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἂψ ἐπὶ νῆας ἐπὶ πλατὺν Ἑλλήσποντον
ἠθελέτην ἰέναι οὔτ᾽ ἐς πόλεμον μετ᾽ Ἀχαιούς,
12 (434) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στήλη μένει ἔμπεδον, ἥ τ᾽ ἐπὶ τύμβῳ
ἀνέρος ἑστήκῃ τεθνηότος ἠὲ γυναικός, 435
ὣς μένον ἀσφαλέως περικαλλέα δίφρον ἔχοντες
οὔδει ἐνισκίμψαντε καρήατα.

The two [horses] wanted to go back neither to the ships at the broad Hellespont / nor
to war with [the] Achaeans, / but as a pillar remains firm that stands on the tomb / of a
dead man or woman, / so [the two] remained steady holding the beautiful chariot, /
bowing their heads down to the earth.
[the horses ≈ a pillar] Narrator (speaking about the horses carrying the body of
Patroclus back to the ships)
***
τοῖσι δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Αὐτομέδων μάχετ᾽ ἀχνύμενός περ ἑταίρου
13 (460) ἵπποις ἀΐσσων ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιὸς μετὰ χῆνας: 460
ῥέα μὲν γὰρ φεύγεσκεν ὑπ᾽ ἐκ Τρώων ὀρυμαγδοῦ,
ῥεῖα δ᾽ ἐπαΐξασκε πολὺν καθ᾽ ὅμιλον ὀπάζων.

And against them Automedon was fighting, although grieving for his comrade, /
swooping with [his] horses like a vulture on [a flock of] geese, / for easily would he
flee from out of the battle-din of the Trojans, / and easily charge, attacking them
through the great throng.
[Automedon > the Trojans ≈ a vulture > geese] Narrator
***
ἦ ῥα, καὶ ἀμπεπαλὼν προΐει δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος,
καὶ βάλεν Ἀρήτοιο κατ᾽ ἀσπίδα πάντοσ᾽ ἐΐσην:
ἣ δ᾽ οὐκ ἔγχος ἔρυτο, διὰ πρὸ δὲ εἴσατο χαλκός,
νειαίρῃ δ᾽ ἐν γαστρὶ διὰ ζωστῆρος ἔλασσεν.
14 (520) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὀξὺν ἔχων πέλεκυν αἰζήϊος ἀνὴρ 520
κόψας ἐξόπιθεν κεράων βοὸς ἀγραύλοιο
ἶνα τάμῃ διὰ πᾶσαν, ὃ δὲ προθορὼν ἐρίπῃσιν,
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ὅ γε προθορὼν πέσεν ὕπτιος: ἐν δέ οἱ ἔγχος
νηδυίοισι μάλ᾽ ὀξὺ κραδαινόμενον λύε γυῖα.

[Automedon] spoke, and balancing [it] he hurled his far-shadowing spear / and struck
the shield of Aretus [that was] equal on every side; / but this did not ward off the spear,
and it passed straight through the bronze, / and into the lower belly he drove it through
the belt. And as when a strong man holding a sharp axe / striking behind the horns of
an ox in a field / cuts clean through a sinew, and the [ox] leaping forward falls; / so he

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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<Aretus> leaping forward fell upon his back, and the spear, / very sharp, fixed
quivering in his bowels loosed his limbs.
[Aretus killed by Automedon’s spear ≈ an ox slain by a man’s axe] Narrator
***
ὣς εἰπὼν ἐς δίφρον ἑλὼν ἔναρα βροτόεντα 540
θῆκ᾽, ἂν δ᾽ αὐτὸς ἔβαινε πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν
15 (542) αἱματόεις ὥς τίς τε λέων κατὰ ταῦρον ἐδηδώς.

So speaking, taking up the bloody spoils [of Aretus], [Automedon] set them in the
chariot, / and he himself mounted on it, his feet and his hands above / bloody, as
some lion [that has] devoured a bull.
[Automedon (with bloody hands and feet) > the corpse of Aretus ≈ a lion (that has just
devoured) > a bull] Narrator
***
ἂψ δ᾽ ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ τέτατο κρατερὴ ὑσμίνη
ἀργαλέη πολύδακρυς, ἔγειρε δὲ νεῖκος Ἀθήνη
οὐρανόθεν καταβᾶσα: προῆκε γὰρ εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς 545
ὀρνύμεναι Δαναούς: δὴ γὰρ νόος ἐτράπετ᾽ αὐτοῦ.
16 (547) ἠΰτε πορφυρέην ἶριν θνητοῖσι τανύσσῃ
Ζεὺς ἐξ οὐρανόθεν τέρας ἔμμεναι ἢ πολέμοιο
ἢ καὶ χειμῶνος δυσθαλπέος, ὅς ῥά τε ἔργων
ἀνθρώπους ἀνέπαυσεν ἐπὶ χθονί, μῆλα δὲ κήδει, 550
ὣς ἣ πορφυρέῃ νεφέλῃ πυκάσασα ἓ αὐτὴν
δύσετ᾽ Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνος, ἔγειρε δὲ φῶτα ἕκαστον.

And again the fierce fight raged about Patroclus, / grievous [and] tearful, for Athena
roused strife / coming down from heaven; for far-seeing Zeus sent her, / to stir up the
Danaans; for his mind was turning. / As when Zeus spreads a purple rainbow for
mortals / from heaven to be a portent either of war / or even of a chill storm which
causes men to cease from their labors / on earth and and plagues the flocks / so she
covering herself with a purple cloud / caused the tribe of Achaeans to sink and
aroused each man.
[the purple cloud covering Athena ≈ a purple rainbow sent by Zeus] Narrator
***
ὣς φάτο, γήθησεν δὲ θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,
ὅττί ῥά οἱ πάμπρωτα θεῶν ἠρήσατο πάντων.
ἐν δὲ βίην ὤμοισι καὶ ἐν γούνεσσιν ἔθηκε,
17 (570) καί οἱ μυίης θάρσος ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐνῆκεν, 570
ἥ τε καὶ ἐργομένη μάλα περ χροὸς ἀνδρομέοιο
ἰσχανάᾳ δακέειν, λαρόν τέ οἱ αἷμ᾽ ἀνθρώπου:
τοίου μιν θάρσευς πλῆσε φρένας ἀμφὶ μελαίνας,
βῆ δ᾽ ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ, καὶ ἀκόντισε δουρὶ φαεινῷ.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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So [Menelaus] spoke, and the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, was glad, / because to
her first of all the gods he made his prayer. / And she put strength into his shoulders
and his knees, / and in his chest set the courage of a fly, / that though it be driven
away often from the skin of a man, / desires to bite, and sweet to it is the blood of man; /
the courage of such [a fly] filled his dark heart all around, / and he stood over
Patroclus and hurled with his bright spear.
[courage of Menelaus ≈ the courage of a fly] Narrator

For other examples of similes expressed by the genitive case, see Appendix III.2.
***
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ἀπίθησε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος,
18 (657) βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι ὥς τίς τε λέων ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο,
ὅς τ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἄρ κε κάμῃσι κύνας τ᾽ ἄνδρας τ᾽ ἐρεθίζων,
οἵ τέ μιν οὐκ εἰῶσι βοῶν ἐκ πῖαρ ἑλέσθαι
πάννυχοι ἐγρήσσοντες: ὃ δὲ κρειῶν ἐρατίζων 660
ἰθύει, ἀλλ᾽ οὔ τι πρήσσει: θαμέες γὰρ ἄκοντες
ἀντίον ἀΐσσουσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν,
καιόμεναί τε δεταί, τάς τε τρεῖ ἐσσύμενός περ:
ἠῶθεν δ᾽ ἀπονόσφιν ἔβη τετιηότι θυμῷ:
ὣς ἀπὸ Πατρόκλοιο βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος 665
ἤϊε πόλλ᾽ ἀέκων.

So he spoke, and Menelaus, good at the war-cry, did not disobey, / but went his way as
some lion from a courtyard / when he grows tired of vexing dogs and men / who do not
allow him to seize the fattest of the herd, / watching the whole night through; and in his
lust for flesh / he presses on, but does not accomplish anything, for frequent darts / fly to
meet him from bold hands, / and blazing torches, and he flees from them even though
eager, / and at dawn he goes away with sorrowful heart; thus from Patroclus did
Menelaus, good at the war-cry, depart / very reluctantly.
[Menelaus from Patroclus’ body ≈ a lion from a fat cow] Narrator
***
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη ξανθὸς Μενέλαος,
19 (674) πάντοσε παπταίνων ὥς τ᾽ αἰετός, ὅν ῥά τέ φασιν
ὀξύτατον δέρκεσθαι ὑπουρανίων πετεηνῶν, 675
ὅν τε καὶ ὑψόθ᾽ ἐόντα πόδας ταχὺς οὐκ ἔλαθε πτὼξ
θάμνῳ ὑπ᾽ ἀμφικόμῳ κατακείμενος, ἀλλά τ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ
ἔσσυτο, καί τέ μιν ὦκα λαβὼν ἐξείλετο θυμόν.
ὣς τότε σοὶ Μενέλαε διοτρεφὲς ὄσσε φαεινὼ
πάντοσε δινείσθην πολέων κατὰ ἔθνος ἑταίρων, 680
εἴ που Νέστορος υἱὸν ἔτι ζώοντα ἴδοιτο.

So saying fair-haired Menelaus departed, / glancing warily on every side like an eagle,
which, they say, has the keenest sight of [all] winged things under heaven, / which, even
being high in the sky, has not missed seeing a swift-footed hare / hiding under a leafy

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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bush, but [the eagle] swoops down upon it / and quickly seizing it, takes its life. / Even
so then, Menelaus, nurtured of Zeus, did your bright eyes / range everywhere over the
throng of your many comrades, / to see if somewhere the son of Nestor was still alive.
[Menelaus > Nestor’s son ≈ an eagle > a hare] Narrator
***
ἐπὶ δ᾽ ἴαχε λαὸς ὄπισθε
Τρωϊκός, ὡς εἴδοντο νέκυν αἴροντας Ἀχαιούς.
20 (725) ἴθυσαν δὲ κύνεσσιν ἐοικότες, οἵ τ᾽ ἐπὶ κάπρῳ 725
βλημένῳ ἀΐξωσι πρὸ κούρων θηρητήρων:
ἕως μὲν γάρ τε θέουσι διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες,
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἐν τοῖσιν ἑλίξεται ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς,
ἄψ τ᾽ ἀνεχώρησαν διά τ᾽ ἔτρεσαν ἄλλυδις ἄλλος.
ὣς Τρῶες εἷος μὲν ὁμιλαδὸν αἰὲν ἕποντο 730
νύσσοντες ξίφεσίν τε καὶ ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν.

And the Trojan army behind them shouted, / when they saw the Achaeans lifting [the]
corpse. And they charged straight upon them like dogs that on a wounded boar / rush
in front of hunting youths; / meanwhile they run eager to destroy [it], but whenever he
turns among them trusting in his strength, / they shrink back and tremble in fear, one
here, one there. / Thus the Trojans for a time followed always in groups, / thrusting with
swords and two-edged spears.
[Trojans > Achaeans ≈ dogs > a boar] Narrator
***
ὣς οἵ γ᾽ ἐμμεμαῶτε νέκυν φέρον ἐκ πολέμοιο 735
νῆας ἔπι γλαφυράς: ἐπὶ δὲ πτόλεμος τέτατό σφιν
21 (737) ἄγριος ἠΰτε πῦρ, τό τ᾽ ἐπεσσύμενον πόλιν ἀνδρῶν
ὄρμενον ἐξαίφνης φλεγέθει, μινύθουσι δὲ οἶκοι
ἐν σέλαϊ μεγάλῳ: τὸ δ᾽ ἐπιβρέμει ἲς ἀνέμοιο.
ὣς μὲν τοῖς ἵππων τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν αἰχμητάων 740
ἀζηχὴς ὀρυμαγδὸς ἐπήϊεν ἐρχομένοισιν:
22 (742) οἳ δ᾽ ὥς θ᾽ ἡμίονοι κρατερὸν μένος ἀμφιβαλόντες
ἕλκωσ᾽ ἐξ ὄρεος κατὰ παιπαλόεσσαν ἀταρπὸν
ἢ δοκὸν ἠὲ δόρυ μέγα νήϊον: ἐν δέ τε θυμὸς
τείρεθ᾽ ὁμοῦ καμάτῳ τε καὶ ἱδρῷ σπευδόντεσσιν: 745
ὣς οἵ γ᾽ ἐμμεμαῶτε νέκυν φέρον. αὐτὰρ ὄπισθεν
23 (747) Αἴαντ᾽ ἰσχανέτην, ὥς τε πρὼν ἰσχάνει ὕδωρ
ὑλήεις πεδίοιο διαπρύσιον τετυχηκώς,
ὅς τε καὶ ἰφθίμων ποταμῶν ἀλεγεινὰ ῥέεθρα
ἴσχει, ἄφαρ δέ τε πᾶσι ῥόον πεδίονδὲ τίθησι 750
πλάζων: οὐδέ τί μιν σθένεϊ ῥηγνῦσι ῥέοντες:
ὣς αἰεὶ Αἴαντε μάχην ἀνέεργον ὀπίσσω
Τρώων.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Thus the two <Ajaxes> eagerly carried the corpse from the battle / to the hollow ships,
but the battle strained against them / fierce as fire that, rushing upon a city of men /
rising suddenly sets it aflame, and houses fall / in [the] great glare; and the force of the
wind makes it roar. Thus against them as they went came the ceaseless din / of horses
and of spearmen. / But as mules that, putting forth on either side their great strength, /
drag from the mountain down a rugged path / either a beam or a great ship-timber,
and within [them] their spirit / as they strive is distressed by both toil and sweat, / thus
these two eagerly carried the corpse. But behind [them] / the two Ajaxes held back
[the foe], as a ridge holds back water / a wooded [ridge] that happens to lie all across
a plain / and that holds back even the dread streams of mighty rivers, / and at once
turns the current for [them] all to wander over the plain; nor do they break through it at
all with their strength as they flow; thus the two Ajaxes always kept back the battle
of the Trojans.
#21 (737) [the battle > the two Ajaxes ≈ a fire > a city]
#22 (742) [the two Ajaxes carried the corpse ≈ mules drag a beam or ship-timber]
#23 (747) [the two Ajaxes held back the Trojans ≈ a ridge holds back water] Narrator
***
24 (755) τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν 755
οὖλον κεκλήγοντες, ὅτε προΐδωσιν ἰόντα
κίρκον, ὅ τε σμικρῇσι φόνον φέρει ὀρνίθεσσιν,
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ὑπ᾽ Αἰνείᾳ τε καὶ Ἕκτορι κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν
οὖλον κεκλήγοντες ἴσαν, λήθοντο δὲ χάρμης.

And as a cloud of starlings or of jackdaws comes / crying destruction, when they see
coming / a falcon / which brings death to small birds, / so before Aeneas and Hector
fled the youths of the Achaeans, / crying destruction, and they forgot about fighting.
[Aeneas and Hector > the Achaean youths ≈ a falcon > starlings and jackdaws] Narrator

* ***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

ἔνθά κε ῥεῖα φέροι κλυτὰ τεύχεα Πανθοΐδαο 70

Ἀτρεΐδης, εἰ μή οἱ ἀγάσσατο Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων,
ὅς ῥά οἱ Ἕκτορ᾽ ἐπῶρσε θοῷ ἀτάλαντον Ἄρηϊ
73* ἀνέρι εἰσάμενος Κικόνων ἡγήτορι Μέντῃ:

Easily then would Atreus' son have carried off the glorious armor of the son of
Panthous, / if Phoebus Apollo had not begrudged it him, / [and] aroused against him
Hector, the peer of swift Ares /, [Apollo] in the likeness of a man, Mentes, leader of
the Cicones,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Apollo ≈ Mentes]
***
210 – 211* More unusual is this line, where Ares entered into Hector:

Ἕκτορι δ᾽ ἥρμοσε τεύχε᾽ ἐπὶ χροΐ, δῦ δέ μιν Ἄρης

δεινὸς ἐνυάλιος, πλῆσθεν δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ μέλε᾽ ἐντὸς

He <Zeus> made the armor fit on Hector’s body, and there Ares entered
into him, the terrible Enyalius, and his limbs were filled with valor . . . .
***
322* ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς Ἀπόλλων
Αἰνείαν ὄτρυνε δέμας Περίφαντι ἐοικὼς

But Apollo himself / urged on Aeneas taking on the form of Periphas

326* τῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος προσέφη Διὸς υἱὸς Ἀπόλλων

In his likeness Apollo the son of Zeus spoke to him <Aeneas>

554–5* ‘ἴφθιμον Μενέλαον: ὃ γάρ ῥά οἱ ἐγγύθεν ἦεν:

εἰσαμένη Φοίνικι δέμας καὶ ἀτειρέα φωνήν

[To encourage him Athena spoke to] mighty Menelaus, for he was near her /
likening herself to Phoenix in form and untiring voice.
***
583* Ἕκτορα δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἱστάμενος ὄτρυνεν Ἀπόλλων
Φαίνοπι Ἀσιάδῃ ἐναλίγκιος, ὅς οἱ ἁπάντων
ξείνων φίλτατος ἔσκεν Ἀβυδόθι οἰκία ναίων:
τῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος προσέφη ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων: 585

Standing near Hector Apollo urged him on / in the likeness of Asius’ son
Phaenops, who of all / his guest-friends was dearest to him, living in his house
in Abydus; / in his likeness Apollo the far-worker spoke to him <Hector>.
***

Divine Comparisons:

51 αἵματί οἱ δεύοντο κόμαι Χαρίτεσσιν ὁμοῖαι

πλοχμοί θ᾽, οἳ χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἐσφήκωντο.

His [Euphorbus’] hair was drenched in blood, [was] like [the hair of] the Graces, /
and his tresses that were braided with gold and silver.
[Euphorbus’ hair ≈ the hair of the Graces] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Lee counts this as a simile.

***

βῆ δὲ διὰ προμάχων κεκορυθμένος αἴθοπι χαλκῷ

88 ὀξέα κεκλήγων φλογὶ εἴκελος Ἡφαίστοιο 88
ἀσβέστῳ.

And [Hector] went through the foremost fighters, wearing a helmet of flaming bronze, /
crying shrilly, like an unquenchable flame of Hephaestus.
[Hector’s bronze helmet ≈ unquenchable flame of Hephaestus] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile

***

199* NB various forms of the ‘god-like’ adjective: Πηλεΐδαο . . . θείοιο

319* ἔνθά κεν αὖτε Τρῶες ἀρηϊφίλων ὑπ᾽ Ἀχαιῶν

Then would the Trojans have been driven by the Achaeans, dear to Ares

Metaphoric Similes:

591* τὸν δ᾽ ἄχεος νεφέλη ἐκάλυψε μέλαινα:

a black cloud of grief enfolded him <Hector> [intensity of grief (implied

comparison) ≈ a black cloud]

615* καὶ τῷ μὲν φάος ἦλθεν, ἄμυνε δὲ νηλεὲς ἦμαρ

And he <Coeranus> came to him <Idomeneus> [as] a light [of deliverance]

and warded off his day of doom.

***
Similes of the Iliad Book 18 (Σ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#7 (161) [the two Ajaxes > cannot drive Hector > from Patroclus’ corpse ≈
shepherds > cannot frighten a lion > from a body]
#8 (207) [gleam of fire from Achilles ≈ glare of flames from a city]
#9 (219) [clear voice of Aeacus’ son ≈ clear sound of a trumpet]
#10 (318) [Achilles ≈ a lion]
#14 (600) [young men running ≈ a potter at his wheel]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#1 (1) [the Greeks+Trojans fighting ≈ a blazing fire]

#2 (56) [Achilles ≈ a sapling]
#3 (57) [Achilles ≈ a plant]
#4* (109) [anger ≈ honey]
#5 (110) [anger ≈ smoke]
#6 (154) [Hector ≈ a flame]
#11 (418) [Hephaestus’ handmaids ≈ living young women]
#12 (437) [Achilles ≈ a sapling]
#13 (438) [Achilles ≈ a plant]
#15 (616) [Thetis darting from Olympus ≈ a falcon]
***

1 (1) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο

Thus they <the Greeks and Trojans> were fighting like a blazing fire.
[the Greeks+Trojans fighting ≈ a blazing fire] Narrator

This line is the same as Book11 #28 (596)

***
ὤ μοι ἐγὼ δειλή, ὤ μοι δυσαριστοτόκεια,
ἥ τ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἂρ τέκον υἱὸν ἀμύμονά τε κρατερόν τε 55
2 (56) ἔξοχον ἡρώων: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος:
3 (57) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς
νηυσὶν ἐπιπροέηκα κορωνίσιν Ἴλιον εἴσω
Τρωσὶ μαχησόμενον:

‘Alas poor me, most unfortunate in having a child, / for when I had borne a son peerless
and strong, / pre-eminent among warriors, and he shot up like a sapling; / after
rearing him like a plant in high ground of an orchard, / I sent him forth in the beaked
ships to Ilium / to make war with the Trojans.’
#2 (56) [Achilles ≈ a sapling]
#3 (57) [Achilles ≈ a plant] Thetis

Cf. #12 (437) and #13 (438) below.

***
ὡς ἔρις ἔκ τε θεῶν ἔκ τ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἀπόλοιτο
καὶ χόλος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐφέηκε πολύφρονά περ χαλεπῆναι,
4* (109) ὅς τε πολὺ γλυκίων μέλιτος καταλειβομένοιο
5 (110) ἀνδρῶν ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀέξεται ἠΰτε καπνός. 110

‘So may strife perish both from the gods and from men / and anger [too], which causes
even a righteous man to harden his heart, / and which grows much sweeter than
honey dripping / in the chests of men like smoke.’
#4* (109) [anger ≈ honey]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#5 (110) [anger ≈ smoke] Achilles

***
αὖτις γὰρ δὴ τόν γε κίχον λαός τε καὶ ἵπποι
6 (154) Ἕκτωρ τε Πριάμοιο πάϊς φλογὶ εἴκελος ἀλκήν.

For now again the people and horses overtook him <Patroclus>, / and Hector, son of
Priam, in might similar to a flame in valor.
[Hector ≈ a flame] Narrator

See Appendix III (s.v. εἴκελος) for other occurrences of this simile.
***

7 (161) ὡς δ᾽ ἀπὸ σώματος οὔ τι λέοντ᾽ αἴθωνα δύνανται 161

ποιμένες ἄγραυλοι μέγα πεινάοντα δίεσθαι,
ὥς ῥα τὸν οὐκ ἐδύναντο δύω Αἴαντε κορυστὰ
Ἕκτορα Πριαμίδην ἀπὸ νεκροῦ δειδίξασθαι.

And as shepherds of the field are not able to drive from a body a tawny lion / when
he is very hungry, / so the two Ajaxes were not able to frighten Hector, Priam's son,
away from the corpse [of Patroclus].
[the two Ajaxes > cannot drive Hector > from Patroclus’ corpse ≈ shepherds > cannot
frighten a lion > from a body] Narrator
***
ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ κεφαλῇ νέφος ἔστεφε δῖα θεάων 205
χρύσεον, ἐκ δ᾽ αὐτοῦ δαῖε φλόγα παμφανόωσαν.
8 (207) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς ἰὼν ἐξ ἄστεος αἰθέρ᾽ ἵκηται
τηλόθεν ἐκ νήσου, τὴν δήϊοι ἀμφιμάχωνται,
οἵ τε πανημέριοι στυγερῷ κρίνονται Ἄρηϊ
ἄστεος ἐκ σφετέρου: ἅμα δ᾽ ἠελίῳ καταδύντι 210
πυρσοί τε φλεγέθουσιν ἐπήτριμοι, ὑψόσε δ᾽ αὐγὴ
γίγνεται ἀΐσσουσα περικτιόνεσσιν ἰδέσθαι,
αἴ κέν πως σὺν νηυσὶν ἄρεω ἀλκτῆρες ἵκωνται:
ὣς ἀπ᾽ Ἀχιλλῆος κεφαλῆς σέλας αἰθέρ᾽ ἵκανε:

And the divine goddess <Athena> set a golden cloud about his head, / and a gleaming
fire blazed from him <Achilles>. / And as when smoke going from a city reaches
heaven / far away from an island that foes surround, / and they fight all day in hateful
war (Ares), / from their city, and at sunset / flames burst out one after another, and high
aloft a glare / comes rushing for dwellers round about to behold, / if by chance they may
come with their ships [as] defenders of war; / so from the head of Achilles went up
the gleam to heaven.
[gleam of fire from Achilles ≈ glare of flames from a city] Narrator
***
9 (219) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀριζήλη φωνή, ὅτε τ᾽ ἴαχε σάλπιγξ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ἄστυ περιπλομένων δηΐων ὕπο θυμοραϊστέων, 220

ὣς τότ᾽ ἀριζήλη φωνὴ γένετ᾽ Αἰακίδαο.

As when [there is] a clear voice when a trumpet sounds / beneath the press of
murderous foes surrounding a city, so clear was then the voice of the son of
Aeacus.
[clear voice of Aeacus’ son ≈ clear sound of a trumpet] Narrator
***
τοῖσι δὲ Πηλεΐδης ἁδινοῦ ἐξῆρχε γόοιο
χεῖρας ἐπ᾽ ἀνδροφόνους θέμενος στήθεσσιν ἑταίρου
10 (318) πυκνὰ μάλα στενάχων ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος,
ᾧ ῥά θ᾽ ὑπὸ σκύμνους ἐλαφηβόλος ἁρπάσῃ ἀνὴρ
ὕλης ἐκ πυκινῆς: ὃ δέ τ᾽ ἄχνυται ὕστερος ἐλθών, 320
πολλὰ δέ τ᾽ ἄγκε᾽ ἐπῆλθε μετ᾽ ἀνέρος ἴχνι᾽ ἐρευνῶν
εἴ ποθεν ἐξεύροι: μάλα γὰρ δριμὺς χόλος αἱρεῖ:
ὣς ὃ βαρὺ στενάχων μετεφώνεε Μυρμιδόνεσσιν.

And for them the son of Peleus began the vehement lamentation, / laying his man-
slaying hands upon the breast of his comrade / [and] uttering many groans, as a well-
maned lion / whose children some deer hunter has snatched away / from a thick forest;
and it <the lion> coming later grieves, / and through many glens he goes after the man
tracing his footsteps, / if somewhere he may find [him], for very piercing anger seizes
[the lion], / thus he <Achilles> groaning deeply spoke to the Myrmidons.
[Achilles ≈ a lion] Narrator
***
ὑπὸ δ᾽ ἀμφίπολοι ῥώοντο ἄνακτι
11 (418) χρύσειαι ζωῇσι νεήνισιν εἰοικυῖαι.
τῇς ἐν μὲν νόος ἐστὶ μετὰ φρεσίν, ἐν δὲ καὶ αὐδὴ
καὶ σθένος, ἀθανάτων δὲ θεῶν ἄπο ἔργα ἴσασιν.
αἳ μὲν ὕπαιθα ἄνακτος ἐποίπνυον.

Golden handmaids worked for their lord [Hephaestus], / like living young women. / In
them there is intelligence with reason, and also in [them] [are] voice / and strength, and
they know their duties from the immortal gods. / They bustled by the side of their lord.
[Hephaestus’ handmaids ≈ living young women] Narrator
***
ἄλλα δέ μοι νῦν, 435
υἱὸν ἐπεί μοι δῶκε γενέσθαί τε τραφέμεν τε
12 (437) ἔξοχον ἡρώων: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος.

‘But now other [griefs] are mine / since he gave me a son to bear and rear / preeminent
among warriors, and he shot up like a sapling.’
[Achilles ≈ a sapling] Thetis

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Cf. #2 (56) above.

***
13 (438) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς
νηυσὶν ἐπιπροέηκα κορωνίσιν Ἴλιον εἴσω
Τρωσὶ μαχησόμενον. 440

‘Then when I <Thetis> had reared him like a plant in the high ground of an orchard, / I
sent him forth in the beaked ships to Ilium / to war with the Trojans.’
[Achilles ≈ a plant] Thetis

Cf. #3 (57) above.

***
14 (600) οἳ δ᾽ ὁτὲ μὲν θρέξασκον ἐπισταμένοισι πόδεσσι
ῥεῖα μάλ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τις τροχὸν ἄρμενον ἐν παλάμῃσιν 600
ἑζόμενος κεραμεὺς πειρήσεται, αἴ κε θέῃσιν.

Sometimes the [young men] would run very easily with knowing feet, / as when some
potter sitting [at his work] makes trial of his wheel / fitting it in his hands [to see] if it will
run.
[young men running ≈ a potter at his wheel] Narrator
***
15 (616) αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πάνθ᾽ ὅπλα κάμε κλυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις,
μητρὸς Ἀχιλλῆος θῆκε προπάροιθεν ἀείρας. 615
ἣ δ᾽ ἴρηξ ὣς ἆλτο κατ᾽ Οὐλύμπου νιφόεντος
τεύχεα μαρμαίροντα παρ᾽ Ἡφαίστοιο φέρουσα.

But when the famed lame god had made all the armor, / he took it and set it before the
mother of Achilles; / and she darted like a falcon from snowy Olympus / carrying the
gleaming armor from [the house of] Hephaestus.
[Thetis darting from Olympus ≈ a falcon] Narrator

***
Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguise:

* ἐν δ᾽ Ἔρις ἐν δὲ Κυδοιμὸς ὁμίλεον, ἐν δ᾽ ὀλοὴ Κήρ, 535

…
538* εἷμα δ᾽ ἔχ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ ὤμοισι δαφοινεὸν αἵματι φωτῶν.
ὡμίλευν δ᾽ ὥς τε ζωοὶ βροτοὶ ἠδ᾽ ἐμάχοντο,
νεκρούς τ᾽ ἀλλήλων ἔρυον κατατεθνηῶτας. 540

And amid them Strife and Tumult joined in the fray, and deadly Fate, . . . and the
clothing that she had about her shoulders was red with the blood of men. Like living

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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mortals they joined in the fray and fought; and they were hauling away the dead
corpses of one another.
[Strife and Tumult and deadly Fate ≈ living mortals] Narrator
***

Similetic Epithets:

166* εἰ μὴ Πηλεΐωνι ποδήνεμος ὠκέα Ἶρις (repeated at 183)

“wind-footed swift Iris” (two nouns: ‘foot’ and ‘wind’)

239* βοῶπις πότνια Ἥρη

“ox-eyed queenly Hera” (repeated at 357, 360)
Again two nouns combined into a similetic adjective.
***

Metaphoric Similes:

22* ὣς φάτο, τὸν δ᾽ ἄχεος νεφέλη ἐκάλυψε μέλαινα

“a black cloud of grief” enfolded Achilles
[intensity of grief (implied comparison) ≈ a black cloud]

102* οὐδέ τι Πατρόκλῳ γενόμην φάος οὐδ᾽ ἑτάροισι

‘I was not at all a light [of deliverance] for Patroclus or my other
comrades’ (Achilles)

140* ὑμεῖς μὲν νῦν δῦτε θαλάσσης εὐρέα κόλπον

‘You now plunge beneath the broad bosom of the sea’

These three examples illustrate what might be called a “genitive simile” (22),
a metaphor (‘light’) that translators often turn into a simile by adding the phrase ‘of
deliverance’ (102), and a true metaphor (‘bosom’) which remains a metaphor even with
the addition of ‘sea’ in the genitive.

***
Similes of the Iliad Book 19 (Τ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#3 (357) [densely packed helmets ≈ densely packed snow-flakes]
#6 (375) [gleam from Achilles’ shield ≈ gleam from a fire]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (17) [gleam of Achilles’ eyes ≈ gleam of flame]
#2 (350) [Athena ≈ a falcon]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#4 (366) [gleam of Achilles’ eyes ≈ a gleam of fire]

#5 (374) [the gleam from Achilles’ shield ≈ the gleam from the moon]
#7 (381) [Achilles’ helmet shone ≈ a star]
#8 (386) [Achilles’ armor ≈ wings]

***

Μυρμιδόνας δ᾽ ἄρα πάντας ἕλε τρόμος, οὐδέ τις ἔτλη

ἄντην εἰσιδέειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτρεσαν. αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς 15
ὡς εἶδ᾽, ὥς μιν μᾶλλον ἔδυ χόλος, ἐν δέ οἱ ὄσσε
1 (17) δεινὸν ὑπὸ βλεφάρων ὡς εἰ σέλας ἐξεφάανθεν:
τέρπετο δ᾽ ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔχων θεοῦ ἀγλαὰ δῶρα.

Trembling [awe] held all the Myrmidons, and none dared / look at it <the divine armor
which Thetis brought from Hephaestus>, but they were trembling; however Achilles /
when he saw [it], so even more anger seized him, and his eyes / gleamed terribly under
his eyelids as if the gleam [of a flame], / for he was glad having in his hands the
splendid gifts of [the] god.
[gleam of Achilles’ eyes ≈ gleam of flame] Narrator
***
ὣς εἰπὼν ὄτρυνε πάρος μεμαυῖαν Ἀθήνην:
2 (350) ἣ δ᾽ ἅρπῃ ἐϊκυῖα τανυπτέρυγι λιγυφώνῳ 350
οὐρανοῦ ἐκκατεπᾶλτο δι᾽ αἰθέρος.

Thus speaking he urged Athena, who was already eager. / She like a falcon on broad
wings with loud voice / darted down from heaven through the air.
[Athena ≈ a falcon] Narrator
***
τοὶ δ᾽ ἀπάνευθε νεῶν ἐχέοντο θοάων.
3 (357) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ταρφειαὶ νιφάδες Διὸς ἐκποτέονται
ψυχραὶ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς αἰθρηγενέος Βορέαο,
ὣς τότε ταρφειαὶ κόρυθες λαμπρὸν γανόωσαι
νηῶν ἐκφορέοντο. 360

But they poured out of the swift ships. / As when thick snow-flakes fly out from Zeus /
cold from a blast of air-born Boreas, / thus then thick helmets shining bright /
streamed from the ships.
[densely packed helmets ≈ densely packed snow-flakes] Narrator
***
ἐν δὲ μέσοισι κορύσσετο δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.
τοῦ καὶ ὀδόντων μὲν καναχὴ πέλε, τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε 365
4 (366) λαμπέσθην ὡς εἴ τε πυρὸς σέλας . . . .

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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In their midst divine Achilles put on his armor. / There was also a gnashing of his teeth,
and his eyes / shone as if [they had been] a gleam of fire.
[Achilles’ eyes ≈ a gleam of fire] Narrator
***
ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὤμοισιν βάλετο ξίφος ἀργυρόηλον
χάλκεον: αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα σάκος μέγα τε στιβαρόν τε
5 (374) εἵλετο, τοῦ δ᾽ ἀπάνευθε σέλας γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε μήνης.
6 (375) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ πόντοιο σέλας ναύτῃσι φανήῃ 375
καιομένοιο πυρός, τό τε καίεται ὑψόθ᾽ ὄρεσφι
σταθμῷ ἐν οἰοπόλῳ: τοὺς δ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλοντας ἄελλαι
πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἰχθυόεντα φίλων ἀπάνευθε φέρουσιν:
ὣς ἀπ᾽ Ἀχιλλῆος σάκεος σέλας αἰθέρ᾽ ἵκανε
καλοῦ δαιδαλέου: περὶ δὲ τρυφάλειαν ἀείρας 380
7 (381) κρατὶ θέτο βριαρήν: ἣ δ᾽ ἀστὴρ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν
ἵππουρις τρυφάλεια, περισσείοντο δ᾽ ἔθειραι
χρύσεαι, ἃς Ἥφαιστος ἵει λόφον ἀμφὶ θαμειάς.

He slung the silver-studded sword of bronze about his shoulders, / and then took up the
shield great and strong / and from it there was a gleam as if from the moon. / As
when from the sea a gleam appears to sailors / from a burning fire, and it burns high
up in the mountains, / in a lonely homestead; but all unwilling storms / carry them out to
the teeming sea far from their friends; / even so did the gleam from Achilles' shield
reach the sky / beautifully fabricated. And lifting up the strong helmet / he placed it
upon his head, and it shone like a star / the horse-tailed helmet, and the long hairs /
golden which Hephaestus had set thick about the ridge [of the helmet] waved.
#5 (374) [the gleam from Achilles’ shield ≈ the gleam from the moon]
#6 (375) [gleam from his shield ≈ gleam from a fire]
#7 (381) [his helmet shone ≈ a star] Narrator

NB the repetition of σέλας in 374, 375, and 379; two similes for Achilles’ shield.
***
πειρήθη δ᾽ ἕο αὐτοῦ ἐν ἔντεσι δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς,
εἰ οἷ ἐφαρμόσσειε καὶ ἐντρέχοι ἀγλαὰ γυῖα: 385
8 (386) τῷ δ᾽ εὖτε πτερὰ γίγνετ, ἄειρε δὲ ποιμένα λαῶν.

Then godlike Achilles made trial of himself in his armor / to see whether it fitted him and
his glorious limbs could play freely; / and it was to him like wings, and lifted up the
shepherd of people.
[Achilles’ armor ≈ wings] Narrator
***

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Divine Comparisons:

ἂν δ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων
250* ἵστατο: Ταλθύβιος δὲ θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος αὐδὴν
κάπρον ἔχων ἐν χερσὶ παρίστατο ποιμένι λαῶν.

Agamemnon / stood up and Talthybius like a god in his voice / stood by the
shepherd of the people with a boar in his hands.

286* εἶπε δ᾽ ἄρα κλαίουσα γυνὴ ἐϊκυῖα θεῇσι:

She <Briseis> spoke weeping, a woman like the goddesses.
***

ὃ δὲ μάστιγα φαεινὴν 395

χειρὶ λαβὼν ἀραρυῖαν ἐφ᾽ ἵπποιιν ἀνόρουσεν
Αὐτομέδων: ὄπιθεν δὲ κορυσσάμενος βῆ Ἀχιλλεὺς
398 τεύχεσι παμφαίνων ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ Ὑπερίων.

And he Automedon taking the bright lash / in his hand that fitted it well, leapt upon the
two horses [the chariot]; / and behind him went Achilles harnessed for fight, / gleaming
in his armor like bright Hyperion. [Achilles ≈ Hyperion] Narrator

Lee counts this as simile.

***
Similes of the Iliad Book 20 (Υ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#2 (164) [Achilles ≈ a lion]
#5 (252) [we two (Aeneas and Achilles) ≈ women]
#8 (403) [Hippodamus ≈ a bull]
#11 (490) [Achilles ≈ a fire]
#12 (495) [Achilles > horses > the dead and their shields ≈ thresher > bulls >
barley]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (51) [Ares ≈ a whirlwind]
#3 (200) [me (Aeneas) NOT ≈ a child]
#4 (244) [Aeneas to Achilles ≈ NOT children]
#6* (371) [Achilles’ hands ≈ fire]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#7* (372) [Achilles’ might ≈ blazing iron]

#9 (423) [Hector ≈ a flame]
#10 (431) [Hector NOT ≈ a child]
***
***
1 (51) αὖε δ᾽ Ἄρης ἑτέρωθεν ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος

And on the other side shouted Ares, equal to a dark whirlwind

[Ares ≈ a whirlwind] Narrator
***
2 (164) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἑτέρωθεν ἐναντίον ὦρτο λέων ὣς
σίντης, ὅν τε καὶ ἄνδρες ἀποκτάμεναι μεμάασιν 165
ἀγρόμενοι πᾶς δῆμος: ὃ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ἀτίζων
ἔρχεται, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε κέν τις ἀρηϊθόων αἰζηῶν
δουρὶ βάλῃ ἐάλη τε χανών, περί τ᾽ ἀφρὸς ὀδόντας
γίγνεται, ἐν δέ τέ οἱ κραδίῃ στένει ἄλκιμον ἦτορ,
οὐρῇ δὲ πλευράς τε καὶ ἰσχία ἀμφοτέρωθεν 170
μαστίεται, ἑὲ δ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐποτρύνει μαχέσασθαι,
γλαυκιόων δ᾽ ἰθὺς φέρεται μένει, ἤν τινα πέφνῃ
ἀνδρῶν, ἢ αὐτὸς φθίεται πρώτῳ ἐν ὁμίλῳ:
ὣς Ἀχιλῆ᾽ ὄτρυνε μένος καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ
ἀντίον ἐλθέμεναι μεγαλήτορος Αἰνείαο. 175

And on the other side the son of Peleus rushed against him him like a lion, /
carnivorous, that men are eager to kill, / all the people gathered together; and he at the
first caring nothing / [of them] goes his way, but when one of the vigorous [youths] swift
as Ares / throws [at him] with a spear, [then] he gathers himself open-mouthed, and
foam comes around his teeth, / and in his heart his valiant spirit groans, / and with his
tail he lashes his ribs and his flanks on both sides, / and rouses himself to fight, / and
with glaring eyes he rushes straight on in his fury, whether he slay some man / or
himself be slain in the foremost throng; / even so did fury and his lordly spirit drive
Achilles / to go forth to face great-hearted Aeneas.
[Achilles ≈ a lion] Narrator
***
τὸν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Αἰνείας ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε:
3 (200) Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς 200
ἔλπεο δειδίξεσθαι, ἐπεὶ σάφα οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς
ἠμὲν κερτομίας ἠδ᾽ αἴσυλα μυθήσασθαι.

Then Aeneas answered him and said, / ‘Son of Peleus, do not expect with words to
frighten me like a child, / since I know well too, / how to speak mocking and unseemly
[words].’
[me (Aeneas) NOT ≈ a child] Aeneas
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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4 (244) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς

ἑσταότ᾽ ἐν μέσσῃ ὑσμίνῃ δηϊοτῆτος. 245

‘But come, no longer let us talk thus like children, / standing in the middle strife of
battle.’
[Aeneas to Achilles ≈ NOT children] Aeneas
***
ἀλλὰ τί ἢ ἔριδας καὶ νείκεα νῶϊν ἀνάγκη
5 (252) νεικεῖν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐναντίον ὥς τε γυναῖκας,
αἵ τε χολωσάμεναι ἔριδος πέρι θυμοβόροιο
νεικεῦσ᾽ ἀλλήλῃσι μέσην ἐς ἄγυιαν ἰοῦσαι
πόλλ᾽ ἐτεά τε καὶ οὐκί: χόλος δέ τε καὶ τὰ κελεύει. 255

‘But what need have we two to exchange strifes and quarreling / with each other like
women, / who when they have grown angry in soul-devouring strife / go out into the
middle of the road / and quarrel with each other / with many [words] true and false; for
anger compels [them to speak] even these too.’
[we two (Aeneas and Achilles) ≈ women] Aeneas
***
6* (371) τοῦ δ᾽ ἐγὼ ἀντίος εἶμι καὶ εἰ πυρὶ χεῖρας ἔοικεν,
7* (372) εἰ πυρὶ χεῖρας ἔοικε, μένος δ᾽ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ.

‘I <Hector> am going out to face him <Achilles> even if his hands are like fire, / if his
hands are like fire and his might is like blazing iron.’
#6* (371) [Achilles’ hands ≈ fire]
#7* (372) [Achilles’ might ≈ blazing iron] Hector

Note the repetition of the last three words of 371 (epanalepsis), on which see De Jong
2012:92.
***
8 (403) αὐτὰρ ὃ θυμὸν ἄϊσθε καὶ ἤρυγεν, ὡς ὅτε ταῦρος
ἤρυγεν ἑλκόμενος Ἑλικώνιον ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα
κούρων ἑλκόντων: γάνυται δέ τε τοῖς ἐνοσίχθων: 405
ὣς ἄρα τόν γ᾽ ἐρυγόντα λίπ᾽ ὀστέα θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ:

But he <Hippodamus killed by Achilles> breathed forth his spirit and gave a bellowing
cry, as when a bull / that is dragged bellowed, being dragged around the altar of the
lord of Helice; / by young men dragging [it]; for the Shaker of Earth delights in these
things; / so he bellowed as his lordly spirit left his bones.
[he (Hippodamus) ≈ a bull] Narrator
***
Ἕκτωρ δ᾽ ὡς ἐνόησε κασίγνητον Πολύδωρον
ἔντερα χερσὶν ἔχοντα λιαζόμενον ποτὶ γαίη 420

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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κάρ ῥά οἱ ὀφθαλμῶν κέχυτ᾽ ἀχλύς: οὐδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἔτλη

δηρὸν ἑκὰς στρωφᾶσθ᾽, ἀλλ᾽ ἀντίος ἦλθ᾽ Ἀχιλῆϊ
9 (423) ὀξὺ δόρυ κραδάων φλογὶ εἴκελος.

But when Hector noticed his brother Polydorus, / clasping his bowels in his hand and
sinking to earth, / a mist was shed down over his eyes, and he could no longer endure /
to range apart, but went up to Achilles / brandishing a sharp spear like a flame.
[Hector ≈ a flame] Narrator

Note that γαίη in line 420 of Perseus text should be γαίῃ with an iota subscript.
***
τὸν δ᾽ οὐ ταρβήσας προσέφη κορυθαίολος Ἕκτωρ: 430
10 (431) ‘Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς
ἔλπεο δειδίξεσθαι, ἐπεὶ σάφα οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς
ἠμὲν κερτομίας ἠδ᾽ αἴσυλα μυθήσασθαι.

But with no touch of fear, Hector of the flashing helmet spoke to him: / ‘Son of Peleus,
do not expect to frighten me with words like a child, / since I know well too / [how] to
speak mocking and unseemly [words].’
[Hector NOT ≈ a child] Hector
***
11 (490) ὡς δ᾽ ἀναμαιμάει βαθέ᾽ ἄγκεα θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ 490
οὔρεος ἀζαλέοιο, βαθεῖα δὲ καίεται ὕλη,
πάντῃ τε κλονέων ἄνεμος φλόγα εἰλυφάζει,
ὣς ὅ γε πάντῃ θῦνε σὺν ἔγχεϊ δαίμονι ἶσος
κτεινομένους ἐφέπων: ῥέε δ᾽ αἵματι γαῖα μέλαινα.
12 (495) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις ζεύξῃ βόας ἄρσενας εὐρυμετώπους 495
τριβέμεναι κρῖ λευκὸν ἐϋκτιμένῃ ἐν ἀλωῇ,
ῥίμφά τε λέπτ᾽ ἐγένοντο βοῶν ὑπὸ πόσσ᾽ ἐριμύκων,
ὣς ὑπ᾽ Ἀχιλλῆος μεγαθύμου μώνυχες ἵπποι
στεῖβον ὁμοῦ νέκυάς τε καὶ ἀσπίδας.

As a wondrous-blazing fire rages through the deep glens / of a parched mountainside,

and the deep forest burns, / and the driving wind whirls the flame everywhere, / so he
<Achilles> raged everywhere with his spear, like a god, / ever pressing hard upon
those he killed; and the black earth ran with blood. / And as when someone yokes
bulls broad of brow / to tread white barley in a well-ordered threshing-floor, / and
quickly the grain is husked by the feet of the loud-bellowing bulls; / thus by great-souled
Achilles did his single-hooved horses / trample alike the dead and their shields.
#11 (490) [Achilles ≈ a fire]
#12 (495) [Achilles > horses > the dead and their shields ≈ thresher > bulls > barley]
Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

81* υἱέϊ δὲ Πριάμοιο Λυκάονι εἴσατο φωνήν:

82* τῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος προσέφη Διὸς υἱὸς Ἀπόλλων.

He likened his voice to Lycaon, Priam’s son; / being like him Apollo
son of Zeus addressed him.
***
224* ἵππῳ δ᾽ εἰσάμενος παρελέξατο κυανοχαίτῃ.

Likening himself <Boreas> to a dark-maned stallion he covered [the

mares of Erichthonius].

Divine Comparisons:

45–6 ὁρῶντο ποδώκεα Πηλεΐωνα

τεύχεσι λαμπόμενον βροτολοιγῷ ἶσον Ἄρηϊ.

They saw swift-footed son of Peleus, /shining in his harness, equal to Ares, the
bane of men.

Lee counts this as a simile.

167* τις ἀρηϊθόων αἰζηῶν = one of the youths swift as Ares

232* ἀντίθεος Γανυμήδης God-like Ganymede

447* ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος he <Achilles> rushed on him <Hector> like a god

493* ὣς ὅ γε πάντῃ θῦνε σὺν ἔγχεϊ δαίμονι ἶσος

so he [Achilles] raged everywhere with his spear, like a god

***
Similes of the Iliad Book 21 (Φ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (12) [Achilles > horses and men (Trojan) into the river Xanthus ≈ a blast of fire
> locusts into a river]
#2 (22) [Trojans flee Achilles ≈ fish flee dolphin]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#6 (252) [Achilles' rush ≈ eagle's swoop]

#7 (257) [the River Scamander is faster than Achilles ≈ a stream of water is faster
than the man leading it in a channel]
#8 (282) [Achilles ≈ a swineherd boy]
#9 (346) [Hephaestus burned the dead ≈ Boreas dries up an orchard]
#10 (362) [waters of Xanthus boil ≈ a cauldron boiling]
#11 (464) [mortals ≈ leaves]
#12 (493) [Artemis > Hera ≈ a dove > a falcon]
#13 (522) [Achilles > toil and sorrows for the Trojans ≈ smoke from a burning city
sent by wrath of gods > toil and sorrows for many]
#14 (573) [Agenor > Achilles ≈ a leopard > a hunter]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (29) [twelve Trojan youths ≈ dazed fawns]
#4 (237) [Achilles bellowing ≈ a bull]
#5*(ὅσον) (251) [he rushed back [a long way: τόσσoν implied ] ≈ (ὅσον, as far
as) a spear-cast]

***

1 (12) ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς πυρὸς ἀκρίδες ἠερέθονται

φευγέμεναι ποταμὸνδέ: τὸ δὲ φλέγει ἀκάματον πῦρ
ὄρμενον ἐξαίφνης, ταὶ δὲ πτώσσουσι καθ᾽ ὕδωρ:
ὣς ὑπ᾽ Ἀχιλλῆος Ξάνθου βαθυδινήεντος 15
πλῆτο ῥόος κελάδων ἐπιμὶξ ἵππων τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν.

And as when by a blast of fire locusts are made to swarm / fleeing to a river; and the
tireless fire burns / rising suddenly, and they fall into the water: / so by Achilles was the
resounding stream of deep-swirling Xanthus / filled confusedly with both horses and
men.
[Achilles > horses and men (Trojan) into the river Xanthus ≈ a blast of fire > locusts into
a river] Narrator
***
2 (22) ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ δελφῖνος μεγακήτεος ἰχθύες ἄλλοι
φεύγοντες πιμπλᾶσι μυχοὺς λιμένος εὐόρμου
δειδιότες: μάλα γάρ τε κατεσθίει ὅν κε λάβῃσιν:
ὣς Τρῶες ποταμοῖο κατὰ δεινοῖο ῥέεθρα
πτῶσσον ὑπὸ κρημνούς.

As other fish fleeing [from] a huge dolphin / fill [every] nook [and corner] of a fair harbor
/ in fear - for he eats whatever he can catch - / even so did the Trojans cower under
[the] streams of a mighty river / along its banks.
[Trojans flee Achilles ≈ fish flee dolphin] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***
ζωοὺς ἐκ ποταμοῖο δυώδεκα λέξατο κούρους
ποινὴν Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδαο θανόντος:
3 (29) τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε τεθηπότας ἠΰτε νεβρούς.

He chose twelve living youths out of the water / [as] revenge for dead Patroclus son of
Menoitios. / These he drew out like dazed fawns.
[twelve Trojan youths ≈ dazed fawns] Narrator
***
ἦ, καὶ Ἀχιλλεὺς μὲν δουρικλυτὸς ἔνθορε μέσσῳ
κρημνοῦ ἀπαΐξας: ὃ δ᾽ ἐπέσσυτο οἴδματι θύων,
πάντα δ᾽ ὄρινε ῥέεθρα κυκώμενος, ὦσε δὲ νεκροὺς 235
πολλούς, οἵ ῥα κατ᾽ αὐτὸν ἅλις ἔσαν, οὓς κτάν᾽ Ἀχιλλεύς
4 (237) τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος

He <the river Scamander> spoke, and Achilles, famed for his spear, leaped into his
midst / springing from the bank, but [the river] rushed upon [him] with surging flood, /
and roused all his streams tumultuously, and swept along many corpses / that lay thick
within his bed, which Achilles killed. / These he cast out to the [land], bellowing like a
bull.
[Achilles bellowing ≈ a bull] Narrator
***
5* (251) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἀπόρουσεν ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωή, 251
6 (252) αἰετοῦ οἴματ᾽ ἔχων μέλανος τοῦ θηρητῆρος,
ὅς θ᾽ ἅμα κάρτιστός τε καὶ ὤκιστος πετεηνῶν:
τῷ ἐϊκὼς ἤϊξεν . . . .

But the son of Peleus rushed back as far as a spear-cast / having the swoop of a
black eagle, the hunter, / that is at the same time both the strongest and swiftest of
winged things; / like him he darted . . . .
#5* (251) [Achilles rushed back (a long way: τόσσoν implied) ≈ (ὅσον, as far as) a
spear-cast]
#6 (254) [Achilles' rush ≈ eagle's swoop] Narrator
***
7 (257) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ὀχετηγὸς ἀπὸ κρήνης μελανύδρου
ἂμ φυτὰ καὶ κήπους ὕδατι ῥόον ἡγεμονεύῃ
χερσὶ μάκελλαν ἔχων, ἀμάρης ἐξ ἔχματα βάλλων:
τοῦ μέν τε προρέοντος ὑπὸ ψηφῖδες ἅπασαι 260
ὀχλεῦνται: τὸ δέ τ᾽ ὦκα κατειβόμενον κελαρύζει
χώρῳ ἔνι προαλεῖ, φθάνει δέ τε καὶ τὸν ἄγοντα:
ὣς αἰεὶ Ἀχιλῆα κιχήσατο κῦμα ῥόοιο
καὶ λαιψηρὸν ἐόντα: θεοὶ δέ τε φέρτεροι ἀνδρῶν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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As when a man guiding an irrigation channel leads from a dark spring / a stream of
water amid his plants and garden-lots / having a mattock in his hands, and throwing out
the obstructions from the channel / and as it flows all the pebbles underneath / are
swept along; and it gliding swiftly onward murmurs / along a sloping place and goes
faster even than the man guiding it; / so always did the wave of the river overtake
Achilles / even though he was fleet [of foot]; for the gods are mightier than men.
[the River Scamander is faster than Achilles ≈ a stream of water is faster than the man
leading it in a channel] Narrator
***
νῦν δέ με λευγαλέῳ θανάτῳ εἵμαρτο ἁλῶναι
8 (282) ἐρχθέντ᾽ ἐν μεγάλῳ ποταμῷ ὡς παῖδα συφορβόν,
ὅν ῥά τ᾽ ἔναυλος ἀποέρσῃ χειμῶνι περῶντα.

‘But now it is fated for me to be taken by a miserable death, / stuck in a great river, like
a swineherd boy / whom a torrent sweeps away as he tries to cross it in winter.’
[Achilles ≈ a swineherd boy] Achilles
***
9 (346) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης νεοαρδέ᾽ ἀλωὴν
αἶψ᾽ ἀγξηράνῃ: χαίρει δέ μιν ὅς τις ἐθείρῃ:
ὣς ἐξηράνθη πεδίον πᾶν, κὰδ δ᾽ ἄρα νεκροὺς
κῆεν: ὃ δ᾽ ἐς ποταμὸν τρέψε φλόγα παμφανόωσαν.

And as when in harvest-time Boreas quickly dries up a freshly-watered orchard, /

and whoever tills it rejoices; / so was the whole plain dried, and the dead he
<Hephaestus> completely / burned; and then against the River <Xanthus> he turned his
gleaming flame.
[Hephaestus burned the dead ≈ Boreas dries up an orchard] Narrator
***
φῆ πυρὶ καιόμενος, ἀνὰ δ᾽ ἔφλυε καλὰ ῥέεθρα.
10 (362) ὡς δὲ λέβης ζεῖ ἔνδον ἐπειγόμενος πυρὶ πολλῷ
κνίσην μελδόμενος ἁπαλοτρεφέος σιάλοιο
πάντοθεν ἀμβολάδην, ὑπὸ δὲ ξύλα κάγκανα κεῖται,
ὣς τοῦ καλὰ ῥέεθρα πυρὶ φλέγετο, ζέε δ᾽ ὕδωρ: 365

He <the river> spoke boiling with fire and his fair waters were seething. As a cauldron
boils within being forced by a large fire / while it melts the lard of a fatted hog, / [and] it
keeps bubbling up all over, and dry wood lies under it, / so burned in fire his
<Xanthus’> fair waters, and the water was boiling.
[waters of Xanthus boil ≈ a cauldron boiling] Narrator
***
‘ἐννοσίγαι᾽ οὐκ ἄν με σαόφρονα μυθήσαιο
ἔμμεναι, εἰ δὴ σοί γε βροτῶν ἕνεκα πτολεμίξω
11 (464) δειλῶν, οἳ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἄλλοτε μέν τε
ζαφλεγέες τελέθουσιν ἀρούρης καρπὸν ἔδοντες, 465

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ἄλλοτε δὲ φθινύθουσιν ἀκήριοι.

‘Shaker of Earth, you would not say that I am sound of mind, / if I should war with you
for the sake of mortals, / pitiful creatures, who like leaves sometimes / are full of
flaming life, eating the fruit of the field, / and sometimes are spiritless and perish.’
[mortals ≈ leaves] Apollo
***
12 (493) δακρυόεσσα δ᾽ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν ὥς τε πέλεια,
ἥ ῥά θ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἴρηκος κοίλην εἰσέπτατο πέτρην
χηραμόν: οὐδ᾽ ἄρα τῇ γε ἁλώμεναι αἴσιμον ἦεν: 495
ὣς ἣ δακρυόεσσα φύγεν, λίπε δ᾽ αὐτόθι τόξα.

Then weeping the goddess <Artemis> fled from before her <Hera> like a dove that
from before a falcon flies into a hollow rock, / a cleft—and it is not her fate to be taken; /
thus she [Artemis] fled weeping, and left her bow there.
[Artemis > Hera ≈ a dove > a falcon] Narrator
***

13 (522) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς ἰὼν εἰς οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἵκηται

ἄστεος αἰθομένοιο, θεῶν δέ ἑ μῆνις ἀνῆκε,
πᾶσι δ᾽ ἔθηκε πόνον, πολλοῖσι δὲ κήδε᾽ ἐφῆκεν,
ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς Τρώεσσι πόνον καὶ κήδε᾽ ἔθηκεν. 525

As when smoke going to broad heaven comes / from a burning city, and wrath of the
gods has sent it, / it makes toil for all, and sends sorrows to many, / thus did Achilles
bring toil and sorrows to the Trojans.
[Achilles > toil and sorrows for the Trojans ≈ smoke from a burning city sent by wrath of
gods > toil and sorrows for many] Narrator
***
14 (573) ἠΰτε πάρδαλις εἶσι βαθείης ἐκ ξυλόχοιο
ἀνδρὸς θηρητῆρος ἐναντίον, οὐδέ τι θυμῷ
ταρβεῖ οὐδὲ φοβεῖται, ἐπεί κεν ὑλαγμὸν ἀκούσῃ: 575
εἴ περ γὰρ φθάμενός μιν ἢ οὐτάσῃ ἠὲ βάλῃσιν,
ἀλλά τε καὶ περὶ δουρὶ πεπαρμένη οὐκ ἀπολήγει
ἀλκῆς, πρίν γ᾽ ἠὲ ξυμβλήμεναι ἠὲ δαμῆναι:
ὣς Ἀντήνορος υἱὸς ἀγαυοῦ δῖος Ἀγήνωρ
οὐκ ἔθελεν φεύγειν, πρὶν πειρήσαιτ᾽ Ἀχιλῆος. 580

Just as a leopard goes out from a deep thicket / to face a hunter, neither in his spirit /
is it afraid nor does it flee when it hears the baying [of the dogs]; / for even if it is
anticipating jabs or throws [of a spear], yet even if pierced through with the spear it does
not cease / from its struggle, until it either grapples with him or is killed; thus Antenor's

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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noble son, godlike Agenor, was not willing to flee before he should make trial of
Achilles. [Agenor > Achilles ≈ a leopard > a hunter] Narrator

For discussion see Naiden 1999.

***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Factual Comparison:

‘γουνοῦμαι σ᾽ Ἀχιλεῦ: σὺ δέ μ᾽ αἴδεο καί μ᾽ ἐλέησον:

75* ἀντί τοί εἰμ᾽ ἱκέταο διοτρεφὲς αἰδοίοιο.’

‘I beg you, Achilles: have mercy on me and pity me. / I am surely like a suppliant
worthy of mercy to you.’
[I ≈ suppliant] Lycaon

The preposition ἀντί (‘instead of’ / ‘in return for’) might be considered prothetic here. In
Homer the word is used “often to denote equivalence” (Perseus s.v. ἀντί) so that in one
sense it could be considered a simile; but since the meaning here is not figurative but
rather factual (Lycaon is trying to bargain with Achilles), it is not listed in the text as a
simile.
***
Divine Comparisons:

18* αὐτὰρ ὃ διογενὴς . . . ἔσθορε δαίμονι ἶσος

But the hero (ὃ διογενὴς) . . . plunged [into the river] like a daimôn

227* ὣς εἰπὼν Τρώεσσιν ἐπέσσυτο δαίμονι ἶσος:

‘he rushed on the Trojans like a daimon/god
***
A Verbal Simile:

388* ἀμφὶ δὲ σάλπιγξεν μέγας οὐρανός.

And the great heaven rang out [as with a blare of] trumpets.

Literally: the great heaven ‘trumpeted’ all around. [heaven ≈ a trumpet]

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similes of the Iliad Book 22 (Χ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#2 (22) [Achilles ≈ a prize-winning horse]
#3 (26) [Achilles ≈ a star, the Dog of Orion]
#4 (93) [Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a mountain serpent > a man]
#6 (127) [Hector > Achilles ≈ maiden > youth]
#8 (139) [Achilles > Hector ≈ a falcon > a dove]
#11 (162) [Achilles and Hector ≈ two race horses]
#12 (189) [Hector > Achilles ≈ fawn > dog]
#13 (199) [Achilles > Hector ≈ one pursuing in a dream > another fleeing]
#14 (262) [Achilles > Hector ≈ lions > men, wolves > lambs]
#15 (308) [Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a high-flying eagle > a lamb or hare]
#16 (317) [light from Achilles’ spear ≈ the evening star]
#17 (410) [mourning of Priam et al. ≈ the mourning of Troy destroyed by fire]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (1) [the Trojans ≈ fawns]
#5* (125) [Hector ≈ a woman]
#7 (134) [bronze ≈ gleaming of fire or the sun]
#9 (150) [one spring ≈ a blazing fire]
#10 (151) [the other spring ≈ hail or snow or ice]
#18 (460) [Andromache ≈ a maenad / madwoman]
***

1 (1) ὣς οἳ μὲν κατὰ ἄστυ πεφυζότες ἠΰτε νεβροὶ

ἱδρῶ ἀπεψύχοντο πίον τ᾽ ἀκέοντό τε δίψαν
κεκλιμένοι καλῇσιν ἐπάλξεσιν:

So they <the Trojans> fleeing throughout the city like fawns / were cooling their sweat
and drinking and quenching their thirst / leading against the fine battlements.
[the Trojans ≈ fawns] Narrator
***
ὣς εἰπὼν προτὶ ἄστυ μέγα φρονέων ἐβεβήκει,
2 (22) σευάμενος ὥς θ᾽ ἵππος ἀεθλοφόρος σὺν ὄχεσφιν,
ὅς ῥά τε ῥεῖα θέῃσι τιταινόμενος πεδίοιο:
ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς λαιψηρὰ πόδας καὶ γούνατ᾽ ἐνώμα.

So speaking he <Achilles> went toward the city in great eagerness / speeding like a
prize-winning horse with a chariot / which easily runs at full speed over the plain; / so
Achilles swiftly moved his feet and knees.
[Achilles ≈ a prize-winning horse] Narrator

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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“For the typical use of epic te” here and at 3.26 etc. De Jong says 2012:65 that “often as
part of a simile. . . . the particle signals that the action or event described is regularly
recurring or exists in all times” (32).
***
3 (26) τὸν δ᾽ ὃ γέρων Πρίαμος πρῶτος ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσι
παμφαίνονθ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἀστέρ᾽ ἐπεσσύμενον πεδίοιο,
ὅς ῥά τ᾽ ὀπώρης εἶσιν, ἀρίζηλοι δέ οἱ αὐγαὶ
φαίνονται πολλοῖσι μετ᾽ ἀστράσι νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ,
ὅν τε κύν᾽ Ὠρίωνος ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσι.

The old man Priam was first to see him <Achilles> with his eyes, / gleaming and
speeding over the plain like a star / that comes at harvest time and its rays shine
brightly / among the many stars in the dead of night, / [the star] that men call by name
the Dog of Orion.
[Achilles ≈ a star, the Dog of Orion] Narrator

Note the comparison of Achilles to an unusually bright star is paralleled in the simile at
22 #16 (317), where his spear is compared to a bright star.
***
ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γε μίμν᾽ Ἀχιλῆα πελώριον ἆσσον ἰόντα.
4 (93) ὡς δὲ δράκων ἐπὶ χειῇ ὀρέστερος ἄνδρα μένῃσι
βεβρωκὼς κακὰ φάρμακ᾽, ἔδυ δέ τέ μιν χόλος αἰνός,
σμερδαλέον δὲ δέδορκεν ἑλισσόμενος περὶ χειῇ: 95
ὣς Ἕκτωρ ἄσβεστον ἔχων μένος οὐχ ὑπεχώρει
πύργῳ ἔπι προὔχοντι φαεινὴν ἀσπίδ᾽ ἐρείσας.

But he <Hector> awaited huge Achilles as he came nearer. / And as a serpent of the
mountain awaits a man at his lair, / having fed on evil herbs, and dread anger has
entered into him, / and terribly he glares as he coils about near his lair, / so Hector with
unquenchable might did not give ground, leaning his bright shield against a jutting wall.
[Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a mountain serpent > a man] Narrator

“As often in Homer, the animal of the simile is endowed with human traits” (De Jong
2012:81; she cites other scholars).
***
μή μιν ἐγὼ μὲν ἵκωμαι ἰών, ὃ δέ μ᾽ οὐκ ἐλεήσει
οὐδέ τί μ᾽ αἰδέσεται, κτενέει δέ με γυμνὸν ἐόντα
5* (125) αὔτως ὥς τε γυναῖκα, ἐπεί κ᾽ ἀπὸ τεύχεα δύω.

‘I should not go and meet him and he will not have pity on me / or respect me at all, but
he will kill me unarmed / just as if I were a woman, when I take off my armor.’
[Hector ≈ a woman] Hector
***
οὐ μέν πως νῦν ἔστιν ἀπὸ δρυὸς οὐδ᾽ ἀπὸ πέτρης

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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6 (127) τῷ ὀαριζέμεναι, ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε

παρθένος ἠΐθεός τ᾽ ὀαρίζετον ἀλλήλοιιν.

‘It is by no means possible now [for me] from oak tree or from rock / to have a lovers’
chat with him, just as a youth and maiden / — a youth and maiden chat with one
another.’
[Hector > Achilles ≈ maiden > youth] Hector

For another example of epanalepsis, see Iliad Book 20 #6* and #7* (371–372), and see
De Jong 2012:92.
***
ὣς ὅρμαινε μένων, ὃ δέ οἱ σχεδὸν ἦλθεν Ἀχιλλεὺς
ἶσος Ἐνυαλίῳ κορυθάϊκι πτολεμιστῇ
σείων Πηλιάδα μελίην κατὰ δεξιὸν ὦμον
7 (134) δεινήν: ἀμφὶ δὲ χαλκὸς ἐλάμπετο εἴκελος αὐγῇ
ἢ πυρὸς αἰθομένου ἢ ἠελίου ἀνιόντος. 135

So he <Hector> pondered waiting, and near him came Achilles / like Enyalius, warrior
of the wavy helmet, / shaking over his right shoulder the Pelian ash, / the terrible spear.
And all around bronze shone like the gleaming / either of blazing fire or of a rising
sun. [bronze ≈ gleaming of fire or the sun] Narrator
***
Ἕκτορα δ᾽, ὡς ἐνόησεν, ἕλε τρόμος: οὐδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἔτλη
αὖθι μένειν, ὀπίσω δὲ πύλας λίπε, βῆ δὲ φοβηθείς:
Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἐπόρουσε ποσὶ κραιπνοῖσι πεποιθώς.
8 (139) ἠΰτε κίρκος ὄρεσφιν ἐλαφρότατος πετεηνῶν
ῥηϊδίως οἴμησε μετὰ τρήρωνα πέλειαν, 140
ἣ δέ θ᾽ ὕπαιθα φοβεῖται, ὃ δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ὀξὺ λεληκὼς
ταρφέ᾽ ἐπαΐσσει, ἑλέειν τέ ἑ θυμὸς ἀνώγει:
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐμμεμαὼς ἰθὺς πέτετο, τρέσε δ᾽ Ἕκτωρ
τεῖχος ὕπο Τρώων, λαιψηρὰ δὲ γούνατ᾽ ἐνώμα.

But trembling got hold of Hector when he saw [him], and he dared / no longer stay
[where he was] but left the gates behind him, and fled in fear; / and the son of Peleus
rushed after him, trusting in his fast feet. / As a falcon in the mountains, swiftest of
winged things, / swoops easily after a trembling dove, / she flees before him, and he
close at hand with shrill cries / darts again and again, and his heart commands him to
seize her; / thus he <Achilles> in his fury sped straight on, and Hector fled in terror /
beneath the wall of the Trojans, and moved his limbs swiftly.
[Achilles > Hector ≈ a falcon > a dove] Narrator
***
ἔνθα δὲ πηγαὶ
δοιαὶ ἀναΐσσουσι Σκαμάνδρου δινήεντος.
ἣ μὲν γάρ θ᾽ ὕδατι λιαρῷ ῥέει, ἀμφὶ δὲ καπνὸς

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9 (150) γίγνεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο: 150

10 (151) ἣ δ᾽ ἑτέρη θέρεϊ προρέει ἐϊκυῖα χαλάζῃ,
ἢ χιόνι ψυχρῇ ἢ ἐξ ὕδατος κρυστάλλῳ.

There two springs / well up from eddying Scamander. / The one flows with warm
water, and around [it] smoke / rises from it as if from a blazing fire; / and the other in
summer flows forth like hail / or chill snow, or ice from water.
#9 (150) [one spring ≈ a blazing fire]
#10 (151) [the other spring ≈ hail or snow or ice] Narrator
***
11 (162) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀεθλοφόροι περὶ τέρματα μώνυχες ἵπποι
ῥίμφα μάλα τρωχῶσι: τὸ δὲ μέγα κεῖται ἄεθλον
ἢ τρίπος ἠὲ γυνὴ ἀνδρὸς κατατεθνηῶτος:
ὣς τὼ τρὶς Πριάμοιο πόλιν πέρι δινηθήτην 165
καρπαλίμοισι πόδεσσι: θεοὶ δ᾽ ἐς πάντες ὁρῶντο.

As when prize-winning single-hoofed horses around the turning-points / run very swiftly
and some great prize is set forth, / either a tripod or a woman, [in honor] of a man who is
dead, / thus the two <Achilles and Hector> turn around the city of Priam three times /
quickly on their feet, and all the gods gaze upon [them].
[Achilles and Hector ≈ two race horses] Narrator

“The second of four similes in the context of the chase.” (De Jong 2012:100). See:
139–143, 162–165, 189–193, 199–201.
***
12 (189) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νεβρὸν ὄρεσφι κύων ἐλάφοιο δίηται
ὄρσας ἐξ εὐνῆς διά τ᾽ ἄγκεα καὶ διὰ βήσσας: 190
τὸν δ᾽ εἴ πέρ τε λάθῃσι καταπτήξας ὑπὸ θάμνῳ,
ἀλλά τ᾽ ἀνιχνεύων θέει ἔμπεδον ὄφρά κεν εὕρῃ:
ὣς Ἕκτωρ οὐ λῆθε ποδώκεα Πηλεΐωνα.

As when a dog chases a fawn of a deer in the mountains, / rousing [it] from its nest,
through gorges and glens, / and if it escapes [the dog] by crouching under a thicket, /
yet tracking it he runs on until he finds [it]; / thus Hector did not escape swift-footed
son of Peleus.
[Hector > Achilles ≈ fawn > dog] Narrator

“Deer in Iliadic comparisons/similes are typically symbols of helplessness, often fear

(e.g. 11.113–121). Most ‘deer’ symbols concern the Trojans; . . . At the opening of this
book, the Trojans . . . were compared to fawns (22.1).” (De Jong 2012:107)
***

13 (199) ὡς δ᾽ ἐν ὀνείρῳ οὐ δύναται φεύγοντα διώκειν:

οὔτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὃ τὸν δύναται ὑποφεύγειν οὔθ᾽ ὃ διώκειν: 200

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὣς ὃ τὸν οὐ δύνατο μάρψαι ποσίν, οὐδ᾽ ὃς ἀλύξαι.

As in a dream [one] is not able to pursue [and catch someone] fleeing, — / neither
the one to escape the other nor the other to catch the one — / thus he <Achilles> is
unable to catch the other <Hector> on foot, nor the other to escape.
[Achilles > Hector ≈ one pursuing in a dream > another fleeing] Narrator

“Aristarchus athetised these lines [199–201] as being ‘shabby’ (ευτελεις), both as

regards their content and their style: the simile, which indicates that the race does not
progress, would contradict the simile of the racehorses at 162–6, and line 200 seems a
mere repetition of 199.” Here we may be grateful that Aristarchus merely obelised
verses . . . rather than removing them, because they are among the most haunting in
the Homeric epics . . . .” (De Jong 2012:108) “This is the only Homeric simile to refer to
dreaming.” (109)
***

14 (262) ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά,

οὐδὲ λύκοι τε καὶ ἄρνες ὁμόφρονα θυμὸν ἔχουσιν,
ἀλλὰ κακὰ φρονέουσι διαμπερὲς ἀλλήλοισιν,
ὣς οὐκ ἔστ᾽ ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ φιλήμεναι, οὐδέ τι νῶϊν 265
ὅρκια ἔσσονται, πρίν γ᾽ ἢ ἕτερόν γε πεσόντα
αἵματος ἆσαι Ἄρηα ταλαύρινον πολεμιστήν.

‘As there are not trustworthy oaths for lions and men, and wolves and lambs do not
have a harmonious spirit, / but think evil continuously against one another, / thus it is
not possible for me and you to be friends, nor shall there be / any oaths between us,
before one of us falls / and satisfies Ares with blood — the tough warrior.’
[Achilles > Hector ≈ lions > men, wolves > lambs] Achilles
***
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας εἰρύσσατο φάσγανον ὀξύ,
τό οἱ ὑπὸ λαπάρην τέτατο μέγα τε στιβαρόν τε,
15 (308) οἴμησεν δὲ ἀλεὶς ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις,
ὅς τ᾽ εἶσιν πεδίον δὲ διὰ νεφέων ἐρεβεννῶν
ἁρπάξων ἢ ἄρν᾽ ἀμαλὴν ἤ πτῶκα λαγωόν: 310
ὣς Ἕκτωρ οἴμησε τινάσσων φάσγανον ὀξύ.

So speaking he <Hector> drew his sharp sword, / that hung by his side large and
mighty, / and gathering himself he swooped like a high-flying eagle / that goes to the
plain through dark clouds / to seize either a tender lamb or a cowering hare; / thus
Hector swooped brandishing his sharp sword.
[Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a high-flying eagle > a lamb or hare] Narrator

“The simile [#15 (308)] stresses the heroic and martial nature of Hector for the final
time.” (De Jong 2012:136)

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***
16 (317) οἷος δ᾽ ἀστὴρ εἶσι μετ᾽ ἀστράσι νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ
ἕσπερος, ὃς κάλλιστος ἐν οὐρανῷ ἵσταται ἀστήρ,
ὣς αἰχμῆς ἀπέλαμπ᾽ εὐήκεος, ἣν ἄρ᾽ Ἀχιλλεὺς
πάλλεν δεξιτερῇ φρονέων κακὸν Ἕκτορι δίῳ 320
εἰσορόων χρόα καλόν, ὅπῃ εἴξειε μάλιστα.

As a star goes among stars in the dark of night — / the evening star, which stands
most beautiful in heaven, / so it shone forth from the sharp spear which Achilles /
brandished in his right hand as he devised evil for divine Hector / looking at his fair skin
[to see] where it yielded most.
[light from Achilles’ spear ≈ the evening star] Narrator
***
17 (410) τῷ δὲ μάλιστ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔην ἐναλίγκιον ὡς εἰ ἅπασα 410
Ἴλιος ὀφρυόεσσα πυρὶ σμύχοιτο κατ᾽ ἄκρης.

Most like this [i.e., the city-wide mourning for Hector] it was, as if all / overhanging
Ilium were utterly destroyed by fire.
[mourning of Priam et al. ≈ the mourning of Troy destroyed by fire] Narrator

“This comparison is unique in several aspects: it concerns a singular, specific event

(the fall of Troy) rather than an omnitemporal one (e.g., waves crashing on a shore, a
lion attacking a herd). The narrator does not just note the similarity between X and Y
but the close similarity . . . . Its primary function is to suggest the intensity and extent of
the Trojan lamentation throughout the city. Its secondary function is to announce, once
again . . . the fall of Troy . . . . Finally, this comparison also forms the climax of a series
of similes dealing with the theme of a beleaguered city: cf. 18.219–21 and 21.522–5. . . .
To underscore the solemnity of the moment the narrator opts for vocabulary that is
unique (ὀφρυόεσσα) or rare (σμύχοιτο).” (De Jong 2012:166)
***
18 (460) ὣς φαμένη μεγάροιο διέσσυτο μαινάδι ἴση 460
παλλομένη κραδίην: ἅμα δ᾽ ἀμφίπολοι κίον αὐτῇ.

So speaking she <Andromache> rushed through the great hall like a maenad, / with
throbbing heart, and her maids went with her.
[Andromache ≈ a maenad / madwoman] Narrator.

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Tranformation and Disguise:

ἣ δ᾽ ἄρα τὸν μὲν ἔλειπε, κιχήσατο δ᾽ Ἕκτορα δῖον

228* Δηϊφόβῳ ἐϊκυῖα δέμας καὶ ἀτειρέα φωνήν:

She <Athena> left him <Achilles> and met noble Hector, / in the likeness of
Deiphobus in form and untiring voice.
[Athena ≈ Deiphobus] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

132* ἦλθεν Ἀχιλλεὺς / (132) ἶσος Ἐνυαλίῳ κορυθάϊκι πτολεμιστῇ

Achilles came like Enyalius warrior of the waving helmet

***
εὐχωλὴ κατὰ ἄστυ πελέσκεο, πᾶσί τ᾽ ὄνειαρ,
434* Τρωσί τε καὶ Τρῳῇσι κατὰ πτόλιν, οἵ σε θεὸν ὣς
δειδέχατ᾽. 435

‘You [Hector] were [my] boast throughout the city, and a blessing to all /
the Trojan men and women, / who greeted you as a god.’ [Hecuba]

***

Similes of the Iliad Book 23 (Ψ)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#2 (222) [Achilles mourns his comrade Patroclus ≈ a father mourns his son]
#5 (ὅσσα/τόσσον) (431) [they ran ≈ (as far as) a discus throw]
#7* (ὅσσον/τόσσον) (517) [Menelaus > Antilochus ≈ a horse > the wheel of a
cart]
#8 (598) [Menelaus’ heart was warmed ≈ dew on ears of grain crop ripening]
#9 (692) [Euryalus leaped ≈ a fish leaps]
#10 (712) [Odysseus and Ajax ≈ gable-rafters]
#11 (760) [closeness of Odysseus to Ajax son of Oileus ≈ closeness of a
weaving rod to the chest of a woman weaving]
#13 (ὅσσόν/τόσσον) (845) [distance Polypoetes throws an iron mass over the
assembly ≈ distance a herdsman throws his crook over the herds]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#1 (100) [Patroclus’ spirit ≈ smoke]

#3 (366) [dust ≈ a cloud or whirlwind]
#4* (430) [Antilochus ≈ a deaf person]
#6 (455) [round white spot on a horse ≈ the moon]
#12 (783) [the goddess Athena ≈ a mother to Odysseus]

***

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ὠρέξατο χερσὶ φίλῃσιν

1 (100) οὐδ᾽ ἔλαβε: ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς
ᾤχετο τετριγυῖα.

So saying he <Achilles> reached out with his hands / but did not take [Patroclus]: but
his spirit like smoke was gone beneath the earth / gibbering.
[Patroclus’ spirit ≈ smoke] Narrator
***

2 (222) ὡς δὲ πατὴρ οὗ παιδὸς ὀδύρεται ὀστέα καίων

νυμφίου, ὅς τε θανὼν δειλοὺς ἀκάχησε τοκῆας,
ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς ἑτάροιο ὀδύρετο ὀστέα καίων,
ἑρπύζων παρὰ πυρκαϊὴν ἁδινὰ στεναχίζων. 225

As a father mourns for his son as he burns his bones — / (a son) newly wed —
whose death has brought woe to his unhappy parents, / so Achilles mourned for his
comrade as he burned his bones / dragging himself beside the pyre groaning deeply.
[Achilles mourns his comrade Patroclus ≈ a father mourns his son] Narrator
***
οἳ δ᾽ ὦκα διέπρησσον πεδίοιο
νόσφι νεῶν ταχέως: ὑπὸ δὲ στέρνοισι κονίη 365
3 (366) ἵστατ᾽ ἀειρομένη ὥς τε νέφος ἠὲ θύελλα,

And swiftly they <chariot race-horses in the funeral games> sped over the plain / away
from the ships quickly; and the dust beneath their breasts / rose up high like a
cloud or whirlwind.
[dust ≈ a cloud or whirlwind] Narrator
***
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, Ἀντίλοχος δ᾽ ἔτι καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἔλαυνε
4* (430) κέντρῳ ἐπισπέρχων ὡς οὐκ ἀΐοντι ἐοικώς. 430

So he <Menelaus> spoke, but Antilochus drove on even more [hotly] / applying the
goad, like one who did not hear.
[Antilochus ≈ a deaf person] Narrator [NB both ὡς and ἐοικώς.]
***

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5 (431) ὅσσα δὲ δίσκου οὖρα κατωμαδίοιο πέλονται,

ὅν τ᾽ αἰζηὸς ἀφῆκεν ἀνὴρ πειρώμενος ἥβης,
τόσσον ἐπιδραμέτην: αἳ δ᾽ ἠρώησαν ὀπίσσω
Ἀτρεΐδεω.

As far as is the range of a discus swung from the shoulder / which a young man
hurls making trial of his strength, / so far they ran on; but the [mares] of the son of
Atreus fell back.
[they ran ≈ (as far as) a discus throw] Narrator
***
φράσσατο δ᾽ ἵππον ἀριπρεπέα προὔχοντα,
ὃς τὸ μὲν ἄλλο τόσον φοῖνιξ ἦν, ἐν δὲ μετώπῳ
6 (455) λευκὸν σῆμα τέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη. 455

And he <Idomeneus> pointed out a horse, showing clear to view in front, / one that was
chestnut [over] all the rest of him, but on his forehead / there was a white spot round
like the moon.
[round white spot on a horse ≈ the moon] Narrator
***
7* (517) ὅσσον δὲ τροχοῦ ἵππος ἀφίσταται, ὅς ῥα ἄνακτα
ἕλκῃσιν πεδίοιο τιταινόμενος σὺν ὄχεσφι:
τοῦ μέν τε ψαύουσιν ἐπισσώτρου τρίχες ἄκραι
οὐραῖαι: ὃ δέ τ᾽ ἄγχι μάλα τρέχει, οὐδέ τι πολλὴ 520
χώρη μεσσηγὺς πολέος πεδίοιο θέοντος:
τόσσον δὴ Μενέλαος ἀμύμονος Ἀντιλόχοιο
λείπετ᾽ : ἀτὰρ τὰ πρῶτα καὶ ἐς δίσκουρα λέλειπτο.

As far as a horse is from the wheel, a horse that draws his master / over the plain
straining at the car — / the tips of the tail hairs touch the rim — / for it runs close behind,
and there is not much / space between, as he runs over the wide plain / by so much
Menelaus was behind peerless Antilochus; though at the first he was behind by a
discus-cast distance.
[Menelaus behind Antilochus ≈ wheel of a cart behind the horse] Narrator
***
ἦ ῥα καὶ ἵππον ἄγων μεγαθύμου Νέστορος υἱὸς
ἐν χείρεσσι τίθει Μενελάου: τοῖο δὲ θυμὸς
8 (598) ἰάνθη ὡς εἴ τε περὶ σταχύεσσιν ἐέρση
ληΐου ἀλδήσκοντος, ὅτε φρίσσουσιν ἄρουραι:
ὣς ἄρα σοὶ Μενέλαε μετὰ φρεσὶ θυμὸς ἰάνθη. 600

So he spoke and, leading up a horse, the son of great-souled Nestor / placed [it] in the
hands of Menelaus. And his heart / was warmed as if dew around the ears of grain /
in a crop ripening when the fields are bristling; / thus Menelaus, was your heart
warmed in your breast.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Menelaus’ heart was warmed ≈ dew on ears of grain crop ripening] Narrator
***
9 (692) ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ φρικὸς Βορέω ἀναπάλλεται ἰχθὺς
θίν᾽ ἐν φυκιόεντι, μέλαν δέ ἑ κῦμα κάλυψεν,
ὣς πληγεὶς ἀνέπαλτ᾽.

As when, beneath the ripple of Boreas, a fish leaps up / on a shore full of seaweed,
and a black wave hides it, / so he <Euryalus> leaped up when he was struck.
[Euryalus leaped ≈ a fish leaps] Narrator
***
ἀγκὰς δ᾽ ἀλλήλων λαβέτην χερσὶ στιβαρῇσιν
10 (712) ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀμείβοντες, τούς τε κλυτὸς ἤραρε τέκτων
δώματος ὑψηλοῖο βίας ἀνέμων ἀλεείνων.

They [Odysseus and Telamonian Ajax] laid hold of each other with their mighty
hands / as gable-rafters, which a famous craftsman / of a high house has joined
together to avoid the force of the winds.
[Odysseus and Ajax ≈ gable-rafters] Narrator
***
ὦκα δ᾽ ἔπειτα
ἔκφερ᾽ Ὀϊλιάδης: ἐπὶ δ᾽ ὄρνυτο δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
11 (760) ἄγχι μάλ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τίς τε γυναικὸς ἐϋζώνοιο 760
στήθεός ἐστι κανών, ὅν τ᾽ εὖ μάλα χερσὶ τανύσσῃ
πηνίον ἐξέλκουσα παρὲκ μίτον, ἀγχόθι δ᾽ ἴσχει
στήθεος: ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς θέεν ἐγγύθεν, αὐτὰρ ὄπισθεν

Then speedily / the son of Oileus took the lead, but god-like Odysseus started up / very
close, as when there is a (some) weaving rod [near] the chest of a well-girdled
woman / which she draws deftly in her hands, / pulling the spool past the warp, and
holds [the rod] near / her chest; so close behind ran Odysseus.
[closeness of Odysseus to Ajax son of Oileus ≈ closeness of a weaving rod to the chest
of a woman weaving] Narrator
***
‘ὢ πόποι ἦ μ᾽ ἔβλαψε θεὰ πόδας, ἣ τὸ πάρος περ
12 (783) μήτηρ ὣς Ὀδυσῆϊ παρίσταται ἠδ᾽ ἐπαρήγει.

‘Alas, a goddess <Athena> hampered me <Ajax> in my running, she who stands ever /
by Odysseus’ side like a mother and helps him.’
[the goddess Athena ≈ a mother to Odysseus] Ajax
***
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ σόλον εἷλε μενεπτόλεμος Πολυποίτης,
13 (845) ὅσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἔρριψε καλαύροπα βουκόλος ἀνήρ, 845
ἣ δέ θ᾽ ἑλισσομένη πέτεται διὰ βοῦς ἀγελαίας,
τόσσον παντὸς ἀγῶνος ὑπέρβαλε: τοὶ δὲ βόησαν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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But when Polypoetes, firm in the fight, grasped [the] iron, / as far as some herdsman
flings his crook / and it flies whirling across the herd of cattle, /
so far did he cast it over all the assembly; and they shouted aloud.
[distance Polypoetes throws an iron mass over the assembly ≈ distance a herdsman
throws his crook over the herds] Narrator

***

Similes of the Iliad Book 24 (Ω)

SUMMARY
Scenes:
#1 (41) [Achilles ≈ a lion]
#2 (80) [Iris ≈ a lead sinker]
#3 (ὅσση/τόσσ’) (317) [Zeus’ eagle’s wing-span ≈ width of a rich man’s
treasure doorway]
#5 (480) [Achilles seeing Priam ≈ bystanders watching a murderer in exile]
#7* (758) [Hector ≈ someone killed by Apollo]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#4 (328) [weeping at Priam’s departure ≈ weeping at Priam’s death]
#6 (572) [Achilles ≈ lion]
***

1 (41) λέων δ᾽ ὣς ἄγρια οἶδεν,

ὅς τ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἂρ μεγάλῃ τε βίῃ καὶ ἀγήνορι θυμῷ
εἴξας εἶσ᾽ ἐπὶ μῆλα βροτῶν ἵνα δαῖτα λάβῃσιν:
ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς ἔλεον μὲν ἀπώλεσεν.

‘As a lion knows savagery, / when he yielding to his great might and lordly spirit / goes
forth against the flocks of men to take feast, thus Achilles has lost all pity.’
[Achilles ≈ a lion] Apollo
***
2 (80) ἣ δὲ μολυβδαίνῃ ἰκέλη ἐς βυσσὸν ὄρουσεν,
ἥ τε κατ᾽ ἀγραύλοιο βοὸς κέρας ἐμβεβαυῖα
ἔρχεται ὠμηστῇσιν ἐπ᾽ ἰχθύσι κῆρα φέρουσα.

She <Iris> darted to the depths like a lead sinker, which, set upon the horn of an ox of
the field, goes down bearing death to flesh-eating fishes.
[Iris ≈ a lead sinker] Narrator
***
3 (317) ὅσση δ᾽ ὑψορόφοιο θύρη θαλάμοιο τέτυκται
ἀνέρος ἀφνειοῖο ἐῢ κληῗσ᾽ ἀραρυῖα,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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τόσσ᾽ ἄρα τοῦ ἑκάτερθεν ἔσαν πτερά:

As wide as the door of some rich man’s high-roofed treasure-chamber is

fashioned, / a door well fitted with bolds, so wide (much) were its <the eagle’s> wings
[spread] on each side.
[Zeus’ eagle’s wing-span ≈ width of a rich man’s treasure doorway] Narrator
***
φίλοι δ᾽ ἅμα πάντες ἕποντο
4 (328) πόλλ᾽ ὀλοφυρόμενοι ὡς εἰ θάνατον δὲ κιόντα.

All his <Priam’s> loved ones were following, / weeping [as] much as if he were going
to his death.
[weeping at Priam’s departure ≈ weeping at Priam’s death] Narrator
***
5 (480) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄνδρ᾽ ἄτη πυκινὴ λάβῃ, ὅς τ᾽ ἐνὶ πάτρῃ 480
φῶτα κατακτείνας ἄλλων ἐξίκετο δῆμον
ἀνδρὸς ἐς ἀφνειοῦ, θάμβος δ᾽ ἔχει εἰσορόωντας,
ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς θάμβησεν ἰδὼν Πρίαμον θεοειδέα:

As when a dense blind-madness takes a man who in his homeland / having killed a
man comes into others’ country / to a rich man’s [house], amazement holds those
watching, / so Achilles was amazed seeing god-like Priam.
[Achilles seeing Priam ≈ bystanders watching a murderer in exile] Narrator

Willcock 1976:271 points out the “reversal of roles here; for the man who has come is
innocent of any deed of violence, while the killer is the man sitting among his followers.”
***
6 (572) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ οἴκοιο λέων ὣς ἆλτο θύραζε

The son of Peleus leaped to the door of the house like a lion.
[Achilles ≈ lion] Narrator
***
νῦν δέ μοι ἑρσήεις καὶ πρόσφατος ἐν μεγάροισι
7* (758) κεῖσαι, τῷ ἴκελος ὅν τ᾽ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων
οἷς ἀγανοῖσι βέλεσσιν ἐποιχόμενος κατέπεφνεν.

‘Now all dewy and fresh you lie in my halls / like someone whom Apollo of the silver
bow / attacked with his gentle shafts and killed.’
[Hector ≈ someone killed by Apollo] Hecuba

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguise:

347* βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι κούρῳ αἰσυμνητῆρι ἐοικὼς

πρῶτον ὑπηνήτῃ, τοῦ περ χαριεστάτη ἥβη.

[Hermes] went in the likeness of a young man that is a prince, / with the first down
upon his lip, in whom the charm of youth is fairest.
[Hermes ≈ a young prince] Narrator
***
Divine Comparisons:

217* Πρίαμος θεοειδής, +372, 386, 552), 257 (Μήστορά τ᾽ ἀντίθεον)

ἤτοι Δαρδανίδης Πρίαμος θαύμαζ᾽ Ἀχιλῆα

630* ὅσσος ἔην οἷός τε: θεοῖσι γὰρ ἄντα ἐῴκει.

Priam, son of Dardanus, marvelled at Achilles, how tall he was and how comely; for he
was like the gods to look upon. [Achilles ≈ the gods]

763* Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδής

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 1 (α)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Short Clauses and Phrases

#1 (308) [Athena to Telemachus ≈ father to son]
#2 (320) [Athena ≈ bird]

***

τὴν δ᾽ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα:

‘ξεῖν᾽, ἦ τοι μὲν ταῦτα φίλα φρονέων ἀγορεύεις,
1 (308) ὥς τε πατὴρ ᾧ παιδί, καὶ οὔ ποτε λήσομαι αὐτῶν.

Then wise Telemachus answered her <Athena>: / ‘Stranger, in truth you speak these
things with kindly thought, / as a father to his son, and never will I forget them.’
[Athena to Telemachus ≈ father to son] Telemachus
***
ἡ μὲν ἄρ᾽ ὣς εἰποῦσ᾽ ἀπέβη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,
2 (320) ὄρνις δ᾽ ὣς ἀνόπαια διέπτατο. 320

So spoke the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, and she departed, / flying upward like a
bird.
[Athena ≈ bird] Narrator

The term ἀνόπαια, translated here as "upward", is of uncertain meaning. For a full
discussion of the possibilities, including "a smoke vent", see A Commentary on Homer’s
Odyssey, v. 1. Introduction and Books I-VIII ed. Alfred Heubeck, Stephanie West, J.B.
Hainsworth, 115-116. They suggest the possibility that this may be a transformation
rather than a simile.
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

1:50* νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ, ὅθι τ᾽ ὀμφαλός ἐστι θαλάσσης. 50

on an island surrounded by water, which is navel of the sea

[island ≈ navel] Athena

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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This is an example of what might be called a similetic metaphor in that both parts of the
comparison are expressed (i.e., "island" and "navel").
***

1:64* ‘τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.

‘My child, what a word has escaped the barrier of your teeth’
[row of teeth (implied comparison) ≈ barrier] Zeus
***

1:183* οἴνοπα πόντον wine-dark sea

***

εἰ μετὰ οἷς ἑτάροισι δάμη Τρώων ἐνὶ δήμῳ,

1:238* ἠὲ φίλων ἐν χερσίν, ἐπεὶ πόλεμον τολύπευσεν.

‘if [Odysseus] had been killed among his comrades in the land of the Trojans, / or had
died in the arms of his friends, when he had wound up the skein of war’
[finish the war (implied comparison) ≈ wind a skein] Telemachus
***

Transformations and Disguises:

1:105* εἰδομένη ξείνῳ, Ταφίων ἡγήτορι Μέντῃ

Appearing like a stranger, the leader of the Taphians, Mentes

[Athena ≈ Mentes] Narrator

Divine Comparisons:

1:21* ἀντιθέῳ Ὀδυσῆι god-like Odysseus

***

1:65* Ὀδυσῆος θείοιο divine Odysseus

***

1:113* Τηλέμαχος θεοειδής god-like Telemachus

***

1:324* ἰσόθεος φώς god-like man

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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…ἐπεὶ τόδε καλὸν ἀκουέμεν ἐστὶν ἀοιδοῦ

1:371* τοιοῦδ᾽ οἷος ὅδ᾽ ἐστί, θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιος αὐδήν.

‘For it is a good thing to listen to such a singer / who is like to the gods in voice’
[singer ≈ gods] Penelope
***

Odyssey Book 2 (β)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1* (47) [Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects]
#2* (234) [Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects]

***

τὸ μὲν πατέρ᾽ ἐσθλὸν ἀπώλεσα, ὅς ποτ᾽ ἐν ὑμῖν

1* (47) τοίσδεσσιν βασίλευε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν:

‘I have lost my noble father <Odysseus> who was once / king among you here and was
gentle as a father’
[Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects] Telemachus
***

ὡς οὔ τις μέμνηται Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο

2* (234) λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.

‘For none of his subjects has remembered god-like Odysseus, / who ruled them and
was gentle as a father.’
[Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects] Mentor, comrade of Odysseus

Note: Book 2, lines 233–234 are the same as Book 5, lines 11–12.
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

2:1* ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς rosy-fingered dawn

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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2:269* ἔπεα πτερόεντα winged words

***

Transformations and Disguises:

2:268* Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν,

Appearing like Mentor in body and voice

[Athena ≈ Mentor] / Narrator
***

2:383* Τηλεμάχῳ ἐικυῖα κατὰ πτόλιν ᾤχετο πάντῃ

In the likeness of Telemachus, she went everywhere through the city

[Athena ≈ Telemachus] Narrator
***

αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχον προσέφη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη

ἐκπροκαλεσσαμένη μεγάρων ἐὺ ναιεταόντων, 400
2:401* Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν:

But flashing-eyed Athena spoke to Telemachus, / calling him out before the stately hall,
/ having likened herself to Mentor both in form and in voice: [Athena ≈ Mentor] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

2:5 βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος ἄντην. 5

And [Telemachus] went forth from his chamber like a god to look upon.
[Telemachus ≈ a god] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

2:352* διογενὴς Ὀδυσεὺς Zeus-born Odysseus

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 3 (γ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1* (73) [Telemachus and shipmates ≈ pirates]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2 (290) [waves ≈ mountains]

***

ἦ τι κατὰ πρῆξιν ἦ μαψιδίως ἀλάλησθε,

1* (73) οἷά τε ληιστῆρες, ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται
ψυχὰς παρθέμενοι κακὸν ἀλλοδαποῖσι φέροντες;

‘Is it on some business, or do you <Telemachus and shipmates> wander at random /

over the sea, like pirates, who wander, / risking their lives and bringing troubles to
foreigners?’
[Telemachus and shipmates ≈ pirates] Nestor

Note: Book 3, lines 72–74 are the same as Book 9, lines 253–255
***

2 (290) κύματά τε τροφέοντο πελώρια, ἶσα ὄρεσσιν. 290

And the waves were swollen to huge size, like mountains.

[waves ≈ mountains] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

3:2* οὐρανὸν πολύχαλκον all-bronze sky

***

3:142* εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης wide back of sea

***

3:156* ποιμένι λαῶν shepherd of people

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Transformations and Disguises:

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασ᾽ ἀπέβη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη

3:372* φήνῃ εἰδομένη:

So flashing-eyed Athena spoke and departed, / appearing like an osprey

[Athena ≈ osprey] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

3:109* Αἴας ἀρήιος Ares-like Ajax

***

3:246* ὥς τέ μοι ἀθάνατος ἰνδάλλεται εἰσοράασθαι.

He <Nestor> seems to me to be like an immortal to look on’

[Nestor ≈ immortal] Telemachus
***

3:416* Τηλέμαχον θεοείκελον god-like Telemachus

***

3:468 ἔκ ῥ᾽ ἀσαμίνθου βῆ δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος:

Out of the bath [Telemachus] came in form like the immortals.

[Telemachus ≈ an immortal] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 4 (δ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#3 (335) [Odysseus lets loose a cruel doom on suitors ≈ lion lets loose a cruel
doom on fawns]
#5 (535) [Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after a feast ≈ one kills an ox at the trough]
#7 (791) [Penelope ≈ lion]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (32) [Eteoneus ≈ child]
#2 (45) [gleam over Menelaus’ house ≈ gleam of sun or moon]
#4 (413) [Proteus among seals ≈ shepherd among flock of sheep]
#6 (662) [Antinous’ eyes ≈ blazing fire]

***

‘οὐ μὲν νήπιος ἦσθα, Βοηθοΐδη Ἐτεωνεῦ,

1 (32) τὸ πρίν: ἀτὰρ μὲν νῦν γε πάϊς ὣς νήπια βάζεις.

‘You were not a fool in the past, Eteoneus, son of Boethous, / but now like a child you
talk folly.’
[Eteoneus ≈ child] Menelaus
***
2 (45) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης 45
δῶμα καθ᾽ ὑψερεφὲς Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.

For there was a gleam as [the gleam] of the sun or moon / throughout the high-
roofed house of glorious Menelaus.
[gleam over Menelaus’ house ≈ gleam of sun or moon] Narrator

Note Book 3, line 45 is the same as Book 7, line 84.

***
3 (335) ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος 335
νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς
κνημοὺς ἐξερέῃσι καὶ ἄγκεα ποιήεντα
βοσκομένη, ὁ δ᾽ ἔπειτα ἑὴν εἰσήλυθεν εὐνήν,
ἀμφοτέροισι δὲ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν,
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κείνοισιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφήσει. 340

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘Even as when in the thicket-lair of a mighty lion a deer / has laid to sleep her new-born
suckling fawns, / and roams over the mountain slopes and grassy vales / seeking
pasture, and then the lion comes to his lair / and lets loose a cruel doom upon the
two, / so will Odysseus let loose a cruel doom upon these men <suitors>.’
[Odysseus lets loose a cruel doom on suitors ≈ lion lets loose a cruel doom on fawns]
Menelaus
***
4 (413) λέξεται ἐν μέσσῃσι νομεὺς ὣς πώεσι μήλων.

‘He <Proteus> will lay himself down in their <his seals> midst, as a shepherd among
his flocks of sheep.’
[Proteus among seals ≈ shepherd among flock of sheep] Eidothea, daughter of Proteus
***
τὸν δ᾽ οὐκ εἰδότ᾽ ὄλεθρον ἀνήγαγε καὶ κατέπεφνεν
5 (535) δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ. 535

‘So he <Aegisthus> brought him <Agamemnon> up unaware of his doom / and when
he had provided a feast for him he slew him, as one slays an ox at a trough.’
[Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after a feast d provided a feast for him he s] Proteus, the
old man of the sea
***
μένεος δὲ μέγα φρένες ἀμφιμέλαιναι
6 (662) πίμπλαντ᾽, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην.

With rage was his <Antinous, son of Eupeithes, a suitor> black heart / filled, and his
eyes were like blazing fire.
[Antinous’ eyes ≈ blazing fire] Narrator
***
7 (791) ὅσσα δὲ μερμήριξε λέων ἀνδρῶν ἐν ὁμίλῳ
δείσας, ὁππότε μιν δόλιον περὶ κύκλον ἄγωσι,
τόσσα μιν ὁρμαίνουσαν ἐπήλυθε νήδυμος ὕπνος:

And even as a lion is seized with fear and broods amid a throng of men, / when they
draw their crafty ring about him, / so was she <Penelope> pondering when sweet sleep
came upon her.
[Penelope ≈ lion] Narrator

See Turkeltaub 2015

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

4:477* διιπετέος ποταμοῖο heaven-fed river

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

4:180* θανάτοιο μέλαν νέφος black cloud of death

***

4:208* ὄλβον ἐπικλώσῃ spin the web of happiness

***

4:435* θαλάσσης εὐρέα κόλπον wide fold of sea

***

4:708* αἵ θ᾽ ἁλὸς ἵπποι horses < ≈ ships> of sea

***

4:724* πόσιν θυμολέοντα lion-hearted husband

***

4:739* μῆτιν ὑφήνας weave a plan

***

4:809* ὀνειρείῃσι πύλῃσιν gates of dreams

***

Transformations and Disguises:

4:247* ἄλλῳ δ᾽ αὐτὸν φωτὶ κατακρύπτων ἤισκε,

δέκτῃ, ὃς οὐδὲν τοῖος ἔην ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.

‘He <Odysseus> hid himself under the likeness of another, / a beggar, who was in no
way such as one at the ships of the Achaeans.’
[Odysseus ≈ beggar] Helen
***

ἐκ δ᾽ ὀνομακλήδην Δαναῶν ὀνόμαζες ἀρίστους,

4:279* πάντων Ἀργείων φωνὴν ἴσκουσ᾽ ἀλόχοισιν.

‘She <Helen> called out by name to the best of the Danaans / making her voice like to
the wives of all the Argives.’
[Helen’s voice ≈ voices of Argive wives] Menelaus
***

4:456* ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι πρώτιστα λέων γένετ᾽ ἠυγένειος,

αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα δράκων καὶ πάρδαλις ἠδὲ μέγας σῦς:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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γίγνετο δ᾽ ὑγρὸν ὕδωρ καὶ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον:

‘At first he <Proteus> turned into a bearded lion, / and then into a serpent, and a
leopard, and a huge boar; / then he turned into flowing water, and into a tree, high
and leafy;’
[Proteus ≈ lion, serpent, leopard, boar, water, tree] Menelaus
***

…ἐν δ᾽ ἀρχὸν ἐγὼ βαίνοντ᾽ ἐνόησα

4:654* Μέντορα, ἠὲ θεόν, τῷ δ᾽ αὐτῷ πάντα ἐῴκει.

‘And among them I noted one going on board as their leader, / Mentor <Athena in
disguise>, or a god, who was in all things like Mentor.’
[god ≈ Mentor] Noemon, who provided Telemachus his ship
***

4:796* εἴδωλον ποίησε, δέμας δ᾽ ἤικτο γυναικί,

Ἰφθίμῃ, κούρῃ μεγαλήτορος Ἰκαρίοιο,

She <Athena> made a phantom and she likened it in form to a woman, / Iphthime,
daughter of great-hearted Icarius
[phantom ≈ Iphthime] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

4:14*

4:27* ἄνδρε δύω, γενεῇ δὲ Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἔικτον.

‘These two men <Telemachus and Peisistratus, son of Nestor> — like to the race of
Zeus’
[Telemachus and Peisistratus ≈ race of Zeus] Eteoneus, squire of Menelaus
***
ἐκ δ᾽ Ἑλένη θαλάμοιο θυώδεος ὑψορόφοιο
4:122 ἤλυθεν Ἀρτέμιδι χρυσηλακάτῳ ἐικυῖα.

Out of her fragrant high-roofed chamber / came Helen, like Artemis of the golden
arrows.
[Helen ≈ Artemis] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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4:160 ἄντα σέθεν, τοῦ νῶι θεοῦ ὣς τερπόμεθ᾽ αὐδῇ. 160

‘In whose <Menelaus’> voice we both take delight as in a god’s.’

[Menelaus’ voice ≈ a god’s voice] Peisistratus, son of Nestor

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

4:310* βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος ἄντην, 310

And he <Menelaus> went forth from his chamber like a god to look upon.
[Menelaus ≈ a god] Narrator

Note: Same as Book 2, line 5

***

Odyssey Book 5 (ε)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#2 (51) [Hermes ≈ seabird]
#3 (249) (ὅσσον/τόσσον) [Odysseus ≈ man skilled in carpentry]
#5 (328) [winds carry raft over sea ≈ north wind carries thistle stalks
over the plain]
#6 (368) [wave scatters planks of raft ≈ wind scatters heap of chaff]
#8 (394) [land and trees appears welcome to Odysseus ≈ father’s recovery
appears welcome to his children]
#10 (432) [skin torn off on rocks ≈ octopus’ suckers held on pebbles]
#11 (488) [Odysseus covered with leaves ≈ fire brand hidden in ashes]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (12) [Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects]
#4 (281) [land of the Phaeacians ≈ shield]
#7 (371) [Odysseus astride plank ≈ riding a race horse]
#9* (400) [distance from Odysseus to shore ≈ distance a man’s voice carries]

***

ὡς οὔ τις μέμνηται Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο

1 (12) λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘For none of his subjects has remembered god-like Odysseus, / who ruled them and
was gentle as a father.’
[Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects] Athena

Note: Same as Book 2, line 234

***

2 (51) σεύατ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἐπὶ κῦμα λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς,

ὅς τε κατὰ δεινοὺς κόλπους ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο
ἰχθῦς ἀγρώσσων πυκινὰ πτερὰ δεύεται ἅλμῃ:
τῷ ἴκελος πολέεσσιν ὀχήσατο κύμασιν Ἑρμῆς.

Then he <Hermes> skimmed over the waves like a seabird / that, in the dread rollers
of the barren sea, / seeks fish and drenches its thick plumage in the spray. / Similar to
it, Hermes sailed over many waves.
[Hermes ≈ seabird] Narrator
***

3 (249) ὅσσον τίς τ᾽ ἔδαφος νηὸς τορνώσεται ἀνὴρ

φορτίδος εὐρείης, ἐὺ εἰδὼς τεκτοσυνάων, 250
τόσσον ἔπ᾽ εὐρεῖαν σχεδίην ποιήσατ᾽ Ὀδυσσεύς.

Much as a man skilled in carpentry curves the inner bottom / of a broad merchant ship,
/ so Odysseus made the raft broad.
[Odysseus ≈ man skilled in carpentry] Narrator
***

ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῃ δ᾽ ἐφάνη ὄρεα σκιόεντα

γαίης Φαιήκων, ὅθι τ᾽ ἄγχιστον πέλεν αὐτῷ: 280
4 (281) εἴσατο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε ῥινὸν ἐν ἠεροειδέι πόντῳ.

On the eighteenth [day], there appeared to him the shadowy mountains / of the land of
the Phaeacians where it was nearest; / it seemed like a shield on the misty sea.
[land of the Phaeacians ≈ shield] Narrator

Note: The standard interpretation of the simile is that the low land of the Phaeacians
appeared as the rim of a shield and the mountains as the boss.
***

5 (328) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης φορέῃσιν ἀκάνθας

ἂμ πεδίον, πυκιναὶ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλῃσιν ἔχονται,
ὣς τὴν ἂμ πέλαγος ἄνεμοι φέρον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα: 330

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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As the north wind of Autumn carries thistle stalks / over the plain and they are held
closely to one another, / so the winds carried it <Odysseus’s raft> over the sea here
and there.
[winds carry raft over sea ≈ north wind carries thistle stalks over the plain] Narrator
***

6 (368) ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ζαὴς ἠΐων θημῶνα τινάξῃ

καρφαλέων: τὰ μὲν ἄρ τε διεσκέδασ᾽ ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ:
ὣς τῆς δούρατα μακρὰ διεσκέδασ᾽. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς 370
7 (371) ἀμφ᾽ ἑνὶ δούρατι βαῖνε, κέληθ᾽ ὡς ἵππον ἐλαύνων,
εἵματα δ᾽ ἐξαπέδυνε, τά οἱ πόρε δῖα Καλυψώ.

As the stormy wind tosses about a heap of dry chaff / and scatters it here and there, /
so it <Poseidon’s wave> scattered its <the raft’s> long planks. But Odysseus / went
astride a plank as though riding on a race horse; / he then took off the clothes divine
Calypso had provided him.
#6 (368) [wave scatters planks of raft ≈ wind scatters heap of chaff]
#7 (371) [Odysseus astride plank ≈ riding a race horse] Narrator
***

8 (394) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος βίοτος παίδεσσι φανήῃ

πατρός, ὃς ἐν νούσῳ κεῖται κρατέρ᾽ ἄλγεα πάσχων, 395
δηρὸν τηκόμενος, στυγερὸς δέ οἱ ἔχραε δαίμων,
ἀσπάσιον δ᾽ ἄρα τόν γε θεοὶ κακότητος ἔλυσαν,
ὣς Ὀδυσεῖ ἀσπαστὸν ἐείσατο γαῖα καὶ ὕλη,
νῆχε δ᾽ ἐπειγόμενος ποσὶν ἠπείρου ἐπιβῆναι.

Then, as the recovery of a father appears welcome to children / [after] he lay

suffering great pain in sickness, / wasting away a long time — some hateful power
afflicted him, / but the gods deliver him thankfully from the evil — / so the land and
trees seemed welcome to Odysseus; / he swam on with all his strength to set foot
upon dry land.
[land and trees appears welcome to Odysseus ≈ father’s recovery appears welcome to
his children] Narrator
***

9* (400) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας, 400

καὶ δὴ δοῦπον ἄκουσε ποτὶ σπιλάδεσσι θαλάσσης:

But when he <Odysseus> was as far away as a man's voice carries when he shouts,
and heard the boom of the sea upon the reefs.
[distance from Odysseus to shore ≈ distance of man’s voice carries] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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10 (432) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πουλύποδος θαλάμης ἐξελκομένοιο

πρὸς κοτυληδονόφιν πυκιναὶ λάιγγες ἔχονται,
ὣς τοῦ πρὸς πέτρῃσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν
ῥινοὶ ἀπέδρυφθεν: τὸν δὲ μέγα κῦμα κάλυψεν. 435

As, when the octopus is pulled from its bed, / numerous pebbles are held on its
suckers, / even so the skin from his <Odysseus> strong hands were torn off on the
rocks, / and then a large wave covered him.
[skin torn off on rocks ≈ octopus’ suckers held on pebbles] Narrator
***

11 (488) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις δαλὸν σποδιῇ ἐνέκρυψε μελαίνῃ

ἀγροῦ ἐπ᾽ ἐσχατιῆς, ᾧ μὴ πάρα γείτονες ἄλλοι,
σπέρμα πυρὸς σώζων, ἵνα μή ποθεν ἄλλοθεν αὔοι, 490
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς φύλλοισι καλύψατο:…

Then, [consider] a man in the farthest part of a farm for whom other neighbors are not
nearby — / as he hides a brand in the dark ashes, / saving a seed for fire so that he
need not kindle [it] from somewhere else — even so Odysseus covered himself with
leaves;
[Odysseus covered with leaves ≈ fire brand hidden in ashes] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

5:191* θυμὸς σιδήρεος heart made of iron

***

Transformations and Disguises:

ἥ ῥ᾽ Ὀδυσῆ᾽ ἐλέησεν ἀλώμενον, ἄλγε᾽ ἔχοντα,

5:337* αἰθυίῃ δ᾽ ἐικυῖα ποτῇ ἀνεδύσετο λίμνης,

She <Ino> took pity on Odysseus, as he wandered and suffered, / and she rose up from
the deep as a seabird on the wing,
[Ino ≈ seabird] Narrator
***

αὐτὴ δ᾽ ἂψ ἐς πόντον ἐδύσετο κυμαίνοντα

5:353* αἰθυίῃ ἐικυῖα: μέλαν δέ ἑ κῦμα κάλυψεν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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And she <Ino> plunged again into the surging deep, / as a seabird; and the dark wave
hid her
[Ino ≈ seabird] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐπὶ σχεδίης πολυδέσμου πήματα πάσχων

ἤματί κ᾽ εἰκοστῷ Σχερίην ἐρίβωλον ἵκοιτο,
Φαιήκων ἐς γαῖαν, οἳ ἀγχίθεοι γεγάασιν, 35
5:36* οἵ κέν μιν περὶ κῆρι θεὸν ὣς τιμήσουσιν.

‘But, suffering troubles on a firmly bound raft, / on the twentieth day, he <Odysseus> is
to reach fertile Scheria, / the land of the Phaeacians, who are closely related to the
gods, / and will honor him deep in their hearts as a god’
[Odysseus ≈ a god] Zeus
***

Odyssey Book 6 (ζ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#2 (102) [Nausicaa conspicuous among handmaids ≈ Artemis easily recognized
among wood-nymphs]
#3 (130) [Odysseus approaches girls ≈ lion prowls for cattle, sheep, deer]
#4 (162) [admiration of Nausicaa ≈ admiration of shoot of a palm]
#6 (232) [Athena pours grace over Odysseus’s head and shoulders ≈ artist
overlays silver with gold]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (20) [Athena ≈ breath of wind]
#5 (231) [Odysseus hair ≈ hyacinth blossoms]
#7* (294) (τόσσον/ὅσσον) [distance from park to city ≈ distance a voice carries]

***

1 (20) ἡ δ᾽ ἀνέμου ὡς πνοιὴ ἐπέσσυτο δέμνια κούρης, 20

στῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν,

She <Athena>, like a breath of wind, hastened to the bed of the girl <Nausicaa>, /
stood over her head and spoke to her.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Athena ≈ breath of wind] Narrator

***

2 (102) οἵη δ᾽ Ἄρτεμις εἶσι κατ᾽ οὔρεα ἰοχέαιρα,

ἢ κατὰ Τηΰγετον περιμήκετον ἢ Ἐρύμανθον,
τερπομένη κάπροισι καὶ ὠκείῃς ἐλάφοισι:
τῇ δέ θ᾽ ἅμα νύμφαι, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, 105
ἀγρονόμοι παίζουσι, γέγηθε δέ τε φρένα Λητώ:
πασάων δ᾽ ὑπὲρ ἥ γε κάρη ἔχει ἠδὲ μέτωπα,
ῥεῖά τ᾽ ἀριγνώτη πέλεται, καλαὶ δέ τε πᾶσαι:
ὣς ἥ γ᾽ ἀμφιπόλοισι μετέπρεπε παρθένος ἀδμής.

As the archer Artemis goes through the mountains / of lofty Taygetus or Erymanthus /
enjoying the wild boars and swift deer, / and nymphs, daughters of Aegis-bearing Zeus,
/ play in the countryside with her — then Leto rejoiced / [at seeing that] her daughter
has a higher forehead than the others, / and is easily recognized [amid] a whole bevy of
beauties — / even so the untamed maiden <Nausicaa> was conspicuous among her
handmaids.
[Nausicaa conspicuous among handmaids ≈ Artemis easily recognized among wood-
nymphs] Narrator

For discussion of this and the following simile see Watrous 1999.
***

3 (130) βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς, 130

ὅς τ᾽ εἶσ᾽ ὑόμενος καὶ ἀήμενος, ἐν δέ οἱ ὄσσε
δαίεται: αὐτὰρ ὁ βουσὶ μετέρχεται ἢ ὀίεσσιν
ἠὲ μετ᾽ ἀγροτέρας ἐλάφους: κέλεται δέ ἑ γαστὴρ
μήλων πειρήσοντα καὶ ἐς πυκινὸν δόμον ἐλθεῖν:
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κούρῃσιν ἐυπλοκάμοισιν ἔμελλε 135
μίξεσθαι, γυμνός περ ἐών: χρειὼ γὰρ ἵκανε.

As a mountain-bred lion goes his way trusting in his strength / and defying both wind
and rain — his eyes / glare as he prowls among cattle or sheep, / or after wild deer, for
he is famished, / and, tries to get at the sheep by going into a compact homestead — /
even so Odysseus was about to approach the fair-haired girls <Nausicaa and
handmaids>, / although he was naked, for great need came [on him].
[Odysseus approaches girls / although he was naked, for great n] Narrator
***

4 (162) ‘ Δήλῳ δή ποτε τοῖον Ἀπόλλωνος παρὰ βωμῷ

φοίνικος νέον ἔρνος ἀνερχόμενον ἐνόησα:
ἦλθον γὰρ καὶ κεῖσε, πολὺς δέ μοι ἕσπετο λαός,
τὴν ὁδὸν ᾗ δὴ μέλλεν ἐμοὶ κακὰ κήδε᾽ ἔσεσθαι. 165

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὣς δ᾽ αὔτως καὶ κεῖνο ἰδὼν ἐτεθήπεα θυμῷ

δήν, ἐπεὶ οὔ πω τοῖον ἀνήλυθεν ἐκ δόρυ γαίης,
ὡς σέ, γύναι, ἄγαμαί τε τέθηπά τε,…

‘Once I <Odysseus> saw at Delos beside the altar of Apollo such a thing, / a young
shoot of a palm tree coming up — / for I went there, and the people followed me, / on
the journey which was likely to be [the source of] my troubles. / So, seeing that one, I
marveled / a long time since never has such a tree come up out of the ground, — / even
so, lady, I now admire and wonder at you <Nausicaa>,…’
[admiration of Nausicaa ≈ admiration of shoot of a palm] Odysseus

For discussion of this simile see Glenn (1998) and Karakantza (2003).
***

…κὰδ δὲ κάρητος 230

5 (231) οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.
6 (232) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ
ἴδρις, ὃν Ἥφαιστος δέδαεν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη
τέχνην παντοίην, χαρίεντα δὲ ἔργα τελείει,
ὣς ἄρα τῷ κατέχευε χάριν κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ὤμοις. 235

She <Athena> also made the hair grow thick on the top of his <Odysseus’s> head, like
hyacinth blossoms; / as an artist overlays silver with gold — / a skilled artist whom
Hephaestus and Athena have taught / every sort of art, — and his work is full of beauty,
/ so she poured down grace over his head and shoulders.
#5 (231) [Odysseus hair ≈ hyacinth blossoms]
#6 (232) [Athena pours grace over Odysseus’s head and shoulders ≈ artist overlays
silver with gold] Narrator

Note: see Irwin 1990 concerning Bk 6 #5 (231). This simile also is at Bk 23 #3 (158).
***
ἔνθα δὲ πατρὸς ἐμοῦ τέμενος τεθαλυῖά τ᾽ ἀλωή,
7* (294) τόσσον ἀπὸ πτόλιος, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας.

‘There is my father's park and fruitful vineyard, / as far from the city as a man's voice
carries when he shouts.’
[distance from park to city ≈ distance a voice carries] Nausicaa
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

6:90* ἄγρωστιν μελιηδέα honey-sweet grass

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

Transformations and Disguises:

στῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν,

6:22* εἰδομένη κούρῃ ναυσικλειτοῖο Δύμαντος,
ἥ οἱ ὁμηλικίη μὲν ἔην, κεχάριστο δὲ θυμῷ.
τῇ μιν ἐεισαμένη προσέφη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη:

She <Athena> stood above her head, and spoke to her, / taking the form of the
daughter of Dymas, famed for his ships, / a girl who was of like age with Nausicaa,
and was dear to her heart. / Likening herself to her, the flashing-eyed Athena said:
[Athena ≈ seabird] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς θάλαμον πολυδαίδαλον, ᾧ ἔνι κούρη 15

6:16 κοιμᾶτ᾽ ἀθανάτῃσι φυὴν καὶ εἶδος ὁμοίη,
Ναυσικάα, θυγάτηρ μεγαλήτορος Ἀλκινόοιο,

She <Athena> went to the beautifully decorated bedroom in which a girl / slept — in
shape and appearance like the immortal goddesses — / Nausicaa, daughter to King
Alcinous.
[Nausicaa ≈ goddesses] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

εἰ μέν τις θεός ἐσσι, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,

Ἀρτέμιδί σε ἐγώ γε, Διὸς κούρῃ μεγάλοιο,
6:152* εἶδός τε μέγεθός τε φυήν τ᾽ ἄγχιστα ἐίσκω:

‘If you <Nausicaa> are some goddess, one of those who hold wide heaven, / to Artemis,
the daughter of great Zeus, I liken you most nearly in appearance and in stature and in
form.’
[Nausicaa ≈ Artemis] Odysseus
***
πρόσθεν μὲν γὰρ δή μοι ἀεικέλιος δέατ᾽ εἶναι,
6:243* νῦν δὲ θεοῖσιν ἔοικε, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν.

‘Before he <Odysseus> seemed to me <Nausicaa> to be ugly, / but now he is like the

gods who dwell in heaven.’
[Odysseus ≈ gods] Nausicaa

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

ἔνθα δὲ πατρὸς ἐμοῖο θρόνος ποτικέκλιται αὐτῇ,

6:309 τῷ ὅ γε οἰνοποτάζει ἐφήμενος ἀθάνατος ὥς.

‘The seat of my <Nausicaa's> father <Alcinous> lies by her’s <Arete's> — / a seat on

which he sits and drinks wine like an immortal god.’
[father ≈ god] Nausicaa

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Odyssey Book 7 (η)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (36) [ships ≈ wing or thought]
#2 (84) [gleam of palace ≈ gleam of sun or moon]
#3 (106) [servants at work ≈ leaves of poplar tree]

***

νηυσὶ θοῇσιν τοί γε πεποιθότες ὠκείῃσι

λαῖτμα μέγ᾽ ἐκπερόωσιν, ἐπεί σφισι δῶκ᾽ ἐνοσίχθων: 35
1 (36) τῶν νέες ὠκεῖαι ὡς εἰ πτερὸν ἠὲ νόημα.

‘They <the Phaeacians> rely on their quick, swift ships / and cross the immense sea
since the earth shaker <Poseidon> granted them [this capability] — / the ships are
swift like [a bird on] wing or a thought.’
[ships ≈ wing or thought] Athena
***

2 (84) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης

δῶμα καθ᾽ ὑψερεφὲς μεγαλήτορος Ἀλκινόοιο. 85

There was a gleam as [the gleam] of the sun or moon / throughout the high-roofed
palace of proud Alcinous.
[gleam of palace ≈ gleam of sun or moon] Narrator

Note: Same as Book 4, line 45

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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αἱ δ᾽ ἱστοὺς ὑφόωσι καὶ ἠλάκατα στρωφῶσιν 105

3 (106) ἥμεναι, οἷά τε φύλλα μακεδνῆς αἰγείροιο:

Some <of the 50 servants> work at the loom, or sit and turn the spindles, like the
leaves of a tall poplar tree.
[servants at work ≈ leaves of poplar tree] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

7:182* μελίφρονα οἶνον honey-hearted wine

Transformations and Disguises:

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλε πόλιν δύσεσθαι ἐραννήν,

ἔνθα οἱ ἀντεβόλησε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,
7:20* παρθενικῇ ἐικυῖα νεήνιδι, κάλπιν ἐχούσῃ. 20

But when he <Odysseus> was about to enter the lovely city, / then the goddess,
flashing-eyed Athena, met him / as a young maiden carrying a pitcher, and she stood
before him;
[Athena ≈ a young maiden] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

…κασίγνητοι δέ μιν ἀμφὶς

7:5 ἵσταντ᾽ ἀθανάτοις ἐναλίγκιοι, οἵ ῥ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἀπήνης 5
ἡμιόνους ἔλυον ἐσθῆτά τε ἔσφερον εἴσω.

Her brothers / — resembling the immortal gods — gathered round her <Nausicaa>; /
they took the mules out from under the wagon, and carried the clothes inside.
[brothers ≈ gods] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Ἀλκινόῳ δ᾽ αὐτὴν γέρας ἔξελον, οὕνεκα πᾶσιν 10

7:11* Φαιήκεσσιν ἄνασσε, θεοῦ δ᾽ ὣς δῆμος ἄκουεν:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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They chose her <servant Eurymedousa> as a prize for Alcinous because / he ruled all
the Phaeacians, and the district obeyed [him] as though a god.
[Alcinous ≈ god] Narrator
***

ὣς κείνη περὶ κῆρι τετίμηταί τε καὶ ἔστιν

ἔκ τε φίλων παίδων ἔκ τ᾽ αὐτοῦ Ἀλκινόοιο 70
7:71* καὶ λαῶν, οἵ μίν ῥα θεὸν ὣς εἰσορόωντες
δειδέχαται μύθοισιν, ὅτε στείχῃσ᾽ ἀνὰ ἄστυ.

‘Thus she <Arete> has been, and still is, respected deeply in the heart / by her children,
by Alcinous himself, and by the people, who look on her as a goddess, / and greet her
whenever she goes about the city’
[Arete ≈ goddess] Athena
***

… οὐ γὰρ ἐγώ γε
7:209* ἀθανάτοισιν ἔοικα, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,
οὐ δέμας οὐδὲ φυήν, ἀλλὰ θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσιν. 210

‘For I <Odysseus> / am not like the immortals, who hold the wide heaven, / in stature
or form, but I am like mortal men.’
[Odysseus NOT ≈ immortals; Odysseus ≈ mortal men] Odysseus
***

ἀμφιπόλους δ᾽ ἐπὶ θινὶ τεῆς ἐνόησα θυγατρὸς

7:291 παιζούσας, ἐν δ᾽ αὐτὴ ἔην ἐικυῖα θεῇσι:

‘I <Odysseus> saw your daughter's maid servants playing upon the beach, / and she
<Nausicaa> was among them, resembling the goddesses.’
[Nausicaa ≈ goddesses] Odysseus

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Odyssey Book 8 (θ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1* (124) (ὅσσον/τόσσον) [lead of Clytoneus ≈ range of a team of mules]
#3* (161) [Odysseus ≈ captain of merchant ship]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#6 (523) [Odysseus shedding tears ≈ woman crying]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2* (159) [Odysseus NOT ≈ skilled in athletic contests]
#4* (164) [Odysseus NOT ≈ athlete]
#5 (280) [Hephaestus’ chains ≈ spider's webs]

***

τῶν δὲ θέειν ὄχ᾽ ἄριστος ἔην Κλυτόνηος ἀμύμων:

1* (124) ὅσσον τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ οὖρον πέλει ἡμιόνοιιν,
τόσσον ὑπεκπροθέων λαοὺς ἵκεθ᾽, οἱ δ᾽ ἐλίποντο. 125

But among them noble Clytoneus was by far the best at running, / and by as far as is
the range of a team of mules in fallow land, / by so far he shot to the front and
reached the crowd, and the others were left behind.
[lead of Clytoneus ≈ range of a team of mules] Narrator
***

2* (159) ‘οὐ γάρ σ᾽ οὐδέ, ξεῖνε, δαήμονι φωτὶ ἐίσκω

ἄθλων, οἷά τε πολλὰ μετ᾽ ἀνθρώποισι πέλονται, 160
3* (161) ἀλλὰ τῷ, ὅς θ᾽ ἅμα νηὶ πολυκλήιδι θαμίζων,
ἀρχὸς ναυτάων οἵ τε πρηκτῆρες ἔασιν,
φόρτου τε μνήμων καὶ ἐπίσκοπος ᾖσιν ὁδαίων
4* (164) κερδέων θ᾽ ἁρπαλέων: οὐδ᾽ ἀθλητῆρι ἔοικας.

‘No, stranger, for I do not liken you <Odysseus> to a man that is skilled / in athletic
contests, such as are numerous among men, / but to one who comes frequently with
his benched ship / and is a captain of sailors who are merchantmen, / one who is
mindful of his freight, and has charge of a home-borne cargo, / and the gains of his
greed. You do not look like an athlete.’
#2* (159) [Odysseus NOT ≈ skilled in athletic contests]
#3* (161) [Odysseus ≈ captain of merchant ship]
#4* (164) [Odysseus NOT ≈ athlete] Euryalus, a Phaeacian nobleman
***

βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς θάλαμον, ὅθι οἱ φίλα δέμνι᾽ ἔκειτο,

ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἑρμῖσιν χέε δέσματα κύκλῳ ἁπάντῃ:
πολλὰ δὲ καὶ καθύπερθε μελαθρόφιν ἐξεκέχυντο,
5 (280) ἠύτ᾽ ἀράχνια λεπτά, τά γ᾽ οὔ κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο, 280
οὐδὲ θεῶν μακάρων: πέρι γὰρ δολόεντα τέτυκτο.

He <Hephaestus> went into the bedroom, where his lovely bedding lay, / and festooned
the bed-posts all around with chains; / many were hung down from the roof beams, /

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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like delicate spider's webs. No one could see them, / not even the blessed gods, for
they were made very subtly.
[chains ≈ spider's webs] Narrator paraphrasing the story of the bard Demodocus
See Holmberg (2003) for the significance of the spider's web simile.
***

6 (523) ὡς δὲ γυνὴ κλαίῃσι φίλον πόσιν ἀμφιπεσοῦσα,

ὅς τε ἑῆς πρόσθεν πόλιος λαῶν τε πέσῃσιν,
ἄστεϊ καὶ τεκέεσσιν ἀμύνων νηλεὲς ἦμαρ: 525
ἡ μὲν τὸν θνήσκοντα καὶ ἀσπαίροντα ἰδοῦσα
ἀμφ᾽ αὐτῷ χυμένη λίγα κωκύει: οἱ δέ τ᾽ ὄπισθε
κόπτοντες δούρεσσι μετάφρενον ἠδὲ καὶ ὤμους
εἴρερον εἰσανάγουσι, πόνον τ᾽ ἐχέμεν καὶ ὀιζύν:
τῆς δ᾽ ἐλεεινοτάτῳ ἄχεϊ φθινύθουσι παρειαί: 530
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς ἐλεεινὸν ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσι δάκρυον εἶβεν.

As a woman cries when she throws herself around her husband, / who has fallen
before his city and people, / defending against the mericlless day for his home and
children — / when she sees him gasping for breath and dying, / she flings her arms
around him and screams aloud, / but they <the enemy> beat her with spears from
behind, about the back and shoulders, / and carry her off into slavery, to a life of labor
and sorrow, / and her cheeks are wasted with very pitiable grief — / even so Odysseus
shed tears pitiably from under his brows.
[Odysseus shedding tears ≈ woman crying] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

8:579* ἐπεκλώσαντο ὄλεθρον spun the skein of ruin

***

Transformations and Disguises:

ἡ δ᾽ ἀνὰ ἄστυ μετῴχετο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη

8:8* εἰδομένη κήρυκι δαΐφρονος Ἀλκινόοιο,
νόστον Ὀδυσσῆι μεγαλήτορι μητιόωσα,

And Pallas Athena went throughout the city, / in the likeness of the herald of wise
Alcinous, / devising a return for great-hearted Odysseus.
[Athena ≈ a herald] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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…ἔθηκε δὲ τέρματ᾽ Ἀθήνη

8:194* ἀνδρὶ δέμας ἐικυῖα, ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζεν:

Athena, in the likeness of a man, set the mark, / and she spoke and addressed him
<Odysseus>:
[Athena ≈ man] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

δεῦτ᾽ ἄγε, Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες,

εἰς ἀγορὴν ἰέναι, ὄφρα ξείνοιο πύθησθε,
ὃς νέον Ἀλκινόοιο δαΐφρονος ἵκετο δῶμα
8:14* πόντον ἐπιπλαγχθείς, δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος.

‘Here now, leaders and town councilors of the Phaeacians, / come to the assembly to
hear of the stranger <Odysseus> / who has just come to the house of fiery-hearted
Alcinous / after wandering over the sea, in form like an immortal god.’
[Odysseus ≈ gods] Athena
***

8:115 ἂν δὲ καὶ Εὐρύαλος, βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ, 115

Ναυβολίδης, ὃς ἄριστος ἔην εἶδός τε δέμας τε
πάντων Φαιήκων μετ᾽ ἀμύμονα Λαοδάμαντα.

[There] also [rose] up Euryalus son of Naubolos, who was like man-destroying Ares /
and was the best in body and appearance / of all the Phaeacians except faultless
Laodamas.
[Euryalus ≈ Ares] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

8:174* ἄλλος δ᾽ αὖ εἶδος μὲν ἀλίγκιος ἀθανάτοισιν,

ἀλλ᾽ οὔ οἱ χάρις ἀμφιπεριστέφεται ἐπέεσσιν, 175
ὡς καὶ σοὶ εἶδος μὲν ἀριπρεπές,…

‘Another may be like to the immortal gods in appearance, / but he is not crowned
with gracefulness of words. / So your <Euryalus> appearance is conspicuous.’
[Another (alluding to Euryalus) ≈ gods] Odysseus
***

…ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ ἀσπασίως ἴδε θυμῷ 450

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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θερμὰ λοέτρ᾽, ἐπεὶ οὔ τι κομιζόμενός γε θάμιζεν,

ἐπεὶ δὴ λίπε δῶμα Καλυψοῦς ἠυκόμοιο.
8:453* τόφρα δέ οἱ κομιδή γε θεῷ ὣς ἔμπεδος ἦεν.

He <Odysseus> was very glad / of a warm bath, for in no way had he been cared for /
ever since he left the house of fair-haired Calypso, / so long [as he remained with her]
there had been care for him as though for a god.
[Odysseus ≈ god] Narrator
***

τῷ κέν τοι καὶ κεῖθι θεῷ ὣς εὐχετοῴμην

8:467* αἰεὶ ἤματα πάντα: σὺ γάρ μ᾽ ἐβιώσαο, κούρη.

‘Then will I even there pray to you <Nausicaa> as to a god / all my days, for you,
maiden, gave me life.’
[Nausicaa ≈ god] Odysseus
***

ἄλλον δ᾽ ἄλλῃ ἄειδε πόλιν κεραϊζέμεν αἰπήν,

αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσῆα προτὶ δώματα Δηιφόβοιο
8:518 βήμεναι, ἠύτ᾽ Ἄρηα σὺν ἀντιθέῳ Μενελάῳ.

He <Demodocus> sang of how others variously sacked the lofty city, / and specifically of
how Odysseus went to the house of Deiphobos, / like Ares, along with god-like
Menelaus.
[Odysseus ≈ Ares] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Odyssey Book 9 (ι)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1* (51) (ὅσα) [number of Cicones ≈ number of leaves and flowers]
#2 (190) [Polyphemus NOT ≈ bread-eating man; Polyphemus ≈ wooded peak]
#3* (241) (τόσσην) [rock in doorway of Polyphemus cave NOT ≈ load carried by
twenty-two wagons]
#4* (254) [Odysseus and his men ≈ pirates]
#7 (314) [stone put in doorway ≈ lid put on a quiver]
#8* (322) (ὅσσον/τόσσον) [size of club ≈ length and thickness of a mast]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#9 (384) [spinning sharpened stake in Polyphemus’s eye ≈ spinning drill into

ship’s timber]
#10 (391) [hissing around stake in the eye ≈ hissing around axe or adze in cold
water]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#5 (289) [two of Odysseus men ≈ puppies]
#6 (292) [Polyphemus ≈ mountain lion]
#11* (473) (τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον) [distance from Odysseus ship to Cyclops ≈
distance a man’s voice carries]

***

1* (51) ἦλθον ἔπειθ᾽ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ,

ἠέριοι: τότε δή ῥα κακὴ Διὸς αἶσα παρέστη
ἡμῖν αἰνομόροισιν, ἵν᾽ ἄλγεα πολλὰ πάθοιμεν.

‘So they <Cicones> came early in the morning, as many as the leaves and flowers
come in the spring; / and then an evil fate from Zeus came / on us <Odysseus and his
men> luckless men, that we might suffer many troubles.’
[number of Cicones ≈ number of leaves and flowers] Odysseus
***

2 (190) καὶ γὰρ θαῦμ᾽ ἐτέτυκτο πελώριον, οὐδὲ ἐῴκει 190

ἀνδρί γε σιτοφάγῳ, ἀλλὰ ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι
ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων, ὅ τε φαίνεται οἶον ἀπ᾽ ἄλλων.

‘For he <Polyphemus> was a prodigious monster, and he did not seem like / a bread-
eating man, but like a wooded peak / of lofty mountains, which appears alone, apart
from the others.’
[Polyphemus NOT ≈ bread-eating man; Polyphemus ≈ wooded peak] Odysseus
***

3* (241) …οὐκ ἂν τόν γε δύω καὶ εἴκοσ᾽ ἄμαξαι

ἐσθλαὶ τετράκυκλοι ἀπ᾽ οὔδεος ὀχλίσσειαν:
τόσσην ἠλίβατον πέτρην ἐπέθηκε θύρῃσιν.

‘Not even twenty-two stout four-wheeled wagons / could lift it from the ground, / such
a towering mass of rock he <Polyphemus> set in the doorway.’
[rock in doorway of Polyphemus cave NOT ≈ load carried by twenty-two wagons]
Odysseus
***

ἦ τι κατὰ πρῆξιν ἦ μαψιδίως ἀλάλησθε,

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4* (254) οἷά τε ληιστῆρες, ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται

ψυχὰς παρθέμενοι κακὸν ἀλλοδαποῖσι φέροντες; 255

‘Is it on some business, or do you <Odysseus and his men> wander at random / over
the sea, like pirates, who wander, / risking their lives and bringing troubles to
foreigners?’
[Odysseus and his men ≈ pirates] Polyphemus quoted by Odysseus
***

ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ οὐδὲν ἀμείβετο νηλέι θυμῷ,

ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἀναΐξας ἑτάροις ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἴαλλε,
5 (289) σὺν δὲ δύω μάρψας ὥς τε σκύλακας ποτὶ γαίῃ
κόπτ᾽: ἐκ δ᾽ ἐγκέφαλος χαμάδις ῥέε, δεῦε δὲ γαῖαν. 290
τοὺς δὲ διὰ μελεϊστὶ ταμὼν ὡπλίσσατο δόρπον:
6 (292) ἤσθιε δ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος, οὐδ᾽ ἀπέλειπεν,
ἔγκατά τε σάρκας τε καὶ ὀστέα μυελόεντα.

‘So I <Odysseus> spoke, but he <Polyphemus> did not answer me with his pitiless
heart, / but sprang up and reached out his hands to my men. / He seized two of them
and dashed them to the earth like puppies, / and the brain flowed out on the ground
and wetted the earth. / Then he cut them limb from limb, prepared his supper, / and ate
them, like a mountain lion, leaving nothing — / he ate the guts, the flesh, and the
marrow-filled bones.’
#5 (289) [two of Odysseus men ≈ puppies]
#6 (292) [Polyphemus ≈ mountain lion] Odysseus
***

δειπνήσας δ᾽ ἄντρου ἐξήλασε πίονα μῆλα,

ῥηιδίως ἀφελὼν θυρεὸν μέγαν: αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
7 (314) ἂψ ἐπέθηχ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε φαρέτρῃ πῶμ᾽ ἐπιθείη.

‘And, when he <Polyphemus> had dined, he drove his fat flock out of the cave, / easily
moving away the great door-stone; and then / he put it back in place, as one might put
the lid on a quiver.’
[stone put in doorway ≈ lid put on a quiver] Odysseus
***
Κύκλωπος γὰρ ἔκειτο μέγα ῥόπαλον παρὰ σηκῷ,
χλωρὸν ἐλαΐνεον: τὸ μὲν ἔκταμεν, ὄφρα φοροίη 320
αὐανθέν. τὸ μὲν ἄμμες ἐίσκομεν εἰσορόωντες
8* (322) ὅσσον θ᾽ ἱστὸν νηὸς ἐεικοσόροιο μελαίνης,
φορτίδος εὐρείης, ἥ τ᾽ ἐκπεράᾳ μέγα λαῖτμα:
τόσσον ἔην μῆκος, τόσσον πάχος εἰσοράασθαι.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘Beside a pen lay a great club of the Cyclops <Polyphemus>, / [a club of] green olive-
wood, which he had cut in order to carry / when it had dried; and, as we looked at it, we
likened / it in size to the mast of a black ship of twenty oars — / a merchantman,
broad of beam, which crosses over the great sea — / it was so large in length and in
thickness to look on.’
[size of club ≈ length and thickness of a mast] Odysseus
***

οἱ μὲν μοχλὸν ἑλόντες ἐλάινον, ὀξὺν ἐπ᾽ ἄκρῳ,

ὀφθαλμῷ ἐνέρεισαν: ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐφύπερθεν ἐρεισθεὶς
9 (384) δίνεον, ὡς ὅτε τις τρυπῷ δόρυ νήιον ἀνὴρ
τρυπάνῳ, οἱ δέ τ᾽ ἔνερθεν ὑποσσείουσιν ἱμάντι 385
ἁψάμενοι ἑκάτερθε, τὸ δὲ τρέχει ἐμμενὲς αἰεί.
ὣς τοῦ ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ πυριήκεα μοχλὸν ἑλόντες
δινέομεν,…

‘They <Odysseus’s men> took the olive-wood stake, sharp at the point, / and thrust it
into his <Polyphemus’s> eye, while I <Odysseus>, throwing my weight on it from above,
/ spun it around, as a man bores a ship's timber / with a drill, while those below keep it
spinning with a strap, / which they lay hold of by either end, and the drill runs around
unceasingly. / Even so we took the fiery-pointed stake and spun it around in his eye,…’
[Spinning sharpened stake in Polyphemus’s eye ≈ Spinning drill into ship’s timber]
Odysseus
***

10 (391) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ χαλκεὺς πέλεκυν μέγαν ἠὲ σκέπαρνον

εἰν ὕδατι ψυχρῷ βάπτῃ μεγάλα ἰάχοντα
φαρμάσσων: τὸ γὰρ αὖτε σιδήρου γε κράτος ἐστίν
ὣς τοῦ σίζ᾽ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐλαϊνέῳ περὶ μοχλῷ.

‘And as a smith dips a great axe or an adze / in cold water with loud hissing to temper
it — for this is [the source of] the strength of iron — / even so his eye hissed around the
olive-wood stake.’
[Hissing around stake in the eye ≈ hissing around axe or adze in cold water] Odysseus
***

11* (473) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας,

καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼ Κύκλωπα προσηύδων κερτομίοισι:

‘But when I was as far away as a man's voice carries when he shouts, / then I spoke
to the Cyclops with mocking words’
[distance from Odysseus ship to Cyclops ≈ distance a man’s voice carries] Odysseus

Note: In line 491–492, the comparison of distance from the shore continues:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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9:491* ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ δὶς τόσσον ἅλα πρήσσοντες ἀπῆμεν,

καὶ τότε δὴ Κύκλωπα προσηύδων:…

‘But when we passed over the sea and were twice as far, I was then calling out to
Cyclops …’

This is the third time this simile has been used in the Odyssey (cf. Bk 5 #9* (400) and
Bk 6 #7* (294)). Here it seems to be inconsistent with 9:473 in that Odysseus at 9:491
would be twice as far as a voice carries. Note Heubeck-Hoekstra 1989 on this line.

***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

9:27* τρηχεῖ᾽, ἀλλ᾽ ἀγαθὴ κουροτρόφος: οὔ τοι ἐγώ γε

ἧς γαίης δύναμαι γλυκερώτερον ἄλλο ἰδέσθαι.

‘A rugged place <Ithaca>, but a good nurse of the young; and for myself no / other
thing can I see sweeter than one's own land.’
[Ithaca's productivity (implied comparison) ≈ nurse of the young] Odysseus
***

9:125* νέες μιλτοπάρῃοι red-cheeked ships

***

Divine Comparisons:

ἦ τοι μὲν τόδε καλὸν ἀκουέμεν ἐστὶν ἀοιδοῦ

9:4* τοιοῦδ᾽ οἷος ὅδ᾽ ἐστί, θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιος αὐδήν.

‘Indeed, this is a good thing, to listen to a singer / such as this man <Demodocus> is,
like the gods in voice.’
[Demodocus ≈ gods] Odysseus
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 10 (κ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#4 (216) [wolves and lions wag their tails around Eurylochus’s group ≈ dogs wag
their tails around master]
#8 (410) [men around the returning Odysseus ≈ calves around their returning
cows]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1* (113) (ὅσην) [size of wife ≈ size of peak of a mountain]
#2* (120) [Laestrygonians NOT ≈ men; Laestrygonians ≈ Giants]
#3 (124) [spearing Odysseus’s men ≈ spearing fish]
#5 (283) [Odysseus’s companions penned ≈ pigs penned]
#6* (304) [flower of herb ≈ milk]
#7* (378) [Odysseus ≈ speechless person]

***

οἱ δ᾽ ἐπεὶ εἰσῆλθον κλυτὰ δώματα, τὴν δὲ γυναῖκα

1* (113) εὗρον, ὅσην τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφήν, κατὰ δ᾽ ἔστυγον αὐτήν.

‘Now when they <Odysseus’s men> had entered the glorious house, they found there
his <Laestrygonian Antiphates’s> wife, / as big as the peak of a mountain, and they
were aghast at her.’
[size of wife ≈ size of peak of a mountain] Odysseus
***

αὐτὰρ ὁ τεῦχε βοὴν διὰ ἄστεος: οἱ δ᾽ ἀίοντες

φοίτων ἴφθιμοι Λαιστρυγόνες ἄλλοθεν ἄλλος,
2* (120) μυρίοι, οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν. 120
οἵ ῥ᾽ ἀπὸ πετράων ἀνδραχθέσι χερμαδίοισιν
βάλλον: ἄφαρ δὲ κακὸς κόναβος κατὰ νῆας ὀρώρει
ἀνδρῶν τ᾽ ὀλλυμένων νηῶν θ᾽ ἅμα ἀγνυμενάων:
3 (124) ἰχθῦς δ᾽ ὣς πείροντες ἀτερπέα δαῖτα φέροντο.

‘Then he <Antiphates> raised a cry throughout the city, and as they heard it / the mighty
Laestrygonians came thronging from all sides, / [a crowd] past counting, not like men
but like the Giants. / From the cliffs, they hurled at us with rocks huge as a man could
lift, / and at once there rose throughout the ships an ugly din, / alike from men that were

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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dying and from ships that were being crushed. /And spearing them like fishes they
bore them home, a disgusting meal.’
#2* (120) [Laestrygonians NOT ≈ men; Laestrygonians ≈ Giants]
#3 (124) [spearing Odysseus’s men ≈ spearing fish] Odysseus
***

4 (216) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα κύνες δαίτηθεν ἰόντα

σαίνωσ᾽, αἰεὶ γάρ τε φέρει μειλίγματα θυμοῦ,
ὣς τοὺς ἀμφὶ λύκοι κρατερώνυχες ἠδὲ λέοντες
σαῖνον: τοὶ δ᾽ ἔδεισαν, ἐπεὶ ἴδον αἰνὰ πέλωρα.

‘And as dogs wag their tails around their master as he comes from a feast, / for he
always brings them treats, / so the <Circe’s> stout-clawed wolves and lions wagged
their tails about them <Eurylochos’s group>; / but they were seized with fear, as they
saw the dread monsters.’
[wolves and lions wag their tails around Eurylochus’s group ≈ dogs wag their tails
around master] Odysseus
***

πῇ δὴ αὖτ᾽, ὦ δύστηνε, δι᾽ ἄκριας ἔρχεαι οἶος,

χώρου ἄιδρις ἐών; ἕταροι δέ τοι οἵδ᾽ ἐνὶ Κίρκης
5 (283) ἔρχαται ὥς τε σύες πυκινοὺς κευθμῶνας ἔχοντες.

‘Where now, unlucky one, do you <Odysseus> go alone through the hills, / although you
are ignorant of the land? Your companions there are penned at Circe’s, / like pigs in
crowded sties.’
[Odysseus’s companions penned ≈ pigs penned] Hermes quoted by Odysseus
***

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας πόρε φάρμακον ἀργεϊφόντης

ἐκ γαίης ἐρύσας, καί μοι φύσιν αὐτοῦ ἔδειξε.
6* (304) ῥίζῃ μὲν μέλαν ἔσκε, γάλακτι δὲ εἴκελον ἄνθος:

‘So saying, Argeiphontes <Hermes> gave me <Odysseus> the herb, / drawing it from
the ground, and showed me its nature. / At the root it was black, but its flower was like
milk.’
[flower of herb ≈ milk] Odysseus
***

7* (378) τίφθ᾽ οὕτως, Ὀδυσεῦ, κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζεαι ἶσος ἀναύδῳ,

θυμὸν ἔδων, βρώμης δ᾽ οὐχ ἅπτεαι οὐδὲ ποτῆτος;

‘Why, Odysseus, do you sit this way like a speechless person, / eating your heart,
and you do not touch food or drink?’

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Odysseus ≈ speechless person] Circe quoted by Odysseus

***

8 (410) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄγραυλοι πόριες περὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας, 410

ἐλθούσας ἐς κόπρον, ἐπὴν βοτάνης κορέσωνται,
πᾶσαι ἅμα σκαίρουσιν ἐναντίαι: οὐδ᾽ ἔτι σηκοὶ
ἴσχουσ᾽, ἀλλ᾽ ἁδινὸν μυκώμεναι ἀμφιθέουσι:
μητέρας: ὣς ἔμ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπεὶ ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσι,
δακρυόεντες ἔχυντο: δόκησε δ᾽ ἄρα σφίσι θυμὸς 415
ὣς ἔμεν, ὡς εἰ πατρίδ᾽ ἱκοίατο καὶ πόλιν αὐτὴν
τρηχείης Ἰθάκης, ἵνα τ᾽ ἔτραφεν ἠδ᾽ ἐγένοντο.

‘And as when calves in the homestead [come about] the herd of cows / who are
returning to the farm yard, when they have had enough grazing — / all together the
[calves] frolicked before them, and the pens no longer / hold them, but with constant
mooing they run about their / mothers — so, when those men [Odysseus’s followers]
saw me, they / thronged about me <Odysseus> weeping, and it seemed to their hearts
/ as though they had got to their native land, and the city / of rugged Ithaca itself, where
they were bred and born.’
[men around the returning Odysseus ≈ calves around their returning cows] Odysseus
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

…αὐτίκ᾽ ἔπειτα
ῥάβδῳ πεπληγυῖα κατὰ συφεοῖσιν ἐέργνυ.
10:239* οἱ δὲ συῶν μὲν ἔχον κεφαλὰς φωνήν τε τρίχας τε
καὶ δέμας, αὐτὰρ νοῦς ἦν ἔμπεδος, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ. 240

‘Then presently / she struck them [Eurylochus’s men] with her wand, and penned them
in the sties. / And they had the heads, and voice, and bristles, / and shape of pigs,
but their minds remained unchanged even as before.’
[Eurylochus’s men ≈ pigs] Odysseus
***
ἔνθα μοι Ἑρμείας χρυσόρραπις ἀντεβόλησεν
10:278* ἐρχομένῳ πρὸς δῶμα, νεηνίῃ ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς,
πρῶτον ὑπηνήτῃ, τοῦ περ χαριεστάτη ἥβη:

‘Then Hermes, of the golden wand, met me / as I went toward the house, in the
likeness of a young man / with the first down upon his lip, in whom the charm of youth
is fairest.’
[Hermes ≈ young man] Odysseus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

Divine Comparisons:

Κίρκης δ᾽ ἔνδον ἄκουον ἀειδούσης ὀπὶ καλῇ,

10:222* ἱστὸν ἐποιχομένης μέγαν ἄμβροτον, οἷα θεάων
λεπτά τε καὶ χαρίεντα καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργα πέλονται.

‘Within they heard Circe singing with sweet voice, / as she went from side to side at the
large, imperishable web, such as [is the handiwork] of goddesses — / finely-woven
and beautiful, and glorious.’
[Circe’s web ≈ goddess’s handiwork] Odysseus
***

Odyssey Book 11 (λ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#5 (411) [Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after a feast ≈ one kills an ox at the trough]
#6 (413) [killing of Agamemnon’s companions ≈ slaughter of pigs]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (207) [flitting of spirit of Odysseus’s mother ≈ movements of shadow or
dream]
#2 (222) [spirit ≈ dream]
#3 (243) [wave ≈ mountain]
#4 (368) [Odysseus ≈ bard]
#7 (605) [clamor of dead ≈ clamor of birds]
#8 (606) [Heracles ≈ dark night]

***

…αὐτὰρ ἐγώ γ᾽ ἔθελον φρεσὶ μερμηρίξας

μητρὸς ἐμῆς ψυχὴν ἑλέειν κατατεθνηυίης. 205
τρὶς μὲν ἐφωρμήθην, ἑλέειν τέ με θυμὸς ἀνώγει,
1 (207) τρὶς δέ μοι ἐκ χειρῶν σκιῇ εἴκελον ἢ καὶ ὀνείρῳ
ἔπτατ᾽. ἐμοὶ δ᾽ ἄχος ὀξὺ γενέσκετο κηρόθι μᾶλλον

‘But I pondered in my heart / and wanted to grab the spirit of my dead mother
<Anticlea>. / Three times I <Odysseus> sprang [towards her], and my heart urged me to

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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grab her, / and three times she flitted from my arms like a shadow or a dream, / and
pain grew ever sharper in my heart.’
[flitting of spirit of Odysseus’s mother ≈ movements of shadow or dream] Odysseus
***

ἀλλὰ τὰ μέν τε πυρὸς κρατερὸν μένος αἰθομένοιο 220

δαμνᾷ, ἐπεί κε πρῶτα λίπῃ λεύκ᾽ ὀστέα θυμός,
2 (222) ψυχὴ δ᾽ ἠύτ᾽ ὄνειρος ἀποπταμένη πεπότηται.

‘But the strong might of burning fire / destroys these, as soon as the life leaves the white
bones, / and the spirit, like a dream, flies away and hovers about.’
[spirit ≈ dream] Odysseus
***

3 (243) πορφύρεον δ᾽ ἄρα κῦμα περιστάθη, οὔρεϊ ἶσον,

κυρτωθέν, κρύψεν δὲ θεὸν θνητήν τε γυναῖκα.

‘And the dark wave stood about them like a mountain, / arched over, and hid the god
<Poseidon in the form of river god Enipeus> and the mortal woman <Tyro>.’
[wave ≈ mountain] Odysseus
***

4 (368) μῦθον δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸς ἐπισταμένως κατέλεξας,

πάντων τ᾽ Ἀργείων σέο τ᾽ αὐτοῦ κήδεα λυγρά.

‘You <Odysseus> have told your story skillfully as a bard [would] — / the bitter troubles
of all the Argives and of yourself.’
[Odysseus ≈ bard] Alcinous
***

ἀλλά μοι Αἴγισθος τεύξας θάνατόν τε μόρον τε

ἔκτα σὺν οὐλομένῃ ἀλόχῳ, οἶκόνδε καλέσσας, 410
5 (411) δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.
ὣς θάνον οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ: περὶ δ᾽ ἄλλοι ἑταῖροι
6 (413) νωλεμέως κτείνοντο σύες ὣς ἀργιόδοντες,
οἵ ῥά τ᾽ ἐν ἀφνειοῦ ἀνδρὸς μέγα δυναμένοιο
ἢ γάμῳ ἢ ἐράνῳ ἢ εἰλαπίνῃ τεθαλυίῃ. 415

‘But Aegisthus inflicted death and fate on me <Agamemnon>, / and he with my

accursed wife <Clytemnestra> killed [me], when he had invited me to his house / and
made me a feast, even as one kills an ox at a trough. / So I died by a most pitiful
death, and around [me] the rest of my companions / were killed unceasingly like white-
toothed pigs, / which [are slaughtered] in the house of a rich man of great might / at a
wedding, a picnic, or a rich banquet’

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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#5 (411) [Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after a feast ≈ one kills an ox at the trough]
#6 (413) [killing of Agamemnon’s companions ≈ slaughter of pigs] spirit of Agamemnon
quoted by Odysseus
***

7 (605) ἀμφὶ δέ μιν κλαγγὴ νεκύων ἦν οἰωνῶν ὥς, 605

8 (606) πάντοσ᾽ ἀτυζομένων: ὁ δ᾽ ἐρεμνῇ νυκτὶ ἐοικώς,
γυμνὸν τόξον ἔχων καὶ ἐπὶ νευρῆφιν ὀιστόν,
δεινὸν παπταίνων, αἰεὶ βαλέοντι ἐοικώς.

‘About him <Heracles> rose a clamor from the dead, as of birds / everywhere in terror;
and he like dark night, / with his bow bare and with an arrow on the string, / glared
about him terribly, always seeming to be shooting.’
#7 (605) [clamor of dead ≈ clamor of birds]
#8 (606) [Heracles ≈ dark night] Odysseus
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Similetic Metaphor:

11:125* οὐδ᾽ ἐυήρε᾽ ἐρετμά, τά τε πτερὰ νηυσὶ πέλονται.

‘[They do not know] well fitted oars, which are wings for ships.’
[oars ≈ wings] spirit of Teiresias quoted by Odysseus

This is a similetic metaphor in that both parts of the comparison ("oars" and "wings") are
expressed.
***

Transformations and Disguises:

καί ῥ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ἐνιπῆος πωλέσκετο καλὰ ῥέεθρα. 240

11:241* τῷ δ᾽ ἄρα εἰσάμενος γαιήοχος ἐννοσίγαιος
ἐν προχοῇς ποταμοῦ παρελέξατο δινήεντος:

‘And she <Tyro before entering Hades> used to visit the fair waters of Enipeus. But the
Enfolder and Shaker of the earth <Poseidon> made himself like him <Enipeus>, and
lay with her at the mouths of the eddying river.’
[Poseidon ≈ the river Enipeus] Odysseus
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Divine Comparisons:

ἄλλοτε μὲν ζώουσ᾽ ἑτερήμεροι, ἄλλοτε δ᾽ αὖτε

11:304* τεθνᾶσιν: τιμὴν δὲ λελόγχασιν ἶσα θεοῖσι.

‘One day they <Castor and Polydeuces> live in turn, and one day / they are dead; and
they have won honor like that of the gods.’
[Castor and Polydeuces ≈ gods] Odysseus
***

11:484* πρὶν μὲν γάρ σε ζωὸν ἐτίομεν ἶσα θεοῖσιν

Ἀργεῖοι, νῦν αὖτε μέγα κρατέεις νεκύεσσιν 485
ἐνθάδ᾽ ἐών: τῷ μή τι θανὼν ἀκαχίζευ, Ἀχιλλεῦ.

‘Before, we Argives honored you alive like the gods, / and now you rule powerfully
among the dead / by being here. Therefore, do not be sorry at all that you are dead,
Achilles.’
[Achilles ≈ gods] Odysseus quoting himself
***

Odyssey Book 12 (μ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#3 (251) [Odysseus’ writhing men ≈ writhing fish caught by a fisherman]
#7* (439) (ἦμος/τῆμος) [time spars appeared out of Charybdis ≈ time for supper]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1* (86) (ὅση)[voice of Scylla ≈ voice of a new-born puppy]
#2 (237) [Charybdis ≈ cauldron on a big fire]
#4 (413) [the pilot of the ship ≈ a diver]
#5 (418) [Odysseus’ comrades ≈ sea-crows]
#6 (433) [Odysseus clinging to the fig-tree ≈ a bat]

***

ἔνθα δ᾽ ἐνὶ Σκύλλη ναίει δεινὸν λελακυῖα. 85

1* (86) τῆς ἦ τοι φωνὴ μὲν ὅση σκύλακος νεογιλῆς
γίγνεται, αὐτὴ δ᾽ αὖτε πέλωρ κακόν: οὐδέ κέ τίς μιν
γηθήσειεν ἰδών, οὐδ᾽ εἰ θεὸς ἀντιάσειεν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘Scylla dwells within, yelping terribly. / Her voice is indeed as [the voice] of a new-
born puppy, / but she herself is an evil monster, nor would anyone / be glad at sight of
her, not even if a god might meet her.’
[voice of Scylla ≈ voice of a new-born puppy] Circe quoted by Odysseus

Note the similarity of the name Scylla (Σκύλλη) and the word for puppy (σκύλαξ). See
also Stanford 1959: Vol I 409.
***

2 (237) ἦ τοι ὅτ᾽ ἐξεμέσειε, λέβης ὣς ἐν πυρὶ πολλῷ

πᾶσ᾽ ἀναμορμύρεσκε κυκωμένη, ὑψόσε δ᾽ ἄχνη
ἄκροισι σκοπέλοισιν ἐπ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἔπιπτεν:

‘Verily whenever she <Charybdis> belched it <salt water> forth, like a cauldron on a
great fire / she would seethe and bubble in utter turmoil, and high over head the spray /
would fall on the tops of both the cliffs.’
[Charybdis ≈ cauldron on a big fire] Odysseus
***

3 (251) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ ἁλιεὺς περιμήκεϊ ῥάβδῳ

ἰχθύσι τοῖς ὀλίγοισι δόλον κατὰ εἴδατα βάλλων
ἐς πόντον προΐησι βοὸς κέρας ἀγραύλοιο,
ἀσπαίροντα δ᾽ ἔπειτα λαβὼν ἔρριψε θύραζε,
ὣς οἵ γ᾽ ἀσπαίροντες ἀείροντο προτὶ πέτρας: 255

‘And as (when) a fisherman on a jutting rock with his long pole / casting down food
[as] bait for the little fishes, / lets down into the sea the horn of an ox of farmstead, / and
then as he catches [a fish] flings it writhing ashore, / thus were they drawn writhing up
towards the cliffs.’
[Odysseus’ writhing men ≈ writhing fish caught by a fisherman] Odysseus

Sluiter 2014 compares similes relating fish to Odysseus' men in Bk 12 #3 (251) and to
the suitors in Bk 22 #3 (384).
***

ὁ δ᾽ ἄρα πρυμνῇ ἐνὶ νηὶ

πλῆξε κυβερνήτεω κεφαλήν, σὺν δ᾽ ὀστέ᾽ ἄραξε
4 (413) πάντ᾽ ἄμυδις κεφαλῆς: ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
κάππεσ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἰκριόφιν, λίπε δ᾽ ὀστέα θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ.

‘On the stern of the ship [the mast] / struck the head of the pilot and crushed all the
bones / of his skull together, and like a diver / he fell from the deck and his proud spirit
left his bones.’
[the pilot of the ship ≈ a diver] Odysseus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

πέσον δ᾽ ἐκ νηὸς ἑταῖροι.

5 (418) οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν
κύμασιν ἐμφορέοντο, θεὸς δ᾽ ἀποαίνυτο νόστον.

‘My comrades fell from out the ship. / Like sea-crows they were borne about the black
ship / on the waves and the god took from them their returning.’
[my comrades ≈ sea-crows] Odysseus
***

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ ποτὶ μακρὸν ἐρινεὸν ὑψόσ᾽ ἀερθείς,

6 (433) τῷ προσφὺς ἐχόμην ὡς νυκτερίς.

‘But I, springing up to the tall fig-tree, / laid hold of it, and clung to it like a bat.’
[I/Odysseus clinging to the fig-tree ≈ a bat] Odysseus
***

7* (439) …ἦμος δ᾽ ἐπὶ δόρπον ἀνὴρ ἀγορῆθεν ἀνέστη

κρίνων νείκεα πολλὰ δικαζομένων αἰζηῶν, 440
τῆμος δὴ τά γε δοῦρα Χαρύβδιος ἐξεφαάνθη.

‘At the hour when a man rises from the assembly for his supper, / one that decides
the many quarrels of young men that seek judgment, / even at that hour those spars
appeared out of Charybdis.’
[time spars appeared out of Charybdis ≈ time for supper] Odysseus
***

Odyssey Book 13 (ν)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (31) [Odysseus ≈ a tired farmer looking forward to the end of day]
#3 (81) [ship ≈ four yoked stallions]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2 (80) [sleep ≈ death]

***

1 (31) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ δόρποιο λιλαίεται, ᾧ τε πανῆμαρ

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νειὸν ἀν᾽ ἕλκητον βόε οἴνοπε πηκτὸν ἄροτρον:

ἀσπασίως δ᾽ ἄρα τῷ κατέδυ φάος ἠελίοιο
δόρπον ἐποίχεσθαι, βλάβεται δέ τε γούνατ᾽ ἰόντι:
ὣς Ὀδυσῆ᾽ ἀσπαστὸν ἔδυ φάος ἠελίοιο. 35

And as [when] a man longs for supper, for whom all day long / a yoke of wine-dark
oxen has drawn the jointed plough through fallow land, / and gladly for him does the
light of the sun sink, /that he may go to supper, and his knees grow weary as he goes; /
thus gladly for Odysseus did the light of the sun sink.
[Odysseus ≈ a tired farmer looking forward to the end of day] Narrator
****

εὖθ᾽ οἱ ἀνακλινθέντες ἀνερρίπτουν ἅλα πηδῷ,

καὶ τῷ νήδυμος ὕπνος ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ἔπιπτε,
2 (80) νήγρετος, ἥδιστος, θανάτῳ ἄγχιστα ἐοικώς. 80
3 (81) ἡ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἐν πεδίῳ τετράοροι ἄρσενες ἵπποι,
πάντες ἅμ᾽ ὁρμηθέντες ὑπὸ πληγῇσιν ἱμάσθλης,
ὑψόσ᾽ ἀειρόμενοι ῥίμφα πρήσσουσι κέλευθον,
ὣς ἄρα τῆς πρύμνη μὲν ἀείρετο, κῦμα δ᾽ ὄπισθε
πορφύρεον μέγα θῦε πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης. 85

Then leaning back they tossed the sea with their oar blades, / and sweet sleep fell upon
his eyelids, / unawakening, most sweet, and most like to death. / And as on a plain
four yoked stallions / springing forward all together beneath the strokes of the lash,
/ and leaping on high swiftly accomplish their way, / thus the stern of that ship leapt
on high, and in her wake a wave / dark [and] large of the loud-sounding sea surged.
#2 (80) [sleep ≈ death]
#3 (81) [ship ≈ four yoked stallions] Narrator

Note the comparison to a hawk in the sequel to this simile:

13:86* ἡ δὲ μάλ᾽ ἀσφαλέως θέεν ἔμπεδον: οὐδέ κεν ἴρηξ

κίρκος ὁμαρτήσειεν, ἐλαφρότατος πετεηνῶν.
ὣς ἡ ῥίμφα θέουσα θαλάσσης κύματ᾽ ἔταμνεν,
ἄνδρα φέρουσα θεοῖς ἐναλίγκια μήδε᾽ ἔχοντα:

And she sped safely and surely on her way; not even a hawk, / the hawk, swiftest of
winged things, could have kept pace with her. Thus she sped on swiftly and cut
the waves of the sea, / bearing a man the peer of the gods in counsel.
[the ship NOT ≈ a swift hawk] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

13:32* βόε οἴνοπε wine-dark oxen

***

13:388* Τροίης κρήδεμνα head-dress of Troy

***

Transformations and Disguises:

ὁππότε κεν δὴ πάντες ἐλαυνομένην προΐδωνται 155

λαοὶ ἀπὸ πτόλιος, θεῖναι λίθον ἐγγύθι γαίης
13:157* νηῒ θοῇ ἴκελον,…

‘When all the people are looking from the city on her <Phaeacian ship> advancing, /
then turn her into stone near the land — / a stone like a swift ship,…’
[stone ≈ ship] Zeus quoted by Odysseus
***

σχεδόθεν δέ οἱ ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη,

13:222* ἀνδρὶ δέμας εἰκυῖα νέῳ, ἐπιβώτορι μήλων,
παναπάλῳ, οἷοί τε ἀνάκτων παῖδες ἔασι,

And Athena drew near him / in the form of a young man, a herdsman of sheep, / one
most delicate, as are the sons of kings.
[Athena ≈ herdsman; delicacy of disguised Athena ≈ delicacy of king’s sons] Narrator
***

ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,

13:288* χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξε: δέμας δ᾽ ἤϊκτο γυναικὶ
καλῇ τε μεγάλῃ τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργα ἰδυίῃ:

So he <Odysseus> spoke, and the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, smiled, / and

stroked him with her hand, and made herself like to the form of a woman, / beautiful
and tall, and skilled in glorious handiwork.
[Athena ≈ beautiful woman] Narrator
***

ὣς ἄρα μιν φαμένη ῥάβδῳ ἐπεμάσσατ᾽ Ἀθήνη.

13:430* κάρψεν μὲν χρόα καλὸν ἐνὶ γναμπτοῖσι μέλεσσι, 430
ξανθὰς δ᾽ ἐκ κεφαλῆς ὄλεσε τρίχας, ἀμφὶ δὲ δέρμα

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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πάντεσσιν μελέεσσι παλαιοῦ θῆκε γέροντος,

κνύζωσεν δέ οἱ ὄσσε πάρος περικαλλέ᾽ ἐόντε:
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν ῥάκος ἄλλο κακὸν βάλεν ἠδὲ χιτῶνα,
ῥωγαλέα ῥυπόωντα, κακῷ μεμορυγμένα καπνῷ: 435
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν μέγα δέρμα ταχείης ἕσσ᾽ ἐλάφοιο,
ψιλόν: δῶκε δέ οἱ σκῆπτρον καὶ ἀεικέα πήρην,
πυκνὰ ῥωγαλέην: ἐν δὲ στρόφος ἦεν ἀορτήρ.

So saying, Athena touched him <Odysseus> with her wand. / She withered the fair
skin on his supple limbs, / and destroyed the flaxen hair from off his head, / and about
all his limbs she put the skin of an aged old man. / And she dimmed his two eyes that
were before so beautiful, / and clothed him in other raiment, / a vile ragged cloak and a
tunic, / tattered garments and foul, begrimed with filthy smoke. / And about him she cast
the great skin of a swift deer, / stripped of the hair, and she gave him a staff, and a
miserable pouch, / ragged, slung by a twisted cord.
[Odysseus ≈ aged old man] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

ὣς ἡ ῥίμφα θέουσα θαλάσσης κύματ᾽ ἔταμνεν,

13:89* ἄνδρα φέρουσα θεοῖς ἐναλίγκια μήδε᾽ ἔχοντα:

Thus she <ship of Phaeacians> sped on swiftly and cut the waves of the sea, / bearing
a man <Odysseus>, the peer of the gods in counsel.
[Odysseus ≈ gods] Narrator
***

ἀλλὰ σάω μὲν ταῦτα, σάω δ᾽ ἐμέ: σοὶ γὰρ ἐγώ γε 230
13:231 εὔχομαι ὥς τε θεῷ καί σευ φίλα γούναθ᾽ ἱκάνω.

‘Nay, save this treasure, and save me; for to you / do I pray, as to a god, and I come
to your dear knees.’
[you ≈ a god] Odysseus to Athena in disguise

Lee counts this as a simile. Lee also lists a 5 line simile associated with Book 13 line
231, but this simile can not be found.
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 14 (ξ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (21) [dogs ≈ wild beasts]
#2 (175) [Telemachus ≈ a tree sapling]
#3 (254) [Odysseus fictitious trip ≈ on a current]
#4 (308) [Odysseus’ crew ≈ sea-crows]

***

1 (21) πὰρ δὲ κύνες, θήρεσσιν ἐοικότες αἰὲν ἴαυον

τέσσαρες, οὓς ἔθρεψε συβώτης, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν.

By these [boars] ever slept four dogs, [savage] as wild beasts, / which the swineherd
had reared, a leader of men.
[dogs ≈ wild beasts] Narrator
***

νῦν αὖ παιδὸς ἄλαστον ὀδύρομαι, ὃν τέκ᾽ Ὀδυσσεύς,

2 (175) Τηλεμάχου: τὸν ἐπεὶ θρέψαν θεοὶ ἔρνεϊ ἶσον. 175

‘Now then I weep without stopping for the boy, whom Odysseus fathered, / Telemachus,
since the gods raised him like a sapling.’
[Telemachus ≈ a tree sapling] Eumaeus
***

ἑβδομάτῃ δ᾽ ἀναβάντες ἀπὸ Κρήτης εὐρείης

ἐπλέομεν Βορέῃ ἀνέμῳ ἀκραέϊ καλῷ
3 (254) ῥηϊδίως, ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον

‘Embarking on the seventh day we sailed from broad Crete / on a favorable, brisk
Boreas (North) wind / easily as if with a current. ’
[Odysseus fictitious trip ≈ on a current] Odysseus
***

4 (308) οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν

κύμασιν ἐμφορέοντο: θεὸς δ᾽ ἀποαίνυτο νόστον.

‘Like sea-crows they were borne about the black ship / on the waves, and the god
took from them their returning.’

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[<Odysseus’ crew> ≈ sea-crows] Odysseus

***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

14:447* αἴθοπα οἶνον flaming wine

***

Divine Comparisons:

…ἐμὲ δ᾽ ὠνητὴ τέκε μήτηρ

14:203* παλλακίς, ἀλλά με ἶσον ἰθαιγενέεσσιν ἐτίμα
Κάστωρ Ὑλακίδης, τοῦ ἐγὼ γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι
14:205* ὃς τότ᾽ ἐνὶ Κρήτεσσι θεὸς ὣς τίετο δήμῳ
ὄλβῳ τε πλούτῳ τε καὶ υἱάσι κυδαλίμοισιν.

‘…but the mother that bore me <fictional Odysseus> was bought, / a concubine. Yet [my
father <Castor>] honored me even as his true-born sons — / [my father] Castor, son
of Hylax, whose family I claim to be from and who was honored as a god among the
Cretans for his good estate, and his wealth, and his glorious sons.’
[fictional Odysseus ≈ true born sons of Castor; Castor ≈ god] Odysseus
***

Factual Comparison:

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἱκόμεσθα ποτὶ πτόλιν αἰπύ τε τεῖχος,

ἡμεῖς μὲν περὶ ἄστυ κατὰ ῥωπήϊα πυκνά,
ἂν δόνακας καὶ ἕλος, ὑπὸ τεύχεσι πεπτηῶτες
κείμεθα. νὺξ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπῆλθε κακὴ Βορέαο πεσόντος, 475
14:476 πηγυλίς: αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε χιὼν γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε πάχνη,
ψυχρή, καὶ σακέεσσι περιτρέφετο κρύσταλλος.

‘Now when we had come to the city and the steep wall, / around the town in the thick
brushwood / among the reeds and swamp-land, crouching beneath our arms, / we lay
and night came on, foul, when Boreas <the North Wind> had fallen, frosty, and snow
came down on us from above, covering us like frost, / bitter cold, and ice formed upon
our shields.’
[snow ≈ frost] Odysseus in disguise talking to Eumaeus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Lee counts this as a simile. The comparison of snow to frost is not figurative; therefore,
this is not a simile.
***

Odyssey Book 15 (ο)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#3* (174) [Odysseus takes vengeance ≈ eagle snatches goose]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (108) [a robe shone ≈ a star]
#2* (153) [Nestor ≈ father to Menelaus]
#4 (479) [the Phoenician woman fell ≈ a sea tern plunges]

***

τῶν ἕν᾽ ἀειραμένη Ἑλένη φέρε, δῖα γυναικῶν,

ὃς κάλλιστος ἔην ποικίλμασιν ἠδὲ μέγιστος,
1 (108) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν: ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.

One of these [robes] Helen, the beautiful lady, lifted out and took, / the one that was
fairest in its broideries, and largest. / It shone like a star, and lay beneath all the
others.
[a robe shone ≈ a star] Narrator
***

2* (153) …ἦ γὰρ ἐμοί γε πατὴρ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν,

ἧος ἐνὶ Τροίῃ πολεμίζομεν υἷες Ἀχαιῶν.

‘For indeed he <Nestor> was gentle as a father to me, / while we sons of the Achaeans
warred at Troy.’
[Nestor ≈ father to Menelaus] Menelaus
***

3* (174) ὡς ὅδε χῆν᾽ ἥρπαξ᾽ ἀτιταλλομένην ἐνὶ οἴκῳ

ἐλθὼν ἐξ ὄρεος, ὅθι οἱ γενεή τε τόκος τε, 175
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κακὰ πολλὰ παθὼν καὶ πόλλ᾽ ἐπαληθεὶς
οἴκαδε νοστήσει καὶ τίσεται: ἠὲ καὶ ἤδη
οἴκοι, ἀτὰρ μνηστῆρσι κακὸν πάντεσσι φυτεύει.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘Even as this [eagle] snatched up the goose that was bred in the house / when he
came from the mountain, where are his family, and where he was born, / even so, after
many toils and many wanderings, Odysseus / shall return to his home and shall take
vengeance; or even now he is / at home, and is sowing the seeds of evil for all the
suitors.’
[Odysseus takes vengeance ≈ eagle snatches goose] Helen interpreting flight of eagle
past Telemachus
***

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ ἕβδομον ἦμαρ ἐπὶ Ζεὺς θῆκε Κρονίων,

τὴν μὲν ἔπειτα γυναῖκα βάλ᾽ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα,
4 (479) ἄντλῳ δ᾽ ἐνδούπησε πεσοῦσ᾽ ὡς εἰναλίη κήξ.

‘But when Zeus, son of Cronus, brought [upon us] the seventh day, / then Artemis, the
archer, hit the [Phoenician] woman, / and she fell with a thud into the hold, as a sea
tern [plunges].’
[the Phoenician woman fell ≈ a sea tern plunges] Eumaeus
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

15:178* κακὸν φυτεύει sow evil

***

15:329* σιδήρεον οὐρανὸν iron sky

***

15:348* γήραος οὐδῷ threshold of old age

***

Divine Comparisons:

οὕτω νῦν Ζεὺς θείη, ἐρίγδουπος πόσις Ἥρης:

15:181* τῷ κέν τοι καὶ κεῖθι θεῷ ὣς εὐχετοῴμην

‘So may Zeus grant, the loud-thundering lord of Hera; / then will I <Telemachus> even
there ever pray to you <Helen>, as to a god.’
[Helen ≈ god] Telemachus

Note: Line 181 is the same as Odyssey Book 8, 467

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

ἔνθα δύω πόλιες, δίχα δέ σφισι πάντα δέδασται:

τῇσιν δ᾽ ἀμφοτέρῃσι πατὴρ ἐμὸς ἐμβασίλευε,
15:414* Κτήσιος Ὀρμενίδης, ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισιν.

‘There are two cities, and everything is divided between them, / and over both my
<Eumaeus> father ruled — /[my father,] Ctesius, son of Ormenus, a man like to the
immortals.’
[Ctesius ≈ immortals] Eumaeus
***

ἀλλά τοι ἄλλον φῶτα πιφαύσκομαι ὅν κεν ἵκοιο,

Εὐρύμαχον, Πολύβοιο δαΐφρονος ἀγλαὸν υἱόν,
15:520 τὸν νῦν ἶσα θεῷ Ἰθακήσιοι εἰσορόωσι: 520
καὶ γὰρ πολλὸν ἄριστος ἀνὴρ μέμονέν τε μάλιστα
μητέρ᾽ ἐμὴν γαμέειν καὶ Ὀδυσσῆος γέρας ἕξειν.

‘But I will you <Theoclymenus> of another man to whom you may go, / Eurymachus,
glorious son of wise Polybus, / whom now the men of Ithaca look upon as equal to a
god. For he is by far the best man, and is most eager / to marry my mother and to have
the honor of Odysseus.’
[men of Ithaca look upon Eurymachus ≈ a god] Telemachus

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Odyssey Book 16 (π)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (17) [the swineherd kissed and greeted Telemachus ≈ a loving father greets
his own son after many years away]
#2 (216) [Telemachus and his father wailed ≈ birds (ospreys or vultures)]

***

1 (17) ὡς δὲ πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φίλα φρονέων ἀγαπάζῃ

ἐλθόντ᾽ ἐξ ἀπίης γαίης δεκάτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ,
μοῦνον τηλύγετον, τῷ ἔπ᾽ ἄλγεα πολλὰ μογήσῃ,
ὣς τότε Τηλέμαχον θεοειδέα δῖος ὑφορβὸς 20

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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πάντα κύσεν περιφύς, ὡς ἐκ θανάτοιο φυγόντα

And as a loving father greets his own dear son, / who comes in the tenth year from a
distant land / — his only son and well-beloved, for whose sake he has borne much
sorrow— / thus did the goodly swineherd then clasp in his arms godlike
Telemachus, and kiss him all over as one escaped from death.
[the swineherd kissed and greeted Telemachus ≈ a loving father greets his own son
after many years away] Narrator
***

2 (216) κλαῖον δὲ λιγέως, ἀδινώτερον ἤ τ᾽ οἰωνοί,

φῆναι ἢ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες, οἷσί τε τέκνα
ἀγρόται ἐξείλοντο πάρος πετεηνὰ γενέσθαι:
ὣς ἄρα τοί γ᾽ ἐλεεινὸν ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσι δάκρυον εἶβον.

And they <Telemachus and his father> wailed aloud more vehemently than birds, /
sea-eagles, or vultures with crooked talons, whose young / the country-folk have
taken from their nest before they were fledged; / thus piteously did they let tears fall
from beneath their brows.
[Telemachus and his father wailed ≈ birds (ospreys or vultures)] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

16:157* ἀλλ᾽ ἥ γε σχεδὸν ἦλθε: δέμας δ᾽ ἤϊκτο γυναικὶ

καλῇ τε μεγάλῃ τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργα ἰδυίῃ.

But she <Athena> drew near in the likeness of a woman, / beautiful and tall, and
skilled in glorious handiwork.
[Athena ≈ beautiful, skilled woman] Narrator
***

ἦ καὶ χρυσείῃ ῥάβδῳ ἐπεμάσσατ᾽ Ἀθήνη.

φᾶρος μέν οἱ πρῶτον ἐϋπλυνὲς ἠδὲ χιτῶνα
16:174* θῆκ᾽ ἀμφὶ στήθεσσι, δέμας δ᾽ ὤφελλε καὶ ἥβην.

With this, Athena tapped him <Odysseus> with her golden wand. / A well-washed
cloak and a tunic she first of all / putt about his breast, and she increased his stature
and his youthful bloom. [Odysseus ≈ increased stature and youthful bloom] Narrator
***

ἦ γάρ τοι νέον ἦσθα γέρων καὶ ἀεικέα ἕσσο:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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16:200* νῦν δὲ θεοῖσιν ἔοικας, οἳ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσι. 200

‘Indeed just now you <Odysseus> were an old man and clothed , / whereas now you
are like the gods, who hold broad heaven.’
[Odysseus transformed by Athena ≈ gods] Telemachus
***

αὐτάρ τοι τόδε ἔργον Ἀθηναίης ἀγελείης,

ἥ τέ με τοῖον ἔθηκεν, ὅπως ἐθέλει, δύναται γὰρ,
16:209* ἄλλοτε μὲν πτωχῷ ἐναλίγκιον, ἄλλοτε δ᾽ αὖτε
ἀνδρὶ νέῳ καὶ καλὰ περὶ χροῒ εἵματ᾽ ἔχοντι. 210

‘But this surely is the work of Athena, driver of the spoil, / who makes me such as she
will—for she has the power—/ now like a beggar, and now again / like a young man,
and one wearing fair raiment about his body.’
[Odysseus ≈ a beggar or a young man] Odysseus to his son Telemachus
***

…αὐτὰρ Ἀθήνη,
ἄγχι παρισταμένη, Λαερτιάδην Ὀδυσῆα 455
16:456* ῥάβδῳ πεπληγυῖα πάλιν ποίησε γέροντα,
λυγρὰ δὲ εἵματα ἕσσε περὶ χροΐ,

Then Athena / came close to Odysseus, son of Laertes, / and struck him with her wand,
/ and again made him an old man; and mean raiment she put about his body,
[Odysseus ≈ old man] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 17 (ρ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (111) [Nestor welcomed Telemachus ≈ a father would welcome son coming
from afar]
#2 (126) [Odysseus > a cruel doom on the suitors ≈ a lion > cruel doom on 2
fawns]
#6 (518) [Odysseus charmed Eumaeus ≈ a minstrel sings to mortals]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3* (416) [Antinous ≈ king]
#4 (463) [Odysseus ≈ a rock]
#5* (500) [Antinous ≈ black fate]

***

ᾠχόμεθ᾽ ἔς τε Πύλον καὶ Νέστορα, ποιμένα λαῶν:

δεξάμενος δέ με κεῖνος ἐν ὑψηλοῖσι δόμοισιν 110
1 (111) ἐνδυκέως ἐφίλει, ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ἑὸν υἱὸν
ἐλθόντα χρόνιον νέον ἄλλοθεν: ὣς ἐμὲ κεῖνος
ἐνδυκέως ἐκόμιζε σὺν υἱάσι κυδαλίμοισιν.

‘We went to Pylos and to Nestor, the shepherd of the people, / and he received me in
his lofty house / and gave me kindly welcome, as if a father [might receive] his own
son who after a long time had newly come from a far: even so kindly he tended
me with his glorious sons.’
[Nestor welcomed Telemachus ≈ a father would welcome son coming from afar]
Telemachus to his mother
***

2 (126) ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος

νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς
κνημοὺς ἐξερέῃσι καὶ ἄγκεα ποιήεντα
βοσκομένη, ὁ δ᾽ ἔπειτα ἑὴν εἰσήλυθεν εὐνήν,
ἀμφοτέροισι δὲ τοῖσιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν, 130
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς κείνοισιν ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφήσει.

As when in the thicket-lair of a mighty lion a deer / has laid to sleep her new-born
suckling fawns, / and roams over the mountain slopes and grassy vales / seeking

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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pasture, and then the lion comes to his lair / and lets loose a cruel doom upon the
two, / so will Odysseus let loose a cruel doom upon these men.
[Odysseus > a cruel doom on the suitors ≈ a lion > cruel doom on 2 fawns] Narrator
***

δός, φίλος: οὐ μέν μοι δοκέεις ὁ κάκιστος Ἀχαιῶν 415

3* (416) ἔμμεναι, ἀλλ᾽ ὤριστος, ἐπεὶ βασιλῆϊ ἔοικας.

‘Friend <Antinous>, give [me something]; you do not seem to me <Odysseus> to be the
basest of the Achaeans, / but rather the noblest, for you are like a king.’
[Antinous ≈ king] Odysseus
***

θρῆνυν ἑλὼν βάλε δεξιὸν ὦμον,

4 (463) πρυμνότατον κατὰ νῶτον: ὁ δ᾽ ἐστάθη ἠΰτε πέτρη

He seized the footstool and flung it, / and struck <Odysseus> on the base of the right
shoulder, where it joins the back. But he stood firm as a rock.
[Odysseus ≈ a rock] Narrator
***

μαῖ᾽, ἐχθροὶ μὲν πάντες, ἐπεὶ κακὰ μηχανόωνται:

5* (500) Ἀντίνοος δὲ μάλιστα μελαίνῃ κηρὶ ἔοικε. 500

‘Nurse <Eurynome>, they <the suitors> are all enemies, for they devise troubles. / But
Antinous especially seems like black fate.’
[Antinous ≈ black fate] Penelope
***

6 (518) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸν ἀνὴρ ποτιδέρκεται, ὅς τε θεῶν ἒξ

ἀείδει δεδαὼς ἔπε᾽ ἱμερόεντα βροτοῖσι,
τοῦ δ᾽ ἄμοτον μεμάασιν ἀκουέμεν, ὁππότ᾽ ἀείδῃ: 520
ὣς ἐμὲ κεῖνος ἔθελγε παρήμενος ἐν μεγάροισι.

‘As when a man gazes upon a minstrel who sings to mortals / lovely words that the
gods have taught him, / and their desire to hear him has no end, whensoever he sings, /
thus he charmed me as he sat in my hall.’
[Odysseus charmed Eumaeus ≈ a minstrel sings to mortals] the swineherd Eumaeus
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

17:57* ἄπτερος μῦθος unwinged <unspoken> word

***

17:82* εἰ δέ κ᾽ ἐγὼ τούτοισι φόνον καὶ κῆρα φυτεύσω,

‘If I will sow death and fate for them,’

[sowing seeds (implied comparisons) ≈ causing death and fate] Telemachus
***

Transformations and Disguises:

ἀγχίμολον δὲ μετ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐδύσετο δώματ᾽ Ὀδυσσεύς,

17:337* πτωχῷ λευγαλέῳ ἐναλίγκιος ἠδὲ γέροντι,

Right after him Odysseus entered the palace / in the likeness of a woeful and aged
beggar
[Odysseus ≈ beggar] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

ἡ δ᾽ ἴεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο περίφρων Πηνελόπεια,

17:37 Ἀρτέμιδι ἰκέλη ἠὲ χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ

Then wise Penelope came forth from her bedroom / like Artemis or golden Aphrodite
[Penelope ≈ Artemis or Aphrodite] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Factual Comparison:

αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,

17:133* τοῖος ἐὼν οἷός ποτ᾽ ἐϋκτιμένῃ ἐνὶ Λέσβῳ
ἐξ ἔριδος Φιλομηλεΐδῃ ἐπάλαισεν ἀναστάς,
κὰδ δ᾽ ἔβαλε κρατερῶς, κεχάροντο δὲ πάντες Ἀχαιοί, 135
τοῖος ἐὼν μνηστῆρσιν ὁμιλήσειεν Ὀδυσσεύς:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘O father Zeus, and Athena, and Apollo, I <Menelaus> wish / that in such strength, as
when once in well-built Lesbos he <Odysseus> rose up and wrestled a match with
Philomeleides and threw him mightily, and all the Achaeans rejoiced, / even in such
strength Odysseus might come among the suitors.’
[strength of Odysseus against suitors ≈ strength of Odysseus against Philomeleides]
Menelaus quoted by Telemachus
***

17:397* Ἀντίνο᾽, ἦ μευ καλὰ πατὴρ ὣς κήδεαι υἷος,

ὃς τὸν ξεῖνον ἄνωγας ἀπὸ μεγάροιο διέσθαι
μύθῳ ἀναγκαίῳ: μὴ τοῦτο θεὸς τελέσειε.

‘Antinous, truly you care well for me <Telemachus>, as a father for his son, / seeing
that you order me to drive the stranger from the hall / with a word of compulsion. May
the god never bring such a thing to pass.’
[Antinous cares for Telemachus ≈ father cares for a son] Telemachus
***

Odyssey Book 18 (σ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (27) [greedy fellow (Odysseus) ≈ an old hag at the oven]
#2 (29) [greedy fellow (Odysseus) ≈ a sow wasting corn]
#3* (196) [Penelope ≈ whiter than new-sawn ivory]
#4 (240) [Irus ≈ a drunk]
#5 (296) [amber beads of chain ≈ the sun]

***

‘ὢ πόποι, ὡς ὁ μολοβρὸς ἐπιτροχάδην ἀγορεύει,

1 (27) γρηῒ καμινοῖ ἶσος: ὃν ἂν κακὰ μητισαίμην
κόπτων ἀμφοτέρῃσι, χαμαὶ δέ κε πάντας ὀδόντας
2 (29) γναθμῶν ἐξελάσαιμι συὸς ὣς ληϊβοτείρης.

‘Now see how glibly the greedy fellow talks, / like an old hag at the oven. But I will
devise evil for him, / smiting him left and right, and will scatter on the ground all the teeth
/ from his jaws, as though he were a sow wasting the corn.’
#1 (27) [greedy fellow (Odysseus) ≈ an old hag at the oven]
#2 (29) [greedy fellow (Odysseus) ≈ a sow wasting corn] vagrant Irus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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***

3* (196) λευκοτέρην δ᾽ ἄρα μιν θῆκε πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος.

[Athena] made [Penelope] whiter than new-sawn ivory.

[Penelope ≈ whiter than new-sawn ivory] Narrator

Note: This simile is a part of the description noted below under Transformations and
Disguises.
***

αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον, 235

οὕτω νῦν μνηστῆρες ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισι
νεύοιεν κεφαλὰς δεδμημένοι, οἱ μὲν ἐν αὐλῇ,
οἱ δ᾽ ἔντοσθε δόμοιο, λελῦτο δὲ γυῖα ἑκάστου,
ὡς νῦν Ἶρος κεῖνος ἐπ᾽ αὐλείῃσι θύρῃσιν
4 (240) ἧσται νευστάζων κεφαλῇ, μεθύοντι ἐοικώς, 240
οὐδ᾽ ὀρθὸς στῆναι δύναται ποσὶν οὐδὲ νέεσθαι
οἴκαδ᾽, ὅπη οἱ νόστος, ἐπεὶ φίλα γυῖα λέλυνται.

‘I wish, O father Zeus, and Athena, and Apollo, / that now the suitors were thus subdued
in our halls, / and were hanging their heads, some in the court / and some within the
hall, and that each man's limbs were loosened, / as Irus now sits there by the gate of
the court, / hanging his head like a drunken man, and cannot stand on his feet, or go
home / wherever it is, because his limbs are loosened.’
[Irus ≈ a drunk] Telemachus to his mother
***

ὅρμον δ᾽ Εὐρυμάχῳ πολυδαίδαλον αὐτίκ᾽ ἔνεικε. 295

5 (296) χρύσεον, ἠλέκτροισιν ἐερμένον ἠέλιον ὥς.

And a chain of intricate workmanship did [another] immediately bring to Eurymachus, /

wrought of gold, strung with amber beads, like [bright as] the sun.
[amber beads of chain ≈ the sun] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

…αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
ζώσατο μὲν ῥάκεσιν περὶ μήδεα, φαῖνε δὲ μηροὺς
καλούς τε μεγάλους τε, φάνεν δέ οἱ εὐρέες ὦμοι

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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στήθεά τε στιβαροί τε βραχίονες: αὐτὰρ Ἀθήνη

18:70* ἄγχι παρισταμένη μέλε᾽ ἤλδανε ποιμένι λαῶν. 70

But Odysseus / wrapped his rags about his loins and showed his thighs, / attractive and
great, and his broad shoulders appeared, / and his chest and mighty arms. And Athena
/ drew nigh and made greater the limbs of the shepherd of the people.
[Odysseus ≈ stronger person] Narrator
***

κάλλεϊ μέν οἱ πρῶτα προσώπατα καλὰ κάθηρεν

18:193* ἀμβροσίῳ, οἵῳ περ ἐϋστέφανος Κυθέρεια
χρίεται, εὖτ᾽ ἂν ἴῃ Χαρίτων χορὸν ἱμερόεντα:
καί μιν μακροτέρην καὶ πάσσονα θῆκεν ἰδέσθαι, 195

She <Athena> first made her <Penelope’s> face beautiful, / with ambrosial balm,
such as that which Cytherea <Aphrodite>, of the fair crown, / anoints herself when
she goes into the lovely dance of the Graces; / and she made her taller, too, and
statelier to look on, …
[Penelope made beautiful ≈ Cytherea made beautiful] Narrator

Note: This transformation continues with Penelope being described as whiter than new-
sawn ivory as shown in simile #3 at line 196 listed above.
***

Factual Comparison:

τὸν δ᾽ αἰσχρῶς ἐνένιπε Μελανθὼ καλλιπάρῃος,

τὴν Δολίος μὲν ἔτικτε, κόμισσε δὲ Πηνελόπεια,
18:323 παῖδα δὲ ὣς ἀτίταλλε, δίδου δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀθύρματα θυμῷ:

And fair-cheeked Melantho rated him shamefully, / [Melantho] whom Dolius begot, but
[whom] Penelope had reared / and cherished as [her own] child, and gave her
playthings to her heart's desire.
[Melantho ≈ Penelope’s child] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 19 (τ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#2 (109) [Penelope’s fame ≈ the fame of some blameless king]
#3 (205) [Penelope’s cheeks melted as she wept ≈ snow melting on mountains]
#8 (518) [Penelope's heart sways ≈ a nightingale sings sadly]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (39) [Odysseus' hall glow ≈ a blazing fire]
#4 (211) [Odysseus’ eyes were unmoving ≈ horn or iron]
#5 (233) [Odysseus’ tunic glistened ≈ skin of a dried onion]
#6 (234) [Odysseus’ tunic ≈ sun]
#7 (494) [Eurycleia ≈ silent as a stone or iron]
#9 (574) [twelve axes ≈ keel-blocks]

***

ἔμπης μοι τοῖχοι μεγάρων καλαί τε μεσόδμαι,

εἰλάτιναί τε δοκοί, καὶ κίονες ὑψόσ᾽ ἔχοντες
1 (39) φαίνοντ᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.

‘Certainly the walls of the hall and the fair beams / and cross-beams of fir and the
pillars that reach on high, / seemed to my eyes [to glow] as if from blazing fire.’
[Odysseus' hall glow ≈ a blazing fire] Telemachus
***

‘ὦ γύναι, οὐκ ἄν τίς σε βροτῶν ἐπ᾽ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν

νεικέοι: ἦ γάρ σευ κλέος οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἱκάνει,
2 (109) ὥς τέ τευ ἢ βασιλῆος ἀμύμονος, ὅς τε θεουδὴς
ἀνδράσιν ἐν πολλοῖσι καὶ ἰφθίμοισιν ἀνάσσων 110
εὐδικίας ἀνέχῃσι, φέρῃσι δὲ γαῖα μέλαινα
πυροὺς καὶ κριθάς, βρίθῃσι δὲ δένδρεα καρπῷ,
τίκτῃ δ᾽ ἔμπεδα μῆλα, θάλασσα δὲ παρέχῃ ἰχθῦς
ἐξ εὐηγεσίης, ἀρετῶσι δὲ λαοὶ ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ.

‘Lady, no mortals upon the boundless earth / could find fault with you, for your fame
goes up to the broad heaven, / as does the fame of some blameless king, who, god-
fearing, / rules over many mighty men, / and upholds justice; and the black earth bears /
wheat and barley, and the trees are laden with fruit, / the flocks bring forth young

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

unceasingly, and the sea provides fish, / [all] from his good leading; and the people
prosper under him.’
[Penelope’s fame ≈ the fame of some blameless king] Odysseus
ἢ in line 109 is a problem. See Stanford 1959 Vol. II: 319 for a discussion.
***

τῆς δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀκουούσης ῥέε δάκρυα, τήκετο δὲ χρώς:

3 (205) ὡς δὲ χιὼν κατατήκετ᾽ ἐν ἀκροπόλοισιν ὄρεσσιν, 205
ἥν τ᾽ Εὖρος κατέτηξεν, ἐπὴν Ζέφυρος καταχεύῃ:
τηκομένης δ᾽ ἄρα τῆς ποταμοὶ πλήθουσι ῥέοντες:
ὣς τῆς τήκετο καλὰ παρήϊα δάκρυ χεούσης,
κλαιούσης ἑὸν ἄνδρα παρήμενον. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
θυμῷ μὲν γοόωσαν ἑὴν ἐλέαιρε γυναῖκα, 210
4 (211) ὀφθαλμοὶ δ᾽ ὡς εἰ κέρα ἕστασαν ἠὲ σίδηρος
ἀτρέμας ἐν βλεφάροισι: δόλῳ δ᾽ ὅ γε δάκρυα κεῦθεν.

And as she [Penelope] listened her tears flowed and her face melted / as the snow
melts on the lofty mountains, / which Eurus [the East Wind] thaws when Zephyrus
[the West Wind] has poured [it], / and as it melts the rivers flow full: / so her fair cheeks
melted as she wept / mourning for her husband, who [even then was] sitting by her
side. And Odysseus / in his heart had pity for his weeping wife, / but his eyes stood
fixed between his lids / as though they were horn or iron, and with guile he hid his
tears.
#3 (205) [Penelope’s cheeks melted as she wept ≈ snow melting on mountains]
#4 (211) [Odysseus’ eyes were unmoving ≈ horn or iron] Narrator

See Stanford 1959 Vol. II: 324 for discussions of possible emendations of κέρα.
***

τὸν δὲ χιτῶν᾽ ἐνόησα περὶ χροῒ σιγαλόεντα,

5 (233) οἷόν τε κρομύοιο λοπὸν κάτα ἰσχαλέοιο:
6 (234) τὼς μὲν ἔην μαλακός, λαμπρὸς δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς:

‘And I noted the tunic about his body, all shining / like the skin of a dried onion, / so
soft it was; and it glistened like the sun.’
#5 (233) [Odysseus’ tunic glistened ≈ skin of a dried onion]
#6 (234) [Odysseus’ tunic ≈ sun] Odysseus

See Stanford 1959 Vol II: 326–327 for discussion of the effect of possible change in the
accent on κάτα.
***

οἶσθα μὲν οἷον ἐμὸν μένος ἔμπεδον οὐδ᾽ ἐπιεικτόν,

7 (494) ἕξω δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις στερεὴ λίθος ἠὲ σίδηρος.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘You <Odysseus> know how firm my spirit is and unyielding: / I <Eurycleia> will be like
some hard stone or iron.’
[Eurycleia ≈ silent as a stone or iron] Eurycleia
***

8 (518) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη, χλωρηῒς ἀηδών,

καλὸν ἀείδῃσιν ἔαρος νέον ἱσταμένοιο,
δενδρέων ἐν πετάλοισι καθεζομένη πυκινοῖσιν, 520
ἥ τε θαμὰ τρωπῶσα χέει πολυηχέα φωνήν,
παῖδ᾽ ὀλοφυρομένη Ἴτυλον φίλον, ὅν ποτε χαλκῷ
κτεῖνε δι᾽ ἀφραδίας, κοῦρον Ζήθοιο ἄνακτος,
ὣς καὶ ἐμοὶ δίχα θυμὸς ὀρώρεται ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα,
ἠὲ μένω παρὰ παιδὶ καὶ ἔμπεδα πάντα φυλάσσω, 525

‘As when the daughter of Pandareus, the pale-green songstress [nightingale], /

sings sweetly, when spring is newly come, / sitting on the thick leaves of trees, / and
with many trilling [notes] pours forth her rich voice / in wailing for her child, dear Itylus,
whom she had one day / slain with the sword unwittingly, / the son of king Zethus; / thus
also my heart sways to and fro [in doubt], / whether I should remain with my son and
keep all things safe etc.’
[my heart sways ≈ a nightingale sings sadly] Penelope

See Anhalt 2002 and Levaniouk 2008 for a discussion of this simile.
***

νῦν γὰρ καταθήσω ἄεθλον,

τοὺς πελέκεας, τοὺς κεῖνος ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑοῖσιν
9 (574) ἵστασχ᾽ ἑξείης, δρυόχους ὥς, δώδεκα πάντας:
στὰς δ᾽ ὅ γε πολλὸν ἄνευθε διαρρίπτασκεν ὀϊστόν. 575

‘For now I shall set up for a contest / those axes which he was accustomed to erect in
his halls, / like keel-blocks in line with one another, twelve in all, / and standing afar off
he would shoot an arrow through them.’
[twelve axes ≈ keel-blocks] Penelope

See Pocock 1961 for a discussion of the alternatives of how the axes were arranged in
a manner that would allow an arrow to be shot through them.
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphor:

19:446* πῦρ ὀφθαλμοῖσι δεδορκώς - flashing fire with eyes

***

Parable:

ξεῖν᾽, ἦ τοι μὲν ὄνειροι ἀμήχανοι ἀκριτόμυθοι 560

γίγνοντ᾽, οὐδέ τι πάντα τελείεται ἀνθρώποισι.
19:563* δοιαὶ γάρ τε πύλαι ἀμενηνῶν εἰσὶν ὀνείρων:
αἱ μὲν γὰρ κεράεσσι τετεύχαται, αἱ δ᾽ ἐλέφαντι:
τῶν οἳ μέν κ᾽ ἔλθωσι διὰ πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος,
οἵ ῥ᾽ ἐλεφαίρονται, ἔπε᾽ ἀκράαντα φέροντες: 565
οἱ δὲ διὰ ξεστῶν κεράων ἔλθωσι θύραζε,
οἵ ῥ᾽ ἔτυμα κραίνουσι, βροτῶν ὅτε κέν τις ἴδηται.
ἀλλ᾽ ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ὀΐομαι αἰνὸν ὄνειρον
ἐλθέμεν: ἦ κ᾽ ἀσπαστὸν ἐμοὶ καὶ παιδὶ γένοιτο.

‘Stranger, dreams are are truly baffling and unclear of meaning, / and in no way are they
all accomplished for men. / For there are two gates of shadowy dreams, / and some
are made with horns and some with ivory. / Those dreams that pass through the gate
of sawn ivory / deceive men, bringing words that are unfinished. / But those that come
out through the gate of polished horn / are truly accomplished, when any mortal sees
them. / But in my case it was not from there, I suppose, that my strange dream / came.
Ah, truly it would then have been welcome to me and to my son.’
[gates of dreams ≈ ivory and horn] Penelope
***

Divine Comparisons:

ἡ δ᾽ ἴεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο περίφρων Πηνελόπεια,

19:54* Ἀρτέμιδι ἰκέλη ἠὲ χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ.

Then wise Penelope came forth from her bedroom / like Artemis or golden Aphrodite
[Penelope ≈ Artemis or Aphrodite] Narrator
***

καὶ γάρ τίς τ᾽ ἀλλοῖον ὀδύρεται ἄνδρ᾽ ὀλέσασα 265

κουρίδιον, τῷ τέκνα τέκῃ φιλότητι μιγεῖσα,
19:267* ἢ Ὀδυσῆ᾽, ὅν φασι θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιον εἶναι.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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‘For any woman weeps when she has lost her wedded husband, / to whom she has
borne children in her love, / though he were a different man from Odysseus, who, they
say, is like the gods.’
[Odysseus ≈ gods] Odysseus in disguise
***

τὸν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπὶ τρόπιος νεὸς ἔκβαλε κῦμ᾽ ἐπὶ χέρσου,

Φαιήκων ἐς γαῖαν, οἳ ἀγχίθεοι γεγάασιν,
19:280* οἳ δή μιν περὶ κῆρι θεὸν ὣς τιμήσαντο 280

‘But a wave threw him <Odysseus> [riding] on the keel of his ship onto the dry land, /
the land of the Phaeacians, who are near of kin to the gods. / These heartily honored
him, as a god,…’
[Odysseus ≈ god] Odysseus in disguise
***

Factual Comparison:

19:203* ἴσκε ψεύδεα πολλὰ λέγων ἐτύμοισιν ὁμοῖα:

Speaking he <Odysseus> made many falsehoods [of his tale] seem like the truth
[falsehoods ≈ truth] Narrator
***
Odyssey Book 20 (υ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (14) [Odysseus growls with indignation ≈ a dog growls at a stranger]
#2 (25) [Odysseus turned from side to side thinking ≈ both a cook and a cooking
sausage being turned from side to side]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3* (194) [Odysseus as beggar ≈ royal king]
#4* (362) [conditions in hall of suitors ≈ night]

***

κραδίη δέ οἱ ἔνδον ὑλάκτει.

1 (14) ὡς δὲ κύων ἀμαλῇσι περὶ σκυλάκεσσι βεβῶσα

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ἄνδρ᾽ ἀγνοιήσασ᾽ ὑλάει μέμονέν τε μάχεσθαι, 15

ὥς ῥα τοῦ ἔνδον ὑλάκτει ἀγαιομένου κακὰ ἔργα.

His heart growled within him <Odysseus>, and as a dog walking around [her] tender
puppies / not recognizing a man, growls and wants to fight, so his [heart] within
growled with indignation at their evil deeds.
[Odysseus growls with indignation ≈ a dog growls at a stranger] Narrator

See Rose 1979 for a discussion of the unusual use of ὑλάκτει in this simile and its
relationship to other similes related to Odysseus' mental state.
***

ἀτὰρ αὐτὸς ἑλίσσετο ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα.

2 (25) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε γαστέρ᾽ ἀνὴρ πολέος πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο, 25
ἐμπλείην κνίσης τε καὶ αἵματος, ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα
αἰόλλῃ, μάλα δ᾽ ὦκα λιλαίεται ὀπτηθῆναι,
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα ἑλίσσετο, μερμηρίζων
ὅππως δὴ μνηστῆρσιν ἀναιδέσι χεῖρας ἐφήσει
μοῦνος ἐὼν πολέσι. 30

But he turned himself from side to side. / And as when a man with a large fire
burning turns a sausage, / filled with fat and blood, rapidly from side to side, / and he
longs for it to be cooked very quickly / thus he turned himself about from side to
side, pondering all the time /how he would put his hands on [attack] the wicked suitors,
being one against many.
[Odysseus turned from side to side thinking ≈ both a cook and a cooking sausage being
turned from side to side] Narrator

Note: On Odysseus as both cook and sausage, see Rutherford (1992) 206.
***

…ποῦ δέ νύ οἱ γενεὴ καὶ πατρὶς ἄρουρα;

3* (194) δύσμορος, ἦ τε ἔοικε δέμας βασιλῆϊ ἄνακτι:

‘Where are his family and his native field? / Unlucky man <Odysseus in disguise>! Yet
truly in form he is like a royal king;’
[Odysseus as beggar ≈ royal king] Philoetius, a herdsman
***

ἀλλά μιν αἶψα, νέοι, δόμου ἐκπέμψασθε θύραζε

4* (362) εἰς ἀγορὴν ἔρχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ τάδε νυκτὶ ἐΐσκει.

‘Quick, young men, send him <Theoclymenus> out of doors / to go to the assembly
place, since these conditions here are like night [to him].’

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[conditions in hall of suitors ≈ night] Eurymachus, a suitor

The comparison of the conditions in the hall to night picks up on the imagery of night
and darkness in the dire figurative prediction of Theoclymenus in lines 352–358 (see
metaphor 20.352 below). Perhaps Eurymachus is facetiously suggesting that the cure
for the darkness Theoclymenus sees is to be taken outside to the light.
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

…σχεδόθεν δέ οἱ ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη 30

20:31* οὐρανόθεν καταβᾶσα: δέμας δ᾽ ἤϊκτο γυναικί:

Then Athena came down from heaven and drew near to him in the likeness of a
woman
[Athena ≈ woman] Narrator
***

Metaphor:

20:352* ἆ δειλοί, τί κακὸν τόδε πάσχετε; νυκτὶ μὲν ὑμέων

εἰλύαται κεφαλαί τε πρόσωπά τε νέρθε τε γοῦνα.
οἰμωγὴ δὲ δέδηε, δεδάκρυνται δὲ παρειαί,
αἵματι δ᾽ ἐρράδαται τοῖχοι καλαί τε μεσόδμαι: 355
εἰδώλων δὲ πλέον πρόθυρον, πλείη δὲ καὶ αὐλή,
ἱεμένων Ἔρεβόσδε ὑπὸ ζόφον: ἠέλιος δὲ
οὐρανοῦ ἐξαπόλωλε, κακὴ δ᾽ ἐπιδέδρομεν ἀχλύς.

‘You poor wretches, what a trouble is this that you are suffering? Your / heads, faces
and knees below are shrouded in night. / Cries blaze, your cheeks have been
[drenched in] tears, and the walls and rafters besprinkled with blood. / The porch and
courtyard are full of ghosts, / going down to Erebus below the darkness. The sun / has
been erased from the sky. An evil mist has run over [all].’
[suitors' unawareness > intensity of cries (implied comparisons) ≈ shrouded with night >
blaze] Theoclymenus

Mythical Story or Parable:

Ἄρτεμι, πότνα θεά, θύγατερ Διός, αἴθε μοι ἤδη

ἰὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι βαλοῦσ᾽ ἐκ θυμὸν ἕλοιο
αὐτίκα νῦν, ἢ ἔπειτα μ᾽ ἀναρπάξασα θύελλα
οἴχοιτο προφέρουσα κατ᾽ ἠερόεντα κέλευθα,

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ἐν προχοῇς δὲ βάλοι ἀψορρόου Ὠκεανοῖο. 65

20: 66 ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρας ἀνέλοντο θύελλαι:
τῇσι τοκῆας μὲν φθῖσαν θεοί, αἱ δ᾽ ἐλίποντο
ὀρφαναὶ ἐν μεγάροισι, κόμισσε δὲ δῖ᾽ Ἀφροδίτη
τυρῷ καὶ μέλιτι γλυκερῷ καὶ ἡδέϊ οἴνῳ:
Ἥρη δ᾽ αὐτῇσιν περὶ πασέων δῶκε γυναικῶν 70
εἶδος καὶ πινυτήν, μῆκος δ᾽ ἔπορ᾽ Ἄρτεμις ἁγνή,
ἔργα δ᾽ Ἀθηναίη δέδαε κλυτὰ ἐργάζεσθαι.
εὖτ᾽ Ἀφροδίτη δῖα προσέστιχε μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον,
κούρῃς αἰτήσουσα τέλος θαλεροῖο γάμοιο—
ἐς Δία τερπικέραυνον, ὁ γάρ τ᾽ εὖ οἶδεν ἅπαντα, 75
μοῖράν τ᾽ ἀμμορίην τε καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων—
τόφρα δὲ τὰς κούρας ἅρπυιαι ἀνηρείψαντο
καί ῥ᾽ ἔδοσαν στυγερῇσιν ἐρινύσιν ἀμφιπολεύειν:
ὣς ἔμ᾽ ἀϊστώσειαν Ὀλύμπια δώματ᾽ ἔχοντες,
ἠέ μ᾽ ἐϋπλόκαμος βάλοι Ἄρτεμις, 80

‘Artemis, mighty goddess, daughter of Zeus, would that now / you would shoot an arrow
in my <Penelope> breast and take away my life / immediately now, or later a storm
would come and seize me / taking me away over the murky paths, / and cast me forth
at the mouth of backward-flowing Oceanus, / as when storm-winds bore away the
daughters of Pandareus. / The gods killed their parents, and they were left / orphans
in the halls, and fair Aphrodite took care [of them] / with cheese and sweet honeyed
pleasant wine, / and, beyond all women, Hera gave them / beauty and wisdom, and
chaste Artemis gave them stature, / and Athena taught them to make glorious
handiworks. While fair Aphrodite was going to high Olympus, / asking for completion of
a happy marriage for the maidens — / going to Zeus who delights in thunder and knows
well all things, / both happiness and unhappiness of mortal men — / meanwhile the
spirits of the storm snatched up the girls / and gave them to Erinyes to take care of. /
Would that even so those who have dwellings on Olympus might obliterate me, or
that fair-haired Artemis might hit me.’
[winds and gods sweep away Penelope ≈ Harpies snatch up daughters of Pandareus]
Penelope

This is counted as a simile by Lee.

* **

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 21 (φ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (48) [doors bellowed ≈ a bull bellows]
#2 (406) [Odysseus strung the bow ≈ a musician strings a lyre]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#3 (411) [string of Odysseus bow ≈ the voice of a swallow]

***

αὐτίκ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἥ γ᾽ ἱμάντα θοῶς ἀπέλυσε κορώνης,

ἐν δὲ κληῗδ᾽ ἧκε, θυρέων δ᾽ ἀνέκοπτεν ὀχῆας
1 (48) ἄντα τιτυσκομένη: τὰ δ᾽ ἀνέβραχεν ἠΰτε ταῦρος
βοσκόμενος λειμῶνι: τόσ᾽ ἔβραχε καλὰ θύρετρα
πληγέντα κληΐδι, πετάσθησαν δέ οἱ ὦκα. 50

Immediately she released the thong from the handle / and inserted the key, and she
shot back the bolts / aiming straight. And they bellowed as a bull [bellows] / when
grazing in a meadow, so loudly the fair doors bellowed, / struck by the key; and
quickly they flew open before her.
[doors bellowed ≈ a bull bellows] Narrator

Note: see Anhalt 1997.

***

ὣς ἄρ᾽ ἔφαν μνηστῆρες: ἀτὰρ πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς,

αὐτίκ᾽ ἐπεὶ μέγα τόξον ἐβάστασε καὶ ἴδε πάντη, 405
2 (406) ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ φόρμιγγος ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἀοιδῆς
ῥηϊδίως ἐτάνυσσε νέῳ περὶ κόλλοπι χορδήν,
ἅψας ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἐϋστρεφὲς ἔντερον οἰός,
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ἄτερ σπουδῆς τάνυσεν μέγα τόξον Ὀδυσσεύς.
δεξιτερῇ ἄρα χειρὶ λαβὼν πειρήσατο νευρῆς: 410
3 (411) ἡ δ᾽ ὑπὸ καλὸν ἄεισε, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη αὐδήν.

So spoke the suitors, but Odysseus of many wiles, / as soon as he had lifted the great
bow and scanned it on every side / as when a man well-skilled in the lyre and in
song / easily stretches the string about a new peg, / making fast at either end the
twisted sheep-gut / so without effort did Odysseus string the great bow. / And he held

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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it in his right hand, and tried the string, which sang sweetly beneath his touch, like
to a swallow in tone.
#2 (406) [Odysseus strung the bow ≈ a musician strings a lyre]
#3 (411) [bow string ≈ the voice of a swallow] Narrator

See Ready 2010 for a discussion of the significance of the comparison of a musician
repairing his lyre to Odysseus repairing his position in his household through the use of
the bow.

Simile Book 21 #3 (411) is repeated at 22:240; the latter has been included in the
Transformation and Disguise category below.
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Divine Comparisons:

ἔνθα δὲ τόξον κεῖτο παλίντονον ἠδὲ φαρέτρη

ἰοδόκος, πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἔνεσαν στονόεντες ὀϊστοί,
δῶρα τά οἱ ξεῖνος Λακεδαίμονι δῶκε τυχήσας
21:14* Ἴφιτος Εὐρυτίδης, ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισι.

And the back-bent bow and the quiver that held the arrows lay there, / and many grief-
laden arrows were in it — / gifts which a friend of Odysseus had given him when he met
him once in Lacedaemon — Iphitus, son of Eurytus, a man like the immortals.
[Iphitus ≈ immortals] Narrator
***

…οὐδὲ τραπέζῃ 35
γνώτην ἀλλήλων: πρὶν γὰρ Διὸς υἱὸς ἔπεφνεν
21:37* Ἴφιτον Εὐρυτίδην, ἐπιείκελον ἀθανάτοισιν,
ὅς οἱ τόξον ἔδωκε…

…yet the two never knew one another at the table, for before that the son of Zeus
<Heracles> had killed / Iphitus, son of Eurytus, a man like the immortals, / who gave
Odysseus the bow.
[Iphitus ≈ immortals] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Odyssey Book 22 (χ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (299) [suitors routed by Athena’s aegis ≈ a herd of cattle driven by a gadfly]
#2 (302) [Odysseus and Telemachus > the suitors ≈ vultures > smaller birds]
#3 (384) [the suitors ≈ fish on a beach]
#4 (402) [Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors ≈ a lion after
feeding on a ox]
#5 (468) [the women who had consorted with the suitors being hanged ≈
thrushes or doves in a snare]

***

δὴ τότ᾽ Ἀθηναίη φθισίμβροτον αἰγίδ᾽ ἀνέσχεν

ὑψόθεν ἐξ ὀροφῆς: τῶν δὲ φρένες ἐπτοίηθεν.
1 (299) οἱ δ᾽ ἐφέβοντο κατὰ μέγαρον βόες ὣς ἀγελαῖαι:
τὰς μέν τ᾽ αἰόλος οἶστρος ἐφορμηθεὶς ἐδόνησεν 300
ὥρῃ ἐν εἰαρινῇ, ὅτε τ᾽ ἤματα μακρὰ πέλονται.
2 (302) οἱ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι,
ἐξ ὀρέων ἐλθόντες ἐπ᾽ ὀρνίθεσσι θόρωσι:
ταὶ μέν τ᾽ ἐν πεδίῳ νέφεα πτώσσουσαι ἵενται,
οἱ δέ τε τὰς ὀλέκουσιν ἐπάλμενοι, οὐδέ τις ἀλκὴ 305
γίγνεται οὐδὲ φυγή: χαίρουσι δέ τ᾽ ἀνέρες ἄγρῃ:
ὣς ἄρα τοὶ μνηστῆρας ἐπεσσύμενοι κατὰ δῶμα
τύπτον ἐπιστροφάδην.

Then Athena held up the man-destroying aegis / from the roof above. Their <the
suitors'> minds were terrified, / and they fled through the halls like a herd of cattle /
that a darting gadfly falls upon and drives along / in the season of spring, when the long
days come. / And as vultures of crooked talons and curved beaks / coming forth
from the mountains dart upon smaller birds, / which go over the plain avoiding the
clouds, / and the vultures pounce upon them and slay them, nor is there any defence /
or escape, and men rejoice at the chase; / thus did they <Odysseus and
Telemachus> set upon the suitors throughout the house / and strike them left and
right.
#1 (299) [suitors routed by Athena’s aegis ≈ a herd of cattle driven by a gadfly]
#2 (302) [Odysseus and Telemachus > the suitors ≈ vultures > smaller birds] Narrator
***

τοὺς δὲ ἴδεν μάλα πάντας ἐν αἵματι καὶ κονίῃσι

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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3 (384) πεπτεῶτας πολλούς, ὥστ᾽ ἰχθύας, οὕς θ᾽ ἁλιῆες

κοῖλον ἐς αἰγιαλὸν πολιῆς ἔκτοσθε θαλάσσης 385
δικτύῳ ἐξέρυσαν πολυωπῷ: οἱ δέ τε πάντες
κύμαθ᾽ ἁλὸς ποθέοντες ἐπὶ ψαμάθοισι κέχυνται:
τῶν μέν τ᾽ Ἠέλιος φαέθων ἐξείλετο θυμόν:
ὣς τότ᾽ ἄρα μνηστῆρες ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισι κέχυντο.

But he saw them one and all fallen in the blood and dust / many, like fish that
fishermen / have drawn forth upon the curving beach from the grey sea / in the meshes
of their net, and they all / lie heaped upon the sand, longing for the waves of the sea, /
and bright Helios (Sun) takes away their life; / thus then the suitors lay heaped upon
each other.
[the suitors ≈ fish on a beach] Narrator

Sluiter 2014 compares similes relating fish to Odysseus' men in Bk 12 #3 (251) and to
the suitors in Bk 22 #3 (384).
***

εὗρεν ἔπειτ᾽ Ὀδυσῆα μετὰ κταμένοισι νέκυσσιν,

4 (402) αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα,
ὅς ῥά τε βεβρωκὼς βοὸς ἔρχεται ἀγραύλοιο:
πᾶν δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ στῆθός τε παρήϊά τ᾽ ἀμφοτέρωθεν
αἱματόεντα πέλει, δεινὸς δ᾽ εἰς ὦπα ἰδέσθαι: 405
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς πεπάλακτο πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν.

There she <Eurycleia> found Odysseus amid the bodies of the slain, / befouled with
blood and filth, like a lion that comes from feeding on an ox of the farmstead, / and all
his chest and cheeks on either side / are stained with blood, and he is terrible to look
upon; / thus Odysseus was befouled on his feet and his hands above.
[Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors ≈ a lion after feeding on a ox]
Narrator
***

5 (468) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι

ἕρκει ἐνιπλήξωσι, τό θ᾽ ἑστήκῃ ἐνὶ θάμνῳ,
αὖλιν ἐσιέμεναι, στυγερὸς δ᾽ ὑπεδέξατο κοῖτος, 470
ὣς αἵ γ᾽ ἑξείης κεφαλὰς ἔχον, ἀμφὶ δὲ πάσαις
δειρῇσι βρόχοι ἦσαν, ὅπως οἴκτιστα θάνοιεν.
ἤσπαιρον δὲ πόδεσσι μίνυνθά περ οὔ τι μάλα δήν.

And as when long-winged thrushes or doves / fall into a snare that is set in a
thicket, / as they seek to reach their resting-place, and hateful is the bed that gives them
welcome, / thus the [women] held their heads in a row, and round the necks of all /

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

 back to Table of Contents

there were nooses, so that they might die most piteously. / And they writhed a little while
with their feet, but not very long.
[the women who had consorted with the suitors being hanged ≈ thrushes or doves in a
snare] Narrator

See Fulkerson 2002.

***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

22:33* ὀλέθρου πείρατ᾽ cords of destruction

***

Transformations and Disguises:

τοῖσι δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀγχίμολον θυγάτηρ Διὸς ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη, 205

22:206* Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν.

Then Athena, daughter of Zeus, drew near them, / like Mentor in form and voice,
[Athena ≈ Mentor] Narrator
***

αὐτὴ δ᾽ αἰθαλόεντος ἀνὰ μεγάροιο μέλαθρον

22:240 ἕζετ᾽ ἀναΐξασα, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη ἄντην. 240

She <Athena> flew up to the roof-beam of the smoky hall, / and sat there in the
likeness of a swallow to look upon
[Athena ≈ swallow] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Divine Comparisons:

αὐτοδίδακτος δ᾽ εἰμί, θεὸς δέ μοι ἐν φρεσὶν οἴμας

παντοίας ἐνέφυσεν: ἔοικα δέ τοι παραείδειν
22:349 ὥς τε θεῷ: τῷ με λιλαίεο δειροτομῆσαι.

‘Self-taught am I, and a god has planted in my heart all manner of lays, / and I would
sing to you / as to a god; wherefore be not eager to cut my throat.’

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[you <Odysseus> ≈ a god] Phemius the minstrel

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Odyssey Book 23 (ψ)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#4 (159) [Athena poured grace over his head and shoulders ≈ a cunning man
overlays silver with gold]
#6 (233) [Odysseus was welcome to Penelope ≈ land to ship-wrecked sailors]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#1 (48) [Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors ≈ a lion]
#2* (103) [Penelope’s heart ≈ harder than stone]
#3 (158) [Odysseus’ hair ≈ a hyacinth flower]
#5 (191) [olive tree ≈ a pillar in girth]

***

κείατ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισιν: ἰδοῦσά κε θυμὸν ἰάνθης

1 (48) αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα.

‘They lay one on the other; your <Penelope’s> heart would have been warmed, seeing /
him <Odysseus> befouled with blood and filth, like a lion.’
[Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors ≈ a lion] Eurycleia

Note: Line 48 of Book 23 does not appear in the Perseus text. The Stanford 1959 text
shows line 48 as being identical to Book 22 line 402, which is listed above as simile #4
in Book 22 above. Many editors consider the line spurious here (23.48) and omit it.
***

2* (103) σοὶ δ᾽ αἰεὶ κραδίη στερεωτέρη ἐστὶ λίθοιο.

‘Your <Penelope’s> heart is ever harder than stone.’

[Penelope’s heart ≈ harder than stone] Telemachus
***

αὐτὰρ κὰκ κεφαλῆς κάλλος πολὺ χεῦεν Ἀθήνη

μείζονά τ᾽ εἰσιδέειν καὶ πάσσονα: κὰδ δὲ κάρητος

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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3 (158) οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.

4 (159) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ
ἴδρις, ὃν Ἥφαιστος δέδαεν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη 160
τέχνην παντοίην, χαρίεντα δὲ ἔργα τελείει:
ὣς μὲν τῷ περίχευε χάριν κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ὤμοις.

And over his head Athena shed abundant beauty, / making him taller to look upon and
mightier, and from his head / she made locks to flow in curls like the hyacinth
flower. And as when a man overlays silver with gold, a cunning [workman] whom
Hephaestus and Pallas Athena have taught / all manner of craft, and he produces works
full of grace, / thus [the goddess] poured grace on his head and shoulders
#3 (158) [Odysseus’ hair ≈ a hyacinth flower]
#4 (159) [Athena poured grace over his head and shoulders ≈ a cunning man overlays
silver with gold] Narrator

Note: #3 (158), which repeats Bk 6 #5 (231), seems less suited to the context here and
is rejected by some editors.
***

θάμνος ἔφυ τανύφυλλος ἐλαίης ἕρκεος ἐντός, 190

5 (191) ἀκμηνὸς θαλέθων: πάχετος δ᾽ ἦν ἠΰτε κίων.

There was a bushy long-leafed olive tree within the court, / strong [and] vigorous, and
in girth it was like a pillar.
[olive tree ≈ a pillar in girth] Narrator
***

6 (233) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος γῆ νηχομένοισι φανήῃ,

ὧν τε Ποσειδάων εὐεργέα νῆ᾽ ἐνὶ πόντῳ
ῥαίσῃ, ἐπειγομένην ἀνέμῳ καὶ κύματι πηγῷ: 235
παῦροι δ᾽ ἐξέφυγον πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἤπειρόνδε
νηχόμενοι, πολλὴ δὲ περὶ χροῒ τέτροφεν ἅλμη,
ἀσπάσιοι δ᾽ ἐπέβαν γαίης, κακότητα φυγόντες:
ὣς ἄρα τῇ ἀσπαστὸς ἔην πόσις εἰσοροώσῃ,

And as when a welcome land appears to swimming men, / whose well-built ship on
the sea Poseidon / has struck as it was driven on by the wind and a swollen wave, / and
few have escaped from the gray sea to the shore / by swimming, and much brine has
crusted on their skin / and gladly have they set foot on land escaping from their
misfortune; / thus welcome to her was her husband as she <Penelope> gazed upon
him <Odysseus>.
[Odysseus was welcome to Penelope ≈ land to ship-wrecked sailors] Narrator
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Similar Rhetorical Figures

Metaphors:

23:172* σιδήρεον ἦτορ heart made of iron

***

Divine Comparisons:

23:163* ἐκ δ᾽ ἀσαμίνθου βῆ δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος.

And he <Odysseus> went forth from his chamber like the immortal gods to look
upon.

[Odysseus ≈ a god] Narrator

***

23:339* οἳ δή μιν περὶ κῆρι θεὸν ὣς τιμήσαντο

καὶ πέμψαν σὺν νηῒ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν, 340
χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τε ἅλις ἐσθῆτά τε δόντες.

Then how he came after many troubles to the Phaeacians, / who heartily honored him
<Odysseus>, as a god, / and sent him in a ship to his dear native land, / after giving
him bronze and plenty of gold and clothing.
[Odysseus ≈ god] Narrator
***

Odyssey Book 24 (ω)

SIMILES

SUMMARY

Scenes:
#1 (6) [the spirits of the suitors squealing ≈ bats squealing]

Short Clauses and Phrases:

#2 (148) [the web ≈ sun or moon]
#3 (538) [Odysseus ≈ an eagle]

***

1 (6) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νυκτερίδες μυχῷ ἄντρου θεσπεσίοιο

τρίζουσαι ποτέονται, ἐπεί κέ τις ἀποπέσῃσιν

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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ὁρμαθοῦ ἐκ πέτρης, ἀνά τ᾽ ἀλλήλῃσιν ἔχονται,

ὣς αἱ τετριγυῖαι ἅμ᾽ ἤϊσαν: ἦρχε δ᾽ ἄρα σφιν
Ἑρμείας ἀκάκητα κατ᾽ εὐρώεντα κέλευθα. 10

As when bats in the hollow of a prodigious cave, / fly squealing when one of them
has fallen / out of the cluster from a rock, and they are held by one another, / thus they
went squealing together and Hermes the deliverer led them down moldy paths.
[the spirits of the suitors squealing ≈ bats squealing] Narrator
***

εὖθ᾽ ἡ φᾶρος ἔδειξεν, ὑφήνασα μέγαν ἱστόν,

2 (148) πλύνασ᾽, ἠελίῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠὲ σελήνῃ,
καὶ τότε δή ῥ᾽ Ὀδυσῆα κακός ποθεν ἤγαγε δαίμων
ἀγροῦ ἐπ᾽ ἐσχατιήν, ὅθι δώματα ναῖε συβώτης. 150

‘When she had shown [us] the robe, after weaving the great web / [and] washing it,
resembling the sun or the moon, / also then some cruel god brought Odysseus from
somewhere / to the border of the field, where the swineherd dwelt in his home.’
[Penelope’s web ≈ sun or moon] Amphimedon, the son of Melaneus
***

σμερδαλέον δ᾽ ἐβόησε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,

3 (538) οἴμησεν δὲ ἀλεὶς ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις.

Terribly shouted the much-enduring, divine Odysseus, / and gathering himself together
he swooped upon them like an eagle of lofty flight.
[Odysseus ≈ an eagle] Narrator
***

Similar Rhetorical Figures

Transformations and Disguises:

αὐτὸς ἐγὼν εἶδον θεὸν ἄμβροτον, ὅς ῥ᾽ Ὀδυσῆϊ 445

24:446* ἐγγύθεν ἑστήκει καὶ Μέντορι πάντα ἐῴκει.

‘I <Medon> myself saw an immortal god <Athena>, who stood near Odysseus, / and
seemed in all things like Mentor.’
[Athena ≈ Mentor] Medon, herald in Odysseus’s house
***
τοῖσι δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀγχίμολον θυγάτηρ Διὸς ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη
24:503* Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν.

Then Athena, daughter of Zeus, drew near them / like Mentor in form and in voice,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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[Athena ≈ Mentor] Narrator

***
Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη, κούρη Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο,
24:548* Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν.

Pallas Athena, daughter of aigis-bearing Zeus, / / like Mentor in form and in voice,
[Athena ≈ Mentor] Narrator
***

Divine Comparisons:

ἐκ δ᾽ ἀσαμίνθου βῆ: θαύμαζε δέ μιν φίλος υἱός,

24: 371* ὡς ἴδεν ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιον ἄντην:

Then he <Laertes> came forth from the bath, and his dear son <Odysseus> was
amazed at him, / as he saw [him] in person like the immortal gods.
[Laertes ≈ immortal gods] Narrator

Factual Comparison:

‘αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,

24:377* οἷος Νήρικον εἷλον, ἐϋκτίμενον πτολίεθρον,
ἀκτὴν ἠπείροιο, Κεφαλλήνεσσιν ἀνάσσων,
τοῖος ἐών τοι χθιζὸς ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισιν,
τεύχε᾽ ἔχων ὤμοισιν, ἐφεστάμεναι καὶ ἀμύνειν 380
ἄνδρας μνηστῆρας:

‘O father Zeus, and Athena, and Apollo I would, / that in such strength, as when I took
Nericus, the well-built citadel / on the shore of the mainland, when I ruled the
Cephallenians, / even I were in such strength with you <Odysseus> yesterday in our
house with my armor on my shoulders and I would have defended against the suitors.’
[Laertes prayed for strength against suitors ≈ Laertes strength when Nericus captured]
Laertes
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

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Summary Remarks

A-Our Goals

A.1 Our rationale for preparing this Compendium is to provide a source for listing all the

similes in the Iliad and Odyssey in sequence, for identifying the different types, and for bringing

greater consistency to the enumeration of similes. In the Appendices we have compiled some

useful statistics about the functions and protheses of similes (Appendices I–IV), the types and

characteristics of similes (Appendices V-VI), the distribution of similes in the two epic poems

(Appendix VII), divine comparisons and transformations (Appendices VIII–IX), and various

statistics (Appendix X). (See Section C below.)

A.2 Since this is not an interpretive or analytical study but rather a collection, we have not

provided a discussion of thematically related similes or an analysis of the many similes

featuring, for example, lions, bulls or fire. Nor have we attempted to judge the date of a simile

in relation to its context. Two other interesting questions that have not been addressed are (1)

why does the Narrator add a simile to a one passage and not to another similar one? And (2)

what determines whether a simile will be short or long? For example, after Iliad 24.121 when

Thetis darts down to earth from the peaks of Olympus, a simile might easily have been

inserted, such as you find in other passages where a goddess does this, for example at Iliad

15.170:

ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ νεφέων πτῆται νιφὰς ἠὲ χάλαζα

ψυχρὴ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς αἰθρηγενέος Βορέαο,

ὣς κραιπνῶς μεμαυῖα διέπτατο ὠκέα Ἶρις,

ἀγχοῦ δ᾽ ἱσταμένη προσέφη κλυτὸν ἐννοσίγαιον:

And as when from clouds there flies snow or chill hail,

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driven by a blast of Boreas (the North Wind) born in bright heaven,

thus quickly sped in her eagerness swift Iris;

and standing near she spoke to the famous Earth-Shaker.

Similarly lions sometimes appear in brief similes (Iliad 5.476 or 15.275–276) and elsewhere in

more elaborate scenes comprising four or five lines (Iliad 15.630 or 18.823). Many long similes

(such as the one at Iliad 16.157–164) could be excised without affecting the story line or the

metrics. It is of course possible that some compositional principle influenced this (e.g.

“geometric” structure as discussed by Cedric Whitman’s Homer and the Heroic Tradition, 1958) or

that a reciter of the poem had the freedom to expand the simile according to the inspiration of

the moment.1

A.3 Other questions could be pursued: Are there fewer similes in set pieces or “type scenes”

(e.g. arming for battle, sacrifice or hospitality)? What are we to make of strange similes or odd

comparisons (e.g. Iliad 13.25 where Hector sets out like a snowy mountain: see Bradley 1967)?

Or of the frequency of multiple similes in succession or of the sequencing of similes (e.g. a

short followed by a long simile): Appendix VII?

B-The Function(s) of Similes

B.1 Many commentators, from early Greek scholiasts to modern scholars, have spoken of

similes in poetry as performing various functions. On the subject of similes in general,

Eustathius of Thessalonica (twelfth century AD) calls them one of the hêdysmata of poetry

(something which sweetens or spices), and he assigns to the simile four specific functions:

auxêsis (to supply details and to amplify the narrative); enargeia (to make it more vivid or

1
“The extension of the simile was not dictated by the details of the surrounding story or the narrative demands
of the situation within the simile; rather the decision to stop or to continue was made by the poet as he sang each
simile and attempted to achieve a certain effect in developing its particular details.” (Scott 1974:124)
 back to Table of Contents 3

actual); saphêneia (to make it clear); and poikilia (to vary or relieve monotony). According to

Snipes 1988:208–209), “[t]he poet,” writes Eustathius, “seasons his poetry with many spices,

and he has one form of such elegancies, the simile (parabolê), by means of which he

accomplishes many things beautifully.”

B.2 To some extent Eustathius’ categories also apply to prose writers. Plato, for example,

introduces similes to provide clarification of an argument (e.g. a concrete example for an

abstract discussion) or literary embellishment (even using quotations from Homer to support

an argument) or adding humorous exaggeration (not a feature of epic poetry).2 In contrast to

Plato, however, Homer does not need to use similes to define abstract subjects (tenors like

truth, speech, argument) since the majority of Homeric similes illustrate specific subjects like

the heroes of epic.

B.3 In modern times scholars have introduced different terminology that overlaps or

expands upon Eustathius’ functions. Lee’s four categories (Lee 1964), for example, are not so

much categories of function as of type, although he does specify one function as the need for

fighting passages “to be relieved of monotony by continual breaks [i.e. poikilia], with reference

to lions, storms, etc.” (p5). Lee believes that most similes were added by reciters long after the

original composition of the Iliad. The four types that he names are (1) ordinary speech, (2) the

straightforward, close comparison, (3) direct comparison that “goes on irrelevantly,” and (4)

”the simile which does not compare, the comparison which does not illustrate . . . In the

Odyssey nearly all the similes are very simple, of type 1 or type 2; very few are of type 3, and

none are of type 4” (p6).

2
Clarification: will power is like the rudder of a ship [Cleitophon 1]; humorous exaggeration: “I began to turn like
a fish caught in a net [Euthydemus 15]. See Ziolkowski 2014 Conclusion, where the following functions of Plato’s
similes are listed: (a) clarification by visualization (abstract tenor, usually with a concrete vehicle); (b) verbal
clarification (concrete tenors with vivid verbs); (c) clarification by differentiation (telling what something is
NOT); (d) literary embellishment; and (e) humorous exaggeration.
 back to Table of Contents 4

B.4 Wace 1962:70 in explaining why the Iliad has four times as many similes as the Odyssey

says “that is because it deals with battle-scenes, where they are needed to relieve the

monotony, and that is why in it 164 are in battle-scenes and 38 outside them.” “In the same

way similes are used to end scenes both large and small . . . Hector’s first attack on the

Achaeans ends with the Trojan watch-fires burning like stars around the moon (Iliad 7.555–

559).” (p71)

B.5 Postlethwaite 2000:16 contrasts the way similes break up the long descriptions of

battles and dying warriors “by adding to them a variety of detail; in contrast, in dramatic

scenes where speeches predominate, similes are very rare. Similes establish the closest bond

between the poet and his audience . . . the poet relates his description to the everyday

experience of his audience.” He speaks particularly of “extended similes”.

B.6 A more recent scholar (Rood 2008:19) cites three conclusions that “have emerged in

recent years about the subject matter of Iliadic similes. First, their content falls into three

groups: (a) weather and other natural phenomena; (b) hunting and herding; and (c) human

technology. Second, contrary to the old idea that similes provide relief from the relentless

violence of war, the similes of type (a) and (b) also depict violence, the kind inherent in nature

and animals. Her paper considers the technological similes of the Iliad in order to show that

“they do not contrast with the context of the poem but, on the contrary, enhance the cultural

aspect of the war and the poem's function of creating undying glory, kleos aphthiton.” (pp19–

20)

B.7 Scott 2009, on the other hand, selects certain books of the Iliad and the Odyssey and

categorizes the similes in them according to their narrative function: “Similes that aid in the

delineation of character and plot” (Iliad 2, 11, 21, and 22), “Similes as markers in shifting
 back to Table of Contents 5

scenes” (Iliad 5 and 12; Odyssey 5 and 22). In his earlier book (1974) he includes terms in his

Appendix that suggest function (e.g. “anger”, “joy”).

B.8 Another scholar (De Jong 2012), like Eustathius, also identifies four functions of

Homeric similes — in addition to “a mere illustrating function” (p23). She calls these “pathetic”

(illustrating “the pathos that the narrator feels attached to human effort”), “anticipatory” (“or

prolepsis, as when Hector is compared to a boar or a lion that feels no fear when facing a mass

of hunters,” p24), “characterizing” (similes that “run through the poem or parts of the poem

by way of a leitmotif and acquire a thematic function”, p24) and “structuring” (more than

poikilia to avoid monotony, but rather “a particularly powerful means of establishing

connections between different parts of the story”, pp24–25). These terms reveal a more

sophisticated effort to understand similes as they are related to other similes in the poem and

to the attitude of the poet. Where Eustathius interprets similes as they relate to the specific

context of the text, many modern scholars try to determine their function in the larger

scheme of the poem. Thus we find a variety of functions attributed to similes, although the

most common single explanation is that they offer relief from the narrative (Moulton 1974) or,

especially in the Iliad, lend variety and contrast to the narrative (Porter 1972).3

B.9 Our efforts have concentrated on describing the similes within their immediate

context. In this sense “function” refers to the more “illustrative purpose” of helping the

listener/reader visualize the action, usually by comparing it to something that sheds light on

or embellishes it. In Appendix I we have cited various “functions” of this type for all the

similes in our Compendium.

3
See Bassett 1921:134 for a survey of other scholars and functions.
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C-Summary of Appendices

Appendix I: Similes Attached to Vehicles

C.1 By classifying the vehicles of all the similes according to four basic groups (human

activities, natural phenomena, the animal world and the vegetable world) plus one minor

group (divine), we can compare one aspect of the function of all the similes. This arrangement

is less complex than Wilkins’ very detailed classification, which also has a different purpose

(“to present the entire body of them in a clear-cut, scientifically arranged outline” [Wilkins

1920:147]). From the two color pie charts provided, it can be seen that more of the similes in

the Odyssey (43%) are associated with human activities than is the case for the Iliad (29%). On

the other hand, the Iliad makes more use of natural phenomena (31%) than the Odyssey (18%);

animals and natural phenomena are often found in the numerous descriptions associated with

battles and combat.

Appendix II: Similes Attached to Tenors

C.2 As seen in Appendix I, others have categorized the similes of the Iliad and Odyssey by the

type of vehicles used in the similes. (Examples of other detailed listings include Wilkins 1920

and Lee 1964.) This appendix categorizes these similes by the type of tenor. Broad categories

are used with subcategories where appropriate. For example, in the Iliad separate categories

are provided for Greek Individuals and Trojan Individuals with subcategories for the individual

heroes. A number of similes involve more than one individual or category. The following

observations can be made concerning this categorization: (a) People are the focus of the

similes more than things or the world they live in. (b) 18% of the similes in the Iliad have

multiple tenors and 11% of the similes in the Odyssey have multiple tenors. The higher

percentage for the Iliad is largely a result of similes used to describe battles and combats

between individuals.
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Appendix III: Protheses

C.3.1 Most Homeric similes are introduced by sixteen prothetic words: ἀλίγκιος,

ἀτάλαντος, δέμας, εἴκελος, ἐΐσκω, ἐναλίγκιον, ἔοικα, ἦμος, ἠΰτε, ἰκέλη, ἶσος, οἷος, ὅμοιος,

ὅσσος, φὴ, ὡς (+ ὡς εἰ, ὡς ὁπότε, ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε, ὥς τε). In addition, some similes are expressed

without a prothetic word, with the comparison contained in a comparative adjective followed

by the genitive case, as in Iliad 1.249: τοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή (“from

whose tongue flowed speech sweeter than honey”). In a few examples the comparison is

expressed by the genitive case with the verb ἔχων + accusative, as in Iliad 16.752: οἶμα λέοντος

ἔχων (having the rush of a lion).

C.3.2 There is also a group of similes that are introduced by words like οἷά and ὅσσον

expressing abstract qualities (distance, quantity, volume etc.), as at Iliad 9.385: οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι τόσα

δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε (“not even if he should give me as many gifts as the sand and

dust”) or Odyssey 9.473: ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας (“But when I was as far

away as a man's voice carries when he shouts”).

C.3.3 Thus there would seem to be many more protheses in Greek than in English (as, like,

than etc.). Some prothesis types are used sparingly, others are used predominately for scene

similes. The frequency of types does not differ much between the Iliad and Odyssey. Pie charts

in Appendix III show the relative frequency of the different types. The Iliad and Odyssey have

similar distributions of protheses (cf. the pie charts of percentages of protheses). Furthermore,

the distribution of protheses for scene similes is similar for the both poems.

Appendix IV: Location of Protheses Within the Lines of the Iliad and Odyssey

C.4.1 This appendix provides a compilation of the location of the protheses within each

line. Three categories of line location are considered: (1) the prothesis begins in the first two

feet; (2) the prothesis is in feet 3–4; (3) the prothesis is in feet 5–6. We call these the ‘Beginning’
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of the line, the ‘Middle’ and the ‘End’. What can be learned from grouping the similes by

position in each verse? In the first place, patterns appear when we see that some protheses are

more common at the beginning of a line (like ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε and ὡς δὲ) and others at the end

(ἐοικώς and ἶσος); and some like ἠΰτε at both the beginning and the end. Secondly this kind of

presentation will be useful in determining which similes (and how many) could conclude at the

end of a line rather than continuing. Often (50% of the time) similes have the prothesis at the

beginning of a line and continue for one or more verses (taking illustrations from the Iliad):

3.3 ἠΰτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων πέλει οὐρανόθι πρό: +

3.23 ὥς τε λέων ἐχάρη μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ σώματι κύρσας +

3.33 ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε δράκοντα ἰδὼν παλίνορσος ἀπέστη +

Some have the prothesis in the middle of a line (feet 3–4):

1 2 3 4 5 6

— —/ — —/ —〰/—〰 / — 〰 / ——

3.151 ἐσθλοί, τεττίγεσσιν ἐοικότες οἵ τε καθ᾽ ὕλην

1 2 3 4 5 6

—〰 /—〰 / — 〰 /—〰 / — 〰/——

3.222 καὶ ἔπεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίῃσιν

An equal number have the prothesis at the end of a verse (feet 5–6) and some end there

abruptly:
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1 2 3 4 5 6

— —/ — — / —〰 /—— / —〰 /——

3.2 Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽ ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν ὄρνιθες ὣς

(the Trojans with a shriek and a battle cry advanced like birds)

— 〰/ — 〰 / —〰/—— /—〰 /——

3.449 Ἀτρεΐδης δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἐφοίτα θηρὶ ἐοικὼς

(The son of Atreus <Menelaus> strode among the throng like a wild animal)

Homer chooses to prolong the simile at 3.2 by adding another description of shrieking cranes,

which ends at 3.7. The question arises: What determines whether such [a] simile continued?

Dramatic considerations (not wanting to break the action)? Poetic license? See Scott 1974:140–

161 for a discussion of Methods of Extending the Simile.

C.4.2 To conclude, we point out some statistics from this Appendix. From the Tables 1

and 2 in IV-C we see that the totals for both poems are as follows:

Iliad: 180 (first 2 feet) + 85 (2nd) + 79 (3rd) = 344;

Odyssey: 64 (first) + 33 (2nd) + 31 (3rd) = 128;

Thus it appears that the proportion of protheses in the second and third sections of the line

are about equal in both poems (23% – 25%).4 Consequently half of the protheses occur in the

first section of each line (Iliad, 180/344 = 52%; Odyssey, 64/128 = 50%). This is an extraordinary

coincidence: that both epic poems show almost identical patterns of prothesis placement.

C.4.3 From Appendix IV-C we can draw some conclusions: εἴκελος and ἔοικα

predominate in the middle and end (in both poems); ἠύτε at beginning and end; ἴσος at end

4
In the Iliad 85/344 = 25%; 79/344 = 23%; in the Odyssey 33/128 = 25% and 31/128 = 24%.
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οἷος at beginning, ὅσσος at the beginning and middle, ὣς in all 3 positions but more at

beginning, ὡς ὅτε and ὥς τε definitely at the beginning. The Odyssey does not vary significantly

from the Iliad in these matters.

Appendix V: Types of Similes

C.5.1 (V-A) In this Appendix we collect various types of similes, such as (A) Multiple-

Vehicle Similes, (B) Negative, (C) Repeated, and (D) Similetic Adjectives, Adverbs and Verbs (a

few illustrations from the Iliad). Double vehicles (“Either-or”) are numerous (21 in Iliad, 11 in

Odyssey), and there are also five triple-vehicle similes in the Iliad. It is not easy to say whether

the effect of such combinations is literary or merely metrical. Eight of the 26 multiple-vehicle

similes in the Iliad are spoken by characters; four out of 11 in the Odyssey. It is an interesting

feature because it raises the question of why they are there. Most similes have one vehicle that

is appropriate for the comparison intended. In some cases having an alternative dilutes the

effect, since it makes the comparison seem more casual and less specific: e.g. comparing Hector

and Ajax to carnivorous lions or wild boars (Iliad 7.256). Is it merely a metrical device to fill out

a section of the verse? On the other hand, combining two categories — that Hector is (not) a

puny boy or a woman (Iliad 7.235) — does add to the implied insult. Scott 1974:91 includes a

brief discussion of some of these “alternate categories of simile subjects” without coming to

any firm conclusion (p95: “a modern critic cannot hope to delineate Homer’s idiosyncratic

stylistic features”).

C.5.2 (V-B) Negative similes (eight) in the Iliad are almost always found in dialogue with the

imperative (as at 20.200: “Do not expect with words to frighten me like a child”), the exception

being Idomeneus at Iliad 13.470: But fear did not seize Idomeneus like some darling child, but

he remained like a boar in the mountains (Narrator). The four occurrences in the Odyssey, also

in dialogue, simply negate something (“Odysseus, you don’t seem to be a man skilled in
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contests” [Odyssey 8.164]). Thus in epic poetry negative similes are primarily conversational

alternatives used to emphasize a positive expression.

C.5.3 (V-C) This section identifies ‘Repeated Similes’: (A) twenty-four in the Iliad, nine in

the Odyssey and (B) seven short similes that are the same in both epics. Scott 1974 devotes a

long section of Chapter V to this topic and concludes (p138) that “ill-matched similes or, in

fact, misfits could be at times expected, though they probably would not be regarded as misfits

by the poet who . . . was trying to achieve only a basic match to his narrative.” On the other

hand, Beye 1984:10 says (regarding Iliad 6.506–507 = 15.263–264) that “[t]he disparity in

contextual relevance makes the repetition troublesome.” The long section of repeated lines (at

Iliad 11.550–555 and Iliad 17.659–664) is particularly striking.

Appendix VI: Summary of Simile Characteristics

C.6 Tables VI-1 and VI-2 show many of the simile characteristics described in other

appendices, including the book and line numbers, vehicle, tenor, prothesis type and speaker.

Particularly useful is the depiction of clusters of closely-spaced similes that are highlighted in

light green (for similes that are thematically connected) or light blue (similes that are

unrelated). Thus one can see easily the division between “Scenes” and “Short Clauses and

Phrases”. The Iliad has 112 short Similes, which is 32% of the total (344). The Odyssey, on the

other hand, has a much higher percentage (58%) of short similes (74 out of 128 total). There are

even more if you consider that many of the “scene” similes are quite brief themselves. What is

the explanation? The simple reply would be to point out the more tragic nature of the Iliad

with its numerous battle scenes where many detailed similes appear. The need for variety and

retardation of action adds to this. In the Odyssey the story moves forward with more speed,

with more variety supplied by the adventuresome plot. Scott 1974:54, however, thinks that the

distinction between short comparisons and long descriptive similes is “probably deceptive. The
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poet’s urge to include a simile would be satisfied equally by a long simile or by a short

comparison.”

App. VII: Distribution of Similes

C.7.1 This appendix provides several methods of showing the distribution of single

similes as well as clusters in the two epic poems. From two tables in VII-A one can see how

many similes occur in blocks of 100 lines starting from the beginning of each book. The three

tables in VII-B (VII-3, VII-4, VII-5) provide a more quantitative listing of the locations and

lengths of the similes. The density of similes in the Iliad is twice as high (about 2 per 100 lines)

as that in the Odyssey (about 1 per 100 lines). In the Iliad, similes occupy 780 lines, which is 5

percent of the poem. In the Odyssey, the 203 lines in the similes occupy 1.7 percent of the

poem, which is a third as much as the Iliad; the lower percentage for the Odyssey is a result of

the smaller number of similes and the shorter average length of similes in the Odyssey (1.6

lines) compared to the Iliad (2.3 lines).

C.7.2 The evaluation of the distribution of similes in both the Iliad and the Odyssey

shows more clusters of two or three closely-spaced similes (spacing of less than 8 lines) than

would be expected for a random distribution of the similes. Table VII-8a and VII-8b show that

most of these small clusters (52 clusters involving 115 similes in the Iliad and 19 clusters

involving 40 similes in the Odyssey) are related to each other in the subject matter being

illustrated. In the Iliad, similes in seven of the closely-spaced pairs differ from each other in

their subject matter as shown in Table VII-9.

C.7.3 In the Iliad, there are also substantially more large clusters of four or more

closely-spaced similes than would be expected for a random distribution of similes. These

seven clusters of closely-spaced similes of four to six similes are used to describe battles or the
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13

armies and combatants entering battles. In the Odyssey, there are no similar large clusters of

four or more closely spaced similes.

C.7.4 In the Iliad, the nine large gaps of greater than 200 lines without similes is far

greater than expected for a random distribution of similes. Table VII-10 shows that these large

gaps without similes cover such subjects as speeches, meetings, the interventions and quarrels

of the gods, and lists (i.e., catalog of ships and Agamemnon’s gift list to appease Achilles).

Battles and combats play a small role in these large gaps. In the Odyssey, the number (17) of

gaps of greater than 200 lines without similes is consistent with a random distribution of the

similes.

Appendix VIII: Divine Comparisons

C.8 At the end of each book of the two epics we have compiled statistics about similar

rhetorical figures, some of which may be considered similes by other scholars. The two main

categories are what we call Divine Comparisons and Transformations and Disguises. In

Appendix VIII adjectives like ἀντίθεος are listed with their frequency in the Iliad and Odyssey,

followed by a detailed analysis of the names to which these adjectives are attached, where they

occur and the number of occurrences. Nine such adjectives and seventeen similar words like

ἀτάλαντος and ἶσος are listed in this fashion, first from the Iliad and then in the Odyssey.

Appendix IX: Transformations and Disguises

C.9 In both epics characters are transformed or disguised. The descriptions of many of

these transformations and disguises take the form of similes with a tenor (i.e. character being

transformed) and vehicle (i.e. transformed or disguised being). The first table in this Appendix

summarizes the eight protheses used for these transformations and the subsequent tables list

the specific occurrences in the Iliad and Odyssey (including those with no prothesis). This
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category is distinguished from similes by the fact that physical and not figurative changes are

described in language that otherwise would indicate similes.

Appendix X: Varia

C.10.1 Here (A) we cite the (27) similes that are not included in Lee’s List A of the Iliad as

well as those (28) of the Odyssey. Next (B) are listed Lee’s (13) similes from the Iliad and (19)

from the Odyssey that are regarded primarily as “Divine Comparisons” in this Compendium.

The third section (C) provides Tables (X-1 and 2) with some statistics about similes, Divine

Comparisons, and Transformations and Disguises. In contrast to the Iliad’s more frequent use

of similes, the Iliad and Odyssey have roughly the same frequencies of Divine Comparisons and

Transformations and Disguises. The fourth section (D) tabulates the number of similes spoken

by the Narrator and various speakers in the Iliad and Odyssey (Tables X-3 through X-6) plus a

brief comparison of average lengths of similes (Table X-7).

C.10.2 We may observe that in the Iliad the Narrator (Homer) speaks about 83% of the 344

similes, especially those used for battles and combat scenes. The 59 similes spoken by others

occur at a rate of about 0.38 per 100 lines and are about half as long (1.1 lines average length

per simile) compared to those spoken by the Narrator (2.5 lines per simile). After the Narrator,

Achilles is speaker of “not only the greatest number (8 [9 in this Compendium], as against

Hector 5 [7 in this Compendium]), but also the longest (9.323–327 . . . 16.7–11). His fondness for

similes has been qualified as a characterising trait by scholars.” (De Jong 2012:125–126)

C.10.3 In the Odyssey the Narrator delivers fewer than half of the similes, with Odysseus

contributing about 27% (34 similes). Twenty-seven of these similes occur in Books 9 to 12

where Odysseus takes over the role of narrator by telling his tale to the Phaeacians. Excluding

the similes spoken by the Narrator or Odysseus as narrator, there are about 48 similes spoken

by others (about 0.4 similes per 100 lines). The average length of the similes spoken by the
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Narrator (2.1 lines per simile) is nearly twice as long as the similes spoken by others including

Odysseus. Women use similes: the Housekeeper, Thetis, and Hecuba in the Iliad; of course

there are many more women in the Odyssey.5

5
“Whereas only one seventh of the similes in the Iliad occur in speeches, the proportion in the Odyssey is nearly
one third, and almost one half if we count the similes in Odysseus’ narrative in 9–12.” Note 9: “In the Iliad, only
quite brief comparisons are found in speeches.” Moulton 1977:118.
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Appendix I
Vehicles in Similes in the Iliad (A) and the Odyssey (B)

This Appendix provides listings of the similes by book showing the functions of the
vehicles.

The following is an example from Iliad Book 2 of the format used to show the functions
and vehicles of the similes:

#1 (87)+ ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων

animal tribes of bees → tribes of Argives
where:

#1 Index of simile in the Book’s list of similes ( when * is

appended, the simile is not included in Lee list)
(87) Line number of prothesis for simile in book (+
indicates a longer, scene simile; otherwise, simile is
short clause or phrase)
ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων Greek text (from Perseus) of prothesis & vehicle
animal Functional category of vehicle. See below for the
categories used to distinguish the various vehicles
swarms of bees Vehicle translated
→ Portrays
movement of Argive troops Tenor translated

Thus, in simile #1 of Book 2 at line 87, ‘tribes of bees’ — a type of animal — is used to
portray or help us visualize the movement of Argive troops.

The following functional categories are used to distinguish the various vehicles. The
colors show the general categories.

1. Human Activities (shown in red)

a. Behaviors
b. Family
c. Farming (including plant growing and animal husbandry)
d. Hunting / Fishing
e. Technology (including architecture, arts, crafts)
f. Warfare

2. Phenomena (e.g., sky, weather, water, fire, inanimate materials) (shown in blue)

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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3. Animals (shown in brown)

4. Plants (shown in green)

5. Divine Activities (shown in purple)

The charts on the next page show the distribution of vehicles among these functional
categories.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Vehicle Types in the Iliad

Divine
Plant
6% 1%

Human
Activities
29%
Animal
33%

Phenomen
a
31%

Vehicle Types in the Odyssey

PlantDivine
6% 2%

Human
Activities
Animal
43%
32%

Phenomen
a
18%

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Appendix I-A
Vehicles in Similes in the Iliad (A)

Book 1 (Α) 4 similes / 611 verses

#1 (47) ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς
phenomena night → Apollo coming
#2 (104) ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐΐκτην
phenomena fire → eyes
#3* (249) μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή
animal honey → Nestor’s voice
#4 (359) ἠΰτ᾽ ὀμίχλη [Thetis]
phenomena mist → Thetis

Book 2 (Β) 21 / 877

#1 (87)+ ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων
animal tribes of bees → tribes of Argives
#2 (144)+ ἀγορὴ φὴ κύματα μακρὰ θαλάσσης
phenomena waves in the sea → movement of the assembly
#3 (147)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κινήσῃ Ζέφυρος βαθὺ λήϊον
phenomena field of grain stirred by wind → whole assembly stirred
#4 (190) οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς δειδίσσεσθαι
behavior a coward→ Achaean leader
#5 (209)+ στρατόν . . . ὡς ὅτε κῦμα
phenomena thunder of wave → clamor of army
#6 (289) ὥς τε γὰρ ἢ παῖδες νεαροὶ χῆραί τε γυναῖκες
behavior little children or widows→ Argives wailing to return home
#7* (326)+ ὡς οὗτος κατὰ τέκνα φάγε στρουθοῖο καὶ αὐτὴν
animal a snake devouring a sparrow+ 8 little ones → 9 years to take Troy
#8* (337) ‘ὦ πόποι ἦ δὴ παισὶν ἐοικότες ἀγοράασθε
behavior boys → Nestor belittles the Argives
#9 (394)+ Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγ᾽ ἴαχον ὡς ὅτε κῦμα
phenomena wave → Argives shouting
#10 (455)+ ἠΰτε πῦρ ἀΐδηλον ἐπιφλέγει . . . αὐγή. . . χαλκοῦ
phenomena glare of fire→ gleam of bronze as Argives march
#11 (459)+ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ
animal geese, cranes or swans → Achaeans pouring from their ships

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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#12 (468) μυρίοι, ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα

plant leaves+flowers → numberless Achaeans
#13 (469)+ ἠΰτε μυιάων ἁδινάων ἔθνεα πολλὰ
animal countless flies → numbers of Achaeans ready to fight Trojans
#14 (474)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰπόλια πλατέ᾽ αἰγῶν αἰπόλοι ἄνδρες
farming goatherds separating goats → Achaean leaders marshaling their troops
#15 (480)+ ἠΰτε βοῦς . . . τοῖον ἄρ᾽ Ἀτρεΐδην θῆκε Ζεὺς
animal bull among the herd → Agamemnon among the Achaeans
#16 (754) ἐπιρρέει ἠΰτ᾽ ἔλαιον
plant olive oil over water → river Titaressus apart from the Peneius
#17 (764) ἵπποι … ἔλαυνε ποδώκεας ὄρνιθας ὣς
animal swift birds → horses of Eumelas
#18 (780) οἳ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴσαν ὡς εἴ τε πυρὶ χθὼν πᾶσα νέμοιτο
phenomena fire over the land → army marching
#19 (781)+ γαῖα δ᾽ ὑπεστενάχιζε Διὶ ὣς τερπικεραύνῳ
phenomena Zeus’ lashing earth → earth under marching Argives
#20 (800) φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἢ ψαμάθοισιν
plant leaves or sand → marching Argives
#21 (872) πόλεμον δ᾽ ἴεν ἠΰτε κούρη
behavior girl → Nastes uselessly decked in gold

Book 3 (Γ) 15 / 461

#1 (2) Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽ ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν ὄρνιθες ὣς
animal birds → sound of Trojans
#2 (3)+ ἠΰτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων
animal shriek of cranes → shriek of Trojans
#3 (10)+ εὖτ᾽ Νότος κατέχευεν ὀμίχλην
phenomena fog spread by south wind→ dense dust raised by advancing army
#4* (11) κλέπτῃ νυκτὸς ἀμείνω
phenomena better than night for a thief → fog
#5* (12) τόσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἐπιλεύσσει ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ λᾶαν ἵησιν
behavior a stone’s throw → visibility distance in dust
#6 (23)+ ὥς τε λέων ἐχάρη
animal hungry lion → Menelaus seeing Alexander
#7 (33)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε δράκοντα ἰδὼν
animal a man seeing a snake → Alexander seeing Menelaus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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#8 (60)+ τοι κραδίη πέλεκυς ὥς ἐστιν ἀτειρὴς

technology an axe → Hector’s unyielding heart
#9 (151)+ ἐσθλοί, τεττίγεσσιν ἐοικότες
animal cicadas → Trojan leaders
#10 (196) αὐτὸς δὲ κτίλος ὣς ἐπιπωλεῖται
animal lead ram → Odysseus
#11 (197)+ ἀρνειῷ μιν ἔγωγε ἐΐσκω
animal a ram among ewes → Odysseus as leader among men
#12* (219) ἀλλ᾽ ἀστεμφὲς ἔχεσκεν ἀΐδρεϊ φωτὶ ἐοικώς
behavior ignorant man → Odysseus holding his staff
#13 (222) καὶ ἔπεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίῃσιν
phenomena snowflakes → Odysseus’ prolixity
#14 (449) Ἀτρεΐδης δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἐφοίτα θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
animal a wild animal → Menelaus looking for Alexander
#15* (454) ἶσον γάρ σφιν πᾶσιν ἀπήχθετο κηρὶ μελαίνῃ
behavior black death → universal hatred of Paris

Book 4 (Δ) 13 / 544

#1 (75)+ οἷον δ᾽ ἀστέρα ἧκε Κρόνου πάϊς
phenomena star as portent → Athena
#2 (130)+ ἣ δὲ τόσον μὲν ἔεργεν ἀπὸ χροὸς ὡς ὅτε μήτηρ
family mother keeps fly away from child → Athena keeps arrow from Menelaus
#3 (141)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τ᾽ ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ
technology a woman staining ivory with scarlet → blood on Menelaus’ thigh
#4 (243)+ ἔστητε τεθηπότες ἠΰτε νεβροί
animal timid fawns → Agamemnon’s rebuke to Argives
#5 (253) Ἰδομενεὺς μὲν ἐνὶ προμάχοις συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκήν
animal a wild boar → valor of Idomeneus
#6 (275)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδεν νέφος αἰπόλος ἀνὴρ
phenomena a cloud coming over the sea → the Achaean phalanxes
#7* (277) τῷ δέ τ᾽ ἄνευθεν ἐόντι μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα
technology pitch → color of the cloud
#8 (422)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν αἰγιαλῷ πολυηχέϊ κῦμα θαλάσσης
phenomena thunderous waves → phalanxes of Danaans
#9 (433)+ Τρῶες δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ὄϊες πολυπάμονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν αὐλῇ
animal ewes bleating waiting to be milked → clamor of Trojans from many lands

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#10 (452)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε χείμαρροι ποταμοὶ κατ᾽ ὄρεσφι ῥέοντες

phenomena loud sound of rivers → shouting of Trojans and Achaeans
#11 (462) ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε πύργος ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ
warfare a tower falling in battle → Echepolus falling from Antilochus’ blow
#12 (471) οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
animal wolves → Trojans and Achaeans fighting
#13 (482)+ πέσεν αἴγειρος ὣς
plant a poplar tree felled by a man → Simoeisius struck by Ajax

Book 5 (Ε) 18 / 909

#1 (5)+ ἀκάματον πῦρ / ἀστέρ᾽ ὀπωρινῷ ἐναλίγκιον
phenomena a star → flame over Diomedes’ helmet
#2 (87)+ θῦνε γὰρ ἂμ πεδίον ποταμῷ πλήθοντι ἐοικὼς
phenomena a flooding river → Diomedes routing the Trojans
#3 (136)+ μένος ὥς τε λέοντα
animal a wounded lion’s fury → Diomedes vs Trojans
#4 (161)+ ὡς δὲ λέων ἐν βουσὶ
animal a lion among cattle → Diomedes’ attack on chariot
#5 (299) βαῖνε λέων ὣς ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς
animal a lion → Aeneas
#6 (476) καταπτώσσουσι κύνες ὣς ἀμφὶ λέοντα
animal dogs around a lion → Hector’s relatives
#7 (487) ή πως ὡς ἀψῖσι λίνου ἁλόντε . . . ἕλωρ καὶ κύρμα γένησθε
technology ensnared in flax → Trojans
#8 (499)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ἄχνας φορέει . . . αἳ δ᾽ ὑπολευκαίνονται ἀχυρμιαί
plant heaps of chaff growing white → Achaeans
#9 (522)+ ἔμενον νεφέλῃσιν ἐοικότες
phenomena motionless clouds → Danaans
#10 (554)+ οἵω τώ γε λέοντε δύω ὄρεος κορυφῇσιν
animal two lions snatching cattle → twins killed by Aeneas
#11 (560) καππεσέτην, ἐλάτῃσιν ἐοικότες ὑψηλῇσι
plant tall fir trees falling → twins being killed
#12 (597)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἀπάλαμνος
behavior man startled by a swift river → Diomedes in battle
#13 (770)+ ὅσσον δ᾽ ἠεροειδὲς ἀνὴρ ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν . . . τόσσον ἐπιθρῴσκουσι
behavior distance a man sees into a haze → springing distance of horses of gods

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#14 (778) αἳ δὲ βάτην τρήρωσι πελειάσιν ἴθμαθ᾽ ὁμοῖαι

animal timorous doves → Athena and Hera
#15 (782) εἰλόμενοι λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν
animal carnivorous lions and wild boars → Argives around Diomedes
#16 (860)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι
warfare the cry of 9000–10,000 men in battle → Ares’s bellow
#17 (864)+ οἵη δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἐρεβεννὴ φαίνεται ἀὴρ
phenomena a cloudy black mist → Ares appears to Diomedes
#18 (902)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπὸς γάλα λευκὸν
farming milk curdled by fig juice → blood of Ares’ wound

Book 6 (Ζ) 7 / 529

#1 (146)+ οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν
plant lineage of leaves → lineage of men
#2 (295) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν
phenomena a star → a Sidonian robe
#3* (389) μαινομένῃ ἐϊκυῖα
behavior a raging woman → Andromache
#4 (401) Ἑκτορίδην ἀγαπητὸν ἀλίγκιον ἀστέρι καλῷ
phenomena a fair star → Hector’s son
#5 (443) αἴ κε κακὸς ὣς νόσφιν ἀλυσκάζω
behavior a coward who shuns battle → Hector about himself
#6 (506)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος
animal horse breaks free and exulting in his splendor → Paris leaving the citadel
#7 (513) παμφαίνων ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ ἐβεβήκει
phenomena the shining sun → Paris in his armor

Book 7 (Η) 5 / 482

#1 (4)+ ὡς δὲ θεὸς ναύτῃσιν ἐελδομένοισιν ἔδωκεν οὖρον
phenomena fair wind sent by god → the appearance of Hector and Paris to the Trojans
#2 (63)+ οἵη δὲ Ζεφύροιο ἐχεύατο πόντον ἔπι φρὶξ. . . τοῖαι ἄρα στίχες εἵατ᾽
Ἀχαιῶν
phenomena West Wind causing sea to grow black → ranks of Achaians and Trojans
#3 (219) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον
technology a tower → Ajax’s shield
#4 (235)+ μή τί μευ ἠΰτε παιδὸς ἀφαυροῦ πειρήτιζε / ἠὲ γυναικός
behavior NOT a puny boy or woman → Hector

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#5 (256) λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν / ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν

animal ravening lions or wild boars → Hector and Ajax

Book 8 (Θ) 7 / 565

#1* (16)+ τόσσον ἔνερθ᾽ Ἀΐδεω ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστ᾽ ἀπὸ γαίης
phenomena the distance from heaven to earth → distance from Tartarus to Hades
#2 (94) πῇ φεύγεις μετὰ νῶτα βαλὼν κακὸς ὣς ἐν ὁμίλῳ
behavior a coward (insult) → Diomedes upbraiding Odysseus
#3 (131) καί νύ κε σήκασθεν κατὰ Ἴλιον ἠΰτε ἄρνες
animal lambs → Trojans penned in Ilios
#4 (271) αὐτὰρ ὃ αὖτις ἰὼν πάϊς ὣς ὑπὸ μητέρα δύσκεν
family a child behind his mother → Teucer behind Ajax
#5 (306)+ μήκων δ᾽ ὡς ἑτέρωσε κάρη βάλεν
plant a poppy laden with fruit and rain → Gorgythion’s helmeted head
#6 (338)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε κύων συὸς ἀγρίου ἠὲ λέοντος
animal a dog pursuing a boar or lion → Hector routing the Achaeans
#7 (555)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρα φαεινὴν ἀμφὶ σελήνην
phenomena stars in a clear night → the Trojan fires

Book 9 (Ι) 7 / 713

#1 (4)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμοι δύο πόντον ὀρίνετον ἰχθυόεντα
phenomena sea stirred by winds → Achaean hearts torn
#2 (14)+ ἵστατο δάκρυ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος
phenomena a dark fountain pouring over a cliff → groaning Agamemnon
#3 (323)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὄρνις ἀπτῆσι νεοσσοῖσι προφέρῃσi
animal mother bird sacrifices for young chicks → Achilles fighting night and day
#4* (385) οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι τόσα δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε
phenomena sand and dust → amount of gifts given by Agamemnon insufficient to
persuade Achilles
#5 (481)+ καί μ᾽ ἐφίλησ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φιλήσῃ
family as a father loves his only son → Peleus loved Phoenix
#6* (563) μήτηρ ἀλκυόνος πολυπενθέος οἶτον ἔχουσα
animal a grieving halcyon bird → Alcyone’s mother
#7 (648) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην
behavior an alien with no rights → Achilles’ indignity from Agamemnon

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 10 (Κ) 10 / 579

#1 (5)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀστράπτῃ πόσις Ἥρης ἠϋκόμοιο
phenomena Zeus causes rain or snow storm → Agamemnon groans about what to do
#2 (154) ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διός
phenomena lightning of Zeus → flash of bronze
#3 (183)+ ὡς δὲ κύνες
animal sheep-dogs hearing a beast at night →Achaeans hearing Trojans
#4 (297) ὥς τε λέοντε δύω
animal two lions at night → Diomedes+Odysseus thru armor and black blood
#5* (351)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἀπέην ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐπὶ οὖρα πέλονται
farming range of mules in plowing → distance away of Dolon
#6 (360)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καρχαρόδοντε δύω κύνε
animal hunting dogs chase deer or hare → Diomedes & Odysseus pursue Dolon
#7* (437) λευκότεροι χιόνος,
phenomena whiter than snow → Rhesus’ horses
#8 (437) θείειν δ᾽ ἀνέμοισιν ὁμοῖοι
phenomena as fast as wind → Rhesus’ horses
#9 (485)+ ὡς δὲ λέων μήλοισιν ἀσημάντοισιν
animal lion attacks flock of sheep or goats → Diomedes kills 12 Thracians
#10 (547) ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιο
phenomena sunbeams → horses stolen from Rhesus

Book 11 (Λ) 29 / 848

#1 (27)+ δράκοντες / . . .ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιο
phenomena rainbows → the dark blue serpents on shield of Agamemnon
#2 (62)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἀναφαίνεται οὔλιος ἀστὴρ
phenomena a destructive star in clouds → Hector in the ranks
#3 (66) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ
phenomena lightning → Hector in bronze
#4 (67)+ οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἀμητῆρες
farming reapers → Trojans and Achaeans attacking
#5 (72) οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
animal wolves → Trojans and Achaeans charging
#6 (86)+ ἦμος δὲ δρυτόμος περ ἀνὴρ ὁπλίσσατο δεῖπνον
behavior meal-time → Danaans broke enemy columns

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#7 (113)+ ὡς δὲ λέων ἐλάφοιο

animal lion kills fawns of swift deer → Argives attack Trojan Isos and Antiphos
#8 (129) λέων ὣς
animal lion → Agamemnon
#9 (147) ὅλμον δ᾽ ὣς
phenomena a round stone → head (or body) of Hippolochus
#10 (155)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πῦρ
phenomena thickets in a forest fire → heads of Trojans felled by Agamemnon
#11 (172)+ βόες ὥς
animal lions savage cows → Agamemnon slaughter Trojans
#12 (237) μόλιβος ὣς ἐτράπετ᾽ αἰχμή
phenomena like lead → point of Trojan spear
#13 (239) ὥς τε λίς
animal a furious lion → Agamemnon grabbing the spear
#14 (269)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὠδίνουσαν ἔχῃ βέλος ὀξὺ γυναῖκα
behavior labor pangs of a woman → Agamemnon’s pain
#15 (292)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πού τις θηρητὴρ κύνας ἀργιόδοντας
hunt/fishing hunter sics his dogs on a boar or lion → Hector sics Trojans on Achaeans
#16 (297)+ ὑπεραέϊ ἶσος ἀέλλῃ
phenomena a gale-force windstorm on the sea → Hector on the fight
#17 (305)+ ὡς ὁπότε νέφεα Ζέφυρος στυφελίξῃ
phenomena Zephyrus buffets clouds against the waves → Hector overcomes the
heads of the army
#18 (324)+ ὡς ὅτε κάπρω
animal two wild boars attack hunting dogs → Odysseus & Diomedes stir up
Trojans
#19 (383) λέονθ᾽ ὡς μηκάδες αἶγες
animal goats fear a lion → Trojans fear Diomedes
#20 (389) ὡς εἴ με γυνὴ βάλοι ἢ πάϊς ἄφρων
behavior a woman or silly boy hits me → Paris attacks Diomedes
#21 (414)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κάπριον ἀμφὶ κύνες θαλεροί τ᾽ αἰζηοὶ
hunt/fishing dogs and young men attack a wild boar → Trojans attack Odysseus
#22 (474)+ ὡς εἴ τε δαφοινοὶ θῶες ὄρεσφιν
animal jackals around stag flee from a lion → Trojans attacking Odysseus flee
from Ajax

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#23 (485) φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον

technology a tower → Ajax’s shield
#24 (492)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότε πλήθων ποταμὸς
phenomena flooded river sweeps away oaks, pines and mud → Ajax chases and
slaughters horses and men
#25 (546) θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
animal a wild beast → Ajax before his foes
#26 (548)+ ὡς δ᾽ αἴθωνα λέοντα βοῶν
hunt/fishing lion retreats from peasants → Ajax retreats from Trojans
#27 (558)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὄνος παρ᾽ ἄρουραν ἰὼν ἐβιήσατο παῖδας
farming boys chase and beat ass with clubs → Trojans pursue Ajax and strike his
shield
#28 (596) δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
phenomena a blazing fire → Achaeans fight
#29 (747) λαίλαπι ἶσος
phenomena a black whirlwind → Nestor on Epeans

Book 12 (Μ) 16 / 471

#1 (40) ἶσος ἀέλλῃ
phenomena windstorm → Hector fighting
#2 (41)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι
hunt/fishing wild boar or lion fight against dogs & hunters → Hector against Argives
#3 (132)+ ὡς ὅτε τε δρύες οὔρεσιν ὑψικάρηνοι
plant oaks in mountains stand firm → two Trojan warriors
#4 (146)+ ἀγροτέροισι σύεσσιν ἐοικότε
animal wild boars fighting → two Achaeans fighting the Trojans
#5 (156)+ νιφάδες δ᾽ ὡς πῖπτον ἔραζε
phenomena snowflakes → stones falling from Trojans and Achaeans
#6 (167)+ οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τε σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι ἠὲ μέλισσα
animal wasps or bees fight human hunters → Polypoetes and Leonteus
#7* (219)+ αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπ᾽ ἀριστερὰ
animal eagle lets snake fall from his talons → Trojans leaves behind their soldiers
#8 (278)+ ὥς τε νιφάδες χιόνος πίπτωσι θαμειαὶ
phenomena snow flakes in a storm → stones hurled by Trojans and Achaeans
#9 (293) ὦρσεν ἐπ᾽ Ἀργείοισι λέονθ᾽ ὣς βουσὶν ἕλιξιν
animal a lion against cattle → Sarpedon against the Argives

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#10 (299)+ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος

animal a hungry mountain lion against a flock → Sarpedon against the wall
#11 (375) βαῖνον ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσοι
phenomena a dark whirlwind → Lycians
#12 (385) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
behavior a diver → Epicles falling from high tower
#13 (421)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ οὔροισι δύ᾽ ἀνέρε δηριάασθον
warfare two men struggle around boundary stones → Lycians fight with Danaans
#14 (433)+ ὥς τε τάλαντα γυνὴ χερνῆτις ἀληθής
technology spinner woman holds a balance → Lycians & Danaans fight evenly
#15 (451)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ποιμὴν ῥεῖα φέρει πόκον ἄρσενος οἰὸς
farming shepherd carrying fleece of ram in one hand → Hector lifting heavy stone
#16 (463) νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀτάλαντος ὑπώπια
phenomena sudden night → Hector’s face

Book 13 (Ν) 27 / 837

#1 (39) Τρῶες δὲ φλογὶ ἶσοι ἀολλέες ἠὲ θυέλλῃ
phenomena flame or squall → Trojans
#2 (53) ὁ λυσσώδης φλογὶ εἴκελος
phenomena flame → Hector
#3 (62)+ αὐτὸς δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἴρηξ
animal hawk → Poseidon
#4 (102)+ ἐλάφοισιν ἐοίκεσαν
animal panic-stricken deer → Trojans
#5 (137)+ ὀλοοίτροχος ὣς ἀπὸ πέτρης
phenomena a large boulder → Hector attacking Achaeans through their huts and ships
#6 (178)+ ὃ δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἔπεσεν μελίη ὣς
plant ash tree that is cut down → Trojan Imbrius
#7 (198)+ ὥς τε δύ᾽ αἶγα λέοντε κυνῶν ὕπο καρχαροδόντων
animal two lions snatching a goat from dogs → the Ajaxes with Imbrius
#8 (242)+ Ἰδομενεὺς . . . ἀστεροπῇ ἐναλίγκιος
phenomena lightning → gleam from Idomeneus’ armor
#9 (292) νηπύτιοι ὣς
behavior Not as children → Meriones to Idomeneus
#10 (330) Ἰδομενῆα ἴδον φλογὶ εἴκελον ἀλκὴν
phenomena a flame → Idomeneus in power

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#11 (334)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ λιγέων ἀνέμων σπέρχωσιν ἄελλαι

phenomena a dust storm in shrill winds → the battle
#12 (389)+ ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς / ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή
plant an oak or poplar or tall pine felled by axe → Asius falling
#13 (437) ὥς τε στήλην ἢ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον
tech./plant a pillar or tall tree → Alcathous struck by Idomeneus
#14 (470) Iδομενῆα φόβος λάβε τηλύγετον ὥς
behavior NOT some darling child → Idomeneus
#15 (471)+ ὡς ὅτε τις σῦς οὔρεσιν ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς
animal a boar in the mountains → Idomeneus
#16 (492)+ ὡς εἴ τε μετὰ κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα
animal sheep following a ram → army follows Aeneas
#17 (531) Μηριόνης δ᾽ ἐξ αὖτις ἐπάλμενος αἰγυπιὸς ὣς
animal a vulture → Meriones shrinking back into the throng of his comrades
#18 (564) ὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ μεῖν᾽ ὥς τε σκῶλος πυρίκαυστος
technology a charred stake → part of spear
#19 (571)+ ὡς ὅτε βοῦς τόν τ᾽ οὔρεσι βουκόλοι ἄνδρες . . . ἄγουσιν
farming a bull bound with ropes → Adamas speared by Meriones
#20 (588)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ πλατέος πτυόφιν μεγάλην κατ᾽ ἀλωὴν
farming beans leap from a winnower’s shovel → arrow glances off Menelaus
#21 (654) ὥς τε σκώληξ ἐπὶ γαίῃ
animal a worm on the earth → Harpaliion struck by Meriones’ arrow and killed
#22 (673) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
phenomena blazing fire → Greeks and Trojans fighting
#23 (688) φλογὶ εἴκελον Ἕκτορα δῖον
phenomena a flame → Hector
#24 (703)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ βόε οἴνοπε πηκτὸν ἄροτρον . . . τιταίνετον
farming two oxen at the plough → Ajaxes fighting side by side
#25 (754) ὄρεϊ νιφόεντι ἐοικὼς
phenomena a snowy mountain → Hector
#26 (795)+ ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ
phenomena the blast of dire winds → the Trojans following their leaders
#27* (819) θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους
animal falcons → horses

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 14 (Ξ) 10 / 522

#1 (16)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πορφύρῃ πέλαγος μέγα κύματι κωφῷ
phenomena a great silent sea swell → Nestor pondering
#2 (148)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι
warfare (as loud as) 9000 or 10,000 warriors → Poseidon’s shout
#3 (185) λευκὸν δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς
phenomena as white as the sun → Hera’s new veil
#4 (386) εἴκελον ἀστεροπῇ
phenomena lightning → Poseidon’s sword
#5 (394) οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον
phenomena louder than waves of the sea → the shout of the men
#6 (396) οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο
phenomena a blazing fire in the mountains → ditto
#7 (398) οὔτ᾽ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι
phenomena the wind shrieking in the tall oaks → men’s shouting as they fought
#8 (413) στρόμβον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε
technology a whirling top → Hector struck by a large stone
#9 (414)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ πληγῆς πατρὸς Διὸς ἐξερίπῃ δρῦς
plant an oak struck by Zeus’ lightning → Hector
#10 (499) φὴ κώδειαν ἀνασχὼν
plant a poppy-head → Ilioneus’ head with a spear in his eye

Book 15 (Ο) 20 / 746

#1 (80)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀΐξῃ νόος ἀνέρος
behavior the mind of a man darts quickly → Hera flew eagerly to Olympus
#2 (170)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ νεφέων πτῆται νιφὰς ἠὲ χάλαζα
phenomena snow or hail forms driven by blast of Boreas → Iris flies to Olympus
#3 (196) με πάγχυ κακὸν ὣς δειδισσέσθω
behavior me NOT some coward → Poseidon
#4 (237)+ ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς
animal falcon the swiftest of birds → Apollo
#5 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ
animal a horse escaping from his halter running for the mares → Hector
#6 (271)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἢ ἔλαφον κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα
hunting/fish country folk pursuing a stag or goat turned back by a lion → Danaans
turned back by Hector

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#7 (323)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἠὲ βοῶν ἀγέλην ἢ πῶϋ μέγ᾽ οἰῶν

animal two beasts attack flock of sheep or cows → Apollo panicked Achaeans
#8 (358)+ ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωὴ
behavior as far as a spear throw → Apollo made a long pathway
#9 (362)+ ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον πάϊς ἄγχι θαλάσσης
behavior boy scattering sand by the sea → Apollo destroying the Achaean wall
#10 (381)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τε μέγα κῦμα θαλάσσης εὐρυπόροιο
phenomena great wave over the sides of a ship → Trojans over the wall of Achaeans
#11 (410)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στάθμη δόρυ νήϊον ἐξιθύνει
technology a ship’s timber straight → war and battle even
#12 (579)+ Ἀντίλοχος δ᾽ ἐπόρουσε κύων ὥς, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ νεβρῷ
animal a dog on a wounded fawn → Antiochus on Melanippus
#13 (586)+ θηρὶ κακὸν ῥέξαντι ἐοικώς
animal a wild beast → Antilochus
#14 (592) Τρῶες δὲ λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισι
animal hungry lions → Trojans attacking the ships of the Argives
#15 (605)+ μαίνετο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης ἐγχέσπαλος ἢ ὀλοὸν πῦρ
phenomena Ares or raging fire → Hector fighting near the Achaean camp
#16 (618)+ ἴσχον γὰρ πυργηδὸν ἀρηρότες, ἠΰτε πέτρη
phenomena a rock (or wall) against wind, waves → Danaan defense against Trojans
#17 (624)+ ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ ὡς ὅτε κῦμα θοῇ ἐν νηῒ πέσῃσι
phenomena wave against ship and crew which shudder → Hector attacking the
Achaeans who shudder
#18 (630)+ αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀλοόφρων βουσὶν ἐπελθών
animal another lion taking advantage of an unskilled herdsman (sometimes
he is absent) → Hector routing the Achaeans
#19 (679)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἵπποισι κελητίζειν ἐῢ εἰδώς
technology a skilled horseman riding horses→ Ajax walking over decks of ships
#20 (690)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν αἰετὸς αἴθων
animal eagle stirring up flock of geese, cranes or swans → Hector attacking ship

Book 16 (Π) 24 / 867

#1 (3)+ ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος
phenomena a dark spring pours water → Patroclus crying before Achilles
#2 (7)+ ἠΰτε κούρη
behavior a silly girl → Patroclus appealing to Achilles

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#3 (59) ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην

behavior alien with no rights → Achilles about himself at hands of Agamemnon
#4 (156)+ οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
animal wolves → the Myrmidons around Patroclus
#5 (192) ὡς εἴ θ᾽ ἑὸν υἱὸν ἐόντα
family his <Phylas’> own son → Eudorus
#6 (212)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τοῖχον ἀνὴρ ἀράρῃ
technology stones of a high house → helmets and shields fitted as close together
#7 (259)+ φήκεσσιν ἐοικότες
animal wasps → Myrmidons
#8 (297)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλῆς κορυφῆς ὄρεος μεγάλοιο
phenomena Zeus > a dense cloud from the crest of a mountain → Danaans > fire
from ships
#9 (352)+ ὡς δὲ λύκοι ἄρνεσσιν ἐπέχραον
animal ravening wolves attacking lambs or kids → Danaans attacking Trojans
#10 (364)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Οὐλύμπου νέφος ἔρχεται
phenomena cloud going to heaven before storm → Hector and Trojans crossing trench
#11 (384)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ λαίλαπι πᾶσα κελαινὴ βέβριθε χθὼν
phenomena the rivers roar loudly flowing → Trojan mares roared loudly running
#12 (406)+ ὡς ὅτε τις φὼς
hunt/fishing a man fishing → Patroclus dragging Thestor from his chariot
#13 (428)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ
animal vultures fighting → Sarpedon and Patroclus
#14 (482)+ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν
plant oak or poplar cut down by axes → Sarpedon fell from horses & chariot
#15 (487)+ ἠΰτε ταῦρον ἔπεφνε λέων
animal a lion killing a bull → Patroclus killing Sarpedon
#16 (582)+ ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς
animal a fleet falcon → Patroclus charging the Trojans
#17 (589)+ ὅσση δ᾽ αἰγανέης ῥιπὴ ταναοῖο
behavior as far as a javelin cast → the retreat of the Trojans before the Achaeans.
#18 (633)+ τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε δρυτόμων ἀνδρῶν ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει
farming the noise of wood-cutters → the noise from weapons
#19 (641)+ ὡς ὅτε μυῖαι
animal flies around milk-pails → Greeks and Trojans around Sarpedon’s corpse

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#20 (742) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς

behavior a diver → Hector’s charioteer killed by Patroclus, falling from chariot
#21 (752)+ οἶμα λέοντος ἔχων
animal a lion rushing → Patroclus
#22 (756)+ λέονθ᾽ ὣς δηρινθήτην
animal two lions fighting for a slain deer → Hector and Patroclus fighting for the
corpse of Cebriones
#23 (765)+ ὡς δ᾽ Εὖρός τε Νότος τ᾽ ἐριδαίνετον ἀλλήλοιιν
phenomena East and West Winds struggling in a storm → Trojans & Achaeans fighting
#24 (823)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε σῦν ἀκάμαντα λέων ἐβιήσατο
animal a lion overcoming a boar → Hector killing Patroclus

Book 17 (Ρ) 24 / 761

#1 (4)+ ὥς τις περὶ πόρτακι μήτηρ
animal a mother cow wailing around her first calf → Menelaus with Patroclus
#2 (20)+ οὔτ᾽ οὖν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος … οὔτε λέοντος… οὔτε συὸς
animal power of leopard, lion & wild boar → not so great as the sons of Pathous
#3 (53)+ οἷον δὲ τρέφει ἔρνος ἀνὴρ ἐριθηλὲς ἐλαίης
phenomena stormy wind to an olive sapling → Menelaus to Euphorbus
#4 (61)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε λέων
animal mountain lion seizing heifer against herdsmen → Menelaus with body of
Patroclus against Trojanst
#5 (109)+ ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος
animal a bearded lion driven from farm → Menelaus driven from Patroclus’ corpse
#6 (128) σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον
technology a tower → Ajax’s shield
#7 (133)+ ὥς τίς τε λέων
animal a lion to its cubs → Ajax to Patroclus
#8 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ / βέβρυχεν μέγα κῦμα
phenomena the roar of a mighty wave → the shouting of the Trojans
#9 (281)+ συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκὴν
animal a wild boar to dogs and youths → Ajax to Trojans
#10* (366) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρός
phenomena fire → the warriors around the body of Patroclus
#11 (389)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην
farming people stretching a bull’s hide → warriors dragging corpse of Patroclus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#12 (434)+ ὥς τε στήλη μένει

technology like a pillar → horses with the body of Patroclus
#13 (460) ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιὸς μετὰ χῆνας
animal a vulture attacking geese → Automedon attacking the Trojans
#14 (520)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὀξὺν ἔχων πέλεκυν αἰζήϊος ἀνὴρ
animal an ox slain by an axe → Aretus killed by Automedon
#15 (542) ὥς τίς τε λέων κατὰ ταῦρον ἐδηδώς
animal lion that has just devoured a bull → Automaton who has just killed Aretus
#16 (547)+ ἠΰτε πορφυρέην ἶριν θνητοῖσι τανύσσῃ / Ζεὺς
phenomena purple rainbow sent by Zeus as a portent → purple cloud covering Athena
#17 (570)+ μυίης θάρσος ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐνῆκεν
animal courage of a fly → courage of Menelaus
#18 (657)+ ὥς τίς τε λέων ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο
animal a lion chased from a fat cow → Menelaus departs reluctantly from
Patroclus’ body
#19 (674)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰετός
animal eagle swoops to seize a hare → Menelaus looks for Nestor’s son
#20 (725)+ κύνεσσιν ἐοικότες
animal dogs rush on a boar → Trojans charge on Achaeans
#21 (737)+ ἄγριος ἠΰτε πῦρ
phenomena fire → the battle over Patroclus
#22 (742)+ ὥς θ᾽ ἡμίονοι
farming mules dragging a beam → the Ajax’s carried the corpse
#23 (747)+ Αἴαντ᾽ ἰσχανέτην, ὥς τε πρὼν ἰσχάνει ὕδωρ
phenomena a ridge holds back water → Ajaxes held back Trojans
#24 (755)+ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν
animal starlings or jackdaws flee from a falcon → Achaean youths flee from
Aeneas and Hector

Book 18 (Σ) 15 / 617

#1 (1) μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
phenomena blazing fire → Greeks and Trojans fighting
#2 (56) ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος
plant a sapling → he/Achilles
#3 (57) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς
plant a plant → he/Achilles

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#4* (109) χόλος . . . γλυκίων μέλιτος

animal honey → anger
#5 (110) ἀέξεται ἠΰτε καπνός
phenomena smoke → anger
#6 (154) Ἕκτωρ . . . φλογὶ εἴκελος
phenomena a flame → Hector
#7 (161)+ ὡς ποιμένες. . . ὥς δύω Αἴαντε
farming shepherds+lion → Ajaxes+Patroclus’ corpse
#8 (207)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς . . . ὣς σέλας
warfare flames from a city being attacked → gleam of fire from Achilles
#9 (219)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀριζήλη φωνή ὅτε τ᾽ ἴαχε σάλπιγξ . . . ὣς τότ᾽ ἀριζήλη φωνὴ
warfare clear sound of a trumpet → voice of son of Aeacus
#10 (318)+ ὥς τε λὶς . . . ὣς ὃ [Πηλεΐδης]
animal a lion seeking the hunter who has killed its cubs → Achilles
#11 (418) νεήνισιν εἰοικυῖα … ἀμφίπολοι
behavior living young women → Hephaestus’ handmaids
#12 (437) ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος
plant a sapling → Achilles
#13 (438) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς
plant a plant → he/Achilles
#14 (600)+ ὡς ὅτε τις . . . κεραμεὺς πειρήσεται
technology a potter at his wheel → young men running
#15 (616) ἣ δ᾽ ἴρηξ ὣς ἆλτο
animal a falcon → Achilles’ mother Thetis

Book 19 (Τ) 8 / 424

#1 (17) οἱ ὄσσε / ὡς εἰ σέλας ἐξεφάανθεν
phenomena gleam of a flame → gleam of Achilles’ eyes
#2 (350) ἣ δ᾽ ἅρπῃ ἐϊκυῖα
animal a falcon → Athena
#3 (357)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ταρφειαὶ νιφάδες . . . ὣς τότε ταρφειαὶ κόρυθες
phenomena densely packed snow flakes → densely packed helmets of Achaeans
#4 (366) τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε / λαμπέσθην ὡς εἴ τε πυρὸς σέλας
phenomena a gleam of fire → Achilles’ eyes
#5 (374) σέλας γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε μήνης
phenomena the gleam from the moon → the gleam from Achilles’ shield

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#6 (375)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ πόντοιο σέλας . . . καιομένοιο πυρός

phenomena gleam from fire → gleam from his shield
#7 (381) ἣ δ᾽ ἀστὴρ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν (τρυφάλεια)
phenomena a star → Achilles helmet
#8 (386) τῷ δ᾽ εὖτε πτερὰ γίγνετ᾽
animal wings → Achilles’ armor
Book 20 (Υ) 12 / 503
#1 (51) αὖε δ᾽ Ἄρης ἑτέρωθεν ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος
phenomena dark whirlwind → Ares
#2 (164)+ λέων ὣς
animal a furious lion → Achilles
#3 (200) με νηπύτιον ὣς
behavior NOT a child → me/Aeneas
#4 (244) μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς
behavior NOT children → Aeneas to Achilles
#5 (252)+ νεικεῖν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐναντίον ὥς τε γυναῖκας
behavior women who argue in the street → Aeneas and Achilles
#6* (371) εἰ πυρὶ χεῖρας ἔοικε
phenomena fire→ Achilles’ hands;
#7* (371) μένος δ᾽ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ
phenomena blazing iron → Achilles’ might
#8 (403)+ ἤρυγεν ὡς ὅτε ταῦρος . . . ἑλκόμενος
animal a bull bellowing at the altar → Hippodamus killed by Achilles
#9 (423) ὀξὺ δόρυ κραδάων φλογὶ εἴκελος
phenomena a flame → Hector
#10 (431) με νηπύτιον ὣς
behavior NOT a child → me Hector
#11 (490)+ ὡς δ᾽ . . . θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ . . . ὣς ὅ γε πάντῃ θῦνε σὺν ἔγχεϊ
phenomena wondrous fire → Achilles
#12 (495)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις ζεύξῃ βόας . . . ὣς ἵπποι στεῖβον νέκυάς τε καὶ ἀσπίδας
animal bulls trampling barley → Achilles’ horse trampling dead with their shields

Book 21 (Φ) 14 / 611

#1 (12)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ’ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς πυρὸς ἀκρίδες ἠερέθονται
animal locusts in a blast of fire → Trojan horses+men into Xanthus by Achilles
#2 (22)+ ὡς ἰχθύες ἄλλοι . . . ὣς Τρῶες
animal fish fleeing from a dolphin → Trojans cowering from Achilles
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#3 (29) τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε ἠΰτε νεβρούς

animal dazed fawns→ 12 Trojan youths chosen by Achilles as revenge for
Patroclus
#4 (237) τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος
animal a bull → Scamander as he cast out Achilles’ victims
#5* (251) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἀπόρουσεν ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωή
behavior a spear-cast → the distance Achilles rushed back from the river
#6 (252)+ αἰετοῦ οἴματ᾽ ἔχων μέλανος τοῦ θηρητῆρος
animal eagle's swoop → Achilles darting away from the river
#7 (257)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ . . . ὣς αἰεὶ Ἀχιλῆα
phenomena stream of water flowing faster than the man leading it → River Scamander
overtaking Achilles
#8 (282)+ ὡς παῖδα συφορβόν
behavior swineherd boy crossing a river → Achilles in the river Scamander
#9 (346)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης . . . ὣς ἐξηράνθη πεδίον πᾶν
phenomena Boreas drying an orchard → Hephaestus burning the dead
#10 (362)+ ὡς δὲ λέβης ζεῖ . . . ὣς τοῦ καλὰ ῥέεθρα πυρὶ φλέγετο
technology a cauldron boiling → the waters of Xanthus boiling
#11 (464)+ βροτῶν . . . οἳ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες
plant leaves → mortals
#12 (493)+ θεὰ φύγεν ὥς τε πέλεια
animal a dove fleeing from a falcon → Artemis fleeing from Hera
#13 (522)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς . . . ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς
divine divine wrath sends smoke from a burning city → Achilles caused toil and
sorrow for Trojans
#14 (573)+ ἠΰτε πάρδαλις . . . ὣς Ἀντήνορος υἱὸς
hunt/fishing a leopard faces a hunter → Agenor faces Achilles

Book 22 (Χ) 18 / 515

#1 (1) ἠΰτε νεβροὶ (the Trojans)
animal fawns → Trojans
#2 (22)+ ὥς θ᾽ ἵππος
animal a prize-winning horse → Achilles
#3 (26)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἀστέρ᾽
phenomena a star, the Dog of Orion→ Achilles
#4 (93)+ ὡς δὲ δράκων
animal a mountain snake waiting for a man → Hector waiting (for Achilles)

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#5* (125) ὥς τε γυναῖκα, ἐπεί κ᾽ ἀπὸ τεύχεα δύω

behavior a woman → Hector
#6 (127)+ ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε
behavior a girl+a boy → Hector + Achilles
#7 (134) εἴκελος αὐγῇ
phenomena gleaming of fire or sun → bronze
#8 (139)+ ἠΰτε κίρκος
animal a falcon chasing a dove → Achilles after Hector
#9 (150) ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοι
phenomena blazing fire → source of one spring
#10 (151) ἐϊκυῖα χαλάζῃ
phenomena hail, snow, ice → the other spring
#11 (162)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀεθλοφόροι μώνυχες ἵπποι
animal two race horses → Achilles and Hector
#12 (189)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νεβρὸν ὄρεσφι κύων ἐλάφοιο δίηται
animal dog chasing a fawn → Achilles chasing Hector
#13 (199)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἐν ὀνείρῳ οὐ δύναται φεύγοντα διώκει
behavior one pursuing someone in a dream → Achilles chasing Hector
#14 (262)+ ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια
animal lions vs men, wolves vs lambs → I Achilles vs you Hector
#15 (308)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς
animal an eagle chasing a lamb or a hare → Hector swoops against Achilles
#16 (317)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἀστὴρ εἶσι
phenomena the evening star → the light from Achilles’ spear
#17 (410)+ ἐναλίγκιον ὡς εἰ ἅπασα / Ἴλιος
warfare the mourning of Troy destroyed by fire → city-wide mourning for Hector
#18 (460) μαινάδι ἴση
behavior a maenad or man woman → Andromache

Book 23 (Ψ) 13 / 897

#1 (100) ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς
phenomena smoke → Patroclus’ spirit
#2 (222)+ ὡς δὲ πατὴρ οὗ παιδὸς ὀδύρεται ὀστέα καίων
family a father mourns his son → Achilles mourns his comrade Patroclus
#3 (366) ἵστατ᾽ ἀειρομένη ὥς τε νέφος ἠὲ θύελλα
phenomena a cloud or whirlwind → the dust in the chariot race
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#4* (430) ὡς οὐκ ἀΐοντι ἐοικώς

behavior a deaf person → Antilochus
#5 (431)+ ὅσσα δὲ δίσκου οὖρα κατωμαδίοιο πέλονται
behavior (as far as) a discus throw → the mares ran
#6 (455) λευκὸν σῆμα τέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη
phenomena the moon → the round spot on Idomeneus’s horse
#7* (517)+ ὅσσον δὲ τροχοῦ ἵππος ἀφίσταται
technology the distance from a horse to the wheel of a cart → the distance between
Menelaus and Antiochus
#8 (598)+ θυμὸς ἰάνθη . . . ὡς εἴ τε περὶ σταχύεσσιν ἐέρση
farming dew on ears of grain crop ripening → Menelaus’ heart was warmed
#9 (692)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ φρικὸς Βορέω ἀναπάλλεται ἰχθὺς
animal a fish leaping up on the sand because of a ripple of Boreas → Euryalus
leaped after being struck by Epeius
#10 (712)+ λαβέτην χερσi . . . / ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀμείβοντες, τούς τε κλυτὸς ἤραρε τέκτων
technology gable-rafters → Odysseus and Ajax
#11 (760)+ ὡς ὅτε τίς τε γυναικὸς ἐϋζώνοιο . . .στήθεός ἐστι κανών
technology weaving rod near the chest of woman weaving → Odysseus near Ajax
#12 (783) θεὰ πόδας, ἣ τὸ πάρος περ / . . .μήτηρ ὣς Ὀδυσῆϊ
family a mother → Athena to Odysseus
#13 (845)+ ὅσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἔρριψε καλαύροπα βουκόλος ἀνήρ
farming a herdsman throws his crook over the herds → Polypoetes throws a mass
(of iron) over the assembly

Book 24 (Ω) 7 / 804

#1 (41)+ λέων δ᾽ ὣς ἄγρια
animal a savage lion feasting on men’s flocks → Achilles is pitiless
#2 (80)+ ἣ δὲ μολυβδαίνῃ ἰκέλη ἐς βυσσὸν ὄρουσεν
hunt/fishing a lead sinker used in fishing → Iris darting into the sea
#3 (317)+ ὅσση δ᾽ὑψορόφοιο θύρη θαλάμοιο τέτυκται
technology width of a rich man’s treasure doorway → Zeus’ eagle’s wing-span
#4 (328) ὀλοφυρόμενοι ὡς εἰ θάνατον δὲ κιόντα
behavior weeping at Priam’s death → weeping at Priam’s departure
#5 (480)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄνδρ᾽ ἄτη πυκινὴ λάβῃ
behavior bystanders watching a murderer in exile → Achilles seeing Priam
#6 (572) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ οἴκοιο λέων ὣς ἆλτο θύραζε
animal a lion → Achilles leaping to the door

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#7* (758)+ τῷ ἴκελος ὅν τ᾽ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων

divine someone recently killed by Apollo → Hector

Total = 344 similes in 15693 lines

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix I-B
Vehicles in Similes in the Odyssey (B)

Book 1 (a) 2 similes / 444 lines

1 (308) ὥς τε πατὴρ ᾧ παιδί
family father to son → Athena to Telemachus
2 (320) ὄρνις δ᾽ ὣς
animal bird → Athena

Book 2 (b) 2 / 434

1* (47) πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
family father of his subjects → Odysseus
2* (234) πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
family father of his subjects → Odysseus

Book 3 (g) 2 / 497

1* (73)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες
behavior pirates → Telemachus and shipmates
2 (290) ἶσα ὄρεσσιν
phenomena mountains → waves

Book 4 (d) 7 / 847

1 (32) πάϊς ὣς
behavior child → Eteoneus
2 (45) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης
phenomena gleam of sun or moon → gleam over Menelaus’ house
3 (335)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ …[λέων]… ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν
animal lion lets loose a cruel doom on fawns → Odysseus lets loose a cruel doom
on suitors
4 (413) νομεὺς ὣς πώεσι μήλων
farming shepherd among flock of sheep → Proteus among seals
5 (535)+ ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.
farming one kills an ox at trough → Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after feast
6 (662) ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην
phenomena blazing fire → Antinous’ eyes
7 (791)+ ὅσσα δὲ μερμήριξε λέων
animal lion → Penelope

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 5 (e) 11 / 493

1 (12) πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
family father of his subjects → Odysseus
2 (51)+ λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς
animal seabird → Hermes
3 (249)+ ὅσσον τίς τ᾽ ἔδαφος νηὸς τορνώσεται ἀνὴρ
technology man skilled in carpentry → Odysseus
4 (281) ὡς ὅτε ῥινὸν
technology shield → land of the Phaeacians
5 (328)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης φορέῃσιν ἀκάνθας
phenomena north wind carries thistle stalks over the plain → winds carry raft
over sea
6 (368)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ζαὴς ἠΐων θημῶνα τινάξῃ
phenomena wind scatters heap of chaff → wave scatters planks of raft
7 (371) ὡς ἵππον
animal riding a race horse → Odysseus astride plank
8 (394)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος βίοτος παίδεσσι φανήῃ
family father’s recovery appears welcome to his children → land and trees
appears welcome to Odysseus
9* (400) ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας
behavior distance a man’s voice carries → distance from Odysseus to shore
10 (432)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πουλύποδος … πυκιναὶ λάιγγες ἔχονται
animal octopus’ suckers held on pebbles → skin torn off on rocks
11 (488)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις δαλὸν σποδιῇ ἐνέκρυψε μελαίνῃ
phenomena fire brand hidden in ashes → Odysseus covered with leaves

Book 6 (z) 7 / 331

1 (20) ἀνέμου ὡς πνοιὴ
phenomena breath of wind → Athena
2 (102)+ οἵη δ᾽ Ἄρτεμις εἶσι
divine Artemis easily recognized among wood-nymphs → Nausicaa conspicuous
among handmaids
3 (130)+ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος
animal lion prowls for cattle, sheep, deer → Odysseus approaches girls
4 (162)+ τοῖον … φοίνικος νέον ἔρνος
plant admiration of shoot of a palm → admiration of Nausicaa

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

5 (231) ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας

plant hyacinth blossoms → Odysseus hair
6 (232)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ
technology artist overlays silver with gold → Athena pours grace over Odysseus’
head and shoulders
7* (294) ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας
behavior distance of man’s voice carries → distance from park to city

Book 7 (h) 3 / 347

1 (36) ὡς εἰ πτερὸν ἠὲ νόημα
animal/behav. wing or thought → ships
2 (84) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης
phenomena gleam of sun or moon → gleam of palace
3 (106) οἷά τε φύλλα μακεδνῆς αἰγείροιο
plant leaves of poplar tree → servants at work

Book 8 (q) 6 / 586

1* (124)+ ὅσσον τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ οὖρον πέλει ἡμιόνοιιν
farming range of a team of mules → lead of Clytoneus
2* (159) οὐδέ … δαήμονι φωτὶ ἐίσκω
behavior skilled in athletic contests → Odysseus
3* (161)+ τῷ, ὅς θ᾽ ἅμα νηὶ πολυκλήιδι θαμίζων, / ἀρχὸς ναυτάων
behavior captain of merchant ship → Odysseus
4* (164) οὐδ᾽ ἀθλητῆρι ἔοικας
behavior athlete → Odysseus
5 (280) ἠύτ᾽ ἀράχνια λεπτά
animal spider's webs → Hephaestus’ chains
6 (523)+ ὡς δὲ γυνὴ κλαίῃσι
behavior woman crying → Odysseus shedding tears

Book 9 (i) 11 / 566

1* (51)+ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα
plant number of leaves and flowers → number of Cicones
2 (190)+ οὐδὲ ἐῴκει ἀνδρί γε σιτοφάγῳ, ἀλλὰ ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι
plant NOT bread-eating man, but wooded peak → Polyphemus
3* (241)+ …οὐκ ἂν τόν γε δύω καὶ εἴκοσ᾽ ἄμαξαι
technology load carried by twenty-two wagons → rock in doorway of Polyphemus
cave

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

4* (254)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες

behavior pirates → Odysseus and his men
5 (289) ὥς τε σκύλακας
animal puppies → two of Odysseus men
6 (292) ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος
animal mountain lion → Polyphemus
7 (314)+ ὡς εἴ τε φαρέτρῃ πῶμ᾽ ἐπιθείη
technology lid put on a quiver → stone put in doorway
8* (322)+ ὅσσον θ᾽ ἱστὸν νηὸς ἐεικοσόροιο μελαίνης
technology length and thickness of a mast → size of club
9 (384)+ ὡς ὅτε τις τρυπῷ δόρυ νήιον ἀνὴρ τρυπάνῳ
technology spinning drill into ship’s timber → spinning sharpened stake in
Polyphemus’s eye
10 (391)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ … πέλεκυν μέγαν ἠὲ σκέπαρνον … ἰάχοντα
technology hissing around axe or adze in cold water → hissing around stake in the
eye
11* (473) ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας
behavior distance a man’s voice carries → distance from Odysseus ship to Cyclops

Book 10 (k) 8 / 574

1* (113) ὅσην τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφήν
phenomena size of peak of a mountain → size of wife
2* (120) οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν
divine NOT men, but giants → Laestrygonians
3 (124) ἰχθῦς δ᾽ ὣς
hunt/fishing spearing fish → spearing Odysseus’s men
4 (216)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα κύνες
animal dogs wag their tails around master → wolves and lions wag their tails
around Eurylochus’s group
5 (283) ὥς τε σύες
animal pigs penned → Odysseus’s companions penned
6* (304) γάλακτι δὲ εἴκελον
animal milk → flower of herb
7* (378) ἶσος ἀναύδῳ
behavior speechless person → Odysseus
8 (410)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄγραυλοι πόριες περὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας
animal calves around their returning cows → men around the returning Odysseus

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 11 (l) 8 / 640

1 (207) σκιῇ εἴκελον ἢ καὶ ὀνείρῳ
behavior movements of shadow or dream → flitting of spirit of Odysseus’s mother
2 (222) ἠύτ᾽ ὄνειρος
behavior dream → spirit
3 (243) οὔρεϊ ἶσον
phenomena wave → mountain
4 (368) ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸς
behavior bard → Odysseus
5 (411)+ ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ
farming one kills an ox at a trough → Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after a feast
6 (413)+ σύες ὣς ἀργιόδοντες
animal slaughter of pigs → killing of Agamemnon’s companions
7 (605) οἰωνῶν ὥς
animal clamor of birds → clamor of dead
8 (606) νυκτὶ ἐοικώς
phenomena dark night → Heracles

Book 12 (m) 7 / 453

1* (86) ὅση σκύλακος νεογιλῆς
animal voice of a new-born puppy → voice of Scylla
2 (237) λέβης ὣς ἐν πυρὶ πολλῷ
technology cauldron on a big fire → Charybdis
3 (251)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ ἁλιεὺς
hunt/fishing writhing fish caught by a fisherman → Odysseus’ writhing men
4 (413)+ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
behavior a diver → the pilot of the ship
5 (418) κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι
animal sea-crows → Odysseus’ comrades
6 (433) ὡς νυκτερίς
animal bat → Odysseus clinging to the fig-tree
7* (439)+ ἦμος δ᾽ ἐπὶ δόρπον ἀνὴρ ἀγορῆθεν ἀνέστη
behavior time spars appeared out of Charybdis → time for supper

Book 13 (n) 3 / 440

1 (31)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ δόρποιο λιλαίεται
farming a tired farmer looking forward to the end of day → Odysseus
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

2 (80) θανάτῳ ἄγχιστα ἐοικώς

behavior death → sleep
3 (81)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἐν πεδίῳ τετράοροι ἄρσενες ἵπποι
animal four yoked stallions → ship

Book 14 (c) 4 / 533

1 (21) θήρεσσιν ἐοικότες
animal wild beasts → dogs
2 (175) ἔρνεϊ ἶσον
plant a tree sapling → Telemachus
3 (254) ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον
phenomena with a current → Odysseus & crew sailed easily
4 (308) κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι
animal sea-crows → Odysseus’ crew

Book 15 (o) 4 / 557

1 (108) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
phenomena star → robe
2* (153) πατὴρ ὣς
family father to Menelaus → Nestor
3* (174)+ ὡς ὅδε χῆν᾽ ἥρπαξ᾽
animal eagle snatches goose → Odysseus takes vengeance
4 (479) ὡς εἰναλίη κήξ
animal a sea tern plunges → the Phoenician woman fell

Book 16 (p) 2 / 481

1 (17)+ ὡς δὲ πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φίλα φρονέων ἀγαπάζῃ
family loving father greets his own son after many years away → swineherd
kissed and greeted Telemachus
2 (216)+ ἀδινώτερον ἤ τ᾽ οἰωνοί
animal birds (sea-birds or eagles) → Telemachus and his father wailed

Book 17 (r) 6 / 606

1 (111)+ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ἑὸν υἱὸν
family a father welcomes son coming from afar → Nestor welcomed Telemachus
2 (126)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ …[λέων]… ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν
animal lion inflicts cruel doom on 2 fawns → Odysseus inflicts cruel doom on
suitors

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

3* (416) βασιλῆϊ ἔοικας

behavior king → Antinous
4 (463) ἠΰτε πέτρη
phenomena rock → Odysseus
5* (500) μελαίνῃ κηρὶ ἔοικε
behavior black fate → Antinous
6 (518)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸν ἀνὴρ ποτιδέρκεται
behavior a minstrel sings to mortals → Odysseus charmed Eumaeus

Book 18 (s) 5 / 428

1 (27) γρηῒ καμινοῖ ἶσος
behavior old hag at the oven → greedy fellow (Odysseus)
2 (29) συὸς ὣς ληϊβοτείρης
animal a sow wasting corn → greedy fellow (Odysseus)
3* (196) λευκοτέρην δ᾽ ἄρα μιν θῆκε πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος.
animal Penelope → whiter than new sawn ivory
4 (240) μεθύοντι ἐοικώς
behavior a drunk → Irus
5 (296) ἠέλιον ὥς
phenomena sun → amber beads of chain

Book 19 (t) 9 / 604

1 (39) ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
phenomena a blazing fire → Odysseus' hall glow
2 (109)+ ὥς τέ τευ ἢ βασιλῆος ἀμύμονος
behavior fame of some blameless king → Penelope’s fame
3 (205)+ ὡς δὲ χιὼν
phenomena snow melting on mountains → Penelope’s cheeks melted as she wept
4 (211) ὡς εἰ κέρα … ἠὲ σίδηρος
phenomena horn or iron → Odysseus’ eyes were unmoving
5 (233) οἷόν τε κρομύοιο λοπὸν κάτα ἰσχαλέοιο
plant skin of a dried onion → Odysseus’ tunic glistened
6 (234) λαμπρὸς δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς
phenomena sun → Odysseus’ tunic
7 (494) ὡς ὅτε τις στερεὴ λίθος ἠὲ σίδηρος
phenomena silent as a stone or iron → Eurycleia

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

8 (518)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη

animal a nightingale sings sadly → Penelope's heart sways
9 (574) δρυόχους ὥς
technology keel-blocks → 12 axes

Book 20 (u) 4 / 394

1 (14)+ ὡς δὲ κύων ἀμαλῇσι
animal a dog growls at a stranger → Odysseus growls with indignation
2 (25)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε γαστέρ᾽ ἀνὴρ … ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα αἰόλλῃ
behavior both a cook and a cooking sausage being turned from side to side→
Odysseus turned from side to side thinking
3* (194) ἔοικε δέμας βασιλῆϊ ἄνακτι
behavior royal king → Odysseus as beggar
4* (362) νυκτὶ ἐΐσκει
phenomena night → conditions in hall of suitors

Book 21 (f) 3 / 434

1 (48)+ ἠΰτε ταῦρος
animal a bull bellows → door bellows
2 (406)+ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ φόρμιγγος ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἀοιδῆς
technology a musician strings a lyre → Odysseus strung the bow
3 (411) χελιδόνι εἰκέλη αὐδήν
animal the voice of a swallow → string of Odysseus bow

Book 22 (x) 5 / 501

1 (299)+ βόες ὣς ἀγελαῖαι
animal a herd of cattle driven by a gadfly → suitors routed by Athena’s aegis
2 (302)+ οἱ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι
animal vultures > smaller birds → Odysseus and Telemachus > the suitors
3 (384)+ ὥστ᾽ ἰχθύας
animal fish on a beach → the suitors
4 (402)+ ὥστε λέοντα
animal a lion after feeding on a ox → Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the
slain suitors
5 (468)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι
animal thrushes or doves in a snare → the women who had consorted with the
suitors being hanged

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 23 (y) 6 / 372

1 (48) ὥστε λέοντα
animal a lion → Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors
2* (103) σοὶ δ᾽ αἰεὶ κραδίη στερεωτέρη ἐστὶ λίθοιο
phenomena harder than stone → Penelope’s heart
3 (158) ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας
plant a hyacinth flower → Odysseus’ hair
4 (159)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ
technology a cunning man overlays silver with gold → Athena poured grace over
Odysseus’ head and shoulders
5 (191) ἠΰτε κίων
technology a pillar in girth → olive tree
6 (233)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος γῆ
behavior land to ship-wrecked sailors → Odysseus was welcome to Penelope

Book 24 (w) 3 / 548

1 (6)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νυκτερίδες
animal bats squealing → the spirits of the suitors squealing
2 (148) ἠελίῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠὲ σελήνῃ
phenomena sun or moon → Penelope’s web
3 (538) ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις
animal an eagle → Odysseus

Total = 128 similes in 12,110 lines

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix II
Tenors in Similes

This appendix provides listings of the similes categorized by tenor. Broad categories
are used with subcategories for individuals as appropriate. Some similes have tenors in
more than one category or subcategory such as when the tenor includes two
individuals. Similes with tenors in two categories or subcategories are highlighted in
blue; similes with tenors in three categories or subcategories are highlighted in
magenta.

The table below compares the number of similes with major characters as tenors.

Iliad Odyssey
Achilles Hector Odysseus
Number of similes 45 45 40
Percentage of All 13 13 31
Similes
Similes / 100 lines 0.29 0.29 0.33

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix II-A - Iliad Tenors in Similes

Things Gods
7% 9%
Nature
6%
Greeks
9%

Trojans
Trojan Heroes 8%
20%

Both armies
7%

Greek Heroes
34%

The Gods and Divinities:

Apollo:
Bk 1 #1 (47) [Apollo ≈ night]
Bk 15 #4 (237)+ [Apollo ≈ a fleet falcon]
Bk 15 #7 (323)+ [ Apollo sends panic on Achaeans ≈ two wild beasts drive in
confusion cattle or a flock of sheep]
Bk 15 #8 (ὅσον) (358)+ [Apollo made a long pathway ≈ as far as a spear throw]
Bk 15 #9 (362)+ [Apollo destroying the wall of the Achaeans ≈ a boy scattering sand by
the sea]

Ares:
Bk 5 #16 (ὅσσόν) (860)+ [Ares’ bellow ≈ the cry of 9000–10,000 men in battle]
Bk 5 #17 (οἵη/τοῖος) (864)+ [Ares ≈ black mist]
Bk 5 #18 (902)+ [blood of Ares’ wound ≈ milk curdled by fig juice]
Bk 20 #1 (51) [Ares ≈ a whirlwind]

Artemis:
Bk 21 #12 (493)+ [Artemis > Hera ≈ a dove > a falcon]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Athena:
Bk 4 #1 (75)+ [Athena ≈ gleaming star]
Bk 4 #2 (130)+ [Athena kept arrow from Menelaus ≈ a mother keeps fly from child]
Bk 5 #14 (778) [Athena and Hera ≈ timorous doves]
Bk 17 #16 (547)+ [the purple cloud covering Athena ≈ a purple rainbow sent by Zeus]
Bk 19 #2 (350) [Athena ≈ a falcon]
Bk 23 #12 (783) [the goddess Athena ≈ a mother to Odysseus]

Alcyone’s Mother:
Bk 9 #6* (563) [the mother of Alcyone ≈ a halcyon bird]

Hephaestus:
Bk 18 #11 (418) [Hephaestus’ handmaids ≈ living young women]
Bk 21 #9 (346)+ [Hephaestus burned the dead ≈ Boreas dries up an orchard]

Hera:
Bk 5 #14 (778) [Athena and Hera ≈ timorous doves]
Bk 14 #3 (185) [Hera’s veil white ≈ the sun]
Bk 15 #1 (80)+ [Hera flew ≈ the mind of a man darts]
Bk 21 #12 (493)+ [Artemis > Hera ≈ a dove > a falcon]

Iris:
Bk 15 #2 (170)+ [Iris flies quickly ≈ clouds driven by Boreas]
Bk 24 #2 (80)+ [Iris ≈ a lead sinker]

Poseidon:
Bk 13 #3 (62)+ [Poseidon ≈ a swift hawk]
Bk 14 #2 (ὅσσον/τόσσην) (148)+ [Poseidon’s shout ≈ (as loud as) 9000 or 10,000
warriors]
Bk 14 #4 (386) [Poseidon’s sword ≈ lightning]
Bk 15 #3 (196) [me/Poseidon not ≈ some coward]

Scamander / Xanthus :
Bk 21 #7 (257)+ [the River Scamander is faster than Achilles ≈ a stream of water is
faster than the man leading it in a channel]
Bk 21 #10 (362)+ [waters of Xanthus boiled ≈ a cauldron boiling]

Thetis:
Bk 1 #4 (359) [Thetis ≈ mist]
Bk 18 #15 (616) [Thetis darting from Olympus ≈ a falcon]

Zeus:
Bk 8 #1* (ὅσον/τόσσον) (16)+ (Zeus’ power) [Tartarus to Hades ≈ heaven to earth]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

The Greeks (collectively)

Bk 2 #1 (87)+ [tribes of Argives ≈ tribes of bees]
Bk 2 #2 (144)+ [aroused assembly ≈ long waves lashed by winds]
Bk 2 #3 (147)+ [whole assembly stirred ≈ field of grain stirred by the wind]
Bk 2 #5 (209)+ [clamor of army ≈ thunder of wave]
Bk 2 #6 (289) [Argives ≈ little children and widows]
Bk 2 #7* (326)+ [we will take Troy after nine years ≈ the serpent devoured nine snakes]
Bk 2 #8* (337) [Argives ≈ little boys]
Bk 2 #9 (394)+ [shouting Argives ≈ crashing wave]
Bk 2 #11 (459)+ [many tribes of Achaeans ≈ many tribes of birds]
Bk 2 #12 (468) [numberless Achaeans ≈ leaves and flowers in season]
Bk 2 #13 (469)+ [numerous Achaeans ≈ numerous tribes of flies]
Bk 2 #14 (474)+ [Achaean leaders ≈ goatherds]
Bk 2 #15 (480)+ [Agamemnon to warriors ≈ bull to cattle]
Bk 2 #18 (780) [marching Achaean army ≈ fire]
Bk 2 #20 (800) [Achaean army ≈ leaves or sand]
Bk 3 #11 (197)+ [Odysseus > Greek warriors ≈ ram > ewes]
Bk 4 #4 (243)+ [Argives ≈ fawns]
Bk 4 #6 (275)+ [Achaean phalanxes ≈ a cloud blacker than pitch]
Bk 4 #8 (422)+ [battalions of Danaans ≈ waves of the sea]
Bk 5 #8 (499)+ [Achaeans growing white ≈ chaff growing white]
Bk 5 #9 (522)+ [Danaans ≈ motionless clouds]
Bk 5 #15 (782) [Argives around Diomedes ≈ carnivorous lions and wild boars]
Bk 8 #6 (338)+ [Hector presses Achaeans ≈ dog pursues boar or lion]
Bk 9 #1 (4)+ [Achaean hearts torn ≈ sea stirred by winds]
Bk 11 #17 (305)+ [Hector > Greek chieftains ≈ Zephyrus > clouds]
Bk 11 #28 (596) [fight of Achaeans ≈ blazing fire]
Bk 12 #2 (41)+ [Hector to Argives ≈ a wild boar or lion to dogs and huntsmen]
Bk 12 #9 (293) [Sarpedon against Argives ≈ a lion against cattle]
Bk 13 #4 (102) [Trojans before Achaeans ≈ deer panic-stricken by jackals, panthers,
wolves]
Bk 15 #6 (271)+ [Danaans > Hector (vs other Trojans) ≈ country folk > a lion (vs. a stag
or goat)]
Bk 15 #7 (323)+ [ Apollo sends panic on Achaeans ≈ two wild beasts drive in
confusion cattle or a flock of sheep]
Bk 15 #16 (618)+ [Danaans withstand Trojans ≈ a steep rock withstands wind and
waves]
Bk 15 #17 (624)+ [Hector against Achaeans ≈ a wave falling on a ship and crew]
Bk 15 #18 (630)+ [Hector > the Achaeans ≈ a lion > cattle]
Bk 16 #4 (156)+ [leaders of the Myrmidons ≈ carnivorous wolves]
Bk 16 #7 (259)+ [Myrmidons ≈ wasps]
Bk 16 #8 (297)+ [Danaans > fire from their ships ≈ Zeus > a dense cloud from the crest
of a mountain]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 17 #24 (755)+ [Aeneas and Hector > the Achaean youths ≈ a falcon > starlings and
jackdaws

Trojans (and Allies) (collectively)

Bk 3 #1 (2) [shrieking Trojans ≈ birds]
Bk 3 #2 (3)+ [shrieking Trojans ≈ shrieking cranes]
Bk 3 #9 (151)+ [speakers (leaders of the Trojans) ≈ cicadas]
Bk 4 #9 (433)+ [clamor of the Trojans ≈ bleating of ewes]
Bk 5 #3 (136)+ [fury of Diomedes against Trojans ≈ fury of wounded lion against sheep]
Bk 5 #6 (476) [Hector’s sisters' husbands and his brothers ≈ dogs around a lion]
Bk 5 #7 (487) [Hector and Trojans ≈ someone snared in flax]
Bk 7 #1 (4)+ [Hector and Paris to longing Trojans ≈ fair wind to longing sailors]
Bk 8 #3 (131) [Trojans ≈ lambs]
Bk 8 #7 (555)+ [Trojan fires ≈ stars]
Bk 10 #9 (485)+ [Diomedes to Thracian warriors ≈ lion to sheep or goats]
Bk 11 #7 (113)+ [Agamemnon’s attacks on Isos and Antiphos causing Trojans to flee ≈
lion attacks on fawns causing mother deer to flee]
Bk 11 #10 (155)+ [Trojans falling to Agamemnon’s attack ≈ thickets falling in a fire]
Bk 11 #11 (172)+ [Agamemnon in pursuit of Trojans singling out the last one for death ≈
lion in pursuit of cows singling out one for death]
Bk 11 #18 (324)+ [Odysseus and Diomedes against Trojans ≈ two wild boars amid
dogs]
Bk 11 #19 (383) [Trojans fear Diomedes ≈ goats fear a lion]
Bk 11 #21 (414)+ [Trojans set upon Odysseus ≈ dogs and youths set on boar]
Bk 11 #22 (474)+ [Trojans around Odysseus ≈ jackals around stag]
Bk 11 #26 (548)+ [Ajax retreats from Trojans ≈ lion retreats from peasants]
Bk 11 #27 (558)+ Trojans and allies pursue Ajax and strike his shield with spears ≈
boys chase and beat ass with clubs ]
Bk 12 #7* (219)+ [Trojans ≈ high-flying eagle that did not complete its mission]
Bk 12 #11 (375) [Lycians ≈ a dark whirlwind]
Bk 13 #1 (39) [Trojans ≈ a flame or squall]
Bk 13 #4 (102) [Trojans before Achaeans ≈ deer panic-stricken by jackals, panthers,
wolves]
Bk 13 #16 (492)+ [army follows Aeneas ≈ sheep follow a ram]
Bk 13 #26 (795)+ [Trojans ≈ the blast of dire winds]
Bk 15 #10 (381)+ [Trojans over the wall ≈ a great wave over the sides of a ship]
Bk 15 #14 (592) [Trojans ≈ lions]
Bk 15 #16 (618)+ [Danaans withstand Trojans ≈ a steep rock withstands wind and
waves]
Bk 16 #10 (364)+ [Hector and Trojans crossing the trench ≈ a cloud going to heaven
before a storm]
Bk 17 #4 (61)+ [Trojans > Menelaus > body of Patroclus ≈ herdsmen > mountain lion >
a heifer]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 17 #8 (263)+ [the shouting of the Trojans ≈ the roar of a mighty wave]

Bk 17 #9 (281)+ [Ajax scatters Trojans ≈ boar scatters youths and dogs]
Bk 17 #13 (460) [Automedon > the Trojans ≈ a vulture > geese]
Bk 17 #23 (747)+ [the two Ajaxes held back the Trojans ≈ a ridge holds back water]
Bk 21 #1 (12)+ [Achilles > horses and men (Trojan) into the river Xanthus ≈ a blast of
fire > locusts into a river]
Bk 21 #2 (22)+ [Trojans flee Achilles ≈ fish flee dolphin]
Bk 21 #3 (29) [twelve Trojan youths) ≈ dazed fawns]
Bk 22 #1 (1) [the Trojans ≈ fawns]
Bk 22 #17 (410)+ [mourning of Priam et al. ≈ the mourning of Troy destroyed by fire]
Bk 24 #4 (328) [weeping at Priam’s departure ≈ weeping at Priam’s death]

Both Armies Meeting

Bk 4 #10 (452)+ [shouting and toil of Trojans and Greeks ≈ thunder of rivers in winter]
Bk 4 #12 (471) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ wolves]
Bk 7 #2 (οἵη/τοῖαι) (63)+ [ranks of Trojans and Achaeans ≈ ripple of West Wind]
Bk 10 #3 (183)+ [Achaeans to Trojans ≈ sheep dogs to a wild beast]
Bk 11 #4 (67)+ [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ reapers]
Bk 11 #5 (72) [Trojans and Achaeans ≈ wolves]
Bk 11 #6 (ἦμος/τῆμος) (86)+ [time the Danaans broke the enemy columns ≈ time for
woodsman’s midday meal]
Bk 11 #15 (292)+ [Hector sics Trojans on Achaeans ≈ hunter sics dogs on boars/lions]
Bk 12 #13 (421)+ [the Lycians and Danaans fight ≈ two men struggle around boundary
stones]
Bk 12 #14 (433)+ [Lycians and Danaans fought evenly ≈ a careful spinner woman
holding a balance]
Bk 13 #11 (334)+ [the battle ≈ storms and dust]
Bk 13 #22 (673) [Greeks and Trojans fighting ≈ blazing fire]
Bk 14 #5 (ὅσση/τόσον) (394) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder
than) waves of the sea]
Bk 14 #6 (ὅσση/τόσσός) (396) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder
than) a blazing fire]
Bk 14 #7 (ὅσση/τόσσον)(398) [the cry of the Trojans and Achaeans ≈ (was louder
than) the shrieking wind]
Bk 15 #11 (410)+ [war and battle even (isa) ≈ a ship’s timber straight]
Bk 16 #9 (352)+ [Danaans > Trojans ≈ carnivorous wolves > lambs or kids]
Bk 16 #19 (641)+ [Greeks and lTrojans gathered about Sarpedon’s corpse ≈ flies
around full milk-pails]
Bk 16 #23 (765)+ [Trojans and Achaeans fighting each other ≈ the East and West
Winds struggling in a storm]
Bk 17 #10* (366) [Trojans and Achaeans around the body of Patroclus ≈ fire]
Bk 17 #11 (389)+ [Trojans and Greeks dragging the corpse ≈ people stretching a bull’s
hide]
Bk 17 #20 (725)+ [Trojans > Achaeans ≈ dogs > a boar]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 18 #1 (1) [the Greeks+Trojans fighting ≈ a blazing fire]

Individual Greek Heroes

Achilles:
Bk 9 #3 (323)+ [Achilles ≈ a (mother) bird]
Bk 9 #7 (648) [Achilles ≈ an alien]
Bk 16 #3 (59) [Achilles ≈ an alien without rights]
Bk 18 #2 (56) [Achilles ≈ a sapling]
Bk 18 #3 (57) [Achilles ≈ a plant]
Bk 18 #8 (207)+ [gleam of fire from Achilles ≈ glare of flames from a city]
Bk 18 #9 (219)+ [clear voice of Aeacus’ son ≈ clear sound of a trumpet]
Bk 18 #10 (318)+ [Achilles ≈ a lion]
Bk 18 #12 (437) [Achilles ≈ a sapling]
Bk 18 #13 (438) [Achilles ≈ a plant]
Bk 19 #1 (17) [gleam of Achilles’ eyes ≈ gleam of flame]
Bk 19 #4 (366) [Achilles’ eyes ≈ a gleam of fire]
Bk 19 #5 (374) [the gleam from Achilles’ shield ≈ the gleam from the moon]
Bk 19 #6 (375)+ [gleam from Achilles’ shield ≈ gleam from a fire]
Bk 19 #7 (381) [Achilles’ helmet shone ≈ a star]
Bk 19 #8 (386) [Achilles’ armor ≈ wings]
Bk 20 #2 (164)+ [Achilles ≈ a lion]
Bk 20 #4 (244) [Aeneas to Achilles ≈ NOT children]
Bk 20 #5 (252)+ [we two (Aeneas and Achilles) ≈ women]
Bk 20 #6* (371) [Achilles’ hands ≈ fire]
Bk 20 #7* (372) [Achilles’ might ≈ blazing iron]
Bk 20 #11 (490)+ [Achilles ≈ a fire]
Bk 20 #12 (495)+ [Achilles > horses > the dead and their shields ≈ thresher > bulls >
barley]
Bk 21 #1 (12)+ [Achilles > horses and men (Trojan) into the river Xanthus ≈ a blast of
fire > locusts into a river]
Bk 21 #2 (22)+ [Trojans flee Achilles ≈ fish flee dolphin]
Bk 21 #4 (237) [Achilles bellowing ≈ a bull]
Bk 21 #5*(ὅσον) (251) [he <Achilles> rushed back [a long way: τόσσoν implied ] ≈
(ὅσον, as far as) a spear-cast]
Bk 21 #6 (252)+ [Achilles' rush ≈ eagle's swoop]
Bk 21 #8 (282)+ [Achilles ≈ a swineherd boy]
Bk 21 #13 (522)+ [Achilles > toil and sorrows for the Trojans ≈ the gods’ wrath > smoke
from a burning city > toil and sorrows for many]
Bk 21 #14 (573)+ [Agenor > Achilles ≈ a leopard > a hunter]
Bk 22 #2 (22)+ [Achilles ≈ a prize-winning horse]
Bk 22 #3 (26)+ [Achilles ≈ a star, the Dog of Orion]
Bk 22 #4 (93)+ [Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a mountain serpent > a man]
Bk 22 #6 (127)+ [Hector > Achilles ≈ maiden > youth]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 22 #8 (139)+ [Achilles > Hector ≈ a falcon > a dove]

Bk 22 #11 (162)+ [Achilles and Hector ≈ two race horses]
Bk 22 #12 (189)+ [Hector > Achilles ≈ fawn > dog]
Bk 22 #13 (199)+ [Achilles > Hector ≈ one pursuing in a dream > another fleeing]
Bk 22 #14 (262)+ [Achilles > Hector ≈ lions > men, wolves > lambs]
Bk 22 #15 (308)+ [Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a high-flying eagle > a lamb or hare]
Bk 23 #2 (222)+ [Achilles mourns his comrade Patroclus ≈ a father mourns his son]
Bk 24 #1 (41)+ [Achilles ≈ a lion]
Bk 24 #5 (480)+ [Achilles seeing Priam ≈ bystanders watching a murderer in exile]
Bk 24 #6 (572) [Achilles ≈ lion]

Agamemnon:
Bk 1 #2 (104) [Agamemnon’s eyes ≈ blazing fire]
Bk 2 #15 (480)+ [Agamemnon to warriors ≈ bull to cattle]
Bk 9 #2 (14)+ [weeping Agamemnon ≈ a fountain]
Bk 10 #1 (5)+ [Agamemnon ≈ Zeus]
Bk 11 #7 (113)+ [Agamemnon’s attacks on Isos and Antiphos causing Trojans to flee ≈
lion attacks on fawns causing mother deer to flee]
Bk 11 #8 (129) [Agamemnon ≈ lion]
Bk 11 #10 (155)+ [Trojans falling to Agamemnon’s attack ≈ thickets falling in a fire]
Bk 11 #11 (172)+ [Agamemnon in pursuit of Trojans singling out the last one for death ≈
lion in pursuit of cows singling out one for death]
Bk 11 #13 (239) [Agamemnon ≈ lion]
Bk 11 #14 (269)+ [pangs of pain of Agamemnon ≈ labor pang of pain]

Ajaxes:
Bk 7 #3 (219) [Ajax’s shield ≈ tower]
Bk 7 #5 (256) [Hector and Ajax ≈ carnivorous lions or wild boars]
Bk 11 #23 (485) [Ajax’s shield ≈ tower]
Bk 11 #24 (492)+ [Ajax chases and slaughters horses and men ≈ flooded river sweeps
away oaks, pines and mud]
Bk 11 #25 (546) [Ajax ≈ wild beast]
Bk 11 #26 (548)+ [Ajax retreats from Trojans ≈ lion retreats from peasants]
Bk 11 #27 (558)+ Trojans and allies pursue Ajax and strike his shield with spears ≈
boys chase and beat ass with clubs ]
Bk 13 #7 (198)+ [the Ajaxes with Imbrius ≈ two lions snatching a goat from dogs]
Bk 13 #24 (703)+ [the two Ajaxes fighting side by side ≈ two oxen at the plough]
Bk 15 #19 (679)+ [Ajax walking over the many decks of the swift ships ≈ a skilled
horseman riding horses]
Bk 17 #6 (128) [Ajax’ shield ≈ a tower]
Bk 17 #7 (133)+ [Ajax > Patroclus ≈ a lion > his cubs]
Bk 17 #9 (281)+ [Ajax scatters Trojans ≈ boar scatters youths and dogs]
Bk 17 #21 (737)+ [the battle > the two Ajaxes ≈ a fire > a city]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 17 #22 (742)+ [the two Ajaxes carried the corpse ≈ mules drag a beam or ship-
timber]
Bk 17 #23 (747)+ [the two Ajaxes held back the Trojans ≈ a ridge holds back water]
Bk 18 #7 (161)+ [the two Ajaxes > cannot drive Hector > from Patroclus’ corpse ≈
shepherds > cannot frighten a lion > from a body]
Bk 23 #10 (712)+ [Odysseus and Ajax ≈ gable-rafters]
Bk 23 #11 (760)+ [closeness of Odysseus to Ajax son of Oileus ≈ closeness of a
weaving rod to the chest of a woman weaving]

Diomedes:
Bk 5 #2 (87)+ [son of Tydeus ≈ flooding river in winter]
Bk 5 #3 (136)+ [fury of Diomedes against Trojans ≈ fury of wounded lion against sheep]
Bk 5 #4 (161)+ [Diomedes against Echemmon & Chromius ≈ lion against heifer or cow]
Bk 5 #12 (597)+ [Diomedes ≈ man startled by a swift river]
Bk 10 #4 (297) [Diomedes and Odysseus ≈ (two) lions]
Bk 10 #6 (360)+ [Diomedes and Odysseus to Dolon ≈ hunting dogs to deer or hare]
Bk 10 #9 (485)+ [Diomedes to Thracian warriors ≈ lion to sheep or goats]
Bk 11 #18 (324)+ [Odysseus and Diomedes against Trojans ≈ two wild boars amid
dogs]
Bk 11 #19 (383) [Trojans fear Diomedes ≈ goats fear a lion]

Idomeneus:
Bk 4 #5 (253) [Idomeneus ≈ wild boar]
Bk 13 #8 (242)+ [gleam of Idomeneus’ bronze armor ≈ lightning]
Bk 13 #9 (292) [Idomeneus and Meriones NOT ≈ children]
Bk 13 #10 (330) [Idomeneus ≈ a flame]
Bk 13 #14 (470) [Idomeneus NOT ≈ a darling child]
Bk 13 #15 (471)+ [Idomeneus ≈ a boar]

Menelaus:
Bk 3 #6 (23)+ [Menelaus to Paris ≈ lion to stag or goat]
Bk 3 #7 (33)+ [Alexander (Paris) seeing Menelaus ≈ a man who sees a snake]
Bk 3 #14 (449) [Menelaus ≈ wild animal]
Bk 4 #2 (130)+ [Athena kept arrow from Menelaus s a snake]n]wild boars amid ild]
Bk 4 #3 (141)+ [Menelaus’ thighs stained with blood ≈ ivory stained with scarlet]
Bk 17 #1 (4)+ [Menelaus > Patroclus ≈ a mother cow > her first calf]
Bk 17 #3 (οἷον/τοῖον) (53)+ [Menelaus > Euphorbus ≈ a stormy wind > a sapling of an
olive tree]
Bk 17 #4 (61)+ [Trojans > Menelaus > body of Patroclus ≈ herdsmen > mountain lion >
a heifer]
Bk 17 #5 (109)+ [Menelaus from Patroclus ≈ a bearded lion from a farm]
Bk 17 #17 (570)+ [courage of Menelaus ≈ the courage of a fly]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 17 #18 (657)+ [Menelaus from Patroclus’ body ≈ a lion from a fat cow]
Bk 17 #19 (674)+ [Menelaus > Nestor’s son ≈ an eagle > a hare]
Bk 23 #7* (ὅσσον/τόσσον) (517)+ [Menelaus > Antilochus ≈ a horse > the wheel of a
cart]
Bk 23 #8 (598)+ [Menelaus’ heart was warmed ≈ dew on ears of grain crop ripening]

Odysseus:
Bk 3 #10 (196) [Odysseus ≈ lead ram]
Bk 3 #11 (197)+ [Odysseus > Greek warriors ≈ ram > ewes]
Bk 3 #12* (219) [Odysseus ≈ an ignorant man]
Bk 3 #13 (222) [Odysseus’ words ≈ snowflakes]
Bk 8 #2 (94) [Odysseus ≈ coward]
Bk 10 #4 (297) [Diomedes and Odysseus ≈ (two) lions]
Bk 10 #6 (360)+ [Diomedes and Odysseus to Dolon ≈ hunting dogs to deer or hare]
Bk 11 #18 (324)+ [Odysseus and Diomedes against Trojans ≈ two wild boars amid
dogs]
Bk 11 #21 (414)+ [Trojans set upon Odysseus ≈ dogs and youths set on boar]
Bk 11 #22 (474)+ [Trojans around Odysseus ≈ jackals around stag]
Bk 23 #10 (712)+ [Odysseus and Ajax ≈ gable-rafters]
Bk 23 #11 (760)+ [closeness of Odysseus to Ajax son of Oileus ≈ closeness of a
weaving rod to the chest of a woman weaving]

Patroclus:
Bk 16 #1 (3)+ [Patroclus crying ≈ spring pouring water]
Bk 16 #2 (7)+ [Patroclus ≈ a silly child]
Bk 16 #12 (406)+ [Patroclus > Thestor from his chariot ≈ a man > a fish from the sea]
Bk 16 #13 (428)+ [Sarpedon and Patroclus ≈ vultures]
Bk 16 #15 (487)+ [Sarpedon killed by Patroclus≈ a bull killed by a lion]
Bk 16 #16 (582)+ [Patroclus ≈ a fleet falcon]
Bk 16 #21 (752)+ [Patroclus leaping on Cebriones ≈ a lion ravaging the stalls of a farm]
Bk 16 #22 (756)+ [Hector and Patroclus fighting for the corpse of Cebriones ≈ two lions
fighting for a slain deer]
Bk 16 #24 (823)+ [Hector > Patroclus ≈ a lion > a boar]
Bk 17 #1 (4)+ [Menelaus > Patroclus ≈ a mother cow > her first calf]
Bk 17 #4 (61)+ [Trojans > Menelaus > body of Patroclus ≈ herdsmen > mountain lion >
a heifer]
Bk 17 #5 (109)+ [Menelaus from Patroclus ≈ a bearded lion from a farm]
Bk 17 #7 (133)+ [Ajax > Patroclus ≈ a lion > his cubs]
Bk 17 #18 (657)+ [Menelaus from Patroclus’ body ≈ a lion from a fat cow]
Bk 18 #7 (161)+ [the two Ajaxes > cannot drive Hector > from Patroclus’ corpse ≈
shepherds > cannot frighten a lion > from a body]
Bk 23 #1 (100) [Patroclus’ spirit ≈ smoke]
Bk 23 #2 (222)+ [Achilles mourns his comrade Patroclus ≈ a father mourns his son]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Others:
Bk 1 #3* (249) [Nestor’s voice ≈ honey]
Bk 2 #4 (190) [an [unidentified] Achaean leader ≈ coward]
Bk 5 #10 (554)+ [Diocles0 (554)+ied] Achaean leader ≈ coward]father mourns his so
men]
Bk 5 #11 (560) [Diocles’ twin sons, Crethon and Orsilochus ≈ fir-trees]
Bk 8 #4 (271) [Teucer ≈ child]
Bk 9 #5 (481)+ [Peleus > Phoenix ≈ loving father > a beloved son]
Bk 11 #29 (747) [Nestor ≈ whirlwind]
Bk 12 #3 (132)+ [Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ oaks]
Bk 12 #4 (146)+ [Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ wild boars]
Bk 12 #6 (167)+ [Polypoetes and Leonteus ≈ wasps or bees]
Bk 13 #9 (292) [Idomeneus and Meriones NOT ≈ children]
Bk 13 #17 (531) [Meriones ≈ a vulture]
Bk 14 #1 (16)+ [Nestor pondered ≈ the sea heaving]
Bk 15 #12 (579)+ [Antilochus > you Melanippus ≈ a dog > a wounded fawn]
Bk 15 #13 (586)+ [Antilochus ≈ a wild beast]
Bk 16 #5 (192) [Eudorus ≈ Phylas’ own son]
Bk 17 #13 (460) [Automedon > the Trojans ≈ a vulture > geese]
Bk 17 #14 (520)+ [Aretus killed by Automedon’s spear ≈ an ox slain by a man’s axe]
Bk 17 #15 (542) [Automedon (with bloody hands and feet) > the corpse of Aretus ≈ a
lion (that has just devoured) > a bull]
Bk 17 #19 (674)+ [Menelaus > Nestor’s son ≈ an eagle > a hare]
Bk 23 #4* (430) [Antilochus ≈ a deaf person]
Bk 23 #7* (ὅσσον/τόσσον) (517)+ [Menelaus > Antilochus ≈ a horse > the wheel of a
cart]
Bk 23 #9 (692)+ [Euryalus leaped ≈ a fish leaps]
Bk 23 #13 (ὅσσόν/τόσσον) (845)+ [distance Polypoetes throws an iron mass over the
assembly ≈ distance a herdsman throws his crook over the herds]

Individual Trojans:

Aeneas:
Bk 5 #5 (299) [Aeneas ≈ lion]
Bk 5 #10 (554)+ [Diocles’ twin sons subdued by Aeneas ≈ two lions subdued by axe
men]
Bk 13 #16 (492)+ [army follows Aeneas ≈ sheep follow a ram]
Bk 17 #24 (755)+ [Aeneas and Hector > the Achaean youths ≈ a falcon > starlings and
jackdaws]
Bk 20 #3 (200) [me (Aeneas) NOT ≈ a child]
Bk 20 #4 (244) [Aeneas to Achilles: us ≈ children]
Bk 20 #5 (252)+ [we two (Aeneas and Achilles) ≈ women]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Hector:
Bk 3 #8 (60)+ [Hector’s heart ≈ axe]
Bk 5 #7 (487) [Hector and Trojans ≈ someone snared in flax]
Bk 6 #5 (443) [Hector ≈ coward]
Bk 7 #1 (4)+ [Hector and Paris to longing Trojans ≈ fair wind to longing sailors]
Bk 7 #4 (235)+ [Hector NOT ≈ a puny boy or a woman who does not know warfare]
Bk 7 #5 (256) [Hector and Ajax ≈ carnivorous lions or wild boars]
Bk 8 #6 (338)+ [Hector presses Achaeans ≈ector presses Achaeans iv]
Bk 11 #2 (οἷός) (62)+ [Hector in the ranks ≈ star amid the clouds]
Bk 11 #3 (66) [Hector’s armor ≈ lightning]
Bk 11 #15 (292)+ [Hector sics Trojans on Achaeans ≈ hunter sics dogs on boars/lions]
Bk 11 #16 (297)+ [Hector ≈ windstorm]
Bk 11 #17 (305)+ [Hector > Greek chieftains ≈ Zephyrus > clouds]
Bk 12 #1 (40) [Hector ≈ windstorm]
Bk 12 #2 (41)+ [Hector to Argives ≈ a wild boar or lion to dogs and huntsmen]
Bk 12 #15 (451)+ [Hector lifting a heavy stone ≈ a shepherd carrying the fleece of a ram
in one hand]
Bk 12 #16 (463) [Hector’s face ≈ night]
Bk 13 #2 (53) [Hector ≈ a flame]
Bk 13 #5 (137)+ [Hector ≈ a boulder]
Bk 13 #23 (688) [Hector ≈ a flame]
Bk 13 #25 (754) [Hector ≈ a snowy mountain]
Bk 14 #8 (413) [Hector ≈ a top whirling]
Bk 14 #9 (414)+ [Hector ≈ an oak falling]
Bk 15 #5 (263)+ [Hector ≈ a horse escaping from his halter]
Bk 15 #6 (271)+ [Danaans > Hector (vs other Trojans) ≈ country folk > a lion (vs. a stag
or goat)]
Bk 15 #15 (605)+ [Hector ≈ Ares or fire]
Bk 15 #17 (624)+ [Hector against Achaeans ≈ a wave falling on a ship and crew]
Bk 15 #18 (630)+ [Hector > the Achaeans ≈ a lion > cattle]
Bk 15 #20 (690)+ [Hector > a ship ≈ an eagle > a flock of birds (geese, cranes, or
swans)]
Bk 16 #22 (756)+ [Hector and Patroclus fighting for the corpse of Cebriones ≈ two lions
fighting for a slain deer]
Bk 16 #24 (823)+ [Hector > Patroclus ≈ a lion > a boar]
Bk 17 #24 (755)+ [Aeneas and Hector > the Achaean youths ≈ a falcon > starlings and
jackdaws]
Bk 18 #6 (154) [Hector ≈ a flame]
Bk 18 #7 (161)+ [the two Ajaxes > cannot drive Hector > from Patroclus’ corpse ≈
shepherds > cannot frighten a lion > from a body]
Bk 20 #9 (423) [Hector ≈ a flame]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 20 #10 (431) [me (Hector) NOT ≈ a child]

Bk 22 #4 (93)+ [Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a mountain serpent > a man]
Bk 22 #5* (125) [Hector ≈ a woman]
Bk 22 #6 (127)+ [ Hector > Achilles ≈ maiden > youth]
Bk 22 #8 (139)+ [Achilles > Hector ≈ a falcon > a dove]
Bk 22 #11 (162)+ [Achilles and Hector ≈ two race horses]
Bk 22 #12 (189)+ [Hector > Achilles ≈ fawn > dog]
Bk 22 #13 (199)+ [Achilles > Hector ≈ one pursuing in a dream > another fleeing]
Bk 22 #14 (262)+ [Achilles > Hector ≈ lions > men, wolves > lambs]
Bk 22 #15 (308)+ [Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a high-flying eagle > a lamb or hare]
Bk 24 #7* (758)+ [Hector ≈ someone recently killed by Apollo]

Paris / Alexander:
Bk 3 #6 (23)+ [Menelaus to Paris ≈ lion to stag or goat]
Bk 3 #7 (33)+ [Alexander (Paris) seeing Menelaus ≈ a man who sees a snake]
Bk 3 #15* (454) [Paris/Alexander ≈ black death]
Bk 6 #6 (506)+ [Paris ≈ horse]
Bk 6 #7 (513) [Paris in armor ≈ shining sun]
Bk 7 #1 (4)+ [Hector and Paris to longing Trojans ≈ fair wind to longing sailors]
Bk 11 #20 (389) [Paris ≈ woman or boy]

Sarpedon:
Bk 12 #9 (293) [Sarpedon against Argives ≈ a lion against cattle]
Bk 12 #10 (299)+ [Sarpedon ≈ a mountain lion]
Bk 16 #13 (428)+ [Sarpedon and Patroclus ≈ vultures]
Bk 16 #14 (482)+ [Sarpedon fell ≈ an oak or poplar or pine tree falls]
Bk 16 #15 (487)+ [Sarpedon killed by Patroclus≈ a bull killed by a lion]
Bk 16 #19 (641)+ [Greeks and lTrojans gathered about Sarpedon’s corpse ≈ flies
around full milk-pails]

Others:
Bk 2 #21 (872) [Nastes decked in gold ornaments ≈ a girl]
Bk 4 #11 (462) [Echepolus ≈ falling tower]
Bk 4 #13 (482)+ [fallen Simoeisios ≈ felled poplar tree]
Bk 5 #4 + [Diomedes against Echemmon & Chromius ≈ lion against heifer or cow]
Bk 6 #3* (389) [Andromache ≈ a raging woman]
Bk 6 #4 (401) [son of Hector <Astyanax> ≈ fair star]
Bk 8 #5 (306)+ [Gorgythion’s helmeted head ≈ fruit-laden, rain-drenched poppy]
Bk 10 #6 (360)+ [Diomedes and Odysseus to Dolon ≈ hunting dogs to deer or hare]
Bk 11 #7 (113)+ [Agamemnon’s attacks on Isos and Antiphos causing Trojans to flee ≈
lion attacks on fawns causing mother deer to flee]
Bk 11 #9 (147) [head of Hippolochus ≈ round stone]
Bk 12 #12 (385) [Epicles falling from the high tower ≈ a diver]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 13 #6 (178) [the Trojan Imbrius ≈ an ash tree that is cut down]

Bk 13 #7 (198)+ [the Ajaxes with Imbrius ≈ two lions snatching a goat from dogs]
Bk 13 #12 (389)+ [Asius falling ≈ an oak or poplar or tall pine]
Bk 13 #13 (437) [Alcathous ≈ a pillar or tree]
Bk 13 #19 (571)+ [Adamas ≈ a bull bound with ropes]
Bk 13 #21 (654) [Harpaliion wounded by Meriones’ arrow ≈ a worm on the earth]
Bk 14 #10 (499) [Ilioneus’ head with the spear in his eye ≈ a poppy]
Bk 15 #12 (579)+ [Antilochus > you Melanippus ≈ a dog > a wounded fawn]
Bk 16 #12 (406)+ [Patroclus > Thestor from his chariot ≈ a man > a fish from the sea]
Bk 16 #20 (742) [Cebriones ≈ a diver]
Bk 16 #21 (752)+ [Patroclus leaping on Cebriones ≈ a lion ravaging the stalls of a farm]
Bk 16 #22 (756)+ [Hector and Patroclus fighting for the corpse of Cebriones ≈ two lions
fighting for a slain deer]
Bk 17 #2 (τόσσον/ὅσσον) (20)+ [sons of Panthous ≈ leopard, lion and wild boar]
Bk 17 #3 (οἷον/τοῖον) (53)+ [Menelaus > Euphorbus ≈ a stormy wind > a sapling of an
olive tree]
Bk 17 #14 (520)+ [Aretus killed by Automedon’s spear ≈ an ox slain by a man’s axe]
Bk 17 #15 (542) [Automedon (with bloody hands and feet) > the corpse of Aretus ≈ a
lion (that has just devoured) > a bull]
Bk 20 #8 (403)+ [Hippodamus ≈ a bull]
Bk 21 #14 (573)+ [Agenor > Achilles ≈ a leopard > a hunter]
Bk 22 #18 (460) [Andromache ≈ a maenad / madwoman]
Bk 24 #5 (480)+ [Achilles seeing Priam ≈ bystanders watching a murderer in exile]

Nature:
Bk 2 #16 (754) [Titaressus river ≈ olive oil]
Bk 2 #17 (764) [Eumelas’ horses ≈ birds]
Bk 2 #19 (781)+ [earth groaning under the feet of the army ≈ earth groaning under
Zeus’s lashing]
Bk 3 #3 (10)+ [dense dust ≈ fog]
Bk 3 #4* (11) [fog ≈ night]
Bk 3 #5* (12) (hosson/tosson) [visibility distance ≈ stone’s throw distance]
Bk 4 #7* (277) [a dark cloud ≈ blacker than pitch]
Bk 5 #13 (ὅσσον/τόσσον) (770)+ [springing distance of horses of gods ≈ distance a
man sees into a haze]
Bk 6 #1 (οἵη/τοίη) (146)+ [lineage of men ≈ lineage of leaves]
Bk 10 #7 (437) [horses ≈ snow]
Bk 10 #8 (437) [horses ≈ wind]
Bk 10 #10 (547) [horses ≈ sunbeams]
Bk 13 #27 (819) [horses swifter ≈ than falcons]
Bk 16 #11 (384)+ Trojan mares roared loudly running ≈ the rivers roar loudly flowing]
Bk 17 #12 (434)+ [the horses ≈ a pillar]
Bk 21 #11 (464)+ [mortals ≈ leaves]
Bk 22 #9 (150) [one spring ≈ a blazing fire]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 22 #10 (151) [the other spring ≈ hail or snow or ice]

Bk 23 #3 (366) [dust ≈ a cloud or whirlwind]
Bk 24 #3 (ὅσση/τόσσ’) (317)+ [Zeus’ eagle’s wing-span ≈ width of a rich man’s treasure
doorway]

Description of Things:
Bk 2 #10 (455)+ [dazzling gleam of bronze ≈ glare of a consuming fire]
Bk 4 #2 (130)+ [Athena kept arrow from Menelaus ≈ a mother keeps fly from child]
Bk 5 #1 (5)+ [flame from Diomedes' helmet and shield ≈ star of harvest time]
Bk 6 #2 (295) [Sidonian robe ≈ a star]
Bk 9 #4* (ὅσα/τόσα) (385) [Agamemnon’s gifts ≈ sand and dust]
Bk 10 #2 (154) [flash of bronze ≈ lightning]
Bk 10 #5* (ὅσσόν) (351)+ [distance to Dolon ≈ the range of mules plowing]
Bk 11 #1 (27)+ [serpents on Agamemnon’s shield ≈ rainbows]
Bk 11 #12 (237) [point of spear ≈ lead]
Bk 12 #5 (156)+ [stones ≈ snow-flakes]
Bk 12 #8 (278)+ [stones flew thick ≈ snow falls thick]
Bk 12 #15 (451)+ [Hector lifting a heavy stone ≈ a shepherd carrying the fleece of a ram
in one hand]
Bk 13 #18 (564) [part of the spear ≈ a charred stake]
Bk 13 #20 (588)+ [an arrow glances off Menelaus’ corselet ≈ beans leap from a
winnower’s shovel]
Bk 15 #10 (381)+ [Trojans over the wall ≈ a great wave over the sides of a ship]
Bk 15 #20 (690)+ [Hector > a ship ≈ an eagle > a flock of birds (geese, cranes, or
swans)]
Bk 16 #6 (212)+ [helmets and shields fitted as close together ≈ stones of a high house]
Bk 16 #17 (ὅσση/τόσσον) (589)+ [the Trojans withdrew ≈ as far as the flight of a
javelin]
Bk 16 #18 (633)+ [the noise from their weapons ≈ the noise from woodcutters in the
mountains]
Bk 18 #4* (109) [anger ≈ honey]
Bk 18 #5 (110) [anger ≈ smoke]
Bk 18 #14 (600)+ [young men running [on Achilles shield] ≈ a potter at his wheel]
Bk 19 #3 (357)+ [densely packed helmets ≈ densely packed snow-flakes]
Bk 22 #7 (134) [bronze ≈ gleaming of fire or the sun]
Bk 22 #16 (317)+ [light from Achilles’ spear ≈ the evening star]
Bk 23 #5 (ὅσσα/τόσσον) (431)+ [they ran ≈ (as far as) a discus throw]
Bk 23 #6 (455) [round white spot on a horse ≈ the moon]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix II-B - Odyssey Tenors in Similes

Gods
Things 13%
19%

Nature
7%
Odysseus
Other People 27%
7%

Phaeacians Suitors Od.'s

3% 8% Od.
Crew
Household
6%
10%

The Gods and Divinities:

Athena:
Bk 1 #1 (308) [Athena to Telemachus ≈ father to son]
Bk 1 #2 (320) [Athena ≈ bird]
Bk 6 #1 (20) [Athena ≈ breath of wind]
Bk 6 #6 (232)+ [Athena pours grace over Odysseus’s head and shoulders ≈ artist
overlays silver with gold]
Bk 23 #4 (159)+ [Athena poured grace over Odysseys’s head and shoulders ≈ artist
overlays silver with gold]

Spirits in Underworld:
Bk 11 #1 (207) [flitting of spirit of Odysseus’s mother ≈ movements of shadow or
dream]
Bk 11 #2 (222) [spirit ≈ dream]
Bk 11 #7 (605) [clamor of dead ≈ clamor of birds]
Bk 11 #8 (606) [Heracles ≈ dark night]

Hermes:
Bk 5 #2 (51)+ [Hermes ≈ seabird]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Laestrygonians:
Bk 10 #1* (113) (ὅσην) [size of Laestrygonians wife ≈ size of peak of a mountain]
Bk 10 #2* (120) [Laestrygonians NOT ≈ men; Laestrygonians ≈ Giants]

Polyphemus:
Bk 9 #2 (190)+ [ Polyphemus NOT ≈ bread-eating man; Polyphemus ≈ wooded peak]
Bk 9 #6 (292) [Polyphemus ≈ mountain lion]

Proteus:
Bk 4 #4 (413) [Proteus among seals ≈ shepherd among flock of sheep]

Scylla and Charybdis:

Bk 12 #1* (86) (ὅση)[voice of Scylla ≈ voice of a new-born puppy]
Bk 12 #2 (237) [Charybdis ≈ cauldron on a big fire]
Bk 12 #7* (439)+ (ἦμος/τῆμος) [time spars appeared out of Charybdis ≈ time for
supper]

Odysseus:

Bk 2 #1* (47) [Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects]

Bk 2 #2* (234) [Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects]
Bk 4 #3 (335)+ [Odysseus lets loose a cruel doom on suitors ≈ lion lets loose a cruel
doom on fawns]
Bk 5 #1 (12) [Odysseus ≈ father of his subjects]
Bk 5 #3 (249)+ (ὅσσον/τόσσον) [Odysseus ≈ man skilled in carpentry]
Bk 5 #7 (371) [Odysseus astride plank ≈ riding a race horse]
Bk 5 #8 (394)+ [land and trees appears welcome to Odysseus ≈ father’s recovery
appears welcome to his children]
Bk 5 #10 (432)+ [Odysseus skin torn off on rocks ≈ octopus’ suckers held on pebbles]
Bk 5 #11 (488)+ [Odysseus covered with leaves ≈ fire brand hidden in ashes]
Bk 6 #3 (130)+ [Odysseus approaches girls ≈ lion prowls for cattle, sheep, deer]
Bk 6 #5 (231) [Odysseus hair ≈ hyacinth blossoms]
Bk 6 #6 (232)+ [Athena pours grace over Odysseus’s head and shoulders ≈ artist
overlays silver with gold]
Bk 8 #2* (159) [Odysseus NOT ≈ skilled in athletic contests]
Bk 8 #3* (161)+ [Odysseus ≈ captain of merchant ship]
Bk 8 #4* (164) [Odysseus NOT ≈ athlete]
Bk 8 #6 (523)+ [Odysseus shedding tears ≈ woman crying]
Bk 10 #7* (378) [Odysseus ≈ speechless person]
Bk 10 #8 (410)+ [men around the returning Odysseus ≈ calves around their returning
cows]
Bk 11 #4 (368) [Odysseus ≈ bard]
Bk 12 #6 (433) [Odysseus clinging to the fig-tree ≈ a bat]
Bk 13 #1 (31)+ [Odysseus ≈ a tired farmer looking forward to the end of day]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 13 #2 (80) [sleep of Odysseus ≈ death]

Bk 15 #3* (174)+ [Odysseus take vengeance ≈ eagle snatches goose]
Bk 16 #2 (216)+ [Telemachus and his father wailed ≈ birds (ospreys or vultures)]
Bk 17 #2 (126)+ [Odysseus > a cruel doom on the suitors ≈ a lion > cruel doom on 2
fawns]
Bk 17 #4 (463) [Odysseus ≈ a rock]
Bk 17 #6 (518)+ [Odysseus charmed Eumaeus ≈ a minstrel sings to mortals]
Bk 18 #1 (27) [greedy fellow (Odysseus) ≈ an old hag at the oven]
Bk 18 #2 (29) [greedy fellow (Odysseus) ≈ a sow wasting corn]
Bk 19 #4 (211) [Odysseus’ eyes were unmoving ≈ horn or iron]
Bk 20 #1 (14)+ [Odysseus growls with indignation ≈ a dog growls at a stranger]
Bk 20 #2 (25)+ [Odysseus turned from side to side thinking ≈ both a cook and a cooking
sausage being turned from side to side]
Bk 20 #3* (194) [Odysseus as beggar ≈ royal king]
Bk 21 #2 (406)+ [Odysseus strung the bow ≈ a musician strings a lyre]
Bk 22 #2 (302)+ [Odysseus and Telemachus > the suitors ≈ vultures > smaller birds]
Bk 22 #4 (402)+ [Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors ≈ a lion after
feeding on a ox]
Bk 23 #1 (48) [Odysseus bloodied amid bodies of slain suitors ≈ a lion]
Bk 23 #3 (158) [Odysseus’ hair ≈ a hyacinth flower]
Bk 23 #4 (159)+ [Athena poured grace over Odysseys’s head and shoulders ≈ artist
overlays silver with gold]
Bk 23 #6 (233)+ [Odysseus was welcome to Penelope ≈ land to ship-wrecked sailors]
Bk 24 #3 (538) [Odysseus ≈ an eagle]

Odysseus's Crew:

Bk 9 #4* (254)+ [Odysseus and his men ≈ pirates]

Bk 9 #5 (289) [two of Odysseus men ≈ puppies]
Bk 10 #3 (124) [spearing Odysseus’s men ≈ spearing fish]
Bk 10 #5 (283) [Odysseus’s companions penned ≈ pigs penned]
Bk 10 #8 (410)+ [men around the returning Odysseus ≈ calves around their returning
cows]
Bk 12 #3 (251)+ [Odysseus’ writhing men ≈ writhing fish caught by a fisherman]
Bk 12 #4 (413) [the pilot of the ship ≈ a diver]
Bk 12 #5 (418) [my comrades ≈ sea-crows]
Bk 14 #4 (308) [<Odysseus’ crew> ≈ sea-crows]

Odysseus's Household:

Eumaeus:
Bk 16 #1 (17)+ [the swineherd kissed and greeted Telemachus ≈ a loving father greets
his own son after many years away]
Bk 17 #6 (518)+ [Odysseus charmed Eumaeus ≈ a minstrel sings to mortals]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Eurycleia:
Bk 19 #7 (494) [Eurycleia ≈ silent as a stone or iron]

Penelope:
Bk 4 #7 (791)+ [Penelope ≈ lion]
Bk 18 #3* (196) [Penelope ≈ whiter than new-sawn ivory]
Bk 19 #2 (109)+ [Penelope’s fame ≈ the fame of some blameless king]
Bk 19 #3 (205)+ [Penelope’s cheeks melted as she wept ≈ snow melting on mountains]
Bk 19 #8 (518)+ [Penelope's heart sways ≈ a nightingale sings sadly]
Bk 23 #2* (103) [Penelope’s heart ≈ harder than stone]
Bk 23 #6 (233)+ [Odysseus was welcome to Penelope ≈ land to ship-wrecked sailors]

Telemachus:
Bk 1 #1 (308) [Athena to Telemachus ≈ father to son]
Bk 3 #1* (73)+ [Telemachus and shipmates ≈ pirates]
Bk 14 #2 (175) [Telemachus ≈ a tree sapling]
Bk 16 #1 (17)+ [the swineherd kissed and greeted Telemachus ≈ a loving father greets
his own son after many years away]
Bk 16 #2 (216)+ [Telemachus and his father wailed ≈ birds (ospreys or vultures)]
Bk 17 #1 (111)+ [Nestor welcomed Telemachus ≈ a father would welcome son coming
from afar]
Bk 22 #2 (302)+ [Odysseus and Telemachus > the suitors ≈ vultures > smaller birds]

Suitors:

Bk 4 #3 (335)+ [Odysseus lets loose a cruel doom on suitors ≈ lion lets loose a cruel
doom on fawns]
Bk 17 #2 (126)+ [Odysseus > a cruel doom on the suitors ≈ a lion > cruel doom on 2
fawns]
Bk 20 #4* (362) [conditions in hall of suitors ≈ night]
Bk 22 #1 (299)+ [suitors routed by Athena’s aegis ≈ a herd of cattle driven by a gadfly]
Bk 22 #2 (302)+ [Odysseus and Telemachus > the suitors ≈ vultures > smaller birds]
Bk 22 #3 (384)+ [the suitors ≈ fish on a beach]
Bk 22 #4 (402)+ [Odysseus bloodied amid the bodies of the slain suitors ≈ a lion after
feeding on a ox]
Bk 22 #5 (468)+ [the women who had consorted with the suitors being hanged ≈
thrushes or doves in a snare]
Bk 24 #1 (6)+ [the spirits of the suitors squealing ≈ bats squealing]

Antinous:
Bk 4 #6 (662) [Antinous’ eyes ≈ blazing fire]
Bk 17 #3* (416) [Antinous ≈ king]
Bk 17 #5* (500) [Antinous ≈ black fate]
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Phaeacians:

Nausicaa:
Bk 6 #2 (102)+ [Nausicaa conspicuous among handmaids ≈ Artemis easily recognized
among wood-nymphs]
Bk 6 #3 (130)+ [Odysseus approaches girls ≈ lion prowls for cattle, sheep, deer]
Bk 6 #4 (162)+ [admiration of Nausicaa ≈ admiration of shoot of a palm]

Servants:
Bk 7 #3 (106) [servants at work ≈ leaves of poplar tree]

Other People:

Aegisthus / Agamemnon:
Bk 4 #5 (535)+ [Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after feast ≈ one kills ox at the trough ]
Bk 11 #5 (411)+ [Aegisthus kills Agamemnon after feast ≈ one kills an ox the trough]

Agamemnon’s Companions:
Bk 11 #6 (413)+ [killing of Agamemnon’s companions ≈ slaughter of pigs]

Eteoneus (squire of Menelaus)

Bk 4 #1 (32) [Eteoneus ≈ child]

Irus (beggar on Ithaca)

Bk 18 #4 (240) [Irus ≈ a drunk]

Cicones:
Bk 9 #1* (51)+ (ὅσα) [number of Cicones ≈ number of leaves and flowers]

Nestor:
Bk 15 #2* (153) [Nestor ≈ father to Menelaus]
Bk 17 #1 (111)+ [Nestor welcomed Telemachus ≈ a father would welcome son coming
from afar]

Phoenician Woman:
Bk 15 #4 (479) [the Phoenician woman fell ≈ a sea tern plunges]

Nature:

Bk 3 #2 (290) [waves ≈ mountains]

Bk 5 #4 (281)+ [land of the Phaeacians ≈ shield]
Bk 5 #5 (328)+ [winds carry raft over sea ≈ north wind carries thistle stalks
over the plain]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 5 #6 (368) [wave scatters planks of raft ≈ wind scatters heap of chaff]

Bk 5 #8 (394)+ [land and trees appears welcome to Odysseus ≈ father’s recovery
appears welcome to his children]
Bk 10 #4 (216)+ [wolves and lions wag their tails around Eurylochus’s group ≈ dogs
wag their tails around master]
Bk 10 #6* (304) [flower of Hermes’ herb ≈ milk]
Bk 11 #3 (243) [wave ≈ mountain]
Bk 14 #1 (21) [dogs ≈ wild beasts]

Description of Things:

Bk 4 #2 (45) [gleam over Menelaus’ house ≈ gleam of sun or moon]

Bk 5 #9* (400) (τόσσον/ὅσσον) [distance from Odysseus to shore ≈ distance a
man’s voice carries]
Bk 6 #7* (294) (τόσσον/ὅσσον) [distance from park to city ≈ distance a voice carries]
Bk 7 #1 (36) [ships ≈ wing or thought]
Bk 7 #2 (84) [gleam of palace ≈ gleam of sun or moon]
Bk 8 #1* (124)+ (ὅσσον/τόσσον) [lead of Phaeacian Clytoneus ≈ range of a team of
mules]
Bk 8 #5 (280) [Hephaestus’ chains ≈ spider's webs]
Bk 9 #3* (241)+ (τόσσην) [rock in doorway of Polyphemus cave NOT ≈ load carried by
twenty-two wagons]
Bk 9 #7 (314)+ [stone put in doorway ≈ lid put on a quiver]
Bk 9 #8* (322)+ (ὅσσον/τόσσον) [size of club ≈ length and thickness of a mast]

Bk 9 #9 (384)+ [Spinning sharpened stake in Polyphemus’s eye ≈ Spinning drill into

ship’s timber]
Bk 9 #10 (391)+ [Hissing around stake in the eye ≈ hissing around axe or adze in cold
water]
Bk 9 #11* (473) (τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον) [distance from Odysseus ship to Cyclops ≈
distance a man’s voice carries]
Bk 13 #3 (81) [Odysseus ship ≈ four yoked stallions]
Bk 14 #3 (254) [Odysseus fictitious trip ≈ on a current]
Bk 15 #1 (108) [Helen's robe shone ≈ a star]
Bk 18 #5 (296) [beads ≈ the sun]
Bk 19 #1 (39) [Odysseus' hall glow ≈ a blazing fire]
Bk 19 #5 (233) [Odysseus’ tunic glistened ≈ skin of a dried onion]
Bk 19 #6 (234) [Odysseus’ tunic ≈ sun]
Bk 19 #9 (574) [twelve axes ≈ keel-blocks]
Bk 21 #1 (48)+ [doors bellowed ≈ a bull bellows]
Bk 21 #3 (411) [string of Odysseus bow ≈ the voice of a swallow]
Bk 23 #5 (191) [olive tree ≈ a pillar in girth]
Bk 24 #2 (148) [Penelope’s web ≈ sun or moon]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A Similes in blue in 2 categories

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes Similes in magenta in 3 categories
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix III
Protheses Used in the Iliad and Odyssey

In English, a few protheses (e.g., as, like, as if, as when) are mark the start of a simile.
The Iliad and Odyssey use a larger number of prothesis types. Appendices III-A and III-
B, which follow, provide a detailed listing of the similes by prothesis type.

Prothesis Iliad Odyssey

Type Number of Similes Short Scene Number of Similes Short Scene
ἀλίγκιος 1 1 0 0 0 0
ἀτάλαντος 2 1 1 0 0 0
δέμας 4 4 0 0 0 0
εἴκελος 9 8 1 3 3 0
ἐίσκω 1 0 1 3 2 1
ἐναλίγκιος 2 0 2 1 1 0
ἔοικα 35 23 12 13 11 2
ἦμος 1 0 1 1 0 1
ἠύτε 31 16 15 5 4 1
ἴκελος 2 0 2 2 2 0
ἴσος 10 9 1 5 5 0
οἷος 8 0 8 5 2 3
ὅμοιος 2 2 0 2 2 0
ὅσσος 16 4 12 10 5 5
τόσσος 4 3 1 0 0 0
φὴ 2 1 1 0 0 0
ὡς 72 34 38 28 19 9
ὡς εἰ 14 9 5 6 4 2
ὡς ὁπότε 2 0 2 2 0 2
ὡς ὅτε 68 1 67 22 3 19
ὥς τε 48 12 36 15 8 7
Comparison 5 5 0 3 2 1
With ἔχων 3 1 2 0 0 0
Other 2 0 2 2 0 2
344 134 210 128 73 55

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Frequency of Prothesis Types for All Similes in the Iliad

εἴκελος
ὡς εἰ 3%
4%
Other
7% ἔοικα
10%

ἠύτε
9%
ὡς ὅτε, ὡς ἴσος
ὁπότε 3%
20%
ὅσσος, ἦμος,
οἷος
8%
ὥς τε
14% ὡς
22%

Frequency of Prothesis Types for All Similes in the

Odyssey
εἴκελος
2%
ὡς εἰ
5% Other ἠύτε
ἔοικα
10% 4%
10%
ἴσος
4%

ὡς ὅτε, ὡς
ὅσσος, ἦμος,
ὁπότε
οἷος
19%
12%

ὥς τε
12% ὡς
22%

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Frequency of Prothesis Types for Scene Similes in the

Iliad
ὡς εἰ εἴκελος
2% 1%

Other ἔοικα ἴσος

5% 6% ἠύτε 0%
7% ὅσσος, ἦμος,
οἷος
10%

ὡς ὅτε, ὡς
ὁπότε
33%
ὡς
19%

ὥς τε
17%

Frequency of Prothesis Types for Scene Similes in the

Odyssey
εἴκελος
ἔοικα ἠύτε
ἴσος
0% 4%
ὡς εἰ 0%
2%
4%
Other
7%

ὅσσος, ἦμος,
οἷος
16%

ὡς ὅτε, ὡς ὡς
ὁπότε 16%
38%

ὥς τε
13%

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix III - A
The Protheses of the Iliad Arranged Alphabetically
1-Protheses:

ἀλίγκιος ‘like, resembling’ (adjective + dative):

Bk 6 #4 (401) Ἑκτορίδην ἀγαπητὸν ἀλίγκιον ἀστέρι καλῷ,
***
ἀτάλαντος ‘equal in weight to / like’ + dative:
Bk 12 #16 (463) νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀτάλαντος ὑπώπια
Bk 13 #26 (795)+ ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ

cf. 2.169 (εὗρεν ἔπειτ᾽ Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον); 2.407;

5.576 (Πυλαιμένεα ἑλέτην ἀτάλαντον Ἄρη) ‘His face like sudden night’
***
δέμας (δέμω): frame, build of body; this word also appears as accusative of
respect with a simile:
Bk 11 #28 (596) μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
Bk 13 #22 (673) μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
Bk 17 #10* (366) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρός
Bk 18 #1 (1) μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο

But cf. Bk 8(305): καλὴ Καστιάνειρα δέμας ἐϊκυῖα θεῇσι

(Fair Castianeira, in form like the goddesses)
***
εἴκελος ‘like’ + dative:
Bk 4 #5 (253) Ἰδομενεὺς μὲν ἐνὶ προμάχοις συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκήν
Bk 13 #2 (53) ὁ λυσσώδης φλογὶ εἴκελος
Bk 13 #10 (330) Ἰδομενῆα ἴδον φλογὶ εἴκελον ἀλκὴν
Bk 13 #23 (688) φλογὶ εἴκελον Ἕκτορα δῖον
Bk 14 #4 (386) εἴκελον ἀστεροπῇ
Bk 17 #9 (281)+ συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκὴν
Bk 18 #6 (154) Ἕκτωρ . . . φλογὶ εἴκελος
Bk 20 #9 (423) ὀξὺ δόρυ κραδάων φλογὶ εἴκελος
Bk 22 #7 (134) εἴκελος αὐγῇ
***
ἐΐσκω ‘compare . . . to’:
Bk 3 #11 (197)+ ἀρνειῷ μιν ἔγωγε ἐΐσκω
***
ἐναλίγκιον ‘equal to’ + dative:
Bk 5 #1 (5)+ ἀκάματον πῦρ / ἀστέρ᾽ ὀπωρινῷ ἐναλίγκιον
Bk 13 #8 (242)+ Ἰδομενεὺς . . . ἀστεροπῇ ἐναλίγκιος
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

ἔοικα ‘similar to’ + dative:

Bk 1 #1 (47) ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς
Bk 1 # 2 (104) ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐΐκτην
Bk 2 #8* (337) ‘ὦ πόποι ἦ δὴ παισὶν ἐοικότες ἀγοράασθε
Bk 2 #20 (800) φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἢ ψαμάθοισιν
Bk 3 #9 (151)+ ἐσθλοί, τεττίγεσσιν ἐοικότες
Bk 3 #12* (219) ἀλλ᾽ ἀστεμφὲς ἔχεσκεν ἀΐδρεϊ φωτὶ ἐοικώς
Bk 3 #13 (222) καὶ ἔπεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίῃσιν,
Bk 3 #14 (449) Ἀτρεΐδης δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἐφοίτα θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
Bk 5 #2 (87)+ θῦνε γὰρ ἂμ πεδίον ποταμῷ πλήθοντι ἐοικὼς
Bk 5 #9 (522)+ ἔμενον νεφέλῃσιν ἐοικότες
Bk 5 #11 (560) καππεσέτην, ἐλάτῃσιν ἐοικότες ὑψηλῇσι
Bk 5 #15 (782) εἰλόμενοι λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν
Bk 6 #3* (389) μαινομένῃ ἐϊκυῖα:
Bk 7 #5 (256) λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν / ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν
Bk 10 #10 (547) ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιο
Bk 11 #1 (27) + δράκοντες / . . .ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιο
Bk 11 #25 (546) θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
Bk 12 #4 (146)+ ἀγροτέροισι σύεσσιν ἐοικότε
Bk 12 #12 (385) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
Bk 13 #4 (102)+ ἐλάφοισιν ἐοίκεσαν
Bk 13 #25 (754) ὄρεϊ νιφόεντι ἐοικὼς
Bk 15 #4 (237)+ ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς
Bk 15 #13 (586)+ θηρὶ κακὸν ῥέξαντι ἐοικώς
Bk 15 #14 (592) Τρῶες δὲ λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισι
Bk 16 #7 (259)+ φήκεσσιν ἐοικότες
Bk 16 #16 (582)+ ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς
Bk 16 #20 (742) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
Bk 17 #20 (725)+ κύνεσσιν ἐοικότες
Bk 18 #11 (418) νεήνισιν εἰοικυῖα … ἀμφίπολοι
Bk 19 #2 (350) ἣ δ᾽ ἅρπῃ ἐϊκυῖα
Bk 20 #6* (371) εἰ πυρὶ χεῖρας ἔοικε,
Bk 20 #7* (372) μένος δ᾽ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ.
Bk 21 #11 (464)+ βροτῶν . . . οἳ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες
Bk 22 #10 (151) ἐϊκυῖα χαλάζῃ
Bk 23 #4* (430) ὡς οὐκ ἀΐοντι ἐοικώς
***
ἦμος ‘at the time when’: (See below: 3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities)
Bk 11 #6 (86)+ ἦμος δὲ δρυτόμος περ ἀνὴρ ὁπλίσσατο δεῖπνον
***
ἠΰτε ‘like, as’:
Bk 1 #4 (359) ἠΰτ᾽ ὀμίχλη [Thetis]
Bk 2 #1 (87)+ ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων
Bk 2 #10 (455)+ ἠΰτε πῦρ ἀΐδηλον ἐπιφλέγει . . . αὐγή. . . χαλκοῦ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 2 #13 (469)+ ἠΰτε μυιάων ἁδινάων ἔθνεα πολλὰ

Bk 2 #15 (480)+ ἠΰτε βοῦς . . . τοῖον ἄρ᾽ Ἀτρεΐδην θῆκε Ζεὺς
Bk 2 #16 (754) ἐπιρρέει ἠΰτ᾽ ἔλαιον
Bk 2 #21 (872) πόλεμον δ᾽ ἴεν ἠΰτε κούρη
Bk 3 #2 (3)+ ἠΰτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων
Bk 3 #3 (10)+ εὖτ᾽ Νότος κατέχευεν ὀμίχλην
Bk 4 #4 (243)+ ἔστητε τεθηπότες ἠΰτε νεβροί
Bk 4 #7* (277) τῷ δέ τ᾽ ἄνευθεν ἐόντι μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα
Bk 7 #3 (219) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον
Bk 7 #4 (235)+ μή τί μευ ἠΰτε παιδὸς ἀφαυροῦ πειρήτιζε / ἠὲ γυναικός
Bk 8 #3 (131) καί νύ κε σήκασθεν κατὰ Ἴλιον ἠΰτε ἄρνες.
Bk 11 #23 (485) φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον,
Bk 15 #16 (618)+ ἴσχον γὰρ πυργηδὸν ἀρηρότες, ἠΰτε πέτρη
Bk 16 #2 (7)+ ἠΰτε κούρη
Bk 16 #15 (487)+ ἠΰτε ταῦρον ἔπεφνε λέων
Bk 17 #6 (128) σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον
Bk 17 #16 (547)+ ἠΰτε πορφυρέην ἶριν θνητοῖσι τανύσσῃ / Ζεὺς
Bk 17 #21 (737)+ ἄγριος ἠΰτε πῦρ
Bk 18 #5 (110) ἀέξεται ἠΰτε καπνός
Bk 19 #5 (374) σέλας γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε μήνης.
Bk 19 #8 (386) τῷ δ᾽ εὖτε πτερὰ γίγνετ᾽
Bk 21 #3 (29) τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε ἠΰτε νεβρούς
Bk 21 #4 (237) τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος
Bk 21 #14 (573)+ ἠΰτε πάρδαλις . . . ὣς Ἀντήνορος υἱὸς
Bk 22 #1 (1) ἠΰτε νεβροὶ (the Trojans)
Bk 22 #8 (139)+ ἠΰτε κίρκος
Bk 23 #1 (100) ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς
Bk 23 #6 (455) λευκὸν σῆμα τέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη
***
ἰκέλη ‘like’ + dative:
Bk 24 #2 (80)+ ἣ δὲ μολυβδαίνῃ ἰκέλη ἐς βυσσὸν ὄρουσεν
Bk 24 #7* (758)+ τῷ ἴκελος ὅν τ᾽ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων
***
ἶσος ‘equal to’ + dative:
Bk 3 #15* (454) ἶσον γάρ σφιν πᾶσιν ἀπήχθετο κηρὶ μελαίνῃ
Bk 11 #16 (297)+ ὑπεραέϊ ἶσος ἀέλλῃ
Bk 11 #29 (747) λαίλαπι ἶσος,
Bk 12 #1 (40) ἶσος ἀέλλῃ
Bk 12 #11 (375) βαῖνον ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσοι
Bk 13 #1 (39) Τρῶες δὲ φλογὶ ἶσοι ἀολλέες ἠὲ θυέλλῃ
Bk 18 #2 (56) ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος
Bk 18 #12 (437) ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος
Bk 20 #1 (51) αὖε δ᾽ Ἄρης ἑτέρωθεν ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος
Bk 22 #18 (460) μαινάδι ἴση

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

***
οἷος ‘such as’: (See below: 3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities)
Bk 4 #1 (75)+ οἷον δ᾽ ἀστέρα ἧκε Κρόνου πάϊς
Bk 5 #10 (554)+ οἵω τώ γε λέοντε δύω ὄρεος κορυφῇσιν
Bk 5 #17 (864)+ οἵη δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἐρεβεννὴ φαίνεται ἀὴρ
Bk 6 #1 (146)+ οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν
Bk 7 #2 (63)+ οἵη δὲ Ζεφύροιο ἐχεύατο πόντον ἔπι φρὶξ. . . τοῖαι ἄρα στίχες
εἵατ᾽ Ἀχαιῶν
Bk 11 #2 (62)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἀναφαίνεται οὔλιος ἀστὴρ
Bk 17 #3 (53)+ οἷον δὲ τρέφει ἔρνος ἀνὴρ ἐριθηλὲς ἐλαίης
Bk 22 #16 (317)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἀστὴρ εἶσι
***
ὅμοιος ‘like, similar to’ + dative:
Bk 5 #14 (778) αἳ δὲ βάτην τρήρωσι πελειάσιν ἴθμαθ᾽ ὁμοῖαι
Bk 10 #8 (437) θείειν δ᾽ ἀνέμοισιν ὁμοῖοι
***
ὅσσος ‘as much as’: (See below: 3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities)
Bk 2 #12 (468) μυρίοι, ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα
Bk 3 #5* (12) τόσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἐπιλεύσσει ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ λᾶαν ἵησιν
Bk 5 #13 (770)+ ὅσσον δ᾽ ἠεροειδὲς ἀνὴρ ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν . . . τόσσον
ἐπιθρῴσκουσι
Bk 5 #16 (860)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι
Bk 8 #1* (16)+ τόσσον ἔνερθ᾽ Ἀΐδεω ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστ᾽ ἀπὸ γαίης
Bk 9 #4* (385) οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι τόσα δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε,
Bk 10 #5* (351)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἀπέην ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐπὶ οὖρα πέλονται
Bk 14 #2 (148)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι
Bk 14 #5 (394) οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον
Bk 14 #6 (396) οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο
Bk 14 #7 (398) οὔτ᾽ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι
Bk 15 #8 (358)+ ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωὴ
Bk 16 #17 (589)+ ὅσση δ᾽ αἰγανέης ῥιπὴ ταναοῖο
Bk 17 #2 (20)+ οὔτ᾽ οὖν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος … οὔτε λέοντος… οὔτε
συὸς
Bk 21 #5* (251) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἀπόρουσεν ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωή
Bk 22 #6 (127)+ ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε
Bk 23 #5 (431)+ ὅσσα δὲ δίσκου οὖρα κατωμαδίοιο πέλονται
Bk 23 #7 (517)+ ὅσσον δὲ τροχοῦ ἵππος ἀφίσταται
Bk 23 #13 (845)+ ὅσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἔρριψε καλαύροπα βουκόλος ἀνήρ
Bk 24 #3 (317)+ ὅσση δ᾽ὑψορόφοιο θύρη θαλάμοιο τέτυκται
***
φὴ = ὡς, ‘as, like’
Bk 2 #2 (144)+ ἀγορὴ φὴ κύματα μακρὰ θαλάσσης
Bk 14 #10 (499) φὴ κώδειαν ἀνασχὼν
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

ὡς ‘as, like’: conj. + noun or clause

Bk 2 #4 (190) οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς δειδίσσεσθαι
Bk 2 #7* (326)+ ὡς οὗτος κατὰ τέκνα φάγε στρουθοῖο καὶ αὐτὴν
Bk 2 #17 (764) ἵπποι … ἔλαυνε ποδώκεας ὄρνιθας ὣς.
Bk 2 #19 (781)+ γαῖα δ᾽ ὑπεστενάχιζε Διὶ ὣς τερπικεραύνῳ
Bk 3 #1 (2) Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽ ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν ὄρνιθες ὣς
Bk 3 #8 (60)+ τοι κραδίη πέλεκυς ὥς ἐστιν ἀτειρὴς
Bk 3 #10 (196) αὐτὸς δὲ κτίλος ὣς ἐπιπωλεῖται
Bk 4 #12 (471) οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
Bk 4 #13 (482)+ πέσεν αἴγειρος ὣς
Bk 5 #4 (161)+ ὡς δὲ λέων ἐν βουσὶ
Bk 5 #5 (299) βαῖνε λέων ὣς ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς
Bk 5 #6 (476) καταπτώσσουσι κύνες ὣς ἀμφὶ λέοντα
Bk 5 #7 (487) ή πως ὡς ἀψῖσι λίνου ἁλόντε . . . ἕλωρ καὶ κύρμα γένησθε
Bk 5 #8 (499)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ἄχνας φορέει . . . αἳ δ᾽ ὑπολευκαίνονται ἀχυρμιαί
Bk 6 #2 (295) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν
Bk 6 #5 (443) αἴ κε κακὸς ὣς νόσφιν ἀλυσκάζω
Bk 7 #1 (4)+ ὡς δὲ θεὸς ναύτῃσιν ἐελδομένοισιν ἔδωκεν οὖρον
Bk 8 #2 (94) πῇ φεύγεις μετὰ νῶτα βαλὼν κακὸς ὣς ἐν ὁμίλῳ
Bk 8 #4 (271) αὐτὰρ ὃ αὖτις ἰὼν πάϊς ὣς ὑπὸ μητέρα δύσκεν
Bk 8 #5 (306)+ μήκων δ᾽ ὡς ἑτέρωσε κάρη βάλεν
Bk 9 #1 (4)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμοι δύο πόντον ὀρίνετον ἰχθυόεντα
Bk 9 #3 (323)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὄρνις ἀπτῆσι νεοσσοῖσι προφέρῃσi
Bk 10 #3 (183)+ ὡς δὲ κύνες
Bk 10 #9 (485)+ ὡς δὲ λέων μήλοισιν ἀσημάντοισιν
Bk 11 #5 (72) οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
Bk 11 #7 (113)+ ὡς δὲ λέων ἐλάφοιο
Bk 11 #8 (129) λέων ὣς
Bk 11 #9 (147) ὅλμον δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 11 #11 (172)+ βόες ὥς
Bk 11 #12 (237) μόλιβος ὣς ἐτράπετ᾽ αἰχμή
Bk 11 #19 (383) λέονθ᾽ ὡς μηκάδες αἶγες
Bk 11 #26 (548)+ ὡς δ᾽ αἴθωνα λέοντα βοῶν
Bk 12 #5 (156)+ νιφάδες δ᾽ ὡς πῖπτον ἔραζε
Bk 12 #9 (293) ὦρσεν ἐπ᾽ Ἀργείοισι λέονθ᾽ ὣς βουσὶν ἕλιξιν
Bk 13 #5 (137)+ ὀλοοίτροχος ὣς ἀπὸ πέτρης
Bk 13 #6 (178)+ ὃ δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἔπεσεν μελίη ὣς
Bk 13 #9 (292) νηπύτιοι ὣς
Bk 13 #14 (470) Iδομενῆα φόβος λάβε τηλύγετον ὥς
Bk 13 #17 (531) Μηριόνης δ᾽ ἐξ αὖτις ἐπάλμενος αἰγυπιὸς ὣς
Bk 14 #3 (185) λευκὸν δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς
Bk 14 #8 (413) στρόμβον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε
Bk 15 #3 (196) με πάγχυ κακὸν ὣς δειδισσέσθω
Bk 15 #12 (579)+ Ἀντίλοχος δ᾽ ἐπόρουσε κύων ὥς, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ νεβρῷ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 16 #4 (156)+ οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
Bk 16 #9 (352)+ ὡς δὲ λύκοι ἄρνεσσιν ἐπέχραον
Bk 16 #11 (384)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ λαίλαπι πᾶσα κελαινὴ βέβριθε χθὼν
Bk 16 #22 (756)+ λέονθ᾽ ὣς δηρινθήτην
Bk 16 #23 (765)+ ὡς δ᾽ Εὖρός τε Νότος τ᾽ ἐριδαίνετον ἀλλήλοιιν
Bk 17 #1 (4)+ ὥς τις περὶ πόρτακι μήτηρ
Bk 17 #7 (133)+ ὥς τίς τε λέων
Bk 17 #15 (542) ὥς τίς τε λέων κατὰ ταῦρον ἐδηδώς
Bk 17 #18 (657)+ ὥς τίς τε λέων ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο
Bk 18 #3 (57) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς
Bk 18 #7 (161)+ ὡς ποιμένες. . . ὥς δύω Αἴαντε
Bk 18 #13 (438) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς
Bk 18 #15 (616) ἣ δ᾽ ἴρηξ ὣς ἆλτο
Bk 19 #7 (381) ἣ δ᾽ ἀστὴρ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν (τρυφάλεια)
Bk 20 #2 (164)+ λέων ὣς
Bk 20 #3 (200) με νηπύτιον ὣς
Bk 20 #4 (244) μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς
Bk 20 #10 (431) με νηπύτιον ὣς
Bk 20 #11 (490)+ ὡς δ᾽ . . . θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ . . . ὣς ὅ γε πάντῃ θῦνε σὺν ἔγχεϊ
Bk 21 #2 (22)+ ὡς ἰχθύες ἄλλοι . . . ὣς Τρῶες
Bk 21 #8 (282)+ ὡς παῖδα συφορβόν
Bk 21 #10 (362)+ ὡς δὲ λέβης ζεῖ . . . ὣς τοῦ καλὰ ῥέεθρα πυρὶ φλέγετο
Bk 22 #4 (93)+ ὡς δὲ δράκων
Bk 22 #13 (199)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἐν ὀνείρῳ οὐ δύναται φεύγοντα διώκει
Bk 22 #14 (262)+ ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια
Bk 23 #2 (222)+ ὡς δὲ πατὴρ οὗ παιδὸς ὀδύρεται ὀστέα καίων
Bk 23 #12 (783) θεὰ πόδας, ἣ τὸ πάρος περ / . . .μήτηρ ὣς Ὀδυσῆϊ
Bk 24 #1 (41)+ λέων δ᾽ ὣς ἄγρια
Bk 24 #6 (572) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ οἴκοιο λέων ὣς ἆλτο θύραζε
***
ὡς εἰ ‘as if ‘:
Bk 2 #18 (780) οἳ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴσαν ὡς εἴ τε πυρὶ χθὼν πᾶσα νέμοιτο
Bk 9 #5 (481)+ καί μ᾽ ἐφίλησ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φιλήσῃ
Bk 9 #7 (648) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην
Bk 11 #20 (389) ὡς εἴ με γυνὴ βάλοι ἢ πάϊς ἄφρων
Bk 11 #22 (474)+ ὡς εἴ τε δαφοινοὶ θῶες ὄρεσφιν
Bk 13 #16 (492)+ ὡς εἴ τε μετὰ κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα
Bk 16 #3 (59) ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην
Bk 16 #5 (192) ὡς εἴ θ᾽ ἑὸν υἱὸν ἐόντα
Bk 19 #1 (17) οἱ ὄσσε / ὡς εἰ σέλας ἐξεφάανθεν
Bk 19 #4 (366) τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε / λαμπέσθην ὡς εἴ τε πυρὸς σέλας
Bk 22 #9 (150) ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
Bk 22 #17 (410)+ ἐναλίγκιον ὡς εἰ ἅπασα / Ἴλιος.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 23 #8 (598)+ θυμὸς ἰάνθη . . . ὡς εἴ τε περὶ σταχύεσσιν ἐέρση

Bk 24 #4* (328) ὀλοφυρόμενοι ὡς εἰ θάνατον δὲ κιόντα
***
ὡς ὁπότε ‘as when’:
Bk 11 #17 (305)+ ὡς ὁπότε νέφεα Ζέφυρος στυφελίξῃ
Bk 11 #24 (492)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότε πλήθων ποταμὸς
***
ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ‘as when’:
Bk 2 #3 (147)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κινήσῃ Ζέφυρος βαθὺ λήϊον ἐλθὼν
Bk 2 #5 (209)+ στρατόν . . . ὡς ὅτε κῦμα
Bk 2 #9 (394)+ Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγ᾽ ἴαχον ὡς ὅτε κῦμα
Bk 3 #7 (33)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε δράκοντα ἰδὼν
Bk 4 #2 (130)+ ἣ δὲ τόσον μὲν ἔεργεν ἀπὸ χροὸς ὡς ὅτε μήτηρ
Bk 4 #3 (141)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τ᾽ ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ
Bk 4 #6 (275)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδεν νέφος αἰπόλος ἀνὴρ
Bk 4 #8 (422)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν αἰγιαλῷ πολυηχέϊ κῦμα θαλάσσης
Bk 4 #10 (452)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε χείμαρροι ποταμοὶ κατ᾽ ὄρεσφι ῥέοντες
Bk 4 #11 (462) ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε πύργος ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ
Bk 5 #12 (597)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἀπάλαμνος
Bk 5 #18 (902)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπὸς γάλα λευκὸν
Bk 6 #6 (506)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος
Bk 8 #6 (338)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε κύων συὸς ἀγρίου ἠὲ λέοντος
Bk 8 #7 (555)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρα φαεινὴν ἀμφὶ σελήνην
Bk 10 #1 (5)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀστράπτῃ πόσις Ἥρης ἠϋκόμοιο
Bk 10 #6 (360)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καρχαρόδοντε δύω κύνε
Bk 11 #10 (155)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πῦρ
Bk 11 #14 (269)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὠδίνουσαν ἔχῃ βέλος ὀξὺ γυναῖκα
Bk 11 #15 (292)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πού τις θηρητὴρ κύνας ἀργιόδοντας
Bk 11 #18 (324)+ ὡς ὅτε κάπρω
Bk 11 #21 (414)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κάπριον ἀμφὶ κύνες θαλεροί τ᾽ αἰζηοὶ
Bk 11 #27 (558)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὄνος παρ᾽ ἄρουραν ἰὼν ἐβιήσατο παῖδας
Bk 12 #2 (41)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι
Bk 12 #3 (132)+ ὡς ὅτε τε δρύες οὔρεσιν ὑψικάρηνοι
Bk 12 #15 (451)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ποιμὴν ῥεῖα φέρει πόκον ἄρσενος οἰὸς
Bk 13 #11 (334)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ λιγέων ἀνέμων σπέρχωσιν ἄελλαι
Bk 13 #12 (389)+ ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς / ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή
Bk 13 #15 (471)+ ὡς ὅτε τις σῦς οὔρεσιν ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς
Bk 13 #19 (571)+ ὡς ὅτε βοῦς τόν τ᾽ οὔρεσι βουκόλοι ἄνδρες . . . ἄγουσιν
Bk 13 #20 (588)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ πλατέος πτυόφιν μεγάλην κατ᾽ ἀλωὴν
Bk 14 #1 (16)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πορφύρῃ πέλαγος μέγα κύματι κωφῷ
Bk 14 #9 (414)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ πληγῆς πατρὸς Διὸς ἐξερίπῃ δρῦς
Bk 15 #1 (80)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀΐξῃ νόος ἀνέρος
Bk 15 #2 (170)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ νεφέων πτῆται νιφὰς ἠὲ χάλαζα
Bk 15 #5 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 15 #9 (362)+ ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον πάϊς ἄγχι θαλάσσης

Bk 15 #15 (605)+ μαίνετο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης ἐγχέσπαλος ἢ ὀλοὸν πῦρ
Bk 15 #17 (624)+ ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ ὡς ὅτε κῦμα θοῇ ἐν νηῒ πέσῃσι
Bk 15 #19 (679)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἵπποισι κελητίζειν ἐῢ εἰδώς
Bk 16 #6 (212)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τοῖχον ἀνὴρ ἀράρῃ
Bk 16 #8 (297)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλῆς κορυφῆς ὄρεος μεγάλοιο
Bk 16 #10 (364)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Οὐλύμπου νέφος ἔρχεται
Bk 16 #12 (406)+ ὡς ὅτε τις φὼς
Bk 16 #14 (482)+ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν
Bk 16 #19 (641)+ ὡς ὅτε μυῖαι
Bk 16 #24 (823)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε σῦν ἀκάμαντα λέων ἐβιήσατο
Bk 17 #4 (61)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε λέων
Bk 17 #8 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ / βέβρυχεν μέγα κῦμα
Bk 17 #11 (389)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην
Bk 17 #14 (520)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὀξὺν ἔχων πέλεκυν αἰζήϊος ἀνὴρ
Bk 18 #8 (207)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς . . . ὣς σέλας
Bk 18 #9 (219)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀριζήλη φωνή ὅτε τ᾽ ἴαχε σάλπιγξ . . . ὣς τότ᾽ ἀριζήλη
φωνὴ
Bk 18 #14 (600)+ ὡς ὅτε τις . . . κεραμεὺς πειρήσεται
Bk 19 #3 (357)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ταρφειαὶ νιφάδες . . . ὣς τότε ταρφειαὶ κόρυθες
Bk 19 #6 (375)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ πόντοιο σέλας . . . καιομένοιο πυρός
Bk 20 #8 (403)+ ἤρυγεν ὡς ὅτε ταῦρος . . . ἑλκόμενος
Bk 20 #12 (495)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις ζεύξῃ βόας . . . ὣς ἵπποι στεῖβον νέκυάς τε καὶ
ἀσπίδας.
Bk 21 #1 (12)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ’ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς πυρὸς ἀκρίδες ἠερέθονται
Bk 21 #7 (257)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ . . . ὣς αἰεὶ Ἀχιλῆα
Bk 21 #9 (346)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης . . . ὣς ἐξηράνθη πεδίον πᾶν
Bk 21 #13 (522)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς . . . ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς
Bk 22 #11 (162)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀεθλοφόροι μώνυχες ἵπποι
Bk 22 #12 (189)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νεβρὸν ὄρεσφι κύων ἐλάφοιο δίηται
Bk 23 #9 (692)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ φρικὸς Βορέω ἀναπάλλεται ἰχθὺς
Bk 23 #10 (712)+ λαβέτην χερσi . . . / ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀμείβοντες, τούς τε κλυτὸς ἤραρε
τέκτων
Bk 23 #11 (760)+ ὡς ὅτε τίς τε γυναικὸς ἐϋζώνοιο . . .στήθεός ἐστι κανών
Bk 24 #5 (480)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄνδρ᾽ ἄτη πυκινὴ λάβῃ
***
ὥς τε ‘as, like’
Bk 2 #6 (289) ὥς τε γὰρ ἢ παῖδες νεαροὶ χῆραί τε γυναῖκες
Bk 2 #11 (459)+ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ
Bk 2 #14 (474)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰπόλια πλατέ᾽ αἰγῶν αἰπόλοι ἄνδρες
Bk 3 #6 (23)+ ὥς τε λέων ἐχάρη μεγάλῳ
Bk 4 #9 (433)+ Τρῶες δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ὄϊες πολυπάμονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν αὐλῇ
Bk 5 #3 (136)+ μένος ὥς τε λέοντα
Bk 6 #7 (513) παμφαίνων ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ ἐβεβήκει

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 9 #2 (14)+ ἵστατο δάκρυ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος

Bk 10 #2 (154) ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διός
Bk 10 #4 (297) ὥς τε λέοντε δύω
Bk 11 #3 (66) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ
Bk 11 #4 (67)+ οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἀμητῆρες
Bk 11 #13 (239) ὥς τε λίς
Bk 12 #6 (167)+ οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τε σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι ἠὲ μέλισσα
Bk 12 #8 (278)+ ὥς τε νιφάδες χιόνος πίπτωσι θαμειαὶ
Bk 12 #10 (299)+ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος,
Bk 12 #13 (421)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ οὔροισι δύ᾽ ἀνέρε δηριάασθον
Bk 12 #14 (433)+ ὥς τε τάλαντα γυνὴ χερνῆτις ἀληθής
Bk 13 #3 (62)+ αὐτὸς δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἴρηξ
Bk 13 #7 (198)+ ὥς τε δύ᾽ αἶγα λέοντε κυνῶν ὕπο καρχαροδόντων
Bk 13 #13 (437) ὥς τε στήλην ἢ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον
Bk 13 #18 (564) ὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ μεῖν᾽ ὥς τε σκῶλος πυρίκαυστος
Bk 13 #21 (654) ὥς τε σκώληξ ἐπὶ γαίῃ
Bk 13 #24 (703)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ βόε οἴνοπε πηκτὸν ἄροτρον . . . τιταίνετον
Bk 15 #6 (271)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἢ ἔλαφον κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα
Bk 15 #7 (323)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἠὲ βοῶν ἀγέλην ἢ πῶϋ μέγ᾽ οἰῶν
Bk 15 #10 (381)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τε μέγα κῦμα θαλάσσης εὐρυπόροιο
Bk 15 #11 (410)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στάθμη δόρυ νήϊον ἐξιθύνει
Bk 15 #18 (630)+ αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀλοόφρων βουσὶν ἐπελθών
Bk 15 #20 (690)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν αἰετὸς αἴθων
Bk 16 #1 (3)+ ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος
Bk 16 #13 (428)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ
Bk 16 #18 (633)+ τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε δρυτόμων ἀνδρῶν ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει
Bk 17 #5 (109)+ ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος
Bk 17 #12 (434)+ ὥς τε στήλη μένει
Bk 17 #13 (460) ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιὸς μετὰ χῆνας
Bk 17 #19 (674)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰετός
Bk 17 #22 (742)+ ὥς θ᾽ ἡμίονοι
Bk 17 #23 (747)+ Αἴαντ᾽ ἰσχανέτην, ὥς τε πρὼν ἰσχάνει ὕδωρ
Bk 17 #24 (755)+ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν
Bk 18 #10 (318)+ ὥς τε λὶς . . . ὣς ὃ [Πηλεΐδης]
Bk 20 #5 (252)+ νεικεῖν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐναντίον ὥς τε γυναῖκας
Bk 21 #12 (493)+ θεὰ φύγεν ὥς τε πέλεια
Bk 22 #2 (22)+ ὥς θ᾽ ἵππος
Bk 22 #3 (26)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἀστέρ᾽
Bk 22 #5* (125) ὥς τε γυναῖκα, ἐπεί κ᾽ ἀπὸ τεύχεα δύω
Bk 22 #15 (308)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς
Bk 23 #3 (366) ἵστατ᾽ ἀειρομένη ὥς τε νέφος ἠὲ θύελλα
***
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

2-No Prothesis:

A.i - Comparison Contained in Genitive with comparative adjective:

Bk 1 #3* (249) μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή

Bk 3 #4* (11) κλέπτῃ νυκτὸς ἀμείνω
Bk 10 #7* (437) λευκότεροι χιόνος
Bk 13 #27* (819) θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους
Bk 18 #4* (109) χόλος . . . ὅς τε πολὺ γλυκίων μέλιτος καταλειβομένοιο

A.ii - Comparison Contained in Genitive with verb ἔχων + accusative:

Bk 8 (349) Ἕκτωρ / Γοργοῦς ὄμματ᾽ ἔχων

Bk 9 #6* (563) μήτηρ ἀλκυόνος πολυπενθέος οἶτον ἔχουσα
Bk 16 #21 (752)+ οἶμα λέοντος ἔχων
Bk 21 #6 (252)+ αἰετοῦ οἴματ᾽ ἔχων μέλανος τοῦ θηρητῆρος,

A.iii - Other

Bk 12 #7* (219)+ αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπ᾽ ἀριστερὰ

Bk 17 #17 (570)+ μυίης θάρσος ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐνῆκεν

See Book 18 Similar Rhetorical Figures for three examples of

“Metaphoric Similes” (22, 102 and 140).
***
See Book 21 Similar Rhetorical Figures for the use of the preposition
ἀντί (75) in a similetic construction.

***

3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities (Distance/Quantity/Volume etc.):

Bk2 #12(468)μυρίοι, ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ quantity

[Achaeans] countless, such as are leaves and flowers in spring.

Bk3 #5*(12) ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ λᾶαν ἵησιν distance

as far as he can throw a stone.

Bk4 #1(75)+ οἷον δ᾽ ἀστέρα ἧκε Κρόνου πάϊς condition

Just as Zeus sends a star . . . [Athena darted to earth].

Bk5 #10(554)+ οἵω τώ γε λέοντε δύω ὄρεος κορυφῇσιν nature prototype

Such as two lions on mountain tops

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk5 #13(770)+ ὅσσον δ᾽ ἠεροειδὲς ἀνὴρ ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν, distance

As far as a man sees with his eyes

Bk5 #16(860)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι / ἀνέρες volume

as loud as nine thousand warriors or ten thousand / cry in battle

Bk5 #17(864)+ οἵη δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἐρεβεννὴ φαίνεται ἀὴρ condition

As a black mist appears from the clouds

Bk6 #1(146)+ οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν condition
Just as is the lineage of leaves

Bk7 #3(63)+ οἵη δὲ Ζεφύροιο ἐχεύατο πόντον ἔπι φρὶξ condition

Just as there is spread over the face of the deep the ripple of Zephyrus

Bk8 #1*(16)+ τόσσον ἔνερθ᾽ Ἀΐδεω ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστ᾽ ἀπὸ γαίης distance
as far beneath Hades as heaven is above earth

Bk9 #4*(385) οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι τόσα δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε quantity
as many gifts as the sand and dust

Bk10 #5*(351)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἀπέην ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐπὶ οὖρα πέλονται distance
ἡμιόνων:
When he <Dolon> was as far away as is the range of mules in plowing

Bk11 #2 (62)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἀναφαίνεται οὔλιος ἀστὴρ condition

Like a destructive star that sometimes appears shining amid the clouds . . .

Bk11 #6(86)+ ἦμος δὲ δρυτόμος περ ἀνὴρ ὁπλίσσατο δεῖπνον time

At the time of day when a woodsman prepares his midday meal

Bk14 #2(148)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι /τόσσην sound volume

Loud as 9000 or 10,000 warriors, Bk 14:148–149 = 5 #16 (860–861)

Bk14 #5(394)οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον sound volume
Not so loudly bellows the wave of the sea upon the shore

Bk14 #6(396)οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο sound volume

Not so loud is the roar of blazing fire

Bk14 #7(398)οὔτ᾽ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι sound volume

Nor does the wind shriek so loud around the high crests of the oaks

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk15 #8(358)+ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωὴ = Bk 21 #5* (251) distance

as far as is a spear-cast,

Bk16 #17(589)+ὅσση δ᾽ αἰγανέης ῥιπὴ ταναοῖο τέτυκται, / τόσσον distance

As far as is the flight of a long javelin,

Bk17 #2 (20)+ οὔτ᾽ οὖν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος οὔτε λέοντος power
neither [is] the might of a leopard of such power nor of a lion
NB that in this type of simile the ‘ὅσσόν clause normally expresses the vehicle and the
τόσσόν the tenor; but here the negative requires the opposite (as in Bk 14 #5 (394))

Bk17 #3(53)+ οἷον δὲ τρέφει ἔρνος ἀνὴρ ἐριθηλὲς ἐλαίης condition

as a man nourishes a lusty sapling of an olive tree in a lonely place

Bk21 #5*(251) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἀπόρουσεν ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ distance

as far as a spear-cast = Bk15 #8(358)

Bk22 #6(127)+ ὀαριζέμεναι, ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε condition

to chat [such things] as a youth and maiden

Bk22 #16(317)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἀστὴρ εἶσι μετ᾽ ἀστράσι νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ condition
As a star goes among stars in the dark of night / [the evening star]

Bk23 #5(431)+ ὅσσα δὲ δίσκου οὖρα distance

As far as is the range of a discus [swung from the shoulder]

Bk23 #7(517)+ ὅσσον δὲ τροχοῦ ἵππος ἀφίσταται distance

As far as a horse is from the wheel

Bk23 #13(845) ὅσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἔρριψε καλαύροπα βουκόλος ἀνήρ distance

as much (= far) as a (some) herdsman flings his crook

Bk24 #3(317)+ ὅσση δ᾽ ὑψορόφοιο θύρη θαλάμοιο τέτυκτα distance (width)

As wide (much) as the door of some rich man’s high-roofed treasure-
chamber
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix III - B
The Protheses of the Odyssey Arranged Alphabetically
1-Protheses:

εἴκελος ‘like’ + dative:

Bk 10 #6* (304) γάλακτι δὲ εἴκελον
Bk 11 #1 (207) σκιῇ εἴκελον ἢ καὶ ὀνείρῳ
Bk 21 #3 (411) χελιδόνι εἰκέλη αὐδήν
***
ἐΐσκω ‘compare . . . to’:
Bk 8 #2* (159) οὐδέ … δαήμονι φωτὶ ἐίσκω
Bk 8 #3* (161)+ τῷ, ὅς θ᾽ ἅμα νηὶ πολυκλήιδι θαμίζων, / ἀρχὸς ναυτάων
Bk 20 #4* (362) νυκτὶ ἐΐσκει
***
ἐναλίγκιον ‘equal to’ + dative:
Bk 24 #2 (148) ἠελίῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠὲ σελήνῃ
***
ἔοικα ‘similar to’ + dative:
Bk 4 #6 (662) ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην
Bk 5 #2 (51)+ λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς
Bk 8 #4* (164) οὐδ᾽ ἀθλητῆρι ἔοικας
Bk 9 #2 (190)+ οὐδὲ ἐῴκει ἀνδρί γε σιτοφάγῳ, ἀλλὰ ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι
Bk 10 #2* (120) οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν
Bk 11 #8 (606) νυκτὶ ἐοικώς
Bk 12 #4 (413) ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
Bk 13 #2 (80) θανάτῳ ἄγχιστα ἐοικώς
Bk 14 #1 (21) θήρεσσιν ἐοικότες
Bk 17 #3* (416) βασιλῆϊ ἔοικας
Bk 17 #5* (500) μελαίνῃ κηρὶ ἔοικε
Bk 18 #4 (240) μεθύοντι ἐοικώς
Bk 20 #3* (194) ἔοικε δέμας βασιλῆϊ ἄνακτι
***
ἦμος ‘at the time when’: (See below: 3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities)
Bk 12 #7* (439)+ ἦμος δ᾽ ἐπὶ δόρπον ἀνὴρ ἀγορῆθεν ἀνέστη
***
ἠΰτε ‘like, as’:
Bk 8 #5 (280) ἠύτ᾽ ἀράχνια λεπτά
Bk 11 #2 (222) ἠύτ᾽ ὄνειρος
Bk 17 #4 (463) ἠΰτε πέτρη
Bk 21 #1 (48)+ ἠΰτε ταῦρος
Bk 23 #5 (191) ἠΰτε κίων
***
ἴκελος ‘like’ + dative:
Bk 12 #5 (418) κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 14 #4 (308) κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι

***
ἶσος ‘equal to’ + dative:
Bk 3 #2 (290) ἶσα ὄρεσσιν
Bk 10 #7* (378) ἶσος ἀναύδῳ
Bk 11 #3 (243) οὔρεϊ ἶσον
Bk 14 #2 (175) ἔρνεϊ ἶσον
Bk 18 #1 (27) γρηῒ καμινοῖ ἶσος
***
οἷος ‘such as’: (See below: 3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities)
Bk 3 #1* (73) + οἷά τε ληιστῆρες
Bk 6 #2 (102)+ οἵη δ᾽ Ἄρτεμις εἶσι
Bk 7 #3 (106) οἷά τε φύλλα μακεδνῆς αἰγείροιο
Bk 9 #4* (254)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες
Bk 19 #5 (233) οἷόν τε κρομύοιο λοπὸν κάτα ἰσχαλέοιο
***
ὅμοιος ‘like, similar to’ + dative:
Bk 6 #5 (231) ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας
Bk 23 #3 (158) ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας
***
ὅσσος ‘as much as’: (See below: 3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities)
Bk 4 #7 (791)+ ὅσσα δὲ μερμήριξε λέων
Bk 5 #3 (249)+ ὅσσον τίς τ᾽ ἔδαφος νηὸς τορνώσεται ἀνὴρ
Bk 5 #9* (400) ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας
Bk 6 #7* (294) ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας
Bk 8 #1* (124)+ ὅσσον τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ οὖρον πέλει ἡμιόνοιιν
Bk 9 #1* (51) + ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα
Bk 9 #8* (322)+ ὅσσον θ᾽ ἱστὸν νηὸς ἐεικοσόροιο μελαίνης
Bk 9 #11* (473) ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας
Bk 10 #1* (113) ὅσην τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφήν
Bk 12 #1* (86) ὅση σκύλακος νεογιλῆς
***
ὡς ‘as, like’: conj. + noun or clause
Bk 1 #2 (320) ὄρνις δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 2 #1* (47) πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 2 #2* (234) πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 4 #1 (32) πάϊς ὣς
Bk 4 #4 (413) νομεὺς ὣς πώεσι μήλων
Bk 4 #5 (535)+ ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.
Bk 5 #1 (12) πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 5 #6 (368)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ζαὴς ἠΐων θημῶνα τινάξῃ
Bk 5 #7 (371) ὡς ἵππον
Bk 6 #1 (20) ἀνέμου ὡς πνοιὴ
Bk 8 #6 (523)+ ὡς δὲ γυνὴ κλαίῃσι

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 10 #3 (124) ἰχθῦς δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 11 #6 (413)+ σύες ὣς ἀργιόδοντες
Bk 11 #7 (605) οἰωνῶν ὥς
Bk 12 #2 (237) λέβης ὣς ἐν πυρὶ πολλῷ
Bk 12 #6 (433) ὡς νυκτερίς
Bk 15 #1 (108) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς
Bk 15 #2* (153) πατὴρ ὣς
Bk 15 #3* (174)+ ὡς ὅδε χῆν᾽ ἥρπαξ᾽
Bk 15 #4 (479) ὡς εἰναλίη κήξ
Bk 16 #1 (17)+ ὡς δὲ πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φίλα φρονέων ἀγαπάζῃ
Bk 18 #2 (29) συὸς ὣς ληϊβοτείρης
Bk 18 #5 (296) ἠέλιον ὥς
Bk 19 #3 (205)+ ὡς δὲ χιὼν
Bk 19 #6 (234) λαμπρὸς δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς
Bk 19 #9 (574) δρυόχους ὥς
Bk 20 #1 (14)+ ὡς δὲ κύων ἀμαλῇσι
Bk 22 #1 (299)+ βόες ὣς ἀγελαῖαι
***
ὡς εἰ ‘as if ‘:
Bk 7 #1 (36) ὡς εἰ πτερὸν ἠὲ νόημα
Bk 9 #7 (314)+ ὡς εἴ τε φαρέτρῃ πῶμ᾽ ἐπιθείη
Bk 14 #3 (254) ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον
Bk 17 #1 (111)+ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ἑὸν υἱὸν
Bk 19 #1 (39) ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
Bk 19 #4 (211) ὡς εἰ κέρα … ἠὲ σίδηρος
***
ὡς ὁπότε ‘as when’:
Bk 4 #3 (335)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽…[λέων]…ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν
Bk 17 #2 (126)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽…[λέων]…ἀεικέα πότμον ἐφῆκεν
***
ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ‘as when’:
Bk 5 #4 (281) ὡς ὅτε ῥινὸν
Bk 5 #5 (328)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης φορέῃσιν ἀκάνθας
Bk 5 #8 (394)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος βίοτος παίδεσσι φανήῃ
Bk 5 #10 (432)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πουλύποδος … πυκιναὶ λάιγγες ἔχονται
Bk 5 #11 (488)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις δαλὸν σποδιῇ ἐνέκρυψε μελαίνῃ
Bk 6 #6 (232)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ
Bk 9 #9 (384)+ ὡς ὅτε τις τρυπῷ δόρυ νήιον ἀνὴρ τρυπάνῳ
Bk 9 #10 (391)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ … πέλεκυν μέγαν ἠὲ σκέπαρνον … ἰάχοντα
Bk 10 #4 (216)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα κύνες
Bk 10 #8 (410)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄγραυλοι πόριες περὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας
Bk 11 #4 (368) ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸς
Bk 12 #3 (251)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ ἁλιεὺς
Bk 13 #1 (31)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ δόρποιο λιλαίεται

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 17 #6 (518)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸν ἀνὴρ ποτιδέρκεται

Bk 19 #7 (494) ὡς ὅτε τις στερεὴ λίθος ἠὲ σίδηρος
Bk 19 #8 (518)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη
Bk 20 #2 (25)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε γαστέρ᾽ ἀνὴρ … ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα αἰόλλῃ
Bk 21 #2 (406)+ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ φόρμιγγος ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἀοιδῆς
Bk 22 #5 (468)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι
Bk 23 #4 (159)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ
Bk 23 #6 (233)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος γῆ
Bk 24 #1 (6)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νυκτερίδες
***
ὥς τε ‘as, like’
Bk 1 #1 (308) ὥς τε πατὴρ ᾧ παιδί
Bk 4 #2 (45) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης
Bk 6 #3 (130)+ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος
Bk 7 #2 (84) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης
Bk 9 #5 (289) ὥς τε σκύλακας
Bk 9 #6 (292) ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος
Bk 10 #5 (283) ὥς τε σύες
Bk 11 #5 (411)+ ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ
Bk 13 #3 (81)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἐν πεδίῳ τετράοροι ἄρσενες ἵπποι
Bk 19 #2 (109)+ ὥς τέ τευ ἢ βασιλῆος ἀμύμονος
Bk 22 #2 (302)+ οἱ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι
Bk 22 #3 (384)+ ὥστ᾽ ἰχθύας
Bk 22 #4 (402)+ ὥστε λέοντα
Bk 23 #1 (48) ὥστε λέοντα
Bk 24 #3 (538) ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις

2-No Prothesis:

A.i - Comparison Contained in Genitive with comparative adjective:

Bk 16 #2 (216)+ ἀδινώτερον ἤ τ᾽ οἰωνοί, /φῆναι ἢ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες,

Bk 18 #3* (196) λευκοτέρην δ᾽ ἄρα μιν θῆκε πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος
Bk 23 #2* (103) σοὶ δ᾽ αἰεὶ κραδίη στερεωτέρη ἐστὶ λίθοιο

A.ii - Comparison Contained in Genitive with verb ἔχων + accusative:

A.ii - Other

Bk 6 #4 (162)+ τοῖον … φοίνικος νέον ἔρνος

Bk 9 #3* (241)+ …οὐκ ἂν τόν γε δύω καὶ εἴκοσ᾽ ἄμαξαι

ἐσθλαὶ τετράκυκλοι ἀπ᾽ οὔδεος ὀχλίσσειαν:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

τόσσην ἠλίβατον πέτρην ἐπέθηκε θύρῃσιν.

3-Protheses of Abstract Qualities (Distance/Quantity/Volume etc.):

Bk3 #1*(73)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες…τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται Condition

Like pirates, who wander

Bk4 #7(791)+ ὅσσα δὲ μερμήριξε λέων ἀνδρῶν ἐν ὁμίλῳ /δείσας Condition

And even as a lion is seized with fear and broods amid a throng of men

Bk5 #3 (249) ὅσσον τίς τ᾽ ἔδαφος νηὸς τορνώσεται ἀνὴρ Curve quality
Much as a shipbuilder curves the inner bottom

Bk5 #9*(400) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας Distance
When he <Odysseus> was as far away as a man's voice carries when he shouts

Bk6 #2(102)+ οἵη δ᾽ Ἄρτεμις εἶσι Condition

As the archer Artemis goes

Bk6 #7*(294) τόσσον ἀπὸ πτόλιος, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας Distance

As far from the city as a man's voice carries when he shouts

Bk7 #3(106) οἷά τε φύλλα μακεδνῆς αἰγείροιο Condition

Like the leaves of a tall poplar tree

Bk8 #1*(124) ὅσσον τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ οὖρον πέλει ἡμιόνοιιν, Distance

By as far as is the range of a team of mules in fallow land

Bk9 #1*(51)+ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα Number

As many as the leaves and flowers

Bk9 #3*(241) …οὐκ ἂν τόν γε δύω καὶ εἴκοσ᾽ ἄμαξαι …ὀχλίσσειαν: Weight
Not even twenty-two stout four-wheeled wagons / could lift it

Bk9 #4*(254)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες…τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται Condition

Like pirates, who wander

Bk9 #8*(322) ὅσσον θ᾽ ἱστὸν νηὸς ἐεικοσόροιο μελαίνης, Size

Likened / it <Cyclops’ club> in size to the mast of a black ship of twenty oars

Bk9 #11*(473) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας, Distance
But when I was as far away as a man's voice carries when he shouts

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk10 #1*(113) τὴν δὲ γυναῖκα / εὗρον, ὅσην τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφήν Size

They found there his <Laestrygonian Antiphates’s> wife, / as big as the peak of
a mountain

Bk12 #1*(86) τῆς ἦ τοι φωνὴ μὲν ὅση σκύλακος νεογιλῆς Sound
Her voice is indeed as [the voice] of a new-born puppy

Bk12 #7* (439)…ἦμος δ᾽ ἐπὶ δόρπον ἀνὴρ ἀγορῆθεν ἀνέστη Time of day
At the hour when a man rises from the assembly for his supper

Bk19 #5(233) οἷόν τε κρομύοιο λοπὸν κάτα ἰσχαλέοιο Shininess

Like the sheen upon [the skin of] a dried onion

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
Appendix IV
Location of Protheses Within the Lines of the Iliad and Odyssey

This appendix provides a compilation of the location of the protheses within each line.
Three categories of line location are considered: (1) the prothesis begins in the first two
feet; (2) the prothesis is in feet 3-4; (3) the prothesis is in feet 5-6. We will call these the
‘Beginning’ of the line, the ‘Middle’ and the ‘End’. The following conventions are used in
this compilation:

a. The index number and line number of the line with the prothesis is shown
followed by the line in Greek. The prothesis is underlined in the Greek. As in other
appendices, an asterisk (*) is added to the index number for those similes that do not
appear in Lee’s List A, and a plus sign (+) is added to the line number for “Scene”
similes.

b. For similes that continue beyond the listed line with the prothesis, a right
pointing arrow (→) is shown followed by the number of additional lines in the simile. For
example, “→3” indicates that the simile continues for an additional three lines.

c. In most similes the prothesis may be found in one of the three sections, but
sometimes it starts at the end of one foot and continues into the following foot (ὡς εἴ in
feet 2 and 3):
1 2 3 4 5 6
— 〰 / — — / — 〰 /— 〰 / — 〰 / — —
Il. 13 #16 (492) λαοὶ ἕπονθ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε μετὰ κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα.

We count this as part of the first section (feet 1-2). In some cases the prothesis is a
long word that spans two feet (4-5), but since it starts in foot 4, we will classify it as “in
the middle”:
1 2 3 4 5 6
— 〰/ — 〰 / — 〰 /— 〰 / — 〰 / ——
Il 13 #26 (795) οἳ δ᾽ ἴσαν ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ
(And they <Trojans> came on like the blast of dire winds)

Following the compilation of line locations for the Iliad (X-A) and the Odyssey (X-B),
Appendix X-C provides comparisons of the types of protheses used in the three line
location categories for the Iliad and Odyssey.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix IV-A
Line Location of Protheses in the Iliad

Book 1
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 0 similes

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#3* (249) τοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή.

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#1 (47) αὐτοῦ κινηθέντος: ὃ δ᾽ ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς. = Od. Bk 11 #8 (606)
#2 (104) πίμπλαντ᾽, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐΐκτην.
#4 (359) καρπαλίμως δ᾽ ἀνέδυ πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἠΰτ᾽ ὀμίχλη,
***
Book 2
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 12 similes
#1 (87)+ ἠΰτε ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων ἁδινάων →3
#3 (147)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κινήσῃ Ζέφυρος βαθὺ λήϊον ἐλθὼν →1
#5 (209)+ ἠχῇ, ὡς ὅτε κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης →1
#6 (289) ὥς τε γὰρ ἢ παῖδες νεαροὶ χῆραί τε γυναῖκες
#7* (326)+ ὡς οὗτος κατὰ τέκνα φάγε στρουθοῖο καὶ αὐτὴν →1
#10 (455)+ ἠΰτε πῦρ ἀΐδηλον ἐπιφλέγει ἄσπετον ὕλην →1
#11 (459)+ τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν ἔθνεα πολλὰ →4
#12 (468) μυρίοι, ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ.
#13 (469)+ ἠΰτε μυιάων ἁδινάων ἔθνεα πολλὰ →2
#14 (474)+ τοὺς δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰπόλια πλατέ᾽ αἰγῶν αἰπόλοι ἄνδρες →1
#15 (480)+ ἠΰτε βοῦς ἀγέληφι μέγ᾽ ἔξοχος ἔπλετο πάντων →1
#18 (780) οἳ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴσαν ὡς εἴ τε πυρὶ χθὼν πᾶσα νέμοιτο.

Prothesis in middle: 5 similes

#2 (144)+ κινήθη δ᾽ ἀγορὴ φὴ κύματα μακρὰ θαλάσσης →2
#4 (190) ‘δαιμόνι᾽ οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς δειδίσσεσθαι.
#8* (337) ‘ὦ πόποι ἦ δὴ παισὶν ἐοικότες ἀγοράασθε →1
#19 (781)+ γαῖα δ᾽ ὑπεστενάχιζε Διὶ ὣς τερπικεραύνῳ →2
#20 (800) λίην γὰρ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἢ ψαμάθοισιν

Prothesis at the end: 4 similes

#9 (394)+ ὣς ἔφατ᾽, Ἀργεῖοι δὲ μέγ᾽ ἴαχον ὡς ὅτε κῦμα →3
#16 (754) ἀλλά τέ μιν καθύπερθεν ἐπιρρέει ἠΰτ᾽ ἔλαιον.
#17 (764) τὰς Εὔμηλος ἔλαυνε ποδώκεας ὄρνιθας ὣς →1 cf. Bk 3 #1 (2)
#21 (872) ὃς καὶ χρυσὸν ἔχων πόλεμον δ᾽ ἴεν ἠΰτε κούρη,
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 3
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 5 similes
#2 (3)+ ἠΰτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων πέλει οὐρανόθι πρό: →4
#3 (10)+ εὖτ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφῇσι Νότος κατέχευεν ὀμίχλην →2
#6 (23)+ ὥς τε λέων ἐχάρη μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ σώματι κύρσας →3
#7 (33)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε δράκοντα ἰδὼν παλίνορσος ἀπέστη →2
#15* (454) ἶσον γάρ σφιν πᾶσιν ἀπήχθετο κηρὶ μελαίνῃ.

Prothesis in middle: 6 similes

#5* (12) τόσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἐπιλεύσσει ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ λᾶαν ἵησιν
#8 (60)+ αἰεί τοι κραδίη πέλεκυς ὥς ἐστιν ἀτειρὴς →2
#9 (151)+ ἐσθλοί, τεττίγεσσιν ἐοικότες οἵ τε καθ᾽ ὕλην →1
#10 (196)+ αὐτὸς δὲ κτίλος ὣς ἐπιπωλεῖται στίχας ἀνδρῶν
#11 (197)+ ἀρνειῷ μιν ἔγωγε ἐΐσκω πηγεσιμάλλῳ, →1
#13 (222) καὶ ἔπεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίῃσιν

Prothesis at the end: 4 similes

#1 (2) Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽ ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν ὄρνιθες ὣς
#4* (11) ποιμέσιν οὔ τι φίλην, κλέπτῃ δέ τε νυκτὸς ἀμείνω
#12* (219) ἀλλ᾽ ἀστεμφὲς ἔχεσκεν ἀΐδρεϊ φωτὶ ἐοικώς:
#14 (449) Ἀτρεΐδης δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἐφοίτα θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
***
Book 4
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 7 similes
#1 (75)+ οἷον δ᾽ ἀστέρα ἧκε Κρόνου πάϊς ἀγκυλομήτεω →2
#3 (141)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τ᾽ ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ →4
#6 (275)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ σκοπιῆς εἶδεν νέφος αἰπόλος ἀνὴρ →4
#8 (422)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν αἰγιαλῷ πολυηχέϊ κῦμα θαλάσσης →4
#9 (433)+ Τρῶες δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ὄϊες πολυπάμονος ἀνδρὸς ἐν αὐλῇ →2
#10 (452)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε χείμαρροι ποταμοὶ κατ᾽ ὄρεσφι ῥέοντες →3
#11 (462) ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε πύργος ἐνὶ κρατερῇ ὑσμίνῃ.

Prothesis in middle: 0 similes

Prothesis at the end: 6 similes

#2 (130)+ ἣ δὲ τόσον μὲν ἔεργεν ἀπὸ χροὸς ὡς ὅτε μήτηρ →1
#4 (243)+ τίφθ᾽ οὕτως ἔστητε τεθηπότες ἠΰτε νεβροί, →2
#5 (253) Ἰδομενεὺς μὲν ἐνὶ προμάχοις συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκήν
#7* (277) τῷ δέ τ᾽ ἄνευθεν ἐόντι μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα
#12 (471) ἀργαλέον Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν: οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς cf. Bk 16 #4 (156)+
#13 (482)+ ἦλθεν: ὁ δ᾽ ἐν κονίῃσι χαμαὶ πέσεν αἴγειρος ὣς →5
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 5
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 9 similes
#4 (161)+ ὡς δὲ λέων ἐν βουσὶ θορὼν ἐξ αὐχένα ἄξῃ →1
#7 (487) μή πως ὡς ἀψῖσι λίνου ἁλόντε πανάγρου
#8 (499)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ἄχνας φορέει ἱερὰς κατ᾽ ἀλωὰς →3
#10 (554)+ οἵω τώ γε λέοντε δύω ὄρεος κορυφῇσιν →4
#12 (597)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἀπάλαμνος ἰὼν πολέος πεδίοιο →2
#13 (770)+ ὅσσον δ᾽ ἠεροειδὲς ἀνὴρ ἴδεν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν →1
#16 (860)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι →1
#17 (864)+ οἵη δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἐρεβεννὴ φαίνεται ἀὴρ →1
#18 (902)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπὸς γάλα λευκὸν ἐπειγόμενος συνέπηξεν →1

Prothesis in middle: 6 similes

#1 (5)+ ἀστέρ᾽ ὀπωρινῷ ἐναλίγκιον, ὅς τε μάλιστα →1
#5 (299) ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῷ βαῖνε λέων ὣς ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς.
#6 (476) ἀλλὰ καταπτώσσουσι κύνες ὣς ἀμφὶ λέοντα.
#9 (522)+ ἀλλ᾽ ἔμενον νεφέλῃσιν ἐοικότες ἅς τε Κρονίων →4
#11 (560) καππεσέτην, ἐλάτῃσιν ἐοικότες ὑψηλῇσι.
#15 (782) εἰλόμενοι λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν →1

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#2 (87)+ θῦνε γὰρ ἂμ πεδίον ποταμῷ πλήθοντι ἐοικὼς →5
#3 (136)+ δὴ τότε μιν τρὶς τόσσον ἕλεν μένος ὥς τε λέοντα →6
#14 (778) αἳ δὲ βάτην τρήρωσι πελειάσιν ἴθμαθ᾽ ὁμοῖαι.
***
Book 6
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 5 similes
#1 (146)+ οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν. →2
#2 (295) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν: ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.
#3* (389) μαινομένῃ ἐϊκυῖα: φέρει δ᾽ ἅμα παῖδα τιθήνη.
#5 (443) αἴ κε κακὸς ὣς νόσφιν ἀλυσκάζω πολέμοιο:
#6 (506)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#4 (401) Ἑκτορίδην ἀγαπητὸν ἀλίγκιον ἀστέρι καλῷ,
#7 (513) τεύχεσι παμφαίνων ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ ἐβεβήκει

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Book 7
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (4)+ ὡς δὲ θεὸς ναύτῃσιν ἐελδομένοισιν ἔδωκεν →2
#2 (63)+ οἵη δὲ Ζεφύροιο ἐχεύατο πόντον ἔπι φρὶξ →1

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#4 (235)+ μή τί μευ ἠΰτε παιδὸς ἀφαυροῦ πειρήτιζε →1
#5 (256) σύν ῥ᾽ ἔπεσον λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν →1

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#3 (219) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον
***
Book 8
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 3 similes
#5 (306)+ μήκων δ᾽ ὡς ἑτέρωσε κάρη βάλεν, ἥ τ᾽ ἐνὶ κήπῳ →1
#6 (338)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε κύων συὸς ἀγρίου ἠὲ λέοντος →2
#7 (555)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρα φαεινὴν ἀμφὶ σελήνην →4

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#1* (16)+ τόσσον ἔνερθ᾽ Ἀΐδεω ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστ᾽ ἀπὸ γαίης
#4 (271) αὐτὰρ ὃ αὖτις ἰὼν πάϊς ὣς ὑπὸ μητέρα δύσκεν

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#2 (94) πῇ φεύγεις μετὰ νῶτα βαλὼν κακὸς ὣς ἐν ὁμίλῳ;
#3 (131) καί νύ κε σήκασθεν κατὰ Ἴλιον ἠΰτε ἄρνες.
***
Book 9
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (4)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμοι δύο πόντον ὀρίνετον ἰχθυόεντα →3
#3 (323)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὄρνις ἀπτῆσι νεοσσοῖσι προφέρῃσι →1

Prothesis in middle: 4 similes

#2 (14)+ ἵστατο δάκρυ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος →1
#4* (385) οὐδ᾽ εἴ μοι τόσα δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε
#5 (481)+ καί μ᾽ ἐφίλησ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φιλήσῃ →1
#7 (648) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#6* (563) μήτηρ ἀλκυόνος πολυπενθέος οἶτον ἔχουσα
***
Book 10
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 8 similes
#1 (5)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀστράπτῃ πόσις Ἥρης ἠϋκόμοιο →4
#2 (154) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διός: αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ἥρως
#3 (183)+ ὡς δὲ κύνες περὶ μῆλα δυσωρήσωνται ἐν αὐλῇ →3
#4 (297) βάν ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέοντε δύω διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν
#5* (351)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἀπέην ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐπὶ οὖρα πέλοντα →2
#6 (360)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καρχαρόδοντε δύω κύνε εἰδότε θήρης →2
#7* (437) λευκότεροι χιόνος, θείειν δ᾽ ἀνέμοισιν ὁμοῖοι.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#9 (485)+ ὡς δὲ λέων μήλοισιν ἀσημάντοισιν ἐπελθὼν →1

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#10 (547) αἰνῶς ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιο.

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#8 (437) λευκότεροι χιόνος, θείειν δ᾽ ἀνέμοισιν ὁμοῖοι.
***
Book 11
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 15 similes
#2 (62)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἐκ νεφέων ἀναφαίνεται οὔλιος ἀστὴρ →1
#3 (66) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.
#4 (67)+ οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἀμητῆρες ἐναντίοι ἀλλήλοισιν →2
#6 (86)+ ἦμος δὲ δρυτόμος περ ἀνὴρ ὁπλίσσατο δεῖπνον →3
#7 (113)+ ὡς δὲ λέων ἐλάφοιο ταχείης νήπια τέκνα →6
#9 (147) ὅλμον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε κυλίνδεσθαι δι᾽ ὁμίλου.
#10 (155)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πῦρ ἀΐδηλον ἐν ἀξύλῳ ἐμπέσῃ ὕλῃ →2
#14 (269)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὠδίνουσαν ἔχῃ βέλος ὀξὺ γυναῖκα →2
#15 (292)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πού τις θηρητὴρ κύνας ἀργιόδοντας →1
#17 (305)+ πληθύν, ὡς ὁπότε νέφεα Ζέφυρος στυφελίξῃ →3
#20 (389) οὐκ ἀλέγω, ὡς εἴ με γυνὴ βάλοι ἢ πάϊς ἄφρων.
#21 (414)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κάπριον ἀμφὶ κύνες θαλεροί τ᾽ αἰζηοὶ →4
#24 (492)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότε πλήθων ποταμὸς πεδίον δὲ κάτεισι →3
#26 (548)+ ὡς δ᾽ αἴθωνα λέοντα βοῶν ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο →7
#27 (558)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὄνος παρ᾽ ἄρουραν ἰὼν ἐβιήσατο παῖδας →4

Prothesis in middle: 6 similes

#1 (27)+ τρεῖς ἑκάτερθ᾽ ἴρισσιν ἐοικότες, ἅς τε Κρονίων →1
#12 (237) ἀργύρῳ ἀντομένη μόλιβος ὣς ἐτράπετ᾽ αἰχμή.
#13 (239) ἕλκ᾽ ἐπὶ οἷ μεμαὼς ὥς τε λίς,…
#19 (383) οἵ τέ σε πεφρίκασι λέονθ᾽ ὡς μηκάδες αἶγες.
#22 (474)+ Τρῶες ἕπονθ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε δαφοινοὶ θῶες ὄρεσφιν →7
#28 (596) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο

Prothesis at the end: 8 similes

#5 (72) ἴσας δ᾽ ὑσμίνη κεφαλὰς ἔχεν, οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς
#8 (129) …ὃ δ᾽ ἐναντίον ὦρτο λέων ὣς [cf. Bk 5 #4 (161)+ and #5 (299)]
#11 (172)+ οἳ δ᾽ ἔτι κὰμ μέσσον πεδίον φοβέοντο βόες ὥς, →4
#16 (297)+ ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ ὑσμίνῃ ὑπεραέϊ ἶσος ἀέλλῃ →1
#18 (324)+ τὼ δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὅμιλον ἰόντε κυδοίμεον, ὡς ὅτε κάπρω →1
#23 (485) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον
#25 (546) τρέσσε δὲ παπτήνας ἐφ᾽ ὁμίλου θηρὶ ἐοικὼς
#29 (747) αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπόρουσα κελαινῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος cf. Bk 12 #11 (375)
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 12
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 10 similes
#2 (41)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι →7
#3 (132)+ ἕστασαν ὡς ὅτε τε δρύες οὔρεσιν ὑψικάρηνοι →2
#6 (167)+ οἳ δ᾽, ὥς τε σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι ἠὲ μέλισσαι →3
#7* (219)+ αἰετὸς ὑψιπέτης ἐπ᾽ ἀριστερὰ λαὸν ἐέργων →4
#8 (278)+ τῶν δ᾽, ὥς τε νιφάδες χιόνος πίπτωσι θαμειαὶ →8
#10 (299)+ βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπιδευὴς →7
#13 (421)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ οὔροισι δύ᾽ ἀνέρε δηριάασθον →2
#14 (433)+ ἀλλ᾽ ἔχον ὥς τε τάλαντα γυνὴ χερνῆτις ἀληθής →2
#15 (451)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ποιμὴν ῥεῖα φέρει πόκον ἄρσενος οἰὸς →1
#16 (463) νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀτάλαντος ὑπώπια: λάμπε δὲ χαλκῷ

Prothesis in middle: 3 similes

#4 (146)+ ἀγροτέροισι σύεσσιν ἐοικότε, τώ τ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσσιν →4
#5 (156)+ νιφάδες δ᾽ ὡς πῖπτον ἔραζε →2
#9 (293) ὦρσεν ἐπ᾽ Ἀργείοισι λέονθ᾽ ὣς βουσὶν ἕλιξιν

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#1 (40) αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ὡς τὸ πρόσθεν ἐμάρνατο ἶσος ἀέλλῃ
#11 (375) οἳ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐπάλξεις βαῖνον ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσοι cf. Bk 11 #29 (747)
#12 (385) πάντ᾽ ἄμυδις κεφαλῆς: ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς →1
***
Book 13
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 11 similes
#3 (62)+ αὐτὸς δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἴρηξ ὠκύπτερος ὦρτο πέτεσθαι →2
#7 (198)+ ὥς τε δύ᾽ αἶγα λέοντε κυνῶν ὕπο καρχαροδόντων →2
#11 (334)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ λιγέων ἀνέμων σπέρχωσιν ἄελλαι →2
#12 (389)+ ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς →2
#13 (437) ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στήλην ἢ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον
#15 (471)+ ἀλλ᾽ ἔμεν᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις σῦς οὔρεσιν ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς, →4
#16 (492)+ λαοὶ ἕπονθ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε μετὰ κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα →1
#19 (571)+ ἤσπαιρ᾽ ὡς ὅτε βοῦς τόν τ᾽ οὔρεσι βουκόλοι ἄνδρες →1
#20 (588)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπὸ πλατέος πτυόφιν μεγάλην κατ᾽ ἀλωὴν →2
#24 (703)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ βόε οἴνοπε πηκτὸν ἄροτρον →4
#27* (819) θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους

Prothesis in middle: 9 similes

#1 (39) Τρῶες δὲ φλογὶ ἶσοι ἀολλέες ἠὲ θυέλλῃ
#2 (53) ᾗ ῥ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ὁ λυσσώδης φλογὶ εἴκελος ἡγεμονεύει
#4 (102)+ φυζακινῇς ἐλάφοισιν ἐοίκεσαν, αἵ τε καθ᾽ ὕλην →2
#8 (242)+ βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἀστεροπῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τε Κρονίων →2
#18 (564) καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ μεῖν᾽ ὥς τε σκῶλος πυρίκαυστος
#21 (654) θυμὸν ἀποπνείων, ὥς τε σκώληξ ἐπὶ γαίῃ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#22 (673) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.

#23 (688) ὦσαι ἀπὸ σφείων φλογὶ εἴκελον Ἕκτορα δῖον
#26 (795)+ οἳ δ᾽ ἴσαν ἀργαλέων ἀνέμων ἀτάλαντοι ἀέλλῃ, →4

Prothesis at the end: 7 similes

#5 (137)+ ἀντικρὺ μεμαώς, ὀλοοίτροχος ὣς ἀπὸ πέτρης, →5
#6 (178)+ νύξ᾽, ἐκ δ᾽ ἔσπασεν ἔγχος: ὃ δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἔπεσεν μελίη ὣς →2
#9 (292) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς
#10 (330) οἳ δ᾽ ὡς Ἰδομενῆα ἴδον φλογὶ εἴκελον ἀλκὴν
#14 (470) ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ Ἰδομενῆα φόβος λάβε τηλύγετον ὥς,
#17 (531) Μηριόνης δ᾽ ἐξ αὖτις ἐπάλμενος αἰγυπιὸς ὣς
#25 (754) ἦ ῥα, καὶ ὁρμήθη ὄρεϊ νιφόεντι ἐοικὼς
***
Book 14
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 7 similes
#1 (16)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πορφύρῃ πέλαγος μέγα κύματι κωφῷ →3
#2 (148)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι →1
#4 (386) εἴκελον ἀστεροπῇ: τῷ δ᾽ οὐ θέμις ἐστὶ μιγῆναι
#6 (396) οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο →1
#7 (398) οὔτ᾽ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι →1
#8 (413) στρόμβον δ᾽ ὣς ἔσσευε βαλών, περὶ δ᾽ ἔδραμε πάντῃ.
#9 (414)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ πληγῆς πατρὸς Διὸς ἐξερίπῃ δρῦς →3

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#5 (394) οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον →1
#10 (499) ἦεν ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ: ὃ δὲ φὴ κώδειαν ἀνασχὼν

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#3 (185) καλῷ νηγατέῳ: λευκὸν δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς:
***
Book 15
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 13 similes
#1 (80)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀΐξῃ νόος ἀνέρος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ πολλὴν →2
#2 (170)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ νεφέων πτῆται νιφὰς ἠὲ χάλαζα →1
#5 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ →5
#6 (271)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἢ ἔλαφον κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα →5
#7 (323)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἠὲ βοῶν ἀγέλην ἢ πῶϋ μέγ᾽ οἰῶν →2
#9 (362)+ ῥεῖα μάλ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον πάϊς ἄγχι θαλάσσης, →2
#10 (381)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τε μέγα κῦμα θαλάσσης εὐρυπόροιο →2
#11 (410)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στάθμη δόρυ νήϊον ἐξιθύνει →2
#15 (605)+ μαίνετο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης ἐγχέσπαλος ἢ ὀλοὸν πῦρ →1
#17 (624)+ ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ ὡς ὅτε κῦμα θοῇ ἐν νηῒ πέσῃσι →4
#18 (630)+ αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀλοόφρων βουσὶν ἐπελθών, →6
#19 (679)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἵπποισι κελητίζειν ἐῢ εἰδώς →5

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#20 (690)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν αἰετὸς αἴθων →2

Prothesis in middle: 4 similes

#3 (196) χερσὶ δὲ μή τί με πάγχυ κακὸν ὣς δειδισσέσθω.
#8 (358)+ μακρὴν ἠδ᾽ εὐρεῖαν, ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωὴ →1
#12 (579)+ Ἀντίλοχος δ᾽ ἐπόρουσε κύων ὥς, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ νεβρῷ →2
#14 (592) Τρῶες δὲ λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισι

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#4 (237)+ βῆ δὲ κατ᾽ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς cf. Bk 16 #16 (582)+ →1
#13 (586)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔτρεσε θηρὶ κακὸν ῥέξαντι ἐοικώς, →2
#16 (618)+ ἴσχον γὰρ πυργηδὸν ἀρηρότες, ἠΰτε πέτρη →3
***
Book 16
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 14 similes
#3 (59) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.
#6 (212)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τοῖχον ἀνὴρ ἀράρῃ πυκινοῖσι λίθοισι →1
#8 (297)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλῆς κορυφῆς ὄρεος μεγάλοιο →3
#9 (352)+ ὡς δὲ λύκοι ἄρνεσσιν ἐπέχραον ἢ ἐρίφοισι →3
#10 (364)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Οὐλύμπου νέφος ἔρχεται οὐρανὸν εἴσω →1
#11 (384)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ λαίλαπι πᾶσα κελαινὴ βέβριθε χθὼν →8
#13 (428)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι →1
#14 (482)+ ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς →2
#15 (487)+ ἠΰτε ταῦρον ἔπεφνε λέων ἀγέληφι μετελθὼν →2
#17 (589)+ ὅσση δ᾽ αἰγανέης ῥιπὴ ταναοῖο τέτυκται, →2
#18 (633)+ τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε δρυτόμων ἀνδρῶν ὀρυμαγδὸς ὀρώρει →1
#21 (752)+ οἶμα λέοντος ἔχων, ὅς τε σταθμοὺς κεραΐζων →1
#23 (765)+ ὡς δ᾽ Εὖρός τε Νότος τ᾽ ἐριδαίνετον ἀλλήλοιιν →4
#24 (823)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε σῦν ἀκάμαντα λέων ἐβιήσατο χάρμῃ, →3

Prothesis in middle: 4 similes

#1 (3)+ δάκρυα θερμὰ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος, →1
#5 (192) ἀμφαγαπαζόμενος ὡς εἴ θ᾽ ἑὸν υἱὸν ἐόντα
#7 (259)+ αὐτίκα δὲ σφήκεσσιν ἐοικότες ἐξεχέοντο →6
#22 (756)+ τὼ περὶ Κεβριόναο λέονθ᾽ ὣς δηρινθήτην →2

Prothesis at the end: 6 similes

#2 (7)+ ‘τίπτε δεδάκρυσαι Πατρόκλεες, ἠΰτε κούρη →3
#4 (156)+ πάντας ἀνὰ κλισίας σὺν τεύχεσιν: οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς →7
cf. Bk 4 #12 (471)
#12 (406)+ ἕλκε δὲ δουρὸς ἑλὼν ὑπὲρ ἄντυγος, ὡς ὅτε τις φὼς →2
#16 (582)+ ἴθυσεν δὲ διὰ προμάχων ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς Bk 15 #4 (237)+ →1
#19 (641)+ οἳ δ᾽ αἰεὶ περὶ νεκρὸν ὁμίλεον, ὡς ὅτε μυῖαι →2
#20 (742) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
***
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 17
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 14 similes
#3 (53)+ οἷον δὲ τρέφει ἔρνος ἀνὴρ ἐριθηλὲς ἐλαίης →5
#4 (61)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος ἀλκὶ πεποιθὼς →6
#7 (133)+ ἑστήκει ὥς τίς τε λέων περὶ οἷσι τέκεσσιν, →3
#8 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ προχοῇσι διιπετέος ποταμοῖο →2
#11 (389)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην →4
#12 (434)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τε στήλη μένει ἔμπεδον, ἥ τ᾽ ἐπὶ τύμβῳ →1
#14 (520)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὀξὺν ἔχων πέλεκυν αἰζήϊος ἀνὴρ →2
#15 (542) αἱματόεις ὥς τίς τε λέων κατὰ ταῦρον ἐδηδώς
#16 (547)+ ἠΰτε πορφυρέην ἶριν θνητοῖσι τανύσσῃ →3
#17 (570)+ καί οἱ μυίης θάρσος ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἐνῆκεν, →2
#18 (657)+ βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι ὥς τίς τε λέων ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο →7
#21 (737)+ ἄγριος ἠΰτε πῦρ, τό τ᾽ ἐπεσσύμενον πόλιν ἀνδρῶν →2
#22 (742)+ οἳ δ᾽ ὥς θ᾽ ἡμίονοι κρατερὸν μένος ἀμφιβαλόντες →3
#24 (755)+ τῶν δ᾽ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν →2

Prothesis in middle: 8 similes

#1 (4)+ ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῷ βαῖν᾽ ὥς τις περὶ πόρτακι μήτηρ →1
#2 (20)+ οὔτ᾽ οὖν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος οὔτε λέοντος →2
#5 (109)+ ἐντροπαλιζόμενος ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος cf. Bk 18 #10 (318)+ →3
#10* (366) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρός, οὐδέ κε φαίης
#13 (460) ἵπποις ἀΐσσων ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιὸς μετὰ χῆνας:
#19 (674)+ πάντοσε παπταίνων ὥς τ᾽ αἰετός, ὅν ῥά τέ φασιν →4
#20 (725)+ ἴθυσαν δὲ κύνεσσιν ἐοικότες, οἵ τ᾽ ἐπὶ κάπρῳ →4
#23 (747)+ Αἴαντ᾽ ἰσχανέτην, ὥς τε πρὼν ἰσχάνει ὕδωρ →4

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#6 (128) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον.
#9 (281)+ ἴθυσεν δὲ διὰ προμάχων συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκὴν →2
***
Book 18
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 5 similes
#7 (161)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἀπὸ σώματος οὔ τι λέοντ᾽ αἴθωνα δύνανται →1
#8 (207)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς ἰὼν ἐξ ἄστεος αἰθέρ᾽ ἵκηται →6
#9 (219)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀριζήλη φωνή, ὅτε τ᾽ ἴαχε σάλπιγξ →1
#14 (600)+ ῥεῖα μάλ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τις τροχὸν ἄρμενον ἐν παλάμῃσιν →1
#15 (616) ἣ δ᾽ ἴρηξ ὣς ἆλτο κατ᾽ Οὐλύμπου νιφόεντος

Prothesis in middle: 5 similes

#1 (1) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
#3 (57) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς
#4* (109) ὅς τε πολὺ γλυκίων μέλιτος καταλειβομένοιο
#10 (318)+ πυκνὰ μάλα στενάχων ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος cf. Bk 17 #5 (109)+ →4

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#13 (438) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς

Prothesis at the end: 5 similes

#2 (56) ἔξοχον ἡρώων: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος:
#5 (110) ἀνδρῶν ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀέξεται ἠΰτε καπνός.
#6 (154) Ἕκτωρ τε Πριάμοιο πάϊς φλογὶ εἴκελος ἀλκήν.
#11 (418) χρύσειαι ζωῇσι νεήνισιν εἰοικυῖαι.
#12 (437) ἔξοχον ἡρώων: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος.
***
Book 19
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 5 similes
#2 (350) ἣ δ᾽ ἅρπῃ ἐϊκυῖα τανυπτέρυγι λιγυφών →1
#3 (357)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε ταρφειαὶ νιφάδες Διὸς ἐκποτέονται →1
#4 (366) λαμπέσθην ὡς εἴ τε πυρὸς σέλας . . . .
#6 (375)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ πόντοιο σέλας ναύτῃσι φανήῃ →3
#8 (386) τῷ δ᾽ εὖτε πτερὰ γίγνετ, ἄειρε δὲ ποιμένα λαῶν

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#1 (17) δεινὸν ὑπὸ βλεφάρων ὡς εἰ σέλας ἐξεφάανθεν:

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#5 (374) εἵλετο, τοῦ δ᾽ ἀπάνευθε σέλας γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε μήνης
#7 (381) κρατὶ θέτο βριαρήν: ἣ δ᾽ ἀστὴρ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν
***
Book 20
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 3 similes
#7* (372) εἰ πυρὶ χεῖρας ἔοικε, μένος δ᾽ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ.
#11 (490)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἀναμαιμάει βαθέ᾽ ἄγκεα θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ →2
#12 (495)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις ζεύξῃ βόας ἄρσενας εὐρυμετώπους →2

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#9 (423) ὀξὺ δόρυ κραδάων φλογὶ εἴκελος.

Prothesis at the end: 8 similes

#1 (51) αὖε δ᾽ Ἄρης ἑτέρωθεν ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος
#2 (164)+ Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἑτέρωθεν ἐναντίον ὦρτο λέων ὣς cf. Bk 11 #8 (129) →9
#3 (200) Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς cf. Bk 20 #4 (244); = #10 (431)
#4 (244) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς
#5 (252)+ νεικεῖν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐναντίον ὥς τε γυναῖκας →3
#6* (371) τοῦ δ᾽ ἐγὼ ἀντίος εἶμι καὶ εἰ πυρὶ χεῖρας ἔοικεν,
#8 (403)+ αὐτὰρ ὃ θυμὸν ἄϊσθε καὶ ἤρυγεν, ὡς ὅτε ταῦρος →2
#10 (431) ‘Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς
***
Book 21

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 8 similes

#1 (12)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς πυρὸς ἀκρίδες ἠερέθονται →2
#2 (22)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὑπὸ δελφῖνος μεγακήτεος ἰχθύες ἄλλοι →2
#6 (252)+ αἰετοῦ οἴματ᾽ ἔχων μέλανος τοῦ θηρητῆρος, →1
#7 (257)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ ὀχετηγὸς ἀπὸ κρήνης μελανύδρου →5
#9 (346)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης νεοαρδέ᾽ ἀλωὴν →1
#10 (362)+ ὡς δὲ λέβης ζεῖ ἔνδον ἐπειγόμενος πυρὶ πολλῷ →2
#13 (522)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε καπνὸς ἰὼν εἰς οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἵκηται →2
#14 (573)+ ἠΰτε πάρδαλις εἶσι βαθείης ἐκ ξυλόχοιο →5

Prothesis in middle: 3 similes

#5* (251) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ ἀπόρουσεν ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωή
#8 (282)+ ἐρχθέντ᾽ ἐν μεγάλῳ ποταμῷ ὡς παῖδα συφορβόν, →1
#11 (464)+ δειλῶν, οἳ φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἄλλοτε μέν τε

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#3 (29) τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε τεθηπότας ἠΰτε νεβρούς.
#4 (237) τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος
#12 (493)+ δακρυόεσσα δ᾽ ὕπαιθα θεὰ φύγεν ὥς τε πέλεια, →2
***
Book 22
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 10 similes
#2 (22)+ σευάμενος ὥς θ᾽ ἵππος ἀεθλοφόρος σὺν ὄχεσφιν →1
#3 (26)+ παμφαίνονθ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἀστέρ᾽ ἐπεσσύμενον πεδίοιο →3
#4 (93)+ ὡς δὲ δράκων ἐπὶ χειῇ ὀρέστερος ἄνδρα μένῃσι →2
#5* (125) αὔτως ὥς τε γυναῖκα, ἐπεί κ᾽ ἀπὸ τεύχεα δύω.
#8 (139)+ ἠΰτε κίρκος ὄρεσφιν ἐλαφρότατος πετεηνῶν →3
#11 (162)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀεθλοφόροι περὶ τέρματα μώνυχες ἵπποι →2
#12 (189)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νεβρὸν ὄρεσφι κύων ἐλάφοιο δίηται →3
#13 (199)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἐν ὀνείρῳ οὐ δύναται φεύγοντα διώκειν: →1
#14 (262)+ ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά →2
#16 (317)+ οἷος δ᾽ ἀστὴρ εἶσι μετ᾽ ἀστράσι νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ →1

Prothesis in middle: 5 similes

#6 (127)+ τῷ ὀαριζέμεναι, ἅ τε παρθένος ἠΐθεός τε →1
#9 (150) γίγνεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο:
#10 (151) ἣ δ᾽ ἑτέρη θέρεϊ προρέει ἐϊκυῖα χαλάζῃ →1
#15 (308)+ οἴμησεν δὲ ἀλεὶς ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις, →2
#17 (410)+ τῷ δὲ μάλιστ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔην ἐναλίγκιον ὡς εἰ ἅπασα

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#1 (1) ὣς οἳ μὲν κατὰ ἄστυ πεφυζότες ἠΰτε νεβροὶ
#7 (134) δεινήν: ἀμφὶ δὲ χαλκὸς ἐλάμπετο εἴκελος αὐγῇ →1
#18 (460) ὣς φαμένη μεγάροιο διέσσυτο μαινάδι ἴση

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

***
Book 23
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 9 similes
#2 (222)+ ὡς δὲ πατὴρ οὗ παιδὸς ὀδύρεται ὀστέα καίων →1
#5 (431)+ ὅσσα δὲ δίσκου οὖρα κατωμαδίοιο πέλονται, →1
#7 (517)+ ὅσσον δὲ τροχοῦ ἵππος ἀφίσταται, ὅς ῥα ἄνακτα →4
#8 (598)+ ἰάνθη ὡς εἴ τε περὶ σταχύεσσιν ἐέρση →1
#9 (692)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ φρικὸς Βορέω ἀναπάλλεται ἰχθὺς →1
#10 (712)+ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀμείβοντες, τούς τε κλυτὸς ἤραρε τέκτων →1
#11 (760)+ ἄγχι μάλ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τίς τε γυναικὸς ἐϋζώνοιο →2
#12 (783) μήτηρ ὣς Ὀδυσῆϊ παρίσταται ἠδ᾽ ἐπαρήγει.
#13 (845)+ ὅσσόν τίς τ᾽ ἔρριψε καλαύροπα βουκόλος ἀνήρ, →1

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#3 (366) ἵστατ᾽ ἀειρομένη ὥς τε νέφος ἠὲ θύελλα,

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#1 (100) οὐδ᾽ ἔλαβε: ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς
#4* (430) κέντρῳ ἐπισπέρχων ὡς οὐκ ἀΐοντι ἐοικώς.
#6 (455) λευκὸν σῆμα τέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη.
***
Book 24
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 3 similes
#3 (317)+ ὅσση δ᾽ ὑψορόφοιο θύρη θαλάμοιο τέτυκται →1
#5 (480)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄνδρ᾽ ἄτη πυκινὴ λάβῃ, ὅς τ᾽ ἐνὶ πάτρῃ →2
#7* (758)+ κεῖσαι, τῷ ἴκελος ὅν τ᾽ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων →1

Prothesis in middle: 4 similes

#1 (41)+ λέων δ᾽ ὣς ἄγρια οἶδεν →2
#2 (80)+ ἣ δὲ μολυβδαίνῃ ἰκέλη ἐς βυσσὸν ὄρουσεν →2
#4* (328) πόλλ᾽ ὀλοφυρόμενοι ὡς εἰ θάνατον δὲ κιόντα.
#6 (572) Πηλεΐδης δ᾽ οἴκοιο λέων ὣς ἆλτο θύραζε

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Total in the Iliad: 344 similes

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Table 1: Iliad (344 similes)

Iliad Prothesis at Prothesis in Prothesis at Totals
Book Number the beginning the middle the end
(first two feet)

1 0 1 3 4

2 12 5 4 21

3 5 6 4 15

4 7 0 6 13

5 9 6 3 18

6 5 2 0 7

7 2 2 1 5

8 3 2 2 7

9 2 4 1 7

10 8 1 1 10

11 15 6 8 29

12 10 3 3 16

13 11 9 7 27

14 7 2 1 10

15 13 4 3 20

16 14 4 6 24

17 14 8 2 24

18 5 5 5 15

19 5 1 2 8

20 3 1 8 12

21 8 3 3 14

22 10 5 3 18

23 9 1 3 13

24 3 4 0 7

Totals 180 85 79 344

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix IV-B
Line Location of Protheses in the Odyssey

Book 1
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (308) ὥς τε πατὴρ ᾧ παιδί, καὶ οὔ ποτε λήσομαι αὐτῶν.
#2 (320) ὄρνις δ᾽ ὣς ἀνόπαια διέπτατο.

Prothesis in middle: 0 similes

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Book 2
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 0 similes

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#1* (47) τοίσδεσσιν βασίλευε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν:
#2* (234) λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Book 3
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 1 simile
#1* (73)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες, ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται →1

Prothesis in middle: 0 similes

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#2 (290) κύματά τε τροφέοντο πελώρια, ἶσα ὄρεσσιν
***
Book 4
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 4 similes
#2 (45) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης
#3 (335)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος →3
#5 (535)+ δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.
#7 (791)+ ὅσσα δὲ μερμήριξε λέων ἀνδρῶν ἐν ὁμίλῳ →1

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#1 (32) τὸ πρίν: ἀτὰρ μὲν νῦν γε πάϊς ὣς νήπια βάζεις.
#4 (413) λέξεται ἐν μέσσῃσι νομεὺς ὣς πώεσι μήλων.

Prothesis at the end: 1 similes

#6 (662) πίμπλαντ᾽, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην.
***

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Book 5
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 7 similes
#3 (249)+ ὅσσον τίς τ᾽ ἔδαφος νηὸς τορνώσεται ἀνὴρ →1
#4 (281) εἴσατο δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε ῥινὸν ἐν ἠεροειδέι πόντῳ.
#5 (328)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ὀπωρινὸς Βορέης φορέῃσιν ἀκάνθα →1
#6 (368)+ ὡς δ᾽ ἄνεμος ζαὴς ἠΐων θημῶνα τινάξῃ →1
#8 (394)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος βίοτος παίδεσσι φανήῃ →3
#10 (432)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε πουλύποδος θαλάμης ἐξελκομένοιο →1
#11 (488)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις δαλὸν σποδιῇ ἐνέκρυψε μελαίνῃ →2

Prothesis in middle: 3 similes

#1 (12) λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.
#7 (371) ἀμφ᾽ ἑνὶ δούρατι βαῖνε, κέληθ᾽ ὡς ἵππον ἐλαύνων,
#9* (400) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας, cf. Bk 6 #7* (294)

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#2 (51)+ σεύατ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἐπὶ κῦμα λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς, →2
***
Book 6
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 4 similes
#1 (20) ἡ δ᾽ ἀνέμου ὡς πνοιὴ ἐπέσσυτο δέμνια κούρης,
#2 (102)+ οἵη δ᾽ Ἄρτεμις εἶσι κατ᾽ οὔρεα ἰοχέαιρα, →6
#3 (130)+ βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς, →4
#6 (232)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ →2

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#4 (162)+ ‘ Δήλῳ δή ποτε τοῖον Ἀπόλλωνος παρὰ βωμῷ →3
#7* (294) τόσσον ἀπὸ πτόλιος, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας cf. Bk 5 #9* (400)

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#5 (231) οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.
***
Book 7
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#2 (84) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης
#3 (106) ἥμεναι, οἷά τε φύλλα μακεδνῆς αἰγείροιο:

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#1 (36) τῶν νέες ὠκεῖαι ὡς εἰ πτερὸν ἠὲ νόημα.

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Book 8
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 3 similes

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

#1* (124)+ ὅσσον τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ οὖρον πέλει ἡμιόνοιιν,

#5 (280) ἠύτ᾽ ἀράχνια λεπτά, τά γ᾽ οὔ κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο
#6 (523)+ ὡς δὲ γυνὴ κλαίῃσι φίλον πόσιν ἀμφιπεσοῦσα, →7

B-Prothesis in middle: 0 similes

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#2* (159) ‘οὐ γάρ σ᾽ οὐδέ, ξεῖνε, δαήμονι φωτὶ ἐίσκω →1
#3* (161)+ ἀλλὰ τῷ, ὅς θ᾽ ἅμα νηὶ πολυκλήιδι θαμίζων [ἐίσκω] →2
#4* (164) κερδέων θ᾽ ἁρπαλέων: οὐδ᾽ ἀθλητῆρι ἔοικας.
***
Book 9
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 7 similes
#1* (51)+ ἦλθον ἔπειθ᾽ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ,
#4* (254)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες, ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται →1
#6 (292) ἤσθιε δ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος, οὐδ᾽ ἀπέλειπεν,
#7 (314)+ ἂψ ἐπέθηχ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε φαρέτρῃ πῶμ᾽ ἐπιθείη.
#8* (322)+ ὅσσον θ᾽ ἱστὸν νηὸς ἐεικοσόροιο μελαίνης →1
#9 (384)+ δίνεον, ὡς ὅτε τις τρυπῷ δόρυ νήιον ἀνὴρ →2
#10 (391)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ χαλκεὺς πέλεκυν μέγαν ἠὲ σκέπαρνον →2

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#5 (289) σὺν δὲ δύω μάρψας ὥς τε σκύλακας ποτὶ γαίῃ
#11* (473) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας cf. Bk 5 #9* (400) &
Bk 6 #7* (294)

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#2 (190)+ καὶ γὰρ θαῦμ᾽ ἐτέτυκτο πελώριον, οὐδὲ ἐῴκει →2
#3* (241)+ …οὐκ ἂν τόν γε δύω καὶ εἴκοσ᾽ ἄμαξαι →1
***
Book 10
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 5 similes
#1* (113) εὗρον, ὅσην τ᾽ ὄρεος κορυφήν, κατὰ δ᾽ ἔστυγον αὐτήν
#3 (124) ἰχθῦς δ᾽ ὣς πείροντες ἀτερπέα δαῖτα φέροντο.
#4 (216)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα κύνες δαίτηθεν ἰόντα →1
#5 (283) ἔρχαται ὥς τε σύες πυκινοὺς κευθμῶνας ἔχοντες
#8 (410)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἄγραυλοι πόριες περὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας, →3

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#2* (120) μυρίοι, οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν.

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#6* (304) ῥίζῃ μὲν μέλαν ἔσκε, γάλακτι δὲ εἴκελον ἄνθος:
#7* (378) τίφθ᾽ οὕτως, Ὀδυσεῦ, κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζεαι ἶσος ἀναύδῳ,

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

***
Book 11
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 3 similes
#2 (222) ψυχὴ δ᾽ ἠύτ᾽ ὄνειρος ἀποπταμένη πεπότηται.
#4 (368) μῦθον δ᾽ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸς ἐπισταμένως κατέλεξας
#5 (411)+ δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#1 (207) τρὶς δέ μοι ἐκ χειρῶν σκιῇ εἴκελον ἢ καὶ ὀνείρῳ
#6 (413)+ νωλεμέως κτείνοντο σύες ὣς ἀργιόδοντες, →2

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#3 (243) πορφύρεον δ᾽ ἄρα κῦμα περιστάθη, οὔρεϊ ἶσον
#7 (605) ἀμφὶ δέ μιν κλαγγὴ νεκύων ἦν οἰωνῶν ὥς,
#8 (606) πάντοσ᾽ ἀτυζομένων: ὁ δ᾽ ἐρεμνῇ νυκτὶ ἐοικώς, = Iliad Bk 1 #1 (47)
***
Book 12
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#3 (251)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ ἁλιεὺς περιμήκεϊ ῥάβδῳ →4
#7* (439)+ … ἦμος δ᾽ ἐπὶ δόρπον ἀνὴρ ἀγορῆθεν ἀνέστη →1

Prothesis in middle: 4 similes

#1* (86) τῆς ἦ τοι φωνὴ μὲν ὅση σκύλακος νεογιλῆς
#2 (237) ἦ τοι ὅτ᾽ ἐξεμέσειε, λέβης ὣς ἐν πυρὶ πολλῷ
#5 (418) οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν
#6 (433) τῷ προσφὺς ἐχόμην ὡς νυκτερίς

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#4 (413) πάντ᾽ ἄμυδις κεφαλῆς: ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς
***
Book 13
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (31)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ δόρποιο λιλαίεται, ᾧ τε πανῆμαρ →3
#3 (81)+ ἡ δ᾽, ὥς τ᾽ ἐν πεδίῳ τετράοροι ἄρσενες ἵπποι, →2

Prothesis in middle: 0 similes

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#2 (80) νήγρετος, ἥδιστος, θανάτῳ ἄγχιστα ἐοικώς.
***
Book 14
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 1 simile
#3 (254) ῥηϊδίως, ὡς εἴ τε κατὰ ῥόον

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#1 (21) πὰρ δὲ κύνες, θήρεσσιν ἐοικότες αἰὲν ἴαυον
#4 (308) οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#2 (175) Τηλεμάχου: τὸν ἐπεὶ θρέψαν θεοὶ ἔρνεϊ ἶσον.
***
Book 15
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (108) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν: ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.
#3* (174)+ ὡς ὅδε χῆν᾽ ἥρπαξ᾽ ἀτιταλλομένην ἐνὶ οἴκῳ →1

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#2* (153) …ἦ γὰρ ἐμοί γε πατὴρ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν
#4 (479) ἄντλῳ δ᾽ ἐνδούπησε πεσοῦσ᾽ ὡς εἰναλίη κήξ.

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Book 16
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 1 simile
#1 (17)+ ὡς δὲ πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φίλα φρονέων ἀγαπάζῃ →2

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#2 (216)+ κλαῖον δὲ λιγέως, ἀδινώτερον ἤ τ᾽ οἰωνοί, →2

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Book 17
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#2 (126)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος →4
#6 (518)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀοιδὸν ἀνὴρ ποτιδέρκεται, ὅς τε θεῶν ἒξ →2

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#1 (111)+ ἐνδυκέως ἐφίλει, ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ἑὸν υἱὸν →1

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#3* (416) ἔμμεναι, ἀλλ᾽ ὤριστος, ἐπεὶ βασιλῆϊ ἔοικας.
#4 (463) πρυμνότατον κατὰ νῶτον: ὁ δ᾽ ἐστάθη ἠΰτε πέτρη
#5* (500) Ἀντίνοος δὲ μάλιστα μελαίνῃ κηρὶ ἔοικε.
***
Book 18
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (27) γρηῒ καμινοῖ ἶσος: ὃν ἂν κακὰ μητισαίμην
#3* (196) λευκοτέρην δ᾽ ἄρα μιν θῆκε πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#2 (29) γναθμῶν ἐξελάσαιμι συὸς ὣς ληϊβοτείρης.

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#4 (240) ἧσται νευστάζων κεφαλῇ, μεθύοντι ἐοικώς,
#5 (296) χρύσεον, ἠλέκτροισιν ἐερμένον ἠέλιον ὥς.
***
Book 19
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 6 similes
#2 (109)+ ὥς τέ τευ ἢ βασιλῆος ἀμύμονος, ὅς τε θεουδὴς →5
#3 (205)+ ὡς δὲ χιὼν κατατήκετ᾽ ἐν ἀκροπόλοισιν ὄρεσσιν →2
#4 (211) ὀφθαλμοὶ δ᾽ ὡς εἰ κέρα ἕστασαν ἠὲ σίδηρος
#5 (233) οἷόν τε κρομύοιο λοπὸν κάτα ἰσχαλέοιο:
#7 (494) ἕξω δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις στερεὴ λίθος ἠὲ σίδηρος.
#8 (518)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη, χλωρηῒς ἀηδών, →5

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#1 (39) φαίνοντ᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο
#9 (574) ἵστασχ᾽ ἑξείης, δρυόχους ὥς, δώδεκα πάντας:

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#6 (234) τὼς μὲν ἔην μαλακός, λαμπρὸς δ᾽ ἦν ἠέλιος ὥς:
***
Book 20
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#1 (14)+ ὡς δὲ κύων ἀμαλῇσι περὶ σκυλάκεσσι βεβῶσα →1
#2 (25)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε γαστέρ᾽ ἀνὴρ πολέος πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο →2

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#3* (194) δύσμορος, ἦ τε ἔοικε δέμας βασιλῆϊ ἄνακτι:

Prothesis at the end: 1 simile

#4* (362) εἰς ἀγορὴν ἔρχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ τάδε νυκτὶ ἐΐσκει
***
Book 21
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 1 simile
#2 (406)+ ὡς ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ φόρμιγγος ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἀοιδῆς →2

Prothesis in middle: 0 similes

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#1 (48)+ τὰ δ᾽ ἀνέβραχεν ἠΰτε ταῦρος →1
#3 (411) ἡ δ᾽ ὑπὸ καλὸν ἄεισε, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη αὐδήν.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

***
Book 22
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#2 (302)+ οἱ δ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι →4
#5 (468)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι →2

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#3 (384)+ πεπτεῶτας πολλούς, ὥστ᾽ ἰχθύας, οὕς θ᾽ ἁλιῆες →4

Prothesis at the end: 2 similes

#1 (299)+ οἱ δ᾽ ἐφέβοντο κατὰ μέγαρον βόες ὣς ἀγελαῖαι →2
#4 (402)+ αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα, →3
***
Book 23
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 2 similes
#4 (159)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ →2
#6 (233)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος γῆ νηχομένοισι φανήῃ →5

Prothesis in middle: 1 simile

#2* (103) σοὶ δ᾽ αἰεὶ κραδίη στερεωτέρη ἐστὶ λίθοιο

Prothesis at the end: 3 similes

#1 (48) αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα
#3 (158) οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.
#5 (191) ἀκμηνὸς θαλέθων: πάχετος δ᾽ ἦν ἠΰτε κίων
***
Book 24
Prothesis at beginning (first two feet): 1 simile
#1 (6)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε νυκτερίδες μυχῷ ἄντρου θεσπεσίοιο →2

Prothesis in middle: 2 similes

#2 (148) πλύνασ᾽, ἠελίῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠὲ σελήνῃ,
#3 (538) οἴμησεν δὲ ἀλεὶς ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις.

Prothesis at the end: 0 similes

***
Total in the Odyssey: 128

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Table 2 Odyssey (128 similes)

Odyssey A-Prothesis at B-Prothesis in C-Prothesis at Totals
Book Number the beginning the middle the end
(first two feet)

1 2 0 0 2

2 0 2 0 2

3 1 0 1 2

4 4 2 1 7

5 7 3 1 11

6 4 2 1 7

7 2 1 0 3

8 3 0 3 6

9 7 2 2 11

10 5 1 2 8

11 3 2 3 8

12 2 4 1 7

13 2 0 1 3

14 1 2 1 4

15 2 2 0 4

16 1 1 0 2

17 2 1 3 6

18 2 1 2 5

19 6 2 1 9

20 2 1 1 4

21 1 0 2 3

22 2 1 2 5

23 2 1 3 6

24 1 2 0 3

Totals 64 33 31 128

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix IV-C

Comparison of Prothesis Line Location by Prothesis Type

Prothesis Type Iliad Odyssey

Begin Middle End Total Begin Middle End Total

ἀλίγκιος 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

ἀτάλαντος 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0

δέμας 0 4 0 4 0 0 0 0

εἴκελος 1 3 5 9 0 1 2 3

ἐίσκω 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 3

ἐναλίγκιος 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 1

ἔοικα 3 17 15 35 0 3 10 13

ἦμος 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1

ἠύτε 12 1 18 31 2 0 3 5

ἴκελος 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 2

ἴσος 1 1 8 10 1 0 4 5

οἷος 8 0 0 8 5 0 0 5

ὅμοιος 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2

ὅσσος 12 8 0 20 6 4 0 10

φὴ 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0

ὣς 32 20 20 72 11 13 4 28

ὡς εἰ 6 7 0 13 3 3 0 6

ὡς ὁπότε 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 2

ὡς ὅτε 62 0 6 68 22 0 0 22

ὥς τε 32 13 3 48 10 3 2 15

Comparison 2 2 1 5 1 2 0 3

With ἔχων 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 0

Other 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 2

Totals 180 85 79 344 64 33 31 128

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
Iliad: Types of Protheses at Beginning of Lines

εἴκελος
Other ἔοικα
ὡς εἰ ἠύτε
4%1% 2%
3% 7%ἴσος
1%
ὅσσος,
ἦμος, οἷος
12%

ὡς ὅτε, ὡς
ὁπότε
36%
ὣς
18%

ὥς τε
18%

Odyssey: Types of Protheses at Beginning of Lines

εἴκελος
ἔοικα
Other
ὡς εἰ ἠύτε
ἴσος
5% 2%0%3% 2%

ὅσσος,
ἦμος, οἷος
19%

ὡς ὅτε, ὡς
ὁπότε
38%

ὣς
17%

ὥς τε
16%

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
Iliad: Types of Protheses at Middle of Lines

εἴκελος
Other 4%
16%
ἔοικα
18%

ὡς εἰ
8% ἠύτε
ὡς ὅτε, ὡς ἴσος
1%
ὁπότε 1%
0% ὅσσος,
ἦμος, οἷος
ὥς τε 10%
16%

ὣς
27%

Odyssey: Types of Protheses at Middle of Lines

εἴκελος
Other 3% ἔοικα
9%
18% ἠύτε
ἴσος
0%
ὅσσος,
ἦμος, οἷος
ὡς εἰ 12%
9%
ὡς ὅτε, ὡς
ὁπότε
0%
ὥς τε
9%

ὣς
39%

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
Iliad: Types of Protheses at End of Lines

ὡςOther
εἰ εἴκελος
ὡς ὅτε,0%5%
ὡς 6%
ὁπότε
ὥς τε 7%
4% ἔοικα
21%

ὣς
25%

ὅσσος, ἠύτε
ἦμος, οἷος 22%
0% ἴσος
10%

Odyssey: Types of Protheses at End of

Lines
εἴκελος
6%
Other
19%

ὡςεἰὅτε,
ὡς
ὡς
0%ὁπότε
ὥς τε
0% ἔοικα
6% 32%

ὣς
ὅσσος,
13%
ἦμος,
οἷος
0% ἠύτε
ἴσος
13% 10%

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
Appendix V
Types of Similes in the Iliad and the Odyssey

Appendix V-A Multiple-Vehicle Similes

This section provides a list of the similes with multiple vehicles. In this section, multiple
vehicles refers to similes in which more than one vehicle is associated with a tenor; it
does not include similes with multiple tenors with single tenors associated with each
tenor. The multiple vehicles are shown both in Greek and translation. Double and triple
vehicles are underlined in Greek and bolded in English.

1 - Multiple-Vehicle Similes in the Iliad

Bk 2 #6 (289) ὥς τε γὰρ ἢ παῖδες νεαροὶ χῆραί τε γυναῖκες

[Argives ≈ little children and widows]
Bk 2 #12 (468) ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα
[numberless Achaeans ≈ leaves and flowers]
Bk 2 #20 (800) φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἢ ψαμάθοισιν
[Achaean army ≈ leaves or sands]

Bk 3 #6 (23) ὥς τε λέων ἐχάρη μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ σώματι κύρσας / εὑρὼν ἢ ἔλαφον

κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα
[Menelaus to Paris ≈ lion to stag or goat]

Bk 5 #4 (161) αὐχένα ἄξῃ / πόρτιος ἠὲ βοὸς

[Diomedes against Echemmon and Chromius ≈ lion against heifer
or cow]
Bk 5 #15 (782) λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν / ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν
[Argives ≈ carnivorous lions or wild boars] = Bk 7 #5 (256)

Bk 7 #4 (235) ἠΰτε παιδὸς ἀφαυροῦ πειρήτιζε / ἠὲ γυναικός

[Hector ≈ puny boy or woman]
Bk 7 #5 (256) λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν / ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν
[Hector and Ajax ≈ carnivorous lions or wild boars] = Bk 5 #15
(782)
Bk 8 #6 (338) κύων συὸς ἀγρίου ἠὲ λέοντος
[Hector presses Achaeans ≈ dog pursues boar or lion]

Bk 9 #4* (385) τόσα δοίη ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε

[Agamemnon’s gifts ≈ sand and dust]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 10 #6 (360) δύω κύνε εἰδότε θήρης / ἢ κεμάδ᾽ ἠὲ λαγωὸν ἐπείγετον

Diomedes and Odysseus to Dolon ≈ hunting dogs to deer or hare
Bk 10 #9 (485) λέων μήλοισιν ἀσημάντοισιν ἐπελθὼν / αἴγεσιν ἢ ὀΐεσσι
Diomedes to Thracian warriors ≈ lion to sheep or goats

Bk 11 #15 (292) θηρητὴρ κύνας ἀργιόδοντας / σεύῃ ἐπ᾽ ἀγροτέρῳ συῒ καπρίῳ
ἠὲ λέοντι
[Hector sics Trojans on Achaeans ≈ hunter sics dogs on boars or
lions]
Bk 11 #20 (389) ὡς εἴ με γυνὴ βάλοι ἢ πάϊς ἄφρων
[Paris ≈ a woman or silly boy]
Bk 11 #24 (492)+ πολλὰς δὲ δρῦς ἀζαλέας, πολλὰς δέ τε πεύκας
[Ajax chasing and slaughtering horses and men ≈ flooded river
sweeping away oaks, pines, and mud]

Bk 12 #2 (41)+ ἔν τε κύνεσσι καὶ ἀνδράσι θηρευτῇσι κάπριος ἠὲ λέων

[Hector to Greeks ≈ a wild boar or lion among dogs and huntsmen]
Bk 12 #6 (167)+ ὥς τε σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι ἠὲ μέλισσαι
[the Achaeans ≈ wasps or bees]

Bk 13 #1 (39) φλογὶ ἶσοι ἀολλέες ἠὲ θυέλλῃ

[Trojans ≈ a flame or squall]
Bk 13 #4 (102) ἐλάφοισιν ἐοίκεσαν, αἵ τε καθ᾽ ὕλην / θώων παρδαλίων τε
λύκων
[Trojans before Achaeans ≈ deer panic-stricken by jackals,
panthers, wolves]
Bk 13 #12 (389)+ τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή
[Asius falling ≈ an oak or poplar or tall pine]
Bk 13 #13 (437) ὥς τε στήλην ἢ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον
[Alcathous ≈ a pillar or tree]

Bk 15 #2 (170)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ νεφέων πτῆται νιφὰς ἠὲ χάλαζα

[Iris flies quickly ≈ as from clouds driven by Boreas there flies snow
or chill hail]
Bk 15 #6 (271)+ ὥς τ᾽ ἢ ἔλαφον κεραὸν ἢ ἄγριον αἶγα
[Danaans > Hector (vs other Trojans) ≈ dogs and country folk > a
lion (vs. a stag or goat)]
Bk 15 #7 (323)+ ἠὲ βοῶν ἀγέλην ἢ πῶϋ μέγ᾽ οἰῶν
[Apollo sends panic on Achaeans ≈ two wild beasts drive in
confusion cattle or a flock of sheep]
Bk 15 #16 (618)+ ἴσχον γὰρ πυργηδὸν ἀρηρότες, ἠΰτε πέτρη
[Danaans ≈ a wall or a steep great rock]
Bk 15 #20 (690)+ ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ὀρνίθων πετεηνῶν αἰετὸς αἴθων / … / χηνῶν ἢ
γεράνων ἢ κύκνων

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

[Hector > a ship ≈ an eagle > a flock of birds (geese, cranes or

swans)] (A triplet simile)

Bk 16 #9 (352)+ ὡς δὲ λύκοι ἄρνεσσιν ἐπέχραον ἢ ἐρίφοισι

[Danaans > Trojans ≈ carnivorous wolves > lambs or kids]
Bk 16 #14 (482)+ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς / ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή
[Sarpedon fell ≈ an oak or poplar or pine tree falls] (A triplet simile)

Bk 17 #2 (20) οὔτ᾽ οὖν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος οὔτε λέοντος

οὔτε συὸς κάπρου ὀλοόφρονος
[sons of Panthous (Trojan) ≈ leopard, lion and wild boar] (triplet
simile)
Bk 17 #22 (742) οἳ δ᾽ ὥς θ᾽ ἡμίονοι κρατερὸν μένος ἀμφιβαλόντες
ἕλκωσ᾽ ἐξ ὄρεος κατὰ παιπαλόεσσαν ἀταρπὸν
ἢ δοκὸν ἠὲ δόρυ μέγα νήϊον
[the two Ajaxes carried the corpse ≈ mules drag a beam or ship-
timber]
Bk 17 #24 (755)+ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν
[Aeneas+Hector > Achaean youths ≈ a falcon > starlings and
jackdaws]

Bk 22 #7 (134) εἴκελος αὐγῇ / ἢ πυρὸς αἰθομένου ἢ ἠελίου ἀνιόντος

[bronze ≈ gleaming of fire or the rising sun]
Bk 22 #10 (151) ἐϊκυῖα χαλάζῃ, / ἢ χιόνι ψυχρῇ ἢ ἐξ ὕδατος κρυστάλλῳ
[the other spring ≈ hail or snow or ice] (a triplet)

Bk 22 #14 (262)+ ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά,

οὐδὲ λύκοι τε καὶ ἄρνες ὁμόφρονα θυμὸν ἔχουσιν
I (Achilles) > you (Hector) ≈ lions > men or wolves > lambs
Bk 22 #15 (308)+ ὥς τ᾽ αἰετὸς ὑψιπετήεις, / … / ἁρπάξων ἢ ἄρν᾽ ἀμαλὴν ἤ πτῶκα
λαγωόν
[Hector > Achilles (implied) ≈ a high-flying eagle > a lamb or hare]

Bk 23 #3 (366) ἵστατ᾽ ἀειρομένη ὥς τε νέφος ἠὲ θύελλα,

[dust ≈ a cloud or whirlwind]

2 - Multiple-Vehicle Similes in the Odyssey

Bk 4 #2 (45) ὥς τε ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης

[gleam over Menelaus' house ≈ gleam of sun or moon]

Bk 6 #3 (130)+ αὐτὰρ ὁ βουσὶ μετέρχεται ἢ ὀίεσσιν ἠὲ μετ᾽ ἀγροτέρας

ἐλάφους
[Odysseus approaches girls ≈ lion prowls for cattle, sheep, deer]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 7 #1 (36) ὡς εἰ πτερὸν ἠὲ νόημα

[ships ≈ wing or thought]

Bk 7 #2 (84) ὥς τε ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης

[gleam of Alkinous palace ≈ gleam of sun or moon]

Bk 9 #1* (51)+ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα

[number Kikones ≈ number of leaves and flowers]

Bk 9 #2 (190)+ οὐδὲ ἐῴκει ἀνδρί γε σιτοφάγῳ, ἀλλὰ ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι

[Polyphemus NOT ≈ bread-eating man; ≈ wooded peak]

Bk 10 #2* (120) οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν

[Laestrygonians NOT ≈ men; ≈ Giants]

Bk 11 #1 (207) σκιῇ εἴκελον ἢ καὶ ὀνείρῳ

[flitting of ghost of Odysseus’s mother ≈ movements of shadow or
dream]

Bk 19. #4 (211) ὡς εἰ κέρα ἕστασαν ἠὲ σίδηρος

[Odysseus’s eyes were unmoving ≈ horn or iron]

Bk 19 #7 (494) ὡς ὅτε τις στερεὴ λίθος ἠὲ σίδηρος

[Eurycleia ≈ silent as a stone or iron]

Bk 22 #5 (468) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι

[the women who had consorted with the suitors being hanged ≈
thrushes or doves in a snare]

Bk 24 #2 (148) ἠελίῳ ἐναλίγκιον ἠὲ σελήνῃ

[Penelope’s web ≈ sun or moon]

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix V-B

Negative Similes

Most similes show the tenor to be like the vehicle. In some of the similes in the Iliad and
Odyssey the tenor is not like the vehicle. This section provides a listing of these
negative similes.

1 - Negative Similes in the Iliad

Bk 2 #4 (190) οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς: “Dear sir, it is not right to threaten you as
if you were a coward.”
cf. Bk 6 #5 (443):
Then great Hector of the flashing helm spoke to her: / “Lady, I too take thought of
all this, but I am dreadfully / ashamed before the Trojans and the Trojans' wives
with trailing robes, / if like a coward I shun battle.”

and Bk 8 #2 (94):
And [Diomedes] shouted with a terrible shout, urging on Odysseus: / “Zeus-born
son of Laertes, Odysseus of many wiles, / whither do you flee with your back
turned, like a coward in the throng?”

Bk 7 #4 (235) μή τί μευ ἠΰτε παιδὸς ἀφαυροῦ πειρήτιζε / ἠὲ γυναικός: “in no

way make trial of me as of some puny boy / or a woman”

Bk 13 #9 (292) μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς “no longer let us talk thus
like children”

Bk 13 #14 (470) οὐκ . . . τηλύγετον ὥς: But fear did not seize Idomeneus like
some darling child

Bk 14 #5 (394) οὔτε θαλάσσης κῦμα τόσον βοάᾳ ποτὶ χέρσον

Not so loudly bellows the wave of the sea upon the shore

Bk 14 #6* (396) οὔτε πυρὸς τόσσός γε ποτὶ βρόμος αἰθομένοιο

Not so loud is the roar of blazing fire.

Bk 14 #7* (398) οὔτ᾽ ἄνεμος τόσσόν γε περὶ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισι

Nor does the wind shriek so loud around the high crests of the oaks

Bk 15 #3 (196) μή τί με πάγχυ κακὸν ὣς: “And with [his] hands let [Zeus] not [try
to] frighten me <Poseidon> like some coward.”

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Bk 20 #3 (200) Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς: Then Aeneas answered

him and said, / “Son of Peleus, do not expect with words to
frighten me like a child.”

Bk 20 #4 (244) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς:

“But come, no longer let us talk thus like children.”
[Aeneas to Achilles]

Bk 20 #5 (252)+ “But what need have we two to exchange strifes and quarreling /
with each other like women (ὥς τε γυναῖκας).”
[we two (Aeneas and Achilles) ≈ women (NOT implied)

Bk 20.#10 (431) But with no touch of fear, Hector of the flashing helmet spoke to
him: / “Son of Peleus, do not expect to frighten me with
words like a child.” (μὴ . . . με νηπύτιον ὣς)
[me (Hector) NOT ≈ a child]

2 - Negative Similes in the Odyssey

Bk 8 #2* (159) δαήμονι φωτὶ ἐίσκω / ἄθλων

Odysseus NOT ≈ skilled in games

Bk 8 #4* (164) οὐδ᾽ ἀθλητῆρι ἔοικας

Odysseus NOT ≈ athlete

Bk 9 #2 (190)+ οὐδὲ ἐῴκει / ἀνδρί γε σιτοφάγῳ, ἀλλὰ ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι

Polyphemus NOT ≈ bread-eating man; Polyphemus ≈ wooded peak

Bk 10 #2* (120) οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν.

Laestrygonians NOT ≈ men; Laestrygonians ≈ Giants

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix V-C

Repeated Similes

This section lists similes that are repeated. In general, similes identified in Lee’s List A
as being similar have been included in this list, but some changes have been made due
to differences in what the compendia include compared to Lee’s List A. Repeated
similes included in this list typically have the same prothesis and the same vehicle
although minor differences in case ending have been allowed. In some of the longer
scene similes, portions of the repeated similes are not the same. Underlining has been
used in the Greek text to highlight what is the same among the similes.

Appendix VIII Divine Comparisons shows the numerous examples of repeats in this
category. Appendix IX Transformations and Disguises includes a few repeats.

See Scott 1974:127-140 on “Homer’s Repeated Similes”.

a. Similes Repeated in the Iliad (24) / Odyssey (9)

1. Iliad 2.190 ↔︎ 6.443 ↔︎ 8.94 ↔︎ 15.196:

Bk 2 #4 (190) ‘δαιμόνι᾽ οὔ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὣς δειδίσσεσθαι.

Bk 6 #5 (443) αἴ κε κακὸς ὣς νόσφιν ἀλυσκάζω πολέμοιο:

Bk 8 #2 (94) πῇ φεύγεις μετὰ νῶτα βαλὼν κακὸς ὣς ἐν ὁμίλῳ;

Bk 15 #3 (196) χερσὶ δὲ μή τί με πάγχυ κακὸν ὣς δειδισσέσθω.

2. Iliad 2.764 ↔︎ 3.2:

Bk 2 #17 (764) τὰς Εὔμηλος ἔλαυνε ποδώκεας ὄρνιθας ὣς.

ὄτριχας οἰέτεας σταφύλῇ ἐπὶ νῶτον ἐΐσας.

Bk 3 #1 (2) Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽ ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν ὄρνιθες ὣς

ἠΰτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων πέλει οὐρανόθι πρό:

3. Iliad 4.243 ↔︎ 21.29 ↔︎ 22.1:

Bk 4 #4 (243)+ τίφθ᾽ οὕτως ἔστητε τεθηπότες ἠΰτε νεβροί,

Bk 21 #3 (29) τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε τεθηπότας ἠΰτε νεβρούς.

Bk 22 #1 (1) ὣς οἳ μὲν κατὰ ἄστυ πεφυζότες ἠΰτε νεβροὶ

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

4. Iliad 4.253 ↔︎ 17.281

Bk 4 #5 (253) Ἰδομενεὺς μὲν ἐνὶ προμάχοις συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκήν.

Bk 17 #9 (281)+ ἴθυσεν δὲ διὰ προμάχων συῒ εἴκελος ἀλκὴν

5. Iliad 4.471 ↔︎ 11.72:

Bk 4 #12 (471) ἀργαλέον Τρώων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν: οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς

Bk 11 #5 (72) ἴσας δ᾽ ὑσμίνη κεφαλὰς ἔχεν, οἳ δὲ λύκοι ὣς

6. Iliad 5.782-783 ↔︎ 7.256-257:

Bk 5 #15 (782) εἰλόμενοι λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν

ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν, τῶν τε σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν.

Bk 7 #5 (256) σύν ῥ᾽ ἔπεσον λείουσιν ἐοικότες ὠμοφάγοισιν

ἢ συσὶ κάπροισιν, τῶν τε σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν.

7. Iliad 5.860-861 ↔︎ 14.148-149:

Bk 5 #16 (860) ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι

ἀνέρες ἐν πολέμῳ ἔριδα ξυνάγοντες Ἄρηος.

Bk 14 #2 (148) ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐννεάχιλοι ἐπίαχον ἢ δεκάχιλοι

ἀνέρες ἐν πολέμῳ ἔριδα ξυνάγοντες Ἄρηος,

8. Iliad 6.506-507 ↔︎ 15.263-264:

Bk 6 # 6 (506)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ

δεσμὸν ἀπορρήξας θείῃ πεδίοιο κροαίνων

Bk 15 #5 (263)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις στατὸς ἵππος ἀκοστήσας ἐπὶ φάτνῃ

δεσμὸν ἀπορρήξας θείῃ πεδίοιο κροαίνων

9. Iliad 7.219 ↔︎ 11.483 ↔︎ 17.128:

Bk 7 #3 (219) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον

Bk 11 #23 (485) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον,

Bk 17 #6 (128) Αἴας δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων σάκος ἠΰτε πύργον.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

10. Iliad 9.14 ↔︎ 16.3:

Bk 9 #2 (14)+ ἵστατο δάκρυ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος

ἥ τε κατ᾽ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης δνοφερὸν χέει ὕδωρ.

Bk 16 #1 (3)+ δάκρυα θερμὰ χέων ὥς τε κρήνη μελάνυδρος

ἥ τε κατ᾽ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης δνοφερὸν χέει ὕδωρ.

11. Iliad 9.648 ↔︎ 16.59:

Bk 9 #7 (648) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.

Bk 16 #3 (59) Ἀτρεΐδης ὡς εἴ τιν᾽ ἀτίμητον μετανάστην.

12. Iliad 10.154 ↔︎ 11.66:

ὄρθ᾽ ἐπὶ σαυρωτῆρος ἐλήλατο, τῆλε δὲ χαλκὸς

Bk 10 #2 (154) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διός: αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ἥρως

ἄλλοτε δ᾽ ἐν πυμάτοισι κελεύων: πᾶς δ᾽ ἄρα χαλκῷ

Bk 11 #3 (66) λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.

13. Iliad 11.548 ↔︎ 17.657:

Bk 11 #26 (548)+ ὡς δ᾽ αἴθωνα λέοντα βοῶν ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο

ἐσσεύαντο κύνες τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἀγροιῶται
550 οἵ τέ μιν οὐκ εἰῶσι βοῶν ἐκ πῖαρ ἑλέσθαι
πάννυχοι ἐγρήσσοντες: ὃ δὲ κρειῶν ἐρατίζων
ἰθύει, ἀλλ᾽ οὔ τι πρήσσει: θαμέες γὰρ ἄκοντες
ἀντίον ἀΐσσουσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν
καιόμεναί τε δεταί, τάς τε τρεῖ ἐσσύμενός περ:
555 ἠῶθεν δ᾽ ἀπὸ νόσφιν ἔβη τετιηότι θυμῷ:

Bk 17 #18 (657)+ βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι ὥς τίς τε λέων ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο,

ὅς τ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἄρ κε κάμῃσι κύνας τ᾽ ἄνδρας τ᾽ ἐρεθίζων,
οἵ τέ μιν οὐκ εἰῶσι βοῶν ἐκ πῖαρ ἑλέσθαι
660 πάννυχοι ἐγρήσσοντες: ὃ δὲ κρειῶν ἐρατίζων
ἰθύει, ἀλλ᾽ οὔ τι πρήσσει: θαμέες γὰρ ἄκοντες
ἀντίον ἀΐσσουσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν,
καιόμεναί τε δεταί, τάς τε τρεῖ ἐσσύμενός περ:
ἠῶθεν δ᾽ ἀπονόσφιν ἔβη τετιηότι θυμῷ:

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

14. Iliad 11.596 ↔︎ 13.673 ↔︎ 17.366 ↔︎ 18.1:

Bk 11 #28 (596) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο:

Bk 13 #22 (673) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.

Bk 17 #10* (366) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρός, οὐδέ κε φαίης

Bk 18 #1 (1) ὣς οἳ μὲν μάρναντο δέμας πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο

15. Iliad 11.747 ↔︎ 12.375:

Bk 11 #29 (747) αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπόρουσα κελαινῇ λαίλαπι ἶσος,

Bk 12 #11 (375) οἳ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐπάλξεις βαῖνον ἐρεμνῇ λαίλαπι ἶσοι

16. Iliad 13.53 ↔︎ 13.330 ↔︎ 13.688 ↔︎ 18.154 ↔︎ 20.423:

Bk 13 #2 (53) ᾗ ῥ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ὁ λυσσώδης φλογὶ εἴκελος ἡγεμονεύει

Bk 13 #10 (330) οἳ δ᾽ ὡς Ἰδομενῆα ἴδον φλογὶ εἴκελον ἀλκὴν

Bk 13 #23 (688) ὦσαι ἀπὸ σφείων φλογὶ εἴκελον Ἕκτορα δῖον

Bk 18 #6 (154) Ἕκτωρ τε Πριάμοιο πάϊς φλογὶ εἴκελος ἀλκήν.

Bk 20 #9 (423) ὀξὺ δόρυ κραδάων φλογὶ εἴκελος….

Also, the divine comparison at 17.88 uses the phrase φλογὶ εἴκελος Ἡφαίστοιο

17. Iliad 13.292 ↔︎ 20.244:

Bk 13 #9 (292) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς

ἑσταότες,

Bk 20 #4 (244) ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μηκέτι ταῦτα λεγώμεθα νηπύτιοι ὣς

ἑσταότ᾽

18. Iliad 13.389-390 ↔︎ 16.482-483:

Bk 13 #12 (389)+ ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς

ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή, τήν τ᾽ οὔρεσι τέκτονες ἄνδρες

Bk 16 #14 (482)+ ἤριπε δ᾽ ὡς ὅτε τις δρῦς ἤριπεν ἢ ἀχερωῒς

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

ἠὲ πίτυς βλωθρή, τήν τ᾽ οὔρεσι τέκτονες ἄνδρες

19. Iliad 15.237 ↔︎ 16.582:

Bk 15 #4 (237)+ βῆ δὲ κατ᾽ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς

ὠκέϊ φασσοφόνῳ, ὅς τ᾽ ὤκιστος πετεηνῶν.

Bk 16 #16 (582)+ ἴθυσεν δὲ διὰ προμάχων ἴρηκι ἐοικὼς

ὠκέϊ, ὅς τ᾽ ἐφόβησε κολοιούς τε ψῆράς τε:

20. Iliad 17.109 ↔︎ 18.318:

Bk 17 #5 (109)+ ἐντροπαλιζόμενος ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος,

ὅν ῥα κύνες τε καὶ ἄνδρες ἀπὸ σταθμοῖο δίωνται
ἔγχεσι καὶ φωνῇ: τοῦ δ᾽ ἐν φρεσὶν ἄλκιμον ἦτορ
παχνοῦται, ἀέκων δέ τ᾽ ἔβη ἀπὸ μεσσαύλοιο:

Bk 18 #10 (318)+ πυκνὰ μάλα στενάχων ὥς τε λὶς ἠϋγένειος,

ᾧ ῥά θ᾽ ὑπὸ σκύμνους ἐλαφηβόλος ἁρπάσῃ ἀνὴρ
ὕλης ἐκ πυκινῆς: ὃ δέ τ᾽ ἄχνυται ὕστερος ἐλθών,
πολλὰ δέ τ᾽ ἄγκε᾽ ἐπῆλθε μετ᾽ ἀνέρος ἴχνι᾽ ἐρευνῶν
εἴ ποθεν ἐξεύροι: μάλα γὰρ δριμὺς χόλος αἱρεῖ:

21. Iliad 18.56-57 ↔︎ 18.437-438:

Bk 18 #2 (56) ἔξοχον ἡρώων: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος:

Bk 18 #3 (57) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς

Bk 18 #12 (437) ἔξοχον ἡρώων: ὃ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἶσος.

Bk 18 #13 (438) τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ θρέψασα φυτὸν ὣς γουνῷ ἀλωῆς

22. Iliad 18.110 ↔︎ 23.100:

Bk 18 #5 (110) ἀνδρῶν ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀέξεται ἠΰτε καπνός.

Bk 23 #1 (100) οὐδ᾽ ἔλαβε: ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς

ᾤχετο τετριγυῖα.

23. Iliad 19.374 ↔︎ 23.455:

Bk 19 #5 (374) εἵλετο, τοῦ δ᾽ ἀπάνευθε σέλας γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε μήνης.

Bk 23 #6 (455) λευκὸν σῆμα τέτυκτο περίτροχον ἠΰτε μήνη.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

24. Iliad 20.200-202 ↔︎ 20.431-433:

Bk 20 #3 (200) Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς

ἔλπεο δειδίξεσθαι, ἐπεὶ σάφα οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς
ἠμὲν κερτομίας ἠδ᾽ αἴσυλα μυθήσασθαι.

Bk 20 #10 (431) ‘Πηλεΐδη μὴ δὴ ἐπέεσσί με νηπύτιον ὣς

ἔλπεο δειδίξεσθαι, ἐπεὶ σάφα οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς
ἠμὲν κερτομίας ἠδ᾽ αἴσυλα μυθήσασθαι.

25. Odyssey 2.47 ↔︎ 2.234 ↔︎ 5.12:

Bk 2 #1* (47) τοίσδεσσιν βασίλευε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν:

Bk 2 #2* (234) λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.

Bk 5 #1 (12) λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.

Bk 15 #2* (153) …ἦ γὰρ ἐμοί γε πατὴρ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν

26. Odyssey 3.73 ↔︎ 9.254:

Bk 3 #1* (73) + οἷά τε ληιστῆρες, ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται

ψυχὰς παρθέμενοι κακὸν ἀλλοδαποῖσι φέροντες;

Bk 9 #4* (254)+ οἷά τε ληιστῆρες, ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται

ψυχὰς παρθέμενοι κακὸν ἀλλοδαποῖσι φέροντες;

27. Odyssey 4.45 ↔︎ 7.84:

Bk 4 #2 (45) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης

δῶμα καθ᾽ ὑψερεφὲς Μενελάου κυδαλίμοιο.

Bk 7 #2 (84) ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἠὲ σελήνης

δῶμα καθ᾽ ὑψερεφὲς μεγαλήτορος Ἀλκινόοιο.

28. Odyssey 4.335 ↔︎ Odyssey 17.126:

Bk 4 #3 (335-6)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος

νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς

Bk 17 #2 (126-7)+ ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν ξυλόχῳ ἔλαφος κρατεροῖο λέοντος

νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα νεηγενέας γαλαθηνοὺς

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

29. Odyssey 4.535 ↔︎ 11.411:

Bk 4 #5 (535)+ δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.

Bk 11 #5 (411)+ δειπνίσσας, ὥς τίς τε κατέκτανε βοῦν ἐπὶ φάτνῃ.

30. Odyssey 5.400 ↔︎ Odyssey 6.294 ↔︎ Odyssey 9.473:

Bk 5 #9* (400) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας,

Bk 6 #7* (294) τόσσον ἀπὸ πτόλιος, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας.

Bk 9 #11* (473) ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας,

31. Odyssey 6.231 ↔︎ Odyssey 23.158:

Bk 6 #5 (231) οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.

Bk 23 #3 (158) οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.

32. Odyssey 6.232 ↔︎ Odyssey 23.159:

Bk 6 #5 (232-4) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ

ἴδρις, ὃν Ἥφαιστος δέδαεν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη
τέχνην παντοίην, χαρίεντα δὲ ἔργα τελείει,

Bk 23 #3 (159-161) ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ

ἴδρις, ὃν Ἥφαιστος δέδαεν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη
τέχνην παντοίην, χαρίεντα δὲ ἔργα τελείει:

33. Odyssey 12.418 ↔︎ 14.308:

Bk 12 #5 (418) οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν

κύμασιν ἐμφορέοντο, θεὸς δ᾽ ἀποαίνυτο νόστον.

Bk 14 #4 (308) οἱ δὲ κορώνῃσιν ἴκελοι περὶ νῆα μέλαιναν

κύμασιν ἐμφορέοντο: θεὸς δ᾽ ἀποαίνυτο νόστον.

34. Odyssey 21.411 ↔︎ 22.240:

Bk 21 #3 (411) ἡ δ᾽ ὑπὸ καλὸν ἄεισε, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη αὐδήν.

Bk 22.240 ἕζετ᾽ ἀναΐξασα, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη ἄντην.

This is listed in the compendium as a Transformation and Disguise in the Similar

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Rhetorical Figures section.

35. Odyssey 22.402 ↔ 23.48

Bk 22 #4 (402)+ αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα,

ὅς ῥά τε βεβρωκὼς βοὸς ἔρχεται ἀγραύλοιο:

Bk 23 #1 (48) αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥστε λέοντα.

b. Repeated Similes in the Iliad and Odyssey

36. Iliad Bk 1 #1 (47) ὃ δ᾽ ἤϊε νυκτὶ ἐοικώς.

↔︎ Odyssey Bk 11 #8 (606) ὁ δ᾽ ἐρεμνῇ νυκτὶ ἐοικώς

37. Iliad Bk 1 #2 (104) πίμπλαντ᾽, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐΐκτην.

↔︎ Odyssey Bk 4 #6 (662) πίμπλαντ᾽, ὄσσε δέ οἱ πυρὶ λαμπετόωντι ἐίκτην.

38. Iliad Bk 2 #12 (468) μυρίοι, ὅσσά τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ.
↔︎ Odyssey Bk 9 #1* (51) ἦλθον ἔπειθ᾽ ὅσα φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίγνεται ὥρῃ,

39. Iliad Bk 6 #2 (295) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν: ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.

↔︎ Bk 19 #7 (381) κρατὶ θέτο βριαρήν: ἣ δ᾽ ἀστὴρ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν
↔︎ Odyssey Bk 15 #1 (108) ἀστὴρ δ᾽ ὣς ἀπέλαμπεν: ἔκειτο δὲ νείατος ἄλλων.

40. Iliad Bk 10 #5* (351–352)+ ὅσσόν τ᾽ ἐπὶ οὖρα πέλονται / ἡμιόνων

↔︎ Odyssey Bk 8 #1* (124)+ ὅσσον τ᾽ ἐν νειῷ οὖρον πέλει ἡμιόνοιιν

41. Iliad Bk 12 #12 (385) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς / κάππεσ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλοῦ πύργου,
↔︎ 16 #20 (742) ὃ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς / κάππεσ᾽ ἀπ᾽ εὐεργέος δίφρου
↔︎ Odyssey Bk 12 #4 (413) ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀρνευτῆρι ἐοικὼς / κάππεσ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἰκριόφιν

42. Iliad Bk 21 #4 (237) τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος

↔︎ Odyssey Bk 21 #1 (48) τὰ δ᾽ ἀνέβραχεν ἠΰτε ταῦρος
βοσκόμενος λειμῶνι

43. Iliad Bk 22 #9 (150) γίγνεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο

↔︎ Odyssey Bk 19 #1 (39) φαίνοντ᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὡς εἰ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix V-D

Similetic Adjectives, Adverbs and Verbs in the Iliad

This section shows examples from each poem of individual words that have
characteristics of traditional similes. This section is provided for the Iliad but not the
Odyssey.

1-Similetic Adjectives (examples):

Book 7 line 228 θυμολέοντα - Achilles lion-hearted (heart like a lion’s)

Book 7 line 270 εἴσω δ᾽ ἀσπίδ᾽ ἔαξε βαλὼν μυλοειδέϊ πέτρῳ,

throwing a rock that was like a millstone (millstone in form)

Book 24 line 77 ἀελλό - πος (ἄελλα, ποῦς): stormfooted; of Iris, the swift
messenger, cf. ποδήνεμος. + 24 (159)
***
2-Similetic Adverbs (examples):

Book 13 line 152 πυργηδὸν ‘like a wall’

Book 15 line 618 πυργηδὸν
Book 17 #6 (128) ἠΰτε πύργον a shield (σάκος) ‘like a wall’
Book 13 line 204 σφαιρηδὸν ‘like a ball’
***
3-Similetic Verbs:

Book 11 line 388 ἀμφὶ δὲ σάλπιγξεν μέγας οὐρανός.

And the great heaven rang out [as with a blare of] trumpets.
Literally: the great heaven ‘trumpeted’ all around. [heaven ≈ a trumpet]

Book 23 line135 θριξὶ δὲ πάντα νέκυν κατα-είνυσαν

They ‘clothed’ all the corpse with their hair.

Examples of similetic-verbs In English: ‘clothed’, ‘snakes’, ’squirrels’, ‘trumpets’.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix VI

Summary of Simile Characteristics

Table VI-1 and VI-2 below compare the simile characteristics described in other
appendices. This includes the following:

• Each simile is identified in the first three columns by its book number (Book #),
index number in the book (Index #), and line number in the book (Line #).
• The Scene column identifies whether the simile is a Scene (Yes) or a short
phrase or clause (No).
• The Vehicle column shows the vehicle(s) associated with the similes. Appendix I
shows various broad categories of these vehicles.
• The Tenor column shows the tenor(s) assocated with similes as described in
Appendix II. For those similes for which multiple tenors correspond to multiple
vehicles, the order of the tenors in this column is picked to match the order of the
matching vehicles in the Vehicle column.
• The Neg. / Double / Triple column shows identifies similes that fall into some of
the simile types described in Appendix V, including:
o Neg. refers to negative similes in which the tenor is described as being not
like the vehicle.
o Double and Triple refer to similes with two or three vehicles.
• The Prothesis Type column shows the prothesis of the simile. Appendix III
provides a further compilation of the protheses.
• The Speaker column identifies the speaker of the simile. A further compilation of
the speakers of the similes by book number in each poem is provided in Tables V-
1 and V-2 of Appendix V-D.
• Clusters of closely-spaced similes are highlighted in light green or light blue and
shown in thicker boxed cells. Clusters shaded in light green have similes that are
thematically connected. Clusters in light blue have similes that are unrelated.
Large gaps of greater than 200 lines between successive similes are shown by
dashed purple lines. Appendix VII discusses simile clusters and the large gaps
further.
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
1 1 47 No Night Apollo ἔοικα Narrator

1 2 104 No fire Agamemnon’s eyes ἔοικα Narrator

1 3 249 No honey Nestor’s voice Comp. Narrator

1 4 359 No mist Thetis ἠύτε Narrator

2 1 87 Yes bees Argives ἠύτε Narrator

2 2 144 Yes waves Achaean Assembly φὴ Narrator

grain field
2 3 147 Yes stirred by Assembly ὡς ὅτε Narrator
wind
2 4 190 No not coward Achaean leader Neg. ὣς Odysseus
thunder of
2 5 209 Yes Clamor of Army ὡς ὅτε Narrator
wave
children
2 6 289 No Argives Double ὥς τε Odysseus
widows
serpent
we will takeTroy after
2 7 326 Yes devoured 9 ὣς Calchas
9 years
sparrows
2 8 337 No little boys Argives ἔοικα Nestor
crashing
2 9 394 Yes Argives ὡς ὅτε Narrator
wave
2 10 455 Yes glare of fire gleam of bronze ἠύτε Narrator

2 11 459 Yes birds Achaeans ὥς τε Narrator

leaves and numberless
2 12 468 No Double ὅσσος Narrator
flowers Achaeans
2 13 469 Yes flies Achaeans ἠύτε Narrator

2 14 474 Yes goatherds Achaean Leaders ὥς τε Narrator

2 15 480 Yes bull Agamemnon ἠύτε Narrator

2 16 754 No olive oil Titaressus river ἠύτε Narrator

2 17 764 No birds Eumelas’ horses ὣς Narrator

marching Achaean
2 18 780 No fire ὡς εἰ Narrator
army
2 19 781 Yes Zeus’ lash army feet ὣς Narrator
leaves or
2 20 800 No Achaean army Double ἔοικα Iris
sand
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Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
2 21 872 No girl Nastes ἠύτε Narrator

3 1 2 No birds shrieking Trojans ὣς Narrator

3 2 3 Yes cranes Trojans ἠύτε Narrator

3 3 10 Yes fog dense dust ἠύτε Narrator

night (for a
3 4 11 No fog Comp. Narrator
thief)
a stone''s
3 5 12 No visibility in dust ὅσσος Narrator
throw
3 6 23 Yes lion Menelaus ὥς τε Narrator
man
Paris seeing
3 7 33 Yes seeing ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Menelaus
snake
3 8 60 Yes axe Hector’s heart ὣς Paris

3 9 151 Yes cicadas Trojan leaders ἔοικα Narrator

3 10 196 No lead ram Odysseus ὣς Priam

3 11 197 Yes ram > ewes Odysseus > his men ἐίσκω Priam
an ignorant
3 12 219 No Odysseus ἔοικα Priam
man
3 13 222 No snow-flakes Odysseus’ words ἔοικα Antenor

3 14 449 No wild animal Menelaus ἔοικα Narrator

3 15 454 No death Paris ἴσος Narrator

4 1 75 Yes star Athena οἷος Narrator

mother > a
4 2 130 Yes Athena > arrow ὡς ὅτε Narrator
fly
4 3 141 Yes ivory Menelaus' thighs ὡς ὅτε Narrator

4 4 243 Yes fawns Argives ἠύτε Agamemnon

4 5 253 No wild boar Idomeneus εἴκελος Narrator

4 6 275 Yes dark cloud Achaean phalanxes ὡς ὅτε Narrator

4 7 277 No pitch dark cloud ἠύτε Narrator

4 8 422 Yes a wave Danaans ὡς ὅτε Narrator

bleating of
4 9 433 Yes clamor of Trojans ὥς τε Narrator
ewes
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Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
thunder of
4 10 452 Yes shouting of armies ὡς ὅτε Narrator
rivers
4 11 462 No falling tower Echepolus ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Trojans and
4 12 471 No wolves ὣς Narrator
Achaeans
a felled
4 13 482 Yes Simoeisios ὣς Narrator
poplar
flamefrom
5 1 5 Yes star ἐναλίγκιος Narrator
Diomedes’ helmet
flooding
5 2 87 Yes Diomedes ἔοικα Narrator
river
wounded
5 3 136 Yes furious Diomedes ὥς τε Narrator
lion
5 4 161 Yes lion Diomedes ὣς Narrator

5 5 299 No lion Aeneas ὣς Narrator

5 6 476 No dogs Trojans ὣς Sarpedon

snared in
5 7 487 No Hector ὣς Sarpedon
flax
5 8 499 Yes chaff Achaeana ὣς Narrator

5 9 522 Yes clouds Danaans ἔοικα Narrator

5 10 554 Yes slain lions 2 Achaeans οἷος Narrator

5 11 560 No fir trees Diocles' sons ἔοικα Narrator

5 12 597 Yes man in river Diomedes ὡς ὅτε Narrator

haze
5 13 770 Yes horses jumping ὅσσος Narrator
visibility
Athena
5 14 778 No doves ὅμοιος Narrator
Hera
lions
5 15 782 No Argives Double ἔοικα Narrator
boars
5 16 860 Yes 10,000 men Ares’ bellow ὅσσος Narrator

5 17 864 Yes black mist Ares οἷος Narrator

5 18 902 Yes curdled milk Ares' blood ὡς ὅτε Narrator

6 1 146 Yes leaves men's lineage οἷος Glaucus

6 2 295 No star Hecuba’s robe ὣς Narrator

raging
6 3 389 No Andromache ἔοικα Housekeeper
woman
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
6 4 401 No star Astyanax ἀλίγκιος Narrator

6 5 443 No coward Hector ὣς Hector

6 6 506 Yes horse Paris ὡς ὅτε Narrator

6 7 513 No shining sun Paris in armor ὥς τε Narrator

Hector
7 1 4 Yes fair wind ὣς Narrator
Paris
7 2 63 Yes West wind Armies οἷος Narrator

7 3 219 No tower Ajax' shield ἠύτε Narrator

not a boy Neg.
7 4 235 Yes Hector ἠύτε Hector
or woman Double
lions Ajax
7 5 256 No Double ἔοικα Narrator
boars Hector
Hades >
Tartarus; Zeus >
8 1 16 Yes ὅσσος Zeus
heaven > other gods
earth
8 2 94 No coward Odysseus ὣς Diomedes

8 3 131 No lambs Trojans ἠύτε Narrator

8 4 271 No child Teucer ὣς Narrator

rain-
8 5 306 Yes drenched Gorgythion's head ὣς Narrator
poppy
8 6 338 Yes dog Hector ὡς ὅτε Narrator

8 7 555 Yes stars Trojan fires ὡς ὅτε Narrator

sea in a
9 1 4 Yes hearts of Achaeans ὣς Narrator
storm
weeping
9 2 14 Yes fountain ὥς τε Narrator
Agamemnon
(mother)
9 3 323 Yes Achilles ὣς Achilles
bird
sand
9 4 385 No gifts of Agamemnon Double ὅσσος Achilles
dust
father > Peleus >
9 5 481 Yes ὡς εἰ Phoenix
son Phoenix
halcyon
9 6 563 No Alcyone’s mother ἔχων Phoenix
bird
9 7 648 No alien Achilles ὡς εἰ Achilles

10 1 5 Yes Zeus Agamemnon ὡς ὅτε Narrator

 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
Zeus’
10 2 154 No flashing bronze ὥς τε Narrator
lightning
sheep dogs Achaeans >
10 3 183 Yes ὣς Narrator
> wild beast Trojans
10 4 297 No lions Diomedes Odysseus ὥς τε Narrator
range of
10 5 351 Yes mule Distance from Dolon ὅσσος Narrator
plowing
hunting Diomedes/
10 6 360 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
dogs > deer Odysseus > Dolon
10 7 437 No snow horses Comp. Dolon

10 8 437 No wind horses ὅμοιος Dolon

lion >
10 9 485 Yes Diomedes > Trojans ὣς Narrator
flock
10 10 547 No sunbeams horses ἔοικα Nestor

11 1 27 Yes rainbows shield serpents ἔοικα Narrator

11 2 62 Yes star Hector οἷος Narrator

Zeus’
11 3 66 No Hector’s armor ὥς τε Narrator
lightning
11 4 67 Yes reapers Armies ὥς τε Narrator

11 5 72 No wolves Armies ὣς Narrator

11 6 86 Yes lunchtime Trojans broken ἦμος Narrator

lion > Agamemnon >
11 7 113 Yes ὣς Narrator
fawns 2 Trojans
11 8 129 No lion Agamemnon ὣς Narrator

11 9 147 No round stone Hippolochus’ head ὣς Narrator

thickets > Trojans >
11 10 155 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
fire Agamemnon
lion > Agamemnon >
11 11 172 Yes ὣς Narrator
cows Trojans
11 12 237 No lead spear point ὣς Narrator

11 13 239 No lion Agamemnon ὥς τε Narrator

mother in
11 14 269 Yes Agamemnon's pain ὡς ὅτε Narrator
labor
hunters >
Hector >Trojans >
11 15 292 Yes dogs > ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Achaeans
lions, boars
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Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
11 16 297 Yes storm Hector ἴσος Narrator
Zephyrus > Hector >
11 17 305 Yes ὡς ὁπότε Narrator
clouds Achaeans
11 18 324 Yes wild boars Diomedes Odysseus ὡς ὅτε Narrator
lion > Diomedes >
11 19 383 No ὣς Paris
goats Trojans
woman
11 20 389 No Paris Double ὡς εἰ Diomedes
boy
dogs,youths
Trojans >
11 21 414 Yes > ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Odysseus
boar
jackals > Trojans >
11 22 474 Yes ὡς εἰ Narrator
stag Odysseus
11 23 485 No tower Ajax' shield ἠύτε Narrator
river >
11 24 492 Yes Ajax > horses, men Triple ὡς ὁπότε Narrator
trees, mud
11 25 546 No wild beast Ajax ἔοικα Narrator
lion > Ajax >
11 26 548 Yes ὣς Narrator
peasants Trojans
boys > Trojans >
11 27 558 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
ass Ajax
11 28 596 No blazing fire fight of Achaeans δέμας Narrator

11 29 747 No whirlwind Nestor ἴσος Nestor

12 1 40 No storm Hector ἴσος Narrator

boar/lion > Hector > Greeks
12 2 41 Yes Double ὡς ὅτε Narrator
dogs/hunter
12 3 132 Yes oaks Polypoetes Leonteus ὡς ὅτε Narrator

12 4 146 Yes wild boars Polypoetes Leonteus ἔοικα Narrator

12 5 156 Yes snow-flakes stones thrown ὣς Narrator

wasps,
12 6 167 Yes Achaeans Double ὥς τε Asius
bees
12 7 219 Yes eagle Trojans Other Polydamus

12 8 278 Yes snow falling stones thrown ὥς τε Narrator

lion > Sarpedon >
12 9 293 No ὣς Narrator
cattle Greeks
12 10 299 Yes lion Sarpedon ὥς τε Narrator
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Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
12 11 375 No whirlwind Lycians ἴσος Narrator

12 12 385 No a diver Epicles falling ἔοικα Narrator

boundary
12 13 421 Yes Armies ὥς τε Narrator
fight
spinner
12 14 433 Yes Armies ὥς τε Narrator
woman
shepherd > Hector > heavy
12 15 451 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
ram’s fleece stone
12 16 463 No night Hector ἀτάλαντος Narrator
flame or
13 1 39 No Trojans Double ἴσος Narrator
squall
13 2 53 No flame Hector εἴκελος Poseidon

13 3 62 Yes hawk Poseidon ὥς τε Narrator

13 4 102 Yes deer Trojans ἔοικα Poseidon

13 5 137 Yes boulder Hector ὣς Narrator

fallen ash
13 6 178 Yes Imbrius ὣς Narrator
tree
lions > Ajaxes >
13 7 198 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
goat Imbrius
13 8 242 Yes lightning bronze ἐναλίγκιος Narrator
Idomeneus +
13 9 292 No children ὣς Meriones
Idomeneus
13 10 330 No flame Idomeneus εἴκελος Narrator
storm +
13 11 334 Yes the battle ὡς ὅτε Narrator
dust
oak, poplar,
13 12 389 Yes Asius falling Triple ὡς ὅτε Narrator
pine
13 13 437 No pillar, tree Alcathous Double ὥς τε Narrator

13 14 470 No not a child Idomeneus Neg. ὣς Narrator

13 15 471 Yes boar Idomeneus ὡς ὅτε Narrator

ram > Aeneas >
13 16 492 Yes ὡς εἰ Narrator
sheep Trojans
13 17 531 No vulture Meriones ὣς Narrator
a charred
13 18 564 No spear ὥς τε Narrator
stake
13 19 571 Yes bull tied up Adamas ὡς ὅτε Narrator
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
13 20 588 Yes beans leap arrow glances off ὡς ὅτε Narrator

13 21 654 No worm Harpalion ὥς τε Narrator

a blazing
13 22 673 No Armies δέμας Narrator
fire
13 23 688 No flame Hector εἴκελος Narrator

13 24 703 Yes oxen Ajaxes ὥς τε Narrator

a snowy
13 25 754 No Hector ἔοικα Narrator
mountain
13 26 795 Yes winds Trojans ἀτάλαντος Narrator

13 27 819 No than falcons horses faster Comp. Ajax

the sea
14 1 16 Yes Nestor pondering ὡς ὅτε Narrator
heaving
10K
14 2 148 Yes Poseidon’s shout ὅσσος Narrator
warriors
14 3 185 No sun Hera's white veil ὣς Narrator

14 4 386 No lightning Poseidon’s sword εἴκελος Narrator

waves
14 5 394 No shouts of armies ὅσσος Narrator
crashing
14 6 396 No roar of fire cry of armies ὅσσος Narrator
shrieking
14 7 398 No shouts of armies ὅσσος Narrator
wind
a whirling
14 8 413 No Hector ὣς Narrator
top
14 9 414 Yes oak falling Hector ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Ilioneus with spear in
14 10 499 No poppy φὴ Narrator
his eye
a mind
15 1 80 Yes Hera flies ὡς ὅτε Narrator
darting
15 2 170 Yes snow, hail Iris flying Double ὡς ὅτε Narrator
not a
15 3 196 No Poseidon Neg. ὣς Poseidon
coward
15 4 237 Yes falcon Apollo ἔοικα Narrator
a horse
15 5 263 Yes Hector ὡς ὅτε Narrator
escaping
a lion vs
15 6 271 Yes a stag or Hector vs Danaans Double ὥς τε Narrator
goat
15 7 323 Yes beasts Apollo sends panic Double ὥς τε Narrator
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
attacking on
cattle,sheep Achaeans
15 8 358 Yes spear cast Apollo’s path length ὅσσος Narrator
a boy
15 9 362 Yes scattering Apollo destroys wall ὡς ὅτε Narrator
sand
a wave
15 10 381 Yes Trojans over the wall ὥς τε Narrator
over a ship
a ship’s
15 11 410 Yes battle is even ὥς τε Narrator
timber
dog > a
Antilochus >
15 12 579 Yes wounded ὣς Narrator
Melanippus
fawn
15 13 586 Yes a beast Antilochus ἔοικα Narrator

15 14 592 No lions Trojans ἔοικα Narrator

15 15 605 Yes Ares or fire Hector ὡς ὅτε Narrator

a wall
15 16 618 Yes or steep Danaans Double ἠύτε Narrator
rock
a wave
15 17 624 Yes falling on a Hector ὡς ὅτε Narrator
ship
a lion >
15 18 630 Yes Hector > Achaeans ὥς τε Narrator
cattle
a skilled Ajax walking on ship
15 19 679 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
horseman decks
eagle >
15 20 690 Yes flock of Hector > ship ὥς τε Narrator
birds
a dark
16 1 3 Yes Patroclus ὥς τε Narrator
spring
16 2 7 Yes a silly child Patroclus ἠύτε Achilles
an alien
16 3 59 No with no Achilles ὡς εἰ Achilles
rights
16 4 156 Yes wolves Myrmidon leaders ὣς Narrator

16 5 192 No Phylas’ son Eudorus ὡς εἰ Narrator

16 6 212 Yes fitted stones helmets + shields ὡς ὅτε Narrator

16 7 259 Yes wasps Myrmidons ἔοικα Narrator

16 8 297 Yes Zeus > a Danaans > fire ὡς ὅτε Narrator

 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
dense cloud

wolves > Danaans >

16 9 352 Yes ὣς Narrator
lambs Trojans
cloud +
16 10 364 Yes Hector + Trojans ὡς ὅτε Narrator
storm
rivers
16 11 384 Yes mares neighing ὣς Narrator
roaring
man > Patroclus >
16 12 406 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
fish Thestor
Patroclus +
16 13 428 Yes vultures ὥς τε Narrator
Sarpedon
oak, poplar,
16 14 482 Yes Sarpedon falling Triple ὡς ὅτε Narrator
pine
lion > Sarpedon >
16 15 487 Yes ἠύτε Narrator
bull Patroclus
16 16 582 Yes falcon Patroclus ἔοικα Narrator

16 17 589 Yes javelin flight Trojan retreat ὅσσος Narrator

16 18 633 Yes woodcutters noise of weapons ὥς τε Narrator

flies > Armies >
16 19 641 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
milk pail Sarpedon
16 20 742 No a diver Cebriones ἔοικα Narrator
lion > Patroclus >
16 21 752 Yes ἔχων Narrator
farm stalls Cebriones
lions > Patroclus +
16 22 756 Yes ὣς Narrator
slain deer Hector > Cebrones
16 23 765 Yes storm winds Armies ὣς Narrator
lion > Hector >
16 24 823 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
boar Patroclus
cow > her Menelaus >
17 1 4 Yes ὣς Narrator
calf Patroclus
leopard,
17 2 20 Yes Panthous' sons Triple ὅσσος Menelaus
lion, boar
stormy wind
> Menelaus >
17 3 53 Yes οἷος Narrator
olive Euphorbus
sapling
herdsmen > Trojans >
17 4 61 Yes lion > Menelaus > ὡς ὅτε Narrator
a heifer Patroclus
lion > Menelaus >
17 5 109 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
farm Patroclus
17 6 128 No a tower Ajax' shield ἠύτε Narrator
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
lion > Ajax >
17 7 133 Yes ὣς Narrator
cubs Patroclus
wave
17 8 263 Yes Trojans shouting ὡς ὅτε Narrator
roaring
17 9 281 Yes wild boar Ajax εἴκελος Narrator
Armies
17 10 366 No fire around Patroclus’ δέμας Narrator
body
stretching Armies
17 11 389 Yes a bull’s dragging Patroclus’ ὡς ὅτε Narrator
hide body
17 12 434 Yes pillar horses ὥς τε Narrator
vulture > Automedon >
17 13 460 No ὥς τε Narrator
geese Trojans
ox slayer >
17 14 520 Yes Automedon > Aretus ὡς ὅτε Narrator
ox
bloody lion Automedon > Aretus’
17 15 542 No ὣς Narrator
> a bull corpse
17 16 547 Yes rainbow Athena ἠύτε Narrator

17 17 570 Yes fly Menelaus' courage Other Narrator

lion > a fat Menelaus >
17 18 657 Yes ὣς Narrator
cow Patroclus
eagle > Menelaus >
17 19 674 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
hare Nestor’s son
dogs > Trojans >
17 20 725 Yes ἔοικα Narrator
boar Achaeans
17 21 737 Yes city on fire Ajaxes ἠύτε Narrator
mules drag
Ajaxes drag
17 22 742 Yes a beam, Double ὥς τε Narrator
Patroclus
ship timber
a ridge
17 23 747 Yes Ajaxes > Trojans ὥς τε Narrator
> water
falcon >
Aeneas + Hector >
17 24 755 Yes starlings Double ὥς τε Narrator
Achaeans
+ jackdaws
18 1 1 No fire Armies δέμας Narrator

18 2 56 No a sapling Achilles ἴσος Thetis

18 3 57 No a plant Achilles ὣς Thetis

18 4 109 No honey anger Comp. Achilles

18 5 110 No smoke anger ἠύτε Achilles

 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
18 6 154 No a flame Hector εἴκελος Narrator
shepherds Ajaxes
18 7 161 Yes lion Hector ὣς Narrator
body Patroclus
18 8 207 Yes flames Achilles ὡς ὅτε Narrator

18 9 219 Yes trumpet Achilles’ voice ὡς ὅτε Narrator

18 10 318 Yes lion Achilles ὥς τε Narrator

young Hephaestus’
18 11 418 No ἔοικα Narrator
women handmaids
18 12 437 No a sapling Achilles ἴσος Thetis

18 13 438 No a plant Achilles ὣς Thetis

18 14 600 Yes potter men running ὡς ὅτε Narrator

18 15 616 No falcon Thetis ὣς Narrator

19 1 17 No flame Achilles' eyes ὡς εἰ Narrator

19 2 350 No falcon Athena ἔοικα Narrator

19 3 357 Yes snow-flakes helmets ὡς ὅτε Narrator

19 4 366 No fire Achilles' eyes ὡς εἰ Narrator

19 5 374 No moon Achilles’ shield ἠύτε Narrator

fire in
19 6 375 Yes Achilles’ shield ὡς ὅτε Narrator
mountains
19 7 381 No star Achilles’ helmet ὣς Narrator

19 8 386 No wings Achilles’ armor ἠύτε Narrator

20 1 51 No whirlwind Ares ἴσος Narrator

20 2 164 Yes lion Achilles ὣς Narrator

20 3 200 No not child me/Aeneas Neg. ὣς Aeneas

20 4 244 No not children Aeneas to Achilles Neg. ὣς Aeneas

Achilles +
20 5 252 Yes not women Neg. ὥς τε Aeneas
Anaeas
20 6 371 No fire Achilles' hands ἔοικα Hector

20 7 372 No blazing iron Achilles ἔοικα Hector

20 8 403 Yes bull Hippodamas ὡς ὅτε Narrator

 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
20 9 423 No flame Hector’s spear εἴκελος Narrator

20 10 431 No not a child Hector Neg. ὣς Hector

20 11 490 Yes fire Achilles ὣς Narrator

20 12 495 Yes thresher Achilles ὡς ὅτε Narrator

fire > Achilles >
21 1 12 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
locusts Trojans
dolphin > Achaeans >
21 2 22 Yes ὣς Narrator
fish Trojans
dazed
21 3 29 No 12 Trojans ἠύτε Narrator
fawns
21 4 237 No bull Achilles bellowing ἠύτε Narrator

21 5 251 No spear cast Achilles’ run ὅσσος Narrator

21 6 252 Yes black eagle Achilles ἔχων Narrator

water faster Scamander >
21 7 257 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
> a man Achilles
21 8 282 Yes swineherd Achilles ὣς Achilles
Boreas > Hephaestus burned
21 9 346 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
an orchard dead
cauldron
21 10 362 Yes Xamthus ὣς Narrator
boiling
21 11 464 Yes leaves mortals ἔοικα Apollo
falcon > Hera >
21 12 493 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
dove Artemis
21 13 522 Yes burning city Achilles ὡς ὅτε Narrator
hunter > Achilles >
21 14 573 Yes ἠύτε Narrator
leopard Agenor
22 1 1 No fawns Trojans ἠύτε Narrator

22 2 22 Yes race horse Achilles ὥς τε Narrator

22 3 26 Yes a star Achilles ὥς τε Narrator

man > Achilles >
22 4 93 Yes ὣς Narrator
serpent Hector
22 5 125 No woman Hector ὥς τε Hector
youth > Achilles >
22 6 127 Yes ὅσσος Hector
maiden Hector
22 7 134 No fire, sun bronze Double εἴκελος Narrator
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
falcon > Achilles >
22 8 139 Yes ἠύτε Narrator
dove Hector
22 9 150 No fire hot spring ὡς εἰ Narrator
hail, snow,
22 10 151 No cold spring Triple ἔοικα Narrator
ice
Achilles +
22 11 162 Yes race horses ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Hector
dog > Achilles >
22 12 189 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
fawn Hector
dream Achilles >
22 13 199 Yes ὣς Narrator
figures Hector
lions/wolves
Achilles >
22 14 262 Yes > Double ὣς Achilles
Hector
men/lambs
eagle > Hector >
22 15 308 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
hare, lamb Achilles
evening
22 16 317 Yes Achilles’ spear οἷος Narrator
star
city
22 17 410 Yes Trojans ἐναλίγκιος Narrator
mourners
22 18 460 No a maenad Andromache ἴσος Narrator

23 1 100 No smoke Patroclus ἠύτε Narrator

father > Achilles >
23 2 222 Yes ὣς Narrator
son Patroclus
cloud or
23 3 366 No dust Double ὥς τε Narrator
whirlwind
a deaf
23 4 430 No Antilochus ἔοικα Narrator
person
discus
23 5 431 Yes run distance ὅσσος Narrator
throw
23 6 455 No moon horse spot ἠύτε Narrator
horse > Menelaus >
23 7 517 Yes ὅσσος Narrator
cart Antilochus
ripening
23 8 598 Yes Menelaus’ heart ὡς εἰ Narrator
crop
23 9 692 Yes fish Euryalus ὡς ὅτε Narrator
gable- Ajax +
23 10 712 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
rafters Odysseus
weaver > Ajax >
23 11 760 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
rod Odysseus
mother to
23 12 783 No Athena ὣς Ajax
Odysseus
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-1 Iliad: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
herdsman’s
Polypoestes’ throw
23 13 845 Yes throw of ὅσσος Narrator
of iron
crook
24 1 41 Yes lion Achilles ὣς Narrator

24 2 80 Yes lead sinker Iris ἴκελος Narrator

wide
24 3 317 Yes Zeus’ eagle span ὅσσος Narrator
doorway
Priam’'s
24 4 328 No death departure weeping ὡς εἰ Narrator
weeping
bystanders
Achilles >
24 5 480 Yes > ὡς ὅτε Narrator
Priam
murderer
24 6 572 No lion Achilles ὣς Narrator
someone
24 7 758 Yes killed by Hector ἴκελος Hecuba
Apollo

Table VI-2 Odyssey: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
father > Athena >
1 1 308 No ὥς τε Telemachus
son Telemachus
1 2 320 No bird Athena ὣς Narrator
father of
2 1 47 No Odysseus ὣς Telemachus
subjects
a gentle
2 2 234 No Odysseus ὣς Mentor
father
3 1 73 Yes pirates Telemachus οἷος Nestor

3 2 290 No mountains waves ἴσος Narrator

4 1 32 No child Eteoneus ὣς Menelaus

sun or
4 2 45 No Menelaus’ house Double ὥς τε Narrator
moon
lion >
4 3 335 Yes Odysseus > suitors ὡς ὁπότε Menelaus
fawns
shepherd
4 4 413 No Proteus > seals ὣς Eidothea
> flocks
ox slayer > Aegisthus >
4 5 535 Yes ὣς Proteus
ox Agamemnon
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-2 Odyssey: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
4 6 662 No blazing fire Antinous’ eyes ἔοικα Narrator

4 7 791 Yes lion Penelope ὅσσος Narrator

5 1 12 No father Odysseus ὣς Athena

5 2 51 Yes seabird Hermes ἔοικα Narrator

5 3 249 Yes shipbuilder Odysseus ὅσσος Narrator

5 4 281 No shield Phaeacia ὡς ὅτε Narrator

thistle
5 5 328 Yes raft in wind ὡς ὅτε Narrator
stalk
wind >
5 6 368 Yes wind > planks ὣς Narrator
chaff heap
5 7 371 No horse rider Odysseus on plank ὣς Narrator
children to
5 8 394 Yes recovering Odysseus’ return ὡς ὅτε Narrator
father
as far as a
Odysseus’ distance
5 9 400 No voice ὅσσος Narrator
from shore
carries
5 10 432 Yes octopus Odysseus ὡς ὅτε Narrator

5 11 488 Yes fire brand Odysseus ὡς ὅτε Narrator

6 1 20 No wind Athena ὣς Narrator

6 2 102 Yes Artemis Nausicaa οἷος Narrator

lion >
6 3 130 Yes Odysseus > girls ὥς τε Narrator
sheep
6 4 162 Yes palm shoot Nausicaa Other Odysseus
hyacinth
6 5 231 No Odysseus’ hair ὅμοιος Narrator
blossoms
artist >
6 6 232 Yes gold + Athena > Odysseus ὡς ὅτε Narrator
silver
as far as a
park to city
6 7 294 No voice ὅσσος Nausicaa
distance
carries
a wing or
7 1 36 No swift ships Double ὡς εἰ Athena
thought
sun or
7 2 84 No gleam of palace Double ὥς τε Narrator
moon
poplar
7 3 106 No servants at work οἷος Narrator
leaves
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-2 Odyssey: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
mule team Clytoneus’ lead in
8 1 124 Yes ὅσσος Narrator
range race
not a
8 2 159 No game Odysseus Neg. ἐίσκω Euryalus
player
captain of
8 3 161 Yes Odysseus ἐίσκω Euryalus
ship
8 4 164 No not athlete Odysseus Neg. ἔοικα Euryalus

8 5 280 No cobwebs Hephaestus’ bands ἠύτε Demodocus

8 6 523 Yes woman Odysseus crying ὣς Narrator

leaves and
9 1 51 Yes number of Cicones Double ὅσσος Odysseus
flowers
not bread-
Double
9 2 190 Yes eater: a Polyphemus ἔοικα Odysseus
Neg.
peak
load of 22
9 3 241 Yes rock in door Other Odysseus
wagons
9 4 254 Yes pirates Odysseus’ crew οἷος Polyphemus

9 5 289 No puppies 2 of Odysseus’ crew ὥς τε Odysseus

9 6 292 No lion Polyphemus ὥς τε Odysseus

9 7 314 Yes quiver cap door stone ὡς εἰ Odysseus

9 8 322 Yes a mast club size ὅσσος Odysseus

9 9 384 Yes drill in ship stake in eye ὡς ὅτε Odysseus

axe in
9 10 391 Yes stake hissing ὡς ὅτε Odysseus
water
as far as a
9 11 473 No voice shore distance ὅσσος Odysseus
carries
peak of a
10 1 113 No Antiphates’ wife ὅσσος Odysseus
mountain
not men Double
10 2 120 No Laestrygonians ἔοικα Odysseus
but Giants Neg.
fish (to be
10 3 124 No Odyssseus’ crew ὣς Odysseus
speared)
dogs > wolves, lions >
10 4 216 Yes ὡς ὅτε Odysseus
master Eurylochus
pigs
10 5 283 No Odysseus’ crew ὥς τε Hermes
penned
10 6 304 No milk herb flower εἴκελος Odysseus
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-2 Odyssey: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
10 7 378 No mute Odysseus ἴσος Circe
calves
10 8 410 Yes crew > Odysseus’ ὡς ὅτε Odysseus
> cows
shadow or ghost of Odysseus’
11 1 207 No Double εἴκελος Odysseus
dream mother
11 2 222 No dream spirit ἠύτε Odysseus

11 3 243 No mountain wave ἴσος Odysseus

11 4 368 No bard Odysseus ὡς ὅτε Alcinous

ox slayer > Aegisthus >
11 5 411 Yes ὥς τε Agamemnon
ox Agamemnon
slaughter Agamemnon’s
11 6 413 Yes ὣς Agamemnon
of pigs companions
11 7 605 No birds the dead ὣς Odysseus

11 8 606 No night Heracles ἔοικα Odysseus

12 1 86 No puppy Scylla ὅσσος Circe

12 2 237 No cauldron Charybdis ὣς Odysseus

12 3 251 Yes fish caught Odysseus’ crew ὡς ὅτε Odysseus

12 4 413 No diver boat pilot ἔοικα Odysseus

12 5 418 No sea-crows Odysseus’ crew ἴκελος Odysseus

12 6 433 No a bat Odysseus on fig-tree ὣς Odysseus

supper spars appear from
12 7 439 Yes ἦμος Odysseus
time Charybdis
a tired
13 1 31 Yes Odysseus ὡς ὅτε Narrator
farmer
13 2 80 No death crew sleep ἔοικα Narrator
4 yoked
13 3 81 Yes ship ὥς τε Narrator
stallions
14 1 21 No beasts dogs ἔοικα Narrator

14 2 175 No tree shoot Telemachus ἴσος Eumaeus

14 3 254 No stream Odysseus’ ‘trip’ ὡς εἰ Odysseus

14 4 308 No sea-crows Odysseus’ crew ἴκελος Odysseus

15 1 108 No star Helen’s robe ὣς Narrator

a father to
15 2 153 No Nestor ὣς Menelaus
Menelaus
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-2 Odyssey: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
eagle > Odysseus >
15 3 174 Yes ὣς Helen
goose vengeance
sea bird Phoenician woman
15 4 479 No ὣς Eumaeus
plunging falling
father > Eumaeus >
16 1 17 Yes ὣς Narrator
his son Telemachus
sea birds Odysseus +
16 2 216 Yes Comp. Narrator
or eagles Telemachus
father >
17 1 111 Yes Nestor > Telemachus ὡς εἰ Telemachus
son
lion > 2
17 2 126 Yes Odysseus > suitors ὡς ὁπότε Narrator
fawns
17 3 416 No king Antinous ἔοικα Odysseus

17 4 463 No rock Odysseus ἠύτε Narrator

17 5 500 No black fate Antinous ἔοικα Penelope

minstrel > Odysseus >
17 6 518 Yes ὡς ὅτε Eumaeus
mortals Eumaeus
kitchen
18 1 27 No Odysseus ἴσος Irus
wife
18 2 29 No a pig Odysseus ὣς Irus

18 3 196 No white ivory Penelope Comp. Narrator

18 4 240 No a drunk Irus ἔοικα Telemachus

18 5 296 No sun amber chain ὣς Narrator

a blazing Odysseus’ house
19 1 39 No ὡς εἰ Telemachus
fire glows
a good
19 2 109 Yes king’s Penelope's fame ὥς τε Odysseus
fame
snow
19 3 205 Yes Penelope's cheeks ὣς Narrator
melting
horn or Odysseus' eyes
19 4 211 No Double ὡς εἰ Narrator
iron unmoving
a dried Odysseus’ tunic
19 5 233 No οἷος Odysseus
onion shined
19 6 234 No sun Odysseus’ tunic ὣς Odysseus
stone or
19 7 494 No Eurycleia silent Double ὡς ὅτε Eurycleia
iron
nightingale
19 8 518 Yes ’s sad Penelope's heart ὡς ὅτε Penelope
song
 back to Table of Contents

Table VI-2 Odyssey: Simile Characteristics

Neg.
Book Index Line Prothesis
Scene Vehicle Tenor Double Speaker
# # # Type
Triple
19 9 574 No ship props 12 axes ὣς Penelope
dog Odysseus'
20 1 14 Yes ὣς Narrator
growling indignation
cook
20 2 25 Yes turning Odysseus thinking ὡς ὅτε Narrator
sausage
a royal
20 3 194 No Odysseus a beggar ἔοικα Philoetius
king
20 4 362 No night suitors’ hall ἐίσκω Eurymachus
bull
21 1 48 Yes doors ἠύτε Narrator
bellowing
musician Odysseus strings
21 2 406 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
strings lyre bow
swallow’s
21 3 411 No bow string εἴκελος Narrator
voice
cattle
suitors routed by
22 1 299 Yes driven by ὣς Narrator
aegis
gadfly
vultures > Odysseus + son >
22 2 302 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
small birds suitors
fish on a
22 3 384 Yes suitors ὥς τε Narrator
beach
bloody lion Odysseus > suitors
22 4 402 Yes ὥς τε Narrator
> ox killed
thrushes
22 5 468 Yes suitors’ women Double ὡς ὅτε Narrator
or doves
23 1 48 No bloody lion Odysseus ὥς τε Eurycleia

23 2 103 No stone Penelope's heart Comp. Telemachus

23 3 158 No hyacinth Odysseus’s hair ὅμοιος Narrator

artist >
Athena > Odysseus’
23 4 159 Yes silver + ὡς ὅτε Narrator
hair
gold
23 5 191 No a pillar olive tree ἠύτε Narrator
land > Odysseus >
23 6 233 Yes ὡς ὅτε Narrator
sailors Penelope
bats
24 1 6 Yes ghosts of suitors ὡς ὅτε Narrator
squealing
sun or Amphimedo
24 2 148 No Penelope’s web Double ἐναλίγκιος
moon n
high-flying
24 3 538 No Odysseus ὥς τε Narrator
eagle
 back to Table of Contents
Appendix VII
Distribution of Similes

This appendix evaluates the distribution of the similes through the two poems. This
includes the following:

• VII-A Distributions within Books Table VII-1 (Iliad) and Table VII-2 (Odyssey)
show the distributions of similes in blocks of 100 lines starting from the beginning
of each of the 24 books of each epic poem. The numbers in this table
correspond to the simile index numbers used in the compendia to identify the
similes. The similes with index numbers shown in red are short phrases or
clauses, and the similes with index numbers in blue with plus signs (+) are scene
similes. An asterisk (*) after the index identifies similes not in Lee’s List A.
• VII-B Locations and Lengths of Similes Table VII-3 (Iliad) and Table VII-4
(Odyssey) provide data related to the locations and lengths of the similes. This
data is used to compile cumulative totals on the similes and to identify clusters of
closely-spaced similes and large gaps between similes.
• VII-C Clusters of Closely-Spaced Similes Section VII-F provides information
about the relatively large number of closely-spaced similes in the Iliad and
Odyssey.
• VII-D Large Line Gaps Between Similes Section VII-G provides information
about the relatively large number of gaps between similes of greater than 200
lines in the Iliad.

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
VII-A Distributions Within Books

Table VII-1: Distribution of Similes Within Each Book of Iliad

Iliad Bk 1 601-700
1-100 (#1) 701-800 (#13+, 14, 15)
101-200 (#2) 801-900 (#16+, 17+)
201-300 (#3) 901-909 (#18+)
301-400 (#4)
401-500 Iliad Bk 6
501-610 1-100
101-200 (#1+)
Iliad Bk 2 201-300 (#2)
1-100 (#1+) 301-400 (#3*)
101-200 (#2+, 3+, 4) 401-500 (#4, 5)
201-300 (#5+, 6) 501-629 (#6+, 7)
301-400 (#7*+, 8*, 9+)
401-500 (#10+, 11+, 12, 13+, 14+, 15+) Iliad Bk 7
501-600 1-100 (#1+, 2+)
601-700 101-200
701-800 (#16, 17, 18, 19+) 201-300 (#3+, 4+, 5)
800-877 (#20, 21) 301-400
401-482
Iliad Bk 3
1-100 (#1, 2, 3+, 3+, 4, 5, 6+, 7+, 8+) Iliad Bk 8
101-200 (#9+, 10, 11+) 1-100 (#1*+, 2)
201-300 (#12*, 13) 101-200 (#3)
301-400 201-300 (#4)
400-461 (#14, 15*) 301-400 (#5+, 6+)
401-500
Iliad Bk 4 501-565 (#7+)
1-100 (#1+)
101-200 (#2+, 3+) Iliad Bk 9
201-300 (#4+, 5, 6+, 7*) 1-100 (#1+, 2+)
301-400 101-200
401-500 (#8+, 9+, 10+, 11, 12, 13+) 201-300
501-544 301-400 (#3+, 4*)
401-500 (#5+)
Iliad Bk 5 501-600 (#6*)
1-100 (#1+, 2+) 701-713 (#7)
101-200 (#3+, 4+)
201-300 (#5) Iliad Bk 10
301-400 1-100 (#1+)
401-500 (#6, 7, 8+) 101-200 (#2, 3+)
501-600 (#9+, 10+, 11, 12+) 201-300 (#4)

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

301-400 (#5*+, 6+) 201-300 (#4+, 5+, 6+)

401-500 (#7*, 8, 9+) 301-400 (#7+, 8+, 9+, 10+)
501-579 (#10) 401-500 (#11+)
501-600 (#12+, 13+, 14)
Iliad Bk 11 601-700 (#15+, 16+, 17+, 18+, 19+, 20+)
1-100 (#1+, 2+, 3, 4+. 5, 6+) 701-746
101-200 (#7+, 8, 9, 10+, 11+)
201-300 (#12, 13, 14+, 15+,16+) Iliad Bk 16
301-400 (#17+, 18+, 19, 20) 1-100 (#1+, 2+, 3)
401-500 (#21+, 22+, 23, 24+) 101-200 (#4+, 5)
501-600 (#25, 26+, 27+, 28) 201-300 (#6+, 7+, 8+)
601-700 301-400 (#9+, 10+, 11+)
701-800 (#29) 401-500 (#12+, 13+, 14+, 15+)
801-848 501-600 (#16+, 17+)
601-700 (#18+, 19+)
Iliad Bk 12 701-800 (#20, 21+, 22+, 23+, 24+)
1-100 (#1, 2+) 801-867
101-200 (#3+, 4+, 5+, 6+)
201-300 (#7*+, 8+, 9, 10+) Iliad Bk 17
301-400 (#11, 12) 1-100 (#1+, 2+, 3+, 4+,)
401-471 (#13+, 14+, 15+, 16) 101-200 (#5+, 6, 7+)
201-300 (# 8+, 9+)
Iliad Bk 13 301-400 (#10*, 11+)
1-100 (#1, 2, 3+) 401-500 (#12+, 13)
101-200 (#4+, 5+, 6+, 7+) 501-600 (#14+, 15, 16+, 17+)
201-300 (#8+, 9) 601-700 (#18+, 19+)
301-400 (#10, 11+, 12+) 701-761 (#20+, 21+, 22+, 23+, 24+)
401-500 (#13, 14, 15+, 16+)
501-600 (#17, 18, 19+, 20+) Iliad Bk 18
601-700 (#21, 22, 23) 1-100 (#1, 2, 3)
701-800 (#24+, 25, 26+) 101-200 (#4*, 5, 6, 7+)
801-837 (#27*) 201-300 (#8+, 9+)
301-400 (#10+)
Iliad Bk 14 401-500 (#11, 12, 13)
1-100 (#1+) 501-600 (#14+)
101-200 (#2+, 3) 601-617 (#15)
201-300
301-400 (#4, 5, 6, 7) Iliad Bk 19
401-500 (#8, 9+, 10) 1-100 (#1)
501-522 101-200
201-300
Iliad Bk 15 301-400 (#2, 3+, 4, 5, 6+, 7, 8)
1-100 (#1+) 401-424
101-200 (#2+, 3)

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+ Scene similes
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Iliad Bk 20 501-515
1-100 (#1)
101-200 (#2+, 3) Iliad Bk 23
201-300 (#4, 5+) 1-100 (#1)
301-400 (#6*, 7*) 101-200
401-500 (#8+, 9, 10, 11+, 12+) 201-300 (#2+)
501-503 301-400 (#3)
401-500 (#4*, 5+, 6)
Iliad Bk 21 501-600 (#7*+, 8+)
1-100 (#1+, 2+, 3) 601-700 (#9+)
101-200 701-800 (#10+, 11+, 12)
201-300 (#4, 5*, 6+, 7+, 8+) 801-897 (#13+)
301-400 (#9+, 10+)
401-500 (#11+, 12+) Iliad Bk 24
501-600 (#13+, 14+) 1-100 (#1+, 2+)
601-611 101-200
201-300
Iliad Bk 22 301-400 (#3+, 4)
1-100 (#1, 2+, 3+, 4+) 401-500 (#5+)
101-200 (#5*, 6+, 7, 8+,9,10,11+,12+,13+) 501-600 (#6)
201-300 (#14+) 601-700
301-400 (#15+, 16+) 701-800 (#7*+)
401-500 (#17+, 18) 801-804

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
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Table VII-2: Distribution of Similes Within Each Book of Odyssey

Odyssey Bk 1 301-331
1-100
101-200 Odyssey Bk 7
201-300 1-100 (#1, 2)
301-400 (#1, 2) 101-200 (#3)
401-444 201-300
301-347
Odyssey Bk 2
1-100 (#1*) Odyssey Bk 8
101-200 1-100
201-300 (#2*) 101-200 (#1*+, 2*, 3*+, 4*)
301-400 201-300 (#5)
401- 434 301-400
401-500
Odyssey Bk 3 501-586 (#6+)
1-100 (#1*+)
101-200 Odyssey Bk 9
201-300 (#2) 1-100 (#1*+)
301-400 101-200 (#2+)
400-497 201-300 (#3*+, 4*+, 5, 6)
301-400 (#7+,8*+,9+,10+)
Odyssey Bk 4 401-500 (#11*)
1-100 (#1, 2) 501-566
101-200
201-300 Odyssey Bk 10
301-400 (#3+) 1-100
401-500 (#4) 101-200 (#1*, 2*, 3)
501-600 (#5+) 201-300 (#4+, 5)
601-700 (#6) 301-400 (#6*, 7*)
701-800 (#7+) 401-500 (#8+)
801-847 501-574

Odyssey Bk 5 Odyssey Bk 11
1-100 (#1, 2+) 1-100
101-200 101-200
201-300 (#3+, 4) 201-300 (#1, 2, 3)
301-400 (#5+, 6+, 7, 8+, 9*) 301-400 (#4)
401-490 (#10+, 11+) 401-500 (#5+, 6+)
501-600
Odyssey Bk 6 601-640 (#7, 8)
1-100 (#1)
101-200 (#2+, 3+, 4+) Odyssey Bk 12
201-300 (#5, 6+, 7*) 1-100 (#1*)

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

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101-200 Odyssey Bk 18
201-300 (#2, 3+) 1-100 (#1, 2)
301-400 101-200 (#3)
401-453 (#4+, 5, 6, 7*+) 201-300 (#4, 5)
301-400
Odyssey Bk 13 401-428
1-100 (#1+, 2, 3+)
101-200 Odyssey Bk 19
201-300 1-100 (#1)
301-400 101-200 (#2+)
401-440 201-300 (#3+, 4, 5, 6)
301-400
Odyssey Bk 14 401-500 (#7)
1-100 (#1) 501-600 (#8+, 9)
101-200 (#2) 601-604
201-300 (#3)
301-400 (#4) Odyssey Bk 20
401-500 1-100 (#1+, 2+)
501-533 101-200 (#3*)
201-300
Odyssey Bk 15 301-394 (#4*)
1-100
101-200 (#1, 2*, 3*+) Odyssey Bk 21
201-300 1-100 (#1+)
301-400 101-200
401-500 (#4) 201-300
501-557 301-400
401-434 (#2+, 3)
Odyssey Bk 16
1-100 (#1+) Odyssey Bk 22
101-200 1-100
201-300 (#2+) 101-200
301-400 201-300 (#1+)
401-481 301-400 (#2+, 3+)
401-500 (#4+, 5+)
Odyssey Bk 17 501
1-100
101-200 (#1+, 2+) Odyssey Bk 23
201-300 1-100 (#1)
301-400 101-200 (#2*, 3, 4+, 5)
401-500 (#3*, 4 , 5*) 201-300 (#6+)
501-600 (#6+) 301-372
601-606
Odyssey Bk 24

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
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1-100 (#1+) 301-400

101-200 (#2)4 401-500
201-300 501-548 (#3)

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

VII-B Locations and Lengths of Similes

Tables VII-3 and VII-4 on the following pages show the locations and lengths of all of
the similes listed in the compendia. This information is used subsequently to evaluate
the distributions of the similes. These tables include the following:

1. The columns headed by Iliad / Odys. Book #, Bk Index #, and Line # in Bk show,
respectively, the book number (1 – 24) of the simile, the simile’s index number in the
book as shown in the compendia, and the line number of the prothesis in the book
consistent with the identification of the similes in other appendices.
2. The column Proth. Loc. In Line shows whether the simile’s prothesis occurs in the
first two feet of the line (B), the middle two feet (M), or the last two feet (E). Appendix
IV has a more complete discussion of this line location.
3. The column Simile Length (feet) shows the length of each simile in metric feet.
This length has been determined from the Greek version of each simile given in the
compendia. The length has been checked against Lee’s List A for many similes.
4. The column Proth. Location (line #) identifies the location of the prothesis. It is the
line number of the prothesis adjusted for the location of the prothesis in the line (add
0.3 for simile in the middle (M) two feet and 0.7 for a simile in the last two feet (E)).
5. The column Simile Ends At (Bk ln #) identifies the location of the end of the simile.
This is determined from the prior column adjusted for the length of the simile (simile
length in feet divided by six to convert to the length in lines).
6. The column Spacing to Next Simile (lines) gives the length in lines from the end of
this row’s simile to the start of the simile in the next row. It is the difference between
Simile Ends At for this row and Proth. Location in Book in the next lines. For the
spacing between the last simile in a book and the first simile in the next book, an
adjustment is made for book length.
7. The column Proth. To Proth. Spacing (lines) gives the number of lines from the
prothesis of this row’s simile to the prothesis of the next row’s simile. This spacing is
the prior column’s spacing plus the simile’s length converted from feet to lines.
8. The Scene column identifies whether the simile is a scene simile as assigned in the
compendia. A “No” entry means the simile is a short phrase or clause.
9. The In Lee List A column identifies whether the simile is included in Lee’s List A.
Elsewhere in the compendia and appendices, a simile not in Lee’s List A is marked
with an asterisk (*).
10. Clusters of closely-spaced similes have been shaded in green or blue and boxed.
Green shaded similes are thematically connected. Blue shaded similes are
unrelated in subject matter. Gaps of greater than 200 lines between similes are
shown by a purple dashed line between the similes’ rows. See VII-C and -D below
for further discussion of the simile clusters and gaps.

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
1 1 E 2 47.7 48.0 56.7 57.0 No Yes

1 2 E 5 104.7 105.5 143.8 144.7 No Yes

1 3 M 2 249.3 249.7 110.0 110.3 No No

1 4 E 2 359.7 360.0 338.0 338.3 No Yes

2 1 B 24 87.0 91.0 53.3 57.3 Yes Yes

2 2 M 16 144.3 147.0 0.0 2.7 Yes Yes

2 3 B 12 147.0 149.0 41.3 43.3 Yes Yes

2 4 M 1 190.3 190.5 18.5 18.7 No Yes

2 5 B 12 209.0 211.0 78.0 80.0 Yes Yes

2 6 B 6 289.0 290.0 36.0 37.0 No Yes

2 7 B 12 326.0 328.0 9.3 11.3 Yes No

2 8 M 2 337.3 337.7 57.0 57.3 No No

2 9 E 20 394.7 398.0 57.0 60.3 Yes Yes

2 10 B 12 455.0 457.0 2.0 4.0 Yes Yes

2 11 B 30 459.0 464.0 4.0 9.0 Yes Yes

2 12 B 6 468.0 469.0 0.0 1.0 No Yes

2 13 B 18 469.0 472.0 2.0 5.0 Yes Yes

2 14 B 12 474.0 476.0 4.0 6.0 Yes Yes

2 15 B 12 480.0 482.0 272.7 274.7 Yes Yes

2 16 E 2 754.7 755.0 9.7 10.0 No Yes

2 17 E 2 764.7 765.0 15.0 15.3 No Yes

2 18 B 4 780.0 780.7 0.7 1.3 No Yes

2 19 M 15 781.3 783.8 16.5 19.0 Yes Yes

2 20 M 6 800.3 801.3 71.3 72.3 No Yes

2 21 E 2 872.7 873.0 6.7 7.0 No Yes

3 1 E 2 2.7 3.0 0.0 0.3 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
3 2 B 30 3.0 8.0 2.0 7.0 Yes Yes

3 3 B 9 10.0 11.5 0.2 1.7 Yes Yes

3 4 E 3 11.7 12.2 0.2 0.7 No No

3 5 M 3 12.3 12.8 10.2 10.7 No No

3 6 B 24 23.0 27.0 6.0 10.0 Yes Yes

3 7 B 18 33.0 36.0 24.3 27.3 Yes Yes

3 8 M 16 60.3 63.0 88.3 91.0 Yes Yes

3 9 M 12 151.3 153.3 43.0 45.0 Yes Yes

3 10 M 1 196.3 196.5 0.8 1.0 No Yes

3 11 M 12 197.3 199.3 20.3 22.3 Yes Yes

3 12 E 2 219.7 220.0 2.3 2.7 No No

3 13 M 5 222.3 223.2 226.5 227.3 No Yes

3 14 E 2 449.7 450.0 4.0 4.3 No Yes

3 15 B 2 454.0 454.3 81.7 82.0 No No

4 1 B 18 75.0 78.0 52.7 55.7 Yes Yes

4 2 E 8 130.7 132.0 9.0 10.3 Yes Yes

4 3 B 30 141.0 146.0 97.7 102.7 Yes Yes

4 4 E 14 243.7 246.0 7.7 10.0 Yes Yes

4 5 E 3 253.7 254.2 20.8 21.3 No Yes

4 6 B 27 275.0 279.5 -1.8 2.7 Yes Yes

4 7 E 3 277.7 278.2 143.8 144.3 No No

4 8 B 30 422.0 427.0 6.0 11.0 Yes Yes

4 9 B 18 433.0 436.0 16.0 19.0 Yes Yes

4 10 B 24 452.0 456.0 6.0 10.0 Yes Yes

4 11 B 2 462.0 462.3 9.3 9.7 No Yes

4 12 E 2 471.7 472.0 10.7 11.0 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
4 13 E 33 482.7 488.2 61.2 66.7 Yes Yes

5 1 M 12 5.3 7.3 80.3 82.3 Yes Yes

5 2 E 33 87.7 93.2 43.5 49.0 Yes Yes

5 3 E 38 136.7 143.0 18.0 24.3 Yes Yes

5 4 B 12 161.0 163.0 136.3 138.3 Yes Yes

5 5 M 3 299.3 299.8 176.5 177.0 No Yes

5 6 M 3 476.3 476.8 10.2 10.7 No Yes

5 7 B 6 487.0 488.0 11.0 12.0 No Yes

5 8 B 24 499.0 503.0 19.3 23.3 Yes Yes

5 9 M 30 522.3 527.3 26.7 31.7 Yes Yes

5 10 B 30 554.0 559.0 1.3 6.3 Yes Yes

5 11 M 4 560.3 561.0 36.0 36.7 No Yes

5 12 B 18 597.0 600.0 170.0 173.0 Yes Yes

5 13 B 12 770.0 772.0 6.7 8.7 Yes Yes

5 14 E 4 778.7 779.3 3.0 3.7 No Yes

5 15 M 12 782.3 784.3 75.7 77.7 No Yes

5 16 B 12 860.0 862.0 2.0 4.0 Yes Yes

5 17 B 12 864.0 866.0 36.0 38.0 Yes Yes

5 18 B 12 902.0 904.0 151.0 153.0 Yes Yes

6 1 B 18 146.0 149.0 146.0 149.0 Yes Yes

6 2 B 1 295.0 295.2 93.8 94.0 No Yes

6 3 B 3 389.0 389.5 11.8 12.3 No No

6 4 M 3 401.3 401.8 41.2 41.7 No Yes

6 5 B 1 443.0 443.2 62.8 63.0 No Yes

6 6 B 36 506.0 512.0 1.3 7.3 Yes Yes

6 7 M 2 513.3 513.7 19.3 19.7 No Yes

7 1 B 18 4.0 7.0 56.0 59.0 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
7 2 B 12 63.0 65.0 154.7 156.7 Yes Yes

7 3 E 2 219.7 220.0 15.3 15.7 No Yes

7 4 M 9 235.3 236.8 19.5 21.0 Yes Yes

7 5 M 11 256.3 258.2 240.2 242.0 No Yes

8 1 M 6 16.3 17.3 77.3 78.3 Yes No

8 2 E 1 94.7 94.8 36.8 37.0 No Yes

8 3 E 2 131.7 132.0 139.3 139.7 No Yes

8 4 M 3 271.3 271.8 34.2 34.7 No Yes

8 5 B 12 306.0 308.0 30.0 32.0 Yes Yes

8 6 B 18 338.0 341.0 214.0 217.0 Yes Yes

8 7 B 30 555.0 560.0 9.0 14.0 Yes Yes

9 1 B 24 4.0 8.0 6.3 10.3 Yes Yes

9 2 M 9 14.3 15.8 307.2 308.7 Yes Yes

9 3 B 12 323.0 325.0 60.3 62.3 Yes Yes

9 4 M 3 385.3 385.8 95.5 96.0 No No

9 5 M 4 481.3 482.0 81.7 82.3 Yes Yes

9 6 E 5 563.7 564.5 83.8 84.7 No No

9 7 M 4 648.3 649.0 69.0 69.7 No Yes

10 1 B 24 5.0 9.0 145.0 149.0 Yes Yes

10 2 B 3 154.0 154.5 28.5 29.0 No Yes

10 3 B 24 183.0 187.0 110.0 114.0 Yes Yes

10 4 B 2 297.0 297.3 53.7 54.0 No Yes

10 5 B 15 351.0 353.5 6.5 9.0 Yes No

10 6 B 18 360.0 363.0 74.0 77.0 Yes Yes

10 7 B 3 437.0 437.5 0.2 0.7 No No

10 8 E 3 437.7 438.2 46.8 47.3 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)

10 9 B 12 485.0 487.0 60.3 62.3 Yes Yes

10 10 M 6 547.3 548.3 58.0 59.0 No Yes

11 1 M 10 27.3 29.0 33.0 34.7 Yes Yes

11 2 B 12 62.0 64.0 2.0 4.0 Yes Yes

11 3 B 6 66.0 67.0 0.0 1.0 No Yes

11 4 B 18 67.0 70.0 2.7 5.7 Yes Yes

11 5 E 2 72.7 73.0 13.0 13.3 No Yes

11 6 B 24 86.0 90.0 23.0 27.0 Yes Yes

11 7 B 42 113.0 120.0 9.7 16.7 Yes Yes

11 8 E 1 129.7 129.8 17.2 17.3 No Yes

11 9 B 1 147.0 147.2 7.8 8.0 No Yes

11 10 B 18 155.0 158.0 14.7 17.7 Yes Yes

11 11 E 25 172.7 176.8 60.5 64.7 Yes Yes

11 12 M 2 237.3 237.7 1.7 2.0 No Yes

11 13 M 1 239.3 239.5 29.5 29.7 No Yes

11 14 B 18 269.0 272.0 20.0 23.0 Yes Yes

11 15 B 12 292.0 294.0 3.7 5.7 Yes Yes

11 16 E 9 297.7 299.2 5.8 7.3 Yes Yes

11 17 B 23 305.0 308.8 15.8 19.7 Yes Yes

11 18 E 8 324.7 326.0 57.3 58.7 Yes Yes

11 19 M 3 383.3 383.8 5.2 5.7 No Yes

11 20 B 5 389.0 389.8 24.2 25.0 No Yes

11 21 B 30 414.0 419.0 55.3 60.3 Yes Yes

11 22 M 46 474.3 482.0 3.7 11.3 Yes Yes

11 23 E 2 485.7 486.0 6.0 6.3 No Yes

11 24 B 24 492.0 496.0 50.7 54.7 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)

11 25 E 2 546.7 547.0 1.0 1.3 No Yes

11 26 B 48 548.0 556.0 2.0 10.0 Yes Yes

11 27 B 30 558.0 563.0 33.3 38.3 Yes Yes

11 28 M 3 596.3 596.8 150.8 151.3 No Yes

11 29 E 3 747.7 748.2 140.5 141.0 No Yes

12 1 E 2 40.7 41.0 0.0 0.3 No Yes

12 2 B 48 41.0 49.0 83.0 91.0 Yes Yes

12 3 B 17 132.0 134.8 11.5 14.3 Yes Yes

12 4 M 30 146.3 151.3 5.0 10.0 Yes Yes

12 5 M 16 156.3 159.0 8.0 10.7 Yes Yes

12 6 B 24 167.0 171.0 48.0 52.0 Yes Yes

12 7 B 24 219.0 223.0 55.0 59.0 Yes No

12 8 B 54 278.0 287.0 6.0 15.0 Yes Yes

12 9 B 3 293.0 293.5 5.5 6.0 No Yes

12 10 B 48 299.0 307.0 68.7 76.7 Yes Yes

12 11 E 3 375.7 376.2 9.5 10.0 No Yes

12 12 E 3 385.7 386.2 34.8 35.3 No Yes

12 13 B 18 421.0 424.0 9.0 12.0 Yes Yes

12 14 B 17 433.0 435.8 15.2 18.0 Yes Yes

12 15 B 12 451.0 453.0 10.3 12.3 Yes Yes

12 16 M 4 463.3 464.0 46.3 47.0 No Yes

13 1 M 4 39.3 40.0 13.3 14.0 No Yes

13 2 M 2 53.3 53.7 8.3 8.7 No Yes

13 3 B 17 62.0 64.8 37.5 40.3 Yes Yes

13 4 M 18 102.3 105.3 32.3 35.3 Yes Yes

13 5 E 34 137.7 143.3 35.3 41.0 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
13 6 E 15 178.7 181.2 16.8 19.3 Yes Yes

13 7 B 18 198.0 201.0 41.3 44.3 Yes Yes

13 8 M 17 242.3 245.2 47.5 50.3 Yes Yes

13 9 E 2 292.7 293.0 37.7 38.0 No Yes

13 10 E 3 330.7 331.2 2.8 3.3 No Yes

13 11 B 18 334.0 337.0 52.0 55.0 Yes Yes

13 12 B 17 389.0 391.8 45.2 48.0 Yes Yes

13 13 B 6 437.0 438.0 32.7 33.7 No Yes

13 14 E 2 470.7 471.0 0.0 0.3 No Yes

13 15 B 29 471.0 475.8 16.2 21.0 Yes Yes

13 16 B 10 492.0 493.7 38.0 39.7 Yes Yes

13 17 E 2 531.7 532.0 32.3 32.7 No Yes

13 18 M 3 564.3 564.8 6.2 6.7 No Yes

13 19 B 11 571.0 572.8 15.2 17.0 Yes Yes

13 20 B 18 588.0 591.0 63.3 66.3 Yes Yes

13 21 M 3 654.3 654.8 18.5 19.0 No Yes

13 22 M 3 673.3 673.8 14.5 15.0 No Yes

13 23 M 2 688.3 688.7 14.3 14.7 No Yes

13 24 B 30 703.0 708.0 46.7 51.7 Yes Yes

13 25 E 3 754.7 755.2 40.2 40.7 No Yes

13 26 M 29 795.3 800.2 18.8 23.7 Yes Yes

13 27 B 2 819.0 819.3 33.7 34.0 No No

14 1 B 24 16.0 20.0 128.0 132.0 Yes Yes

14 2 B 12 148.0 150.0 35.7 37.7 Yes Yes

14 3 E 2 185.7 186.0 200.0 200.3 No Yes

14 4 B 2 386.0 386.3 8.0 8.3 No Yes

14 5 M 12 394.3 396.3 -0.3 1.7 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
14 6 B 12 396.0 398.0 0.0 2.0 No No

14 7 B 12 398.0 400.0 13.0 15.0 No No

14 8 B 1 413.0 413.2 0.8 1.0 No Yes

14 9 B 24 414.0 418.0 81.3 85.3 Yes Yes

14 10 M 2 499.3 499.7 102.3 102.7 No Yes

15 1 B 18 80.0 83.0 87.0 90.0 Yes Yes

15 2 B 12 170.0 172.0 24.3 26.3 Yes Yes

15 3 M 1 196.3 196.5 41.2 41.3 No Yes

15 4 E 8 237.7 239.0 24.0 25.3 Yes Yes

15 5 B 36 263.0 269.0 2.0 8.0 Yes Yes

15 6 B 36 271.0 277.0 46.0 52.0 Yes Yes

15 7 B 18 323.0 326.0 32.3 35.3 Yes Yes

15 8 M 10 358.3 360.0 2.0 3.7 Yes Yes

15 9 B 17 362.0 364.8 16.2 19.0 Yes Yes

15 10 B 18 381.0 384.0 26.0 29.0 Yes Yes

15 11 B 18 410.0 413.0 166.3 169.3 Yes Yes

15 12 M 16 579.3 582.0 4.7 7.3 Yes Yes

15 13 E 16 586.7 589.3 3.0 5.7 Yes Yes

15 14 M 5 592.3 593.2 11.8 12.7 No Yes

15 15 B 11 605.0 606.8 11.8 13.7 Yes Yes

15 16 E 20 618.7 622.0 2.0 5.3 Yes Yes

15 17 B 29 624.0 628.8 1.2 6.0 Yes Yes

15 18 B 40 630.0 636.7 42.3 49.0 Yes Yes

15 19 B 36 679.0 685.0 5.0 11.0 Yes Yes

15 20 B 18 690.0 693.0 56.3 59.3 Yes Yes

16 1 M 9 3.3 4.8 2.8 4.3 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
16 2 E 20 7.7 11.0 48.0 51.3 Yes Yes

16 3 B 3 59.0 59.5 97.2 97.7 No Yes

16 4 E 44 156.7 164.0 28.3 35.7 Yes Yes

16 5 M 3 192.3 192.8 19.2 19.7 No Yes

16 6 B 12 212.0 214.0 45.3 47.3 Yes Yes

16 7 M 41 259.3 266.2 30.8 37.7 Yes Yes

16 8 B 24 297.0 301.0 51.0 55.0 Yes Yes

16 9 B 24 352.0 356.0 8.0 12.0 Yes Yes

16 10 B 12 364.0 366.0 18.0 20.0 Yes Yes

16 11 B 54 384.0 393.0 13.7 22.7 Yes Yes

16 12 E 14 406.7 409.0 19.0 21.3 Yes Yes

16 13 B 12 428.0 430.0 52.0 54.0 Yes Yes

16 14 B 17 482.0 484.8 2.2 5.0 Yes Yes

16 15 B 18 487.0 490.0 92.7 95.7 Yes Yes

16 16 E 8 582.7 584.0 5.0 6.3 Yes Yes

16 17 B 18 589.0 592.0 41.0 44.0 Yes Yes

16 18 B 12 633.0 635.0 6.7 8.7 Yes Yes

16 19 E 14 641.7 644.0 98.7 101.0 Yes Yes

16 20 E 3 742.7 743.2 8.8 9.3 No Yes

16 21 B 12 752.0 754.0 2.3 4.3 Yes Yes

16 22 M 15 756.3 758.8 6.2 8.7 Yes Yes

16 23 B 30 765.0 770.0 53.0 58.0 Yes Yes

16 24 B 24 823.0 827.0 44.3 48.3 Yes Yes

17 1 M 9 4.3 5.8 14.5 16.0 Yes Yes

17 2 M 18 20.3 23.3 29.7 32.7 Yes Yes

17 3 B 36 53.0 59.0 2.0 8.0 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
17 4 B 42 61.0 68.0 41.3 48.3 Yes Yes

17 5 M 15 109.3 111.8 16.8 19.3 Yes Yes

17 6 E 2 128.7 129.0 4.0 4.3 No Yes

17 7 B 23 133.0 136.8 126.2 130.0 Yes Yes

17 8 B 18 263.0 266.0 15.7 18.7 Yes Yes

17 9 E 15 281.7 284.2 82.2 84.7 Yes Yes

17 10 M 2 366.3 366.7 22.3 22.7 No No

17 11 B 30 389.0 394.0 40.0 45.0 Yes Yes

17 12 B 12 434.0 436.0 24.3 26.3 Yes Yes

17 13 M 4 460.3 461.0 59.0 59.7 No Yes

17 14 B 18 520.0 523.0 19.0 22.0 Yes Yes

17 15 B 5 542.0 542.8 4.2 5.0 No Yes

17 16 B 24 547.0 551.0 19.0 23.0 Yes Yes

17 17 B 18 570.0 573.0 84.0 87.0 Yes Yes

17 18 B 47 657.0 664.8 9.5 17.3 Yes Yes

17 19 M 28 674.3 679.0 46.3 51.0 Yes Yes

17 20 M 29 725.3 730.2 6.8 11.7 Yes Yes

17 21 B 18 737.0 740.0 2.0 5.0 Yes Yes

17 22 B 24 742.0 746.0 1.3 5.3 Yes Yes

17 23 M 28 747.3 752.0 3.0 7.7 Yes Yes

17 24 B 18 755.0 758.0 4.3 7.3 Yes Yes

18 1 M 3 1.3 1.8 54.8 55.3 No Yes

18 2 E 2 56.7 57.0 0.3 0.7 No Yes

18 3 M 3 57.3 57.8 51.5 52.0 No Yes

18 4 M 2 109.3 109.7 1.0 1.3 No No

18 5 E 2 110.7 111.0 43.7 44.0 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)

18 6 E 2 154.7 155.0 6.0 6.3 No Yes

18 7 B 12 161.0 163.0 44.0 46.0 Yes Yes

18 8 B 42 207.0 214.0 5.0 12.0 Yes Yes

18 9 B 12 219.0 221.0 97.3 99.3 Yes Yes

18 10 M 27 318.3 322.8 95.8 100.3 Yes Yes

18 11 E 4 418.7 419.3 18.3 19.0 No Yes

18 12 E 4 437.7 438.3 0.0 0.7 No Yes

18 13 M 3 438.3 438.8 161.2 161.7 No Yes

18 14 B 11 600.0 601.8 14.2 16.0 Yes Yes

18 15 B 1 616.0 616.2 18.2 18.3 No Yes

19 1 M 2 17.3 17.7 332.3 332.7 No Yes

19 2 B 6 350.0 351.0 6.0 7.0 No Yes

19 3 B 12 357.0 359.0 7.0 9.0 Yes Yes

19 4 B 3 366.0 366.5 8.2 8.7 No Yes

19 5 E 2 374.7 375.0 0.0 0.3 No Yes

19 6 B 24 375.0 379.0 2.7 6.7 Yes Yes

19 7 E 1 381.7 381.8 4.2 4.3 No Yes

19 8 B 2 386.0 386.3 89.3 89.7 No Yes

20 1 E 3 51.7 52.2 112.5 113.0 No Yes

20 2 E 55 164.7 173.8 26.8 36.0 Yes Yes

20 3 E 2 200.7 201.0 43.7 44.0 No Yes

20 4 E 2 244.7 245.0 7.7 8.0 No Yes

20 5 E 20 252.7 256.0 115.7 119.0 Yes Yes

20 6 E 4 371.7 372.3 -0.3 0.3 No No

20 7 B 4 372.0 372.7 31.0 31.7 No No

20 8 E 14 403.7 406.0 17.3 19.7 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
20 9 M 2 423.3 423.7 8.0 8.3 No Yes

20 10 E 2 431.7 432.0 58.0 58.3 No Yes

20 11 B 18 490.0 493.0 2.0 5.0 Yes Yes

20 12 B 18 495.0 498.0 17.0 20.0 Yes Yes

21 1 B 18 12.0 15.0 7.0 10.0 Yes Yes

21 2 B 18 22.0 25.0 4.7 7.7 Yes Yes

21 3 E 3 29.7 30.2 207.5 208.0 No Yes

21 4 E 3 237.7 238.2 13.2 13.7 No Yes

21 5 M 3 251.3 251.8 0.2 0.7 No No

21 6 B 12 252.0 254.0 3.0 5.0 Yes Yes

21 7 B 36 257.0 263.0 19.3 25.3 Yes Yes

21 8 M 9 282.3 283.8 62.2 63.7 Yes Yes

21 9 B 12 346.0 348.0 14.0 16.0 Yes Yes

21 10 B 18 362.0 365.0 99.3 102.3 Yes Yes

21 11 M 14 464.3 466.7 27.0 29.3 Yes Yes

21 12 E 16 493.7 496.3 25.7 28.3 Yes Yes

21 13 B 18 522.0 525.0 48.0 51.0 Yes Yes

21 14 B 36 573.0 579.0 33.7 39.7 Yes Yes

22 1 E 2 1.7 2.0 20.0 20.3 No Yes

22 2 B 11 22.0 23.8 2.2 4.0 Yes Yes

22 3 B 23 26.0 29.8 63.2 67.0 Yes Yes

22 4 B 18 93.0 96.0 29.0 32.0 Yes Yes

22 5 B 3 125.0 125.5 1.8 2.3 No No

22 6 M 10 127.3 129.0 5.7 7.3 Yes Yes

22 7 E 8 134.7 136.0 3.0 4.3 No Yes

22 8 B 24 139.0 143.0 7.3 11.3 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)

22 9 M 4 150.3 151.0 0.3 1.0 No Yes

22 10 M 8 151.3 152.7 9.3 10.7 No Yes

22 11 B 18 162.0 165.0 24.0 27.0 Yes Yes

22 12 B 24 189.0 193.0 6.0 10.0 Yes Yes

22 13 B 12 199.0 201.0 61.0 63.0 Yes Yes

22 14 B 18 262.0 265.0 43.3 46.3 Yes Yes

22 15 M 16 308.3 311.0 6.0 8.7 Yes Yes

22 16 B 12 317.0 319.0 91.3 93.3 Yes Yes

22 17 M 8 410.3 411.7 49.0 50.3 Yes Yes

22 18 E 2 460.7 461.0 154.7 155.0 No Yes

23 1 E 2 100.7 101.0 121.0 121.3 No Yes

23 2 B 12 222.0 224.0 142.3 144.3 Yes Yes

23 3 M 3 366.3 366.8 63.8 64.3 No Yes

23 4 E 3 430.7 431.2 -0.2 0.3 No No

23 5 B 12 431.0 433.0 22.7 24.7 Yes Yes

23 6 E 2 455.7 456.0 61.0 61.3 No Yes

23 7 B 30 517.0 522.0 76.0 81.0 Yes No

23 8 B 11 598.0 599.8 92.2 94.0 Yes Yes

23 9 B 12 692.0 694.0 18.0 20.0 Yes Yes

23 10 B 12 712.0 714.0 46.0 48.0 Yes Yes

23 11 B 18 760.0 763.0 20.0 23.0 Yes Yes

23 12 B 1 783.0 783.2 61.8 62.0 No Yes

23 13 B 12 845.0 847.0 91.3 93.3 Yes Yes

24 1 M 15 41.3 43.8 36.5 39.0 Yes Yes

24 2 M 17 80.3 83.2 233.8 236.7 Yes Yes

24 3 B 12 317.0 319.0 9.3 11.3 Yes Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-3 Iliad: Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Iliad Bk Simile Proth. Simile
Loc. To Next Proth. In Lee
Book Index Length Location Ends At Scene
In Simile Spacing List A
# # (feet) (Bk ln #) (Bk ln #)
Line (lines) (lines)
24 4 M 3 328.3 328.8 151.2 151.7 No Yes

24 5 B 18 480.0 483.0 89.3 92.3 Yes Yes

24 6 M 1 572.3 572.5 185.5 185.7 No Yes

24 7 B 11 758.0 759.8 Yes No

* Table VII-4 Odyssey Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Bk Proth. Simile Simile
Loc. In to Next Proth. In Lee
Index Loc. In Length Ends At Scene
Book Simile Spacing List A
# Line (feet) (Bk ln #)
(line #) (lines) (lines)
1 1 B 3 308.0 308.5 11.5 12.0 No Yes

1 2 B 3 320.0 320.5 170.8 171.3 No Yes

2 1 M 1 47.3 47.5 186.8 187.0 No No

2 2 M 1 234.3 234.5 272.5 272.7 No No

3 1 B 12 73.0 75.0 215.7 217.7 Yes No

3 2 E 2 290.7 291.0 238.3 238.7 No Yes

4 1 M 1 32.3 32.5 12.5 12.7 No Yes

4 2 B 6 45.0 46.0 289.0 290.0 No Yes

4 3 B 30 335.0 340.0 73.3 78.3 Yes Yes

4 4 M 3 413.3 413.8 121.2 121.7 No Yes

4 5 B 5 535.0 535.8 126.8 127.7 Yes Yes

4 6 E 5 662.7 663.5 127.5 128.3 No Yes

4 7 B 12 791.0 793.0 66.3 68.3 Yes Yes

5 1 M 1 12.3 12.5 39.2 39.3 No Yes

5 2 E 15 51.7 54.2 194.8 197.3 Yes Yes

5 3 B 12 249.0 251.0 30.0 32.0 Yes Yes

5 4 B 2 281.0 281.3 46.7 47.0 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-4 Odyssey Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Bk Proth. Simile Simile
Loc. In to Next Proth. In Lee
Index Loc. In Length Ends At Scene
Book Simile Spacing List A
# Line (feet) (Bk ln #)
(line #) (lines) (lines)
5 5 B 12 328.0 330.0 38.0 40.0 Yes Yes

5 6 B 12 368.0 370.0 1.3 3.3 Yes Yes

5 7 M 3 371.3 371.8 22.2 22.7 No Yes

5 8 B 24 394.0 398.0 2.3 6.3 Yes Yes

5 9 M 3 400.3 400.8 31.2 31.7 No No

5 10 B 12 432.0 434.0 54.0 56.0 Yes Yes

5 11 B 18 488.0 491.0 22.0 25.0 Yes Yes

6 1 B 3 20.0 20.5 81.5 82.0 No Yes

6 2 B 42 102.0 109.0 21.0 28.0 Yes Yes

6 3 B 29 130.0 134.8 27.5 32.3 Yes Yes

6 4 M 24 162.3 166.3 65.3 69.3 Yes Yes

6 5 E 3 231.7 232.2 -0.2 0.3 No Yes

6 6 B 18 232.0 235.0 59.3 62.3 Yes Yes

6 7 M 3 294.3 294.8 72.5 73.0 No No

7 1 M 3 36.3 36.8 47.2 47.7 No Yes

7 2 B 6 84.0 85.0 21.0 22.0 No Yes

7 3 B 5 106.0 106.8 364.2 365.0 No Yes

8 1 B 6 124.0 125.0 34.7 35.7 Yes No

8 2 E 9 159.7 161.2 0.5 2.0 No No

8 3 E 21 161.7 165.2 -0.5 3.0 Yes No

8 4 E 3 164.7 165.2 114.8 115.3 No No

8 5 B 2 280.0 280.3 242.7 243.0 No Yes

8 6 B 48 523.0 531.0 106.0 114.0 Yes Yes

9 1 B 5 51.0 51.8 138.8 139.7 Yes No

9 2 E 12 190.7 192.7 49.0 51.0 Yes Yes

9 3 E 11 241.7 243.5 10.5 12.3 Yes No

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-4 Odyssey Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Bk Proth. Simile Simile
Loc. In to Next Proth. In Lee
Index Loc. In Length Ends At Scene
Book Simile Spacing List A
# Line (feet) (Bk ln #)
(line #) (lines) (lines)
9 4 B 12 254.0 256.0 33.3 35.3 Yes No

9 5 M 2 289.3 289.7 2.3 2.7 No Yes

9 6 B 3 292.0 292.5 21.5 22.0 No Yes

9 7 B 4 314.0 314.7 7.3 8.0 Yes Yes

9 8 B 12 322.0 324.0 60.0 62.0 Yes No

9 9 B 17 384.0 386.8 4.2 7.0 Yes Yes

9 10 B 18 391.0 394.0 79.3 82.3 Yes Yes

9 11 M 3 473.3 473.8 205.2 205.7 No No

10 1 B 3 113.0 113.5 6.8 7.3 No No

10 2 M 5 120.3 121.2 2.8 3.7 No No

10 3 B 1 124.0 124.2 91.8 92.0 No Yes

10 4 B 12 216.0 218.0 65.0 67.0 Yes Yes

10 5 B 2 283.0 283.3 21.3 21.7 No Yes

10 6 E 3 304.7 305.2 73.5 74.0 No No

10 7 E 2 378.7 379.0 31.0 31.3 No No

10 8 B 25 410.0 414.2 367.2 371.3 Yes Yes

11 1 M 3 207.3 207.8 14.2 14.7 No Yes

11 2 B 2 222.0 222.3 21.3 21.7 No Yes

11 3 E 2 243.7 244.0 124.0 124.3 No Yes

11 4 B 2 368.0 368.3 42.7 43.0 No Yes

11 5 B 5 411.0 411.8 1.5 2.3 Yes Yes

11 6 M 15 413.3 415.8 189.8 192.3 Yes Yes

11 7 E 2 605.7 606.0 0.7 1.0 No Yes

11 8 E 3 606.7 607.2 119.2 119.7 No Yes

12 1 M 3 86.3 86.8 150.5 151.0 No No

12 2 M 3 237.3 237.8 13.2 13.7 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-4 Odyssey Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Bk Proth. Simile Simile
Loc. In to Next Proth. In Lee
Index Loc. In Length Ends At Scene
Book Simile Spacing List A
# Line (feet) (Bk ln #)
(line #) (lines) (lines)
12 3 B 24 251.0 255.0 158.7 162.7 Yes Yes

12 4 E 3 413.7 414.2 4.2 4.7 No Yes

12 5 M 3 418.3 418.8 14.5 15.0 No Yes

12 6 M 2 433.3 433.7 5.3 5.7 No Yes

12 7 B 11 439.0 440.8 43.2 45.0 Yes No

13 1 B 24 31.0 35.0 45.7 49.7 Yes Yes

13 2 E 4 80.7 81.3 -0.3 0.3 No Yes

13 3 B 18 81.0 84.0 377.3 380.3 Yes Yes

14 1 M 2 21.3 21.7 154.0 154.3 No Yes

14 2 E 2 175.7 176.0 78.0 78.3 No Yes

14 3 B 3 254.0 254.5 53.8 54.3 No Yes

14 4 M 3 308.3 308.8 332.2 332.7 No Yes

15 1 B 2 108.0 108.3 45.0 45.3 No Yes

15 2 M 1 153.3 153.5 20.5 20.7 No No

15 3 B 12 174.0 176.0 303.3 305.3 Yes No

15 4 M 2 479.3 479.7 94.3 94.7 No Yes

16 1 B 18 17.0 20.0 196.3 199.3 Yes Yes

16 2 M 15 216.3 218.8 373.5 376.0 Yes Yes

17 1 M 8 111.3 112.7 13.3 14.7 Yes Yes

17 2 B 30 126.0 131.0 285.7 290.7 Yes Yes

17 3 E 2 416.7 417.0 46.7 47.0 No No

17 4 E 2 463.7 464.0 36.7 37.0 No Yes

17 5 E 3 500.7 501.2 16.8 17.3 No No

17 6 B 18 518.0 521.0 112.0 115.0 Yes Yes

18 1 B 3 27.0 27.5 1.8 2.3 No Yes

18 2 M 3 29.3 29.8 166.2 166.7 No Yes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-4 Odyssey Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Bk Proth. Simile Simile
Loc. In to Next Proth. In Lee
Index Loc. In Length Ends At Scene
Book Simile Spacing List A
# Line (feet) (Bk ln #)
(line #) (lines) (lines)

18 3 B 4 196.0 196.7 44.0 44.7 No No

18 4 E 2 240.7 241.0 55.7 56.0 No Yes

18 5 E 2 296.7 297.0 170.3 170.7 No Yes

19 1 M 3 39.3 39.8 69.2 69.7 No Yes

19 2 B 36 109.0 115.0 90.0 96.0 Yes Yes

19 3 B 18 205.0 208.0 3.0 6.0 Yes Yes

19 4 B 4 211.0 211.7 21.3 22.0 No Yes

19 5 B 6 233.0 234.0 0.7 1.7 No Yes

19 6 E 2 234.7 235.0 259.0 259.3 No Yes

19 7 B 5 494.0 494.8 23.2 24.0 No Yes

19 8 B 36 518.0 524.0 50.3 56.3 Yes Yes

19 9 M 2 574.3 574.7 43.3 43.7 No Yes

20 1 B 12 14.0 16.0 9.0 11.0 Yes Yes

20 2 B 18 25.0 28.0 166.3 169.3 Yes Yes

20 3 M 4 194.3 195.0 167.7 168.3 No No

20 4 E 2 362.7 363.0 79.7 80.0 No No

21 1 E 5 48.7 49.5 356.5 357.3 Yes Yes

21 2 B 18 406.0 409.0 2.7 5.7 Yes Yes

21 3 E 3 411.7 412.2 321.5 322.0 No Yes

22 1 E 15 299.7 302.2 -0.2 2.3 Yes Yes

22 2 B 30 302.0 307.0 77.3 82.3 Yes Yes

22 3 M 28 384.3 389.0 13.7 18.3 Yes Yes

22 4 E 20 402.7 406.0 62.0 65.3 Yes Yes

22 5 B 18 468.0 471.0 78.7 81.7 Yes Yes

23 1 E 2 48.7 49.0 54.3 54.7 No Yes

23 2 M 3 103.3 103.8 54.8 55.3 No No

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

* Table VII-4 Odyssey Locations and Lengths of Similes

Proth. Spacing Proth. To
Bk Proth. Simile Simile
Loc. In to Next Proth. In Lee
Index Loc. In Length Ends At Scene
Book Simile Spacing List A
# Line (feet) (Bk ln #)
(line #) (lines) (lines)

23 3 E 4 158.7 159.3 -0.3 0.3 No Yes

23 4 B 18 159.0 162.0 29.7 32.7 Yes Yes

23 5 E 2 191.7 192.0 41.0 41.3 No Yes

23 6 B 36 233.0 239.0 139.0 145.0 Yes Yes

24 1 B 18 6.0 9.0 139.3 142.3 Yes Yes

24 2 M 5 148.3 149.2 389.2 390.0 No Yes

24 3 M 3 538.3 538.8 No Yes

Table VII-5 below provides comparisons of the cumulative totals from the Iliad and
Odyssey using the information in Tables VII-3 and VII-4.

* Table VII-5: Comparison of Simile Totals

Iliad Odyssey
Number of similes 344 128
Total number of lines 15693 12110
Number of simile lines 780 203
Simile lines as percentage of total lines 5% 1.7%
Average simile length (lines) 2.3 1.6
Average number of similes per 100 lines 2.2 1.05
Average spacing end of one simile to next 43 91
Average prothesis-to-prothesis spacing 45 93

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents
VII-C Clusters of Closely-Spaced Similes

This section evaluates similes that are closely spaced. From the data in Table VII-3, the
lliad has are 97 small spacings of less than 8 lines. From the data in Table VII-4, the
Odyssey has 21 of these small spacings. Table VII-6 summarizes how these small
spacings are grouped in clusters of similes.

Table VII-6 Summary of Closely-Spaced Similes (Less Than 8 Lines)

Iliad Odyssey
Actual Number of Spacings Less Than 8
97 21
Lines
Best Estimate Number of Spacings Less
58 11
Than 8 Lines for a Random Distribution
Number of Thematically Connected Two-
41 17
Simile Clusters
Short - Short 9 5
Short - Scene 11 4
Scene - Short 3 4
Scene - Scene 18 4
Number of Three-Simile Clusters 11 2
Number of Four-Simile Clusters 3 0
Number of Five- and Six-Simile Clusters 4 0
Number of Clusters of Thematically
59 19
Connected Similes
Number of Thematically Connected 149 (43% of 344 40 (31% of 128
Similes in Clusters similes in Iliad) similes in Odyssey
Pairs of Closely-Spaced, Unrelated Similes 7 0

The following should be noted about Table VII-6:

• In both the Iliad and the Odyssey, the number of closely-spaced clusters is over
65 percent greater than the best estimate prediction for a random distribution.
• In the Iliad, the 97 small spacings make up 59 clusters of from two to six similes
which are thematically connected. There are also seven pairs of similes which
are closely-spaced but are unrelated due to having different subject matter.
• In the Odyssey, the 21 small spacings make up 19 clusters of two or three
similes. All of these clusters are thematically connected.
• In both poems, the two-simile clusters consist of both “scene” similes and similes
that are short phrases or clauses. The numbers of clusters of each possible
sequence of these two types of similes is generally consistent with a random
selection from the available population of the two types in the poems. A possible
exception is the relatively large number (11) of two-simile clusters in which a
short simile is followed by a scene simile; for a random, distribution, the number
short-scene clusters should be about the same as the scene-short clusters.
* Similes not listed in Lee List A
+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

• The count of closely-spaced similes in Table VII-6 is based on the similes listed
in Tables VII-3 and VII-4 and the compendia. If instead the closely-spaced
similes identified in Lee’s List A were counted, there would be slightly fewer
spacings of less than 8 lines (93 for the Iliad and 16 for the Odyssey). The
number of large clusters of four or more similes in the Iliad would be six instead
of seven. In Tables VII-7 and VII-8a and -8b below, similes not in Lee’s List A
are marked with an asterisk.

In Tables VII-3 and VII-4 in section VII-B, the simile clusters are highlighted with light
green and light blue shading. Light green is used for simile clusters which are
thematically connected. Light blue is used for pairs of closely-spaced similes which are
unrelated in subject matter.

In the Iliad, the seven clusters of four to six similes is another significant deviation from
random distribution of similes. The seven clusters of four or more similes are
substantially more than the one or two clusters of four or more similes that would be
expected for a random distribution. Table VII-7 lists the seven clusters of four or more
similes and the subject matter that the thematic connection between the similes.

Table VII-7 Iliad Large Clusters of Four or More Closely-Spaced Similes

Lines Simile Index Numbers Thematic Connection
Bk 2 #10, #11, #12, #13, Assembly of Achaean army under
2.455 to 2.482
#14, #15 their leadership
Assembly of Trojan army and
3.2 to 3.12 Bk 3 #1, #2, #3, #4*, #5*
resulting dust
11.62 to 11.72 Bk 11 #2, #3, #4, #5 Hector and opposing armies
Patroclus kills Cebriones and fight
16.742 to 16.758 Bk 16 #20, #21, #22, #23
over Cebriones’ corpse
Bk 17 #20, #21, #22, #23, Fight over Patroclus’ corpse including
17.725 to 18.1
#24, Bk 18 #1 efforts of Ajaxes, Hector & Aeneas
19.366 to 19.386 Bk 19 #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 Achilles’ shining armor
Contrast of Hector (woman maiden, or
22.125 to 22.142 Bk 22 #5*, #6, #7, #8 dove) and Achilles (blazing fire/sun or
falcon)

These large clusters have the following characteristics:

• The similes describe battles or the combatants and armies before battles and
combats.
• The Narrator is speaker of all of these similes except for a couple of the similes in
the four-simile cluster in Book 22.

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Tables VII-8a and VII-8b list the two- and three-simile clusters and the thematic
connection.

Table VII-8a Iliad: Small Clusters of Two or Three Related Similes

Lines Simile Index Thematic Connection
Numbers
Assembly of Achaean army like waves and
2.144 to 2.148 Bk 2 #2, #3
fields of grain
2.780 to 2.783 Bk 2 #18, #19 March of Achaeans
3.23 to 3.35 Bk 3 #6, #7 Menelaus intimidates Paris
3.196 to 3.199 Bk 3 #10, #11 Odysseus the ram
3.219 to 3.223 Bk 3 #12*, #13 Odysseus speaking in assembly
3.449 to 3.454 Bk 3 #14, #15* Menelaus and Paris after interrupted combat
4.275 to 4.278 Bk 4 #6, #7* Achaean phalanxes = dark cloud
4.422 to 435 Bk 4 #8, #9 Description of Greek and Trojan armies
5.554 to 5.560 Bk 5 #10, #11 Diocles’ twin sons
5.770 to 5.784 Bk 5 #13, #14, #15 Hera and Athena assist Argives
5.860 to 5.865 Bk 5 #16, #17 Ares
6.506 to 6.513 Bk 6 #6, #7 Paris
9.4 to 9.15 Bk 9 #1, #2 Unease of Achaeans and Agamemnon
10.351 to 10.362 Bk 10 #5*, #6 Pursuit of Dolon by Diomedes and Odysseus
10.437 to 10.438 Bk 10 #7*, #8 Rhesus’ horses
Assault of Agamemnon on Hippolochus and
11.147 to 11.157 Bk 11 #9, #10
the Trojans
11.237 to 11.239 Bk 11 #12, #13 Agamemnon’s spear wound
11.292 to 11.308 Bk 11 #15, #16, #17 Hector vs. Achaeans
11.474 to 11.485 Bk 11 #22, #23, #24 Trojans around Odysseus and Ajax’ response
11.546 to 11.562 Bk 11 #25, #26, #27 Ajax versus Trojans
12.40 to 12.48 Bk 12 #1, #2 Hector leads assault on Achaeans
12.146 to 12.170 Bk 12 #4, #5, #6 Response of Achaeans to Trojan assault
Trojans led by Sarpedon assault the
12.278 to 12.306 Bk 12 #8, #9, #10
Achaeans
13.470 to 13.475 Bk 13 #14, #15 Idomeneus attacked
Adamas spear against Antilochus and
13.564 to 13.572 Bk 13 #18, #19
Meriones spear against Adamas
14.394 to 14.399 Bk 14 #5, #6*, #7* Cry of Trojans and Achaeans
14.413 to 14.417 Bk 14 #8, #9 Effect of Ajax’ attack on Hector
15.263 to 15.276 Bk 15 #5, #6 Hector against Achaeans
15.358 to 15.364 Bk 15 #8, #9 Apollo assists Trojan attack
15.579 to 15.593 Bk 15 #12, #13, #14 Antilochus against Hector and Trojans
15.618 to 15.636 Bk15 #16, #17, #18 Hector’s attack against Achaeans
* Similes not listed in Lee List A
+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Table VII-8a Iliad: Small Clusters of Two or Three Related Similes

Lines Simile Index Thematic Connection
Numbers
16.3 to 16.10 Bk 16 #1, #2 Patroclus
16.482 to 16.489 Bk 16 #14, #15 Patroclus kills Sarpedon
16.582 to 16.591 Bk 16 #16, #17 Patroclus attack and Trojan retreat
16.633 to 16.643 Bk 16 #18, #19 Fight around Sarpedon’s corpse
17.53 to 17.67 Bk 17 #3, #4 Menelaus
17.128 to 17.136 Bk 17 #6, #7 Ajax and his shield
18.56 to 18.57 Bk 18 #2, #3 Thetis rearing Achilles
18.109 to 18.110 Bk 18 #4*, #5 Characteristics of anger
18.154 to 18.162 Bk 18 #6, #7 Hector as a flame and lion
18.207 to 18.220 Bk 18 #8, #9 Description of Achilles
18.437 to 18.438 Bk 18 #12, #13 Thetis rearing Achilles
Aeneas to Achilles: we are not children or
20.244 to 20.255 Bk 20 #4, #5
women
20.371 to 20.372 Bk 20 #6*, #7* Hector on Achilles: fire and blazing iron
20.490 to 20.497 Bk 20 #11, #12 Achilles: a fire and bull-yoker
21.12 to 21.30 Bk 21 #1, #2, #3 Description of Trojans attacked by Achilles
21.251 to 21.262 Bk 21 #5*, #6, #7 Scamander chases Achilles
22.22 to 22.29 Bk 22 #2, #3 Achilles: a horse and star
22.150 to 22.152 Bk 22 #9, #10 Two springs of fire an ice
22.189 to 22.200 Bk 22 #12, #13 Achilles chasing Hector
22.308 to 22.318 Bk 22 #15, #16 Achilles and Hector attack each other
23.430 to 23.432 Bk 23 #4*, #5 Racing

Table VII-8b Odyssey: Small Clusters of Two or Three Related Similes

Lines Simile Index Common Subject Matter
Numbers
5.368 to 5.371 Bk 5 #6, #7 Odysseus on a plank of his wrecked raft
5.394 to 5.400 Bk 5 #8, #9* Odysseus attempting to reach land
6.231 to 6.234 Bk 6 #5, #6 Odysseus transformed by Athena
8.159 to 8.165 Bk 8 #2*, #3*, #4* Euryalus’ similes for Odysseus
9.289 to 9.292 Bk 9 #5, #6 Polyphemus eats Odysseus’ men
9.314 to 9.323 Bk 9 #7, #8* Polyphemus’ door-stone and club
9.384 to 9.393 Bk 9 #9, #10 The stake in Polyphemus’ eye
10.113 to 10.124 Bk 10 #1*, #2*, #3 Laestrygonians
Aegisthus’ slaughter of Agamemnon and his
11.422 to 11.415 Bk 11 #5, #6
companions
11.605 to 11.607 Bk 11 #7, #8 Heracles in the land of the dead
* Similes not listed in Lee List A
+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Table VII-8b Odyssey: Small Clusters of Two or Three Related Similes

Lines Simile Index Common Subject Matter
Numbers
12.413 to 12.418 Bk 12 #4, #5 Odysseus’ comrades die on his ship
12.433 to 12.440 Bk 12 #6, #7* Odysseus evades Charybdis
13.80 to 13.83 Bk 13 #2, #3 Odysseus on the Phaeacian ship
18.27 to 18.29 Bk 18 #1, #2 Irus calls Odysseus an old kitchen-wife & pig
19.205 to 19.211 Bk 19 #3, #4 Odysseus and Penelope meet
19.233 to 19.234 Bk 19 #5, #6 Odysseus’ tunic
21.406 to 21.412 Bk 21 #2, #3 Odysseus strings his bow
22.299 to 22.306 Bk 22 #1, #2 Odysseus and Telemachus rout the suitors
23.158 to 23.161 Bk 23 #3, #4 Odysseus transformed by Athena

Table VII-9 lists the two-simile clusters in the Iliad for which the subject matter of the
similes is different; the simile clusters of the Odyssey are thematically connected.

Table VII-9 Iliad: Closely-Spaced Unrelated Similes

Simile Index
Lines Subject Matter
Numbers
#21: Nastes decked out in gold
2.872 to 3.2 Bk 2 #21, Bk 3 #1
#1: Trojans like birds
#10: Description of armies
4.452 to 4.462 Bk 4 #10, #11
#11: Death of Echepolus
#19: Trojan fear of Diomedes
11.383 to 11.389 Bk 11 #19, #20
#20: Diomedes disparaging Paris
#10: Idomeneus ≈ a flame
13.330 to 13.336 Bk 13 #10, #11
#11: Battle ≈ storms and dust
#19: Ajax on ships
15.679 to 15.692 Bk 15 #19, #20
#20: Hector leads Trojans
#15: Automedon like a bloody lion
17.542 to 17.550 Bk 17 #15, #16
#16: Athena’s purple cloud
#2: Athena like a falcon
19.350 to 19.358 Bk 19 #2, #3
#3: Pouring out of ships like snow-flakes

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

VII-D Large Line Gaps Between Similes

From the data in Table VII-3, the Iliad has seven gaps of more than 200 lines without
similes. This is two to three times the number expected for a random distribution. Table
VII-10 lists the gaps and what happens in them.

Table VII-10 Iliad: Large Gaps of More Than 200 Lines without Similes
Lines Gap Size Subject Matter
(lines)
Achilles complains to Thetis who persuades Zeus to
1.359 to 2.87 338 take action despite Hera’s objections. Appeasement of
Chryses. Agamemnon calls a meeting.
2.481 to 2.754 273 Catalog of ships
Combat between Menelaus and Paris ended when
3.223 to 3.449 227 Aphrodite whisks Paris away. Aphrodite persuades
Helen to go to Paris.
End of combat between Ajax and Hector. Trojans sue
for peace for burial of dead. Achaeans build wall and
7.258 to 8.16 240
moat. Achaean feast. Zeus orders gods not to
interfere.
Hera and Athena conspiracy to help the Achaeans
8.341 to 8.555 214 stopped by Zeus. Zeus and Hera quarrel. Hector
encourages Trojans.
Agamemnon calls for retreat. Speeches of Diomedes
9.15 to 9.323 307 and Nestor. Decision to send embassy to Achilles.
Embassy rejected by Achilles.
Thetis comforts Achilles. Reconciliation of Agamemnon
19.17 to 19.350 332 and Achilles with transfer of gifts. Briseis reacts to
death of Patroclus. Zeus sends Athena to Achilles.
Achilles slaughters Lycaon, Asteropaeus, and other
21.30 to 21.237 207
Trojans. Scamander threatens Achilles.
Iris does Zeus’ bidding in persuading Thetis to get
Achilles to give up Hector’s body and in persuading
24.83 to 24.317 234
Priam to go to Achilles despite Hecuba’s objections.
Priam prepares to go to Achilles.

Some of the characteristic subjects in these gaps without similes include:

• Speeches, embassies, and meetings.

• Interventions by the gods and their quarrels.

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

• Lists such as the catalog of ships in Book 2 and Agamemnon’s list of gifts to
appease Achilles, which is repeated several times in the gaps listed for Books 9
and 19.
• Combats between individuals play a dominant role only in the Book 21 gap and a
smaller role in the gaps of Books 3 and 7.

The same large gaps of over 200 lines without similes also exist for the similes identified
in Lee’s List A for the Iliad. There would be one additional large gap from line 105 to
line 359 in Book 1 of the Iliad.

Tables VII-3 and VII-4 in section VII-B show the large 200-line gaps by a purple dashed
line for both the Iliad and the Odyssey. There are more large gaps (17) in the Odyssey
than the Iliad due to the larger average spacing between similes (91 lines in the
Odyssey compared to 43 lines in the Iliad). Unlike the Iliad, the 17 large gaps in the
Odyssey is about the same as predicted for a random distribution (about 15 large gaps).
Overall, the similes of the Odyssey are more consistent with a random distribution than
the Iliad.

* Similes not listed in Lee List A

+ Scene similes
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix VIII
Divine Comparisons

The divine comparisons provide a means for the poet to indicate an elevated status for
an individual. These comparisons can take several forms:

a. Adjectives: The simplest form of divine comparison is the addition of an

adjective to a individual’s same. Some adjectives are simile-like in that a prothesis is a
part of the word (e.g., θεοειδής, θεοείκελος, ἰσόθεος). The table below shows the
adjectives commonly used for this purpose and how often they are used in the Iliad and
the Odyssey. The more detailed listings which follow show that some adjectives are
used more commonly for some individuals than others (e.g., ἀρηίφιλος (Menelaus),
διογενὴς (Odysseus), θεοειδής (Paris, Priam)).

Adjective Frequency in the Iliad Frequency in the Odyssey

ἀντίθεος 30 32

ἀρηϊθόων αἰζηῶν 3 0

ἀρηίφιλος 25 1

διογενὴς 22 22

διοτρεφής 34 22

θεῖος 24 47

θεοειδής 27 17

θεοείκελος 0 2

ἰσόθεος φώς 12 2

b. Forms Similar to Similes: Divine comparisons are also made through forms
similar to similes with protheses, tenors, and vehicles. Nearly all of these comparisons
are short phrases. The comparisons can be attributive or predicate. A third common
form is adverbial. Adverbial comparisons express how the how the action of the
sentence is performed. The table below summarizes the protheses commonly in use
and how often they are used in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The more detailed listings
which follow show the protheses, tenors, and common phrases used for the
comparisons.
 back to Table of Contents

Prothesis Frequency in the Iliad Frequency in the Odyssey

Attributive Phrases and Comparisons

ἀτάλαντος 24 2

εἴκελος 1 0

εἰκός 3 2

ἐναλίγκιος 1 5

ἐπιείκελος 8 4

ἠύτε 0 1

ἴκελος 3 2

ἶσος 17 1

οἷος 0 1

ὁμοῖος 1 4

ὣς 3 1

No prothesis 1 1

Predicate Comparisons

ἀλίγκιος 0 1

ἐίσκω 0 2

ἐναλίγκιος 0 3

ἔοικα 4 4

ὥς τέ 0 1

Adverbial Comparisons

ἶσον, ἶσα 1 3

ὣς 7 11

0 2
ὥς τέ
Longer Comparisons and Other

3 0

Totals 77 51
 back to Table of Contents

Appendix VIII-A Divine Comparisons in the Iliad

Adjectives:

ἀντίθεος (god-like) 30 times

Polyphemus 1:264*
Mygdon 3:186*
Pandarus 4:88*, 5:168*
Polyneices 4:377*
Sarpedon 5:639*, 5:663*, 5:692*, 6:199*, 12:307*, 16:649*
Teuthras 5:705*
Lycophontes 8:275*
Ajax 9:623*, 10:112*
Odysseus 11:140*
Molion 11:322*
Lycians 12:408*, 16:421*
Polyphetes 13:791*
Rhadamanthys 14:322*
Thrasymedes 16:321*
Automedon 16:865*
Ganymedes 20:232*
Polydorus 20:407*, 21:91*
Agenor 21:595*
Phoenix 23:360*
Leonteus 23:837*
Mestor 24:257*

ἀρηϊθόων αἰζηῶν (of youths swift as Ares) 3 times

youths 8:298*, 15:315*, 20:167*

ἀρηίφιλος (dear to Ares) 25 times

Achilles 2:778*
Menelaus 3:21*, 3:32*, 3:69*, 3:90*, 3:136*, 3:206*, 3:232*,
3:253*, 3:307*, 3:430*, 3:432*, 3:452*, 3:457*, 4:13*,
4:150*, 5:561*, 17:1*, 17:11*, 17:138*,
Achaeans 6:73*, 16:303*, 17:319*, 17:336*
Lycomedes 17:346*

διογενὴς (Zeus-born) 22 times

Patroclus 1:337*,11:823*, 16:49*, 16:126*, 16:707*
Achilles 1:489*, 21:17*
Odysseus 2:473*, 4:358*, 8:93*, 9:308*, 9:624*, 10:144*,
10:340*
Ajax 4:489*, 7:234*, 7:249*, 11:465*, 23:723*
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Agamemnon 9:106*
Eurypylus 11:810*
Menelaus 23:294*

διοτρεφής (Zeus fostered) 34 times

kings 1:176*, 2:98*, 2:196*, 2:445*, 14:28*
vigorous men2:660*, 4:280*
Troezenus 2:847*
Peteos 4:338*, 12:355*
sons of Priam 5:463*
Priam 5:464*, 24:803*
Menelaus 7:109*, 10:43*, 17:12*, 17:34*, 17:238*, 17:652*,
17:679*, 17:702*, 23:594*
Achilles 9:229*, 21:75*, 24:553*, 24:635*
Phoenix 9:607*
Nestor 11:648*, 11:653*
Eurypylus 11:819*
Aesyetes 13:427*
Antilochus 17:685*, 23:581*
Scamander 21:223*

θεῖος (god-like) 24 times

dream 2:22*, 2:56*
voice 2:41*
Odysseus 2:335*, 9:218*, 10:243*, 11:806*
Talthybius 4:192*
race 6:180*
assembly 7:298*, 18:376*
Eumedes 10:315*
Ilus 10:415*
Oelius 13:694*, 15:333*
Thoas 14:230*
Heracles 15:25*, 20:145*
wearer of Achilles’ helmet 16:798
Achilles 17:199*, 19:279*, 19:297*
Mynes 19:296*
Priam 21:526*

θεοειδής (god-like) 27 times

Polyxeinus 2:623*
Ascanius 2:862*
Paris/Alexander 3:16*, 3:27*, 3:30*, 3:37*, 3:58*, 3:450*, 6:290*,
6:332*, 6:517*, 11:581*, 13:774*, 24:763*
Deiphobus 12:94*
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Aretus 17:494*
Chromius 17:534*
Neoptolemus 19:327*
Priam 24:217*, 24:299*, 24:372*, 24:386*, 24:405*, 24:483*,
24:552*, 24:634*, 24:659*

ἰσόθεος φώς (god-like man) 12 times

Euryalus 2:565*, 23:677*
Priam 3:310*
Machaon 4:212*
Ereuthalion 7:136*
Patroclus 9:211*, 11:644*
Socus 11:428*
Ajax 11:472*
Melanippus 15:559*
Meriones 16:632*
Menelaus 23:569*

Attributive Phrases and Comparisons:

ἀτάλαντος (equal) 24 times

… Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον (peer to Zeus in counsel)

Odysseus 2:169*, 2:407*, 2:636*, 10:137*
Hector 7:47*, 11:200*

ἀτάλαντος Ἄρηϊ, ἀτάλαντος Ἐνυαλίῳ (peer of Ares)

Meges 2:627*, 15:302*
Meriones 2:651*, 7:166*, 8:264*, 13:295*, 13:328*, 13:528*,
17:259*
Pylaemenes 5:576*
Hector 8:215*, 17:72*
Aeneas and Idomeneus 13:500*
Automedon 17:536*
Patroclus 16:784*

θεόφιν μήστωρ ἀτάλαντος (peer of the gods in counsel)

Priam 7:367*
Peirithous 14:318*
Patroclus 17:477*

εἴκελος (like) 1 time

φλογὶ εἴκελος Ἡφαίστοιο (like the flame of Hephaestus)

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Bronze of Hector’s helmet 17:88

εἰκός (like) 3 times

ἐϊκυῖα θεῇσι (like the goddesses)

Castianeira 8:305*
Nestor’s serving woman 11:638*
Briseis 19:286*

ἐναλίγκιος (like) 1 time

θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος αὐδὴν (like a god in his voice)

Talthybius 19:250*

ἐπιείκελος (like) 8 times

ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισιν (like the immortals)

Theseus 1:265*
Maeon 4:394*
Acamas 11:60*

θεοῖς ἐπιείκελ᾽ (like the gods)

Achilles 9:485*, 9:494*, 22:279*, 23:80*, 24:486*

ἴκελος (like) 3 times

ὄμματα καὶ κεφαλὴν ἴκελος Διὶ τερπικεραύνῳ, Ἄρεϊ δὲ ζώνην, στέρνον δὲ

Ποσειδάωνι. (like Zeus in eyes and head, Ares in waist, and Poseidon in chest)
Agamemnon 2:478

ἰκέλη χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ (like golden Aphrodite)

Briseis 19:282*
Cassandra 24:699*

ἶσος (equal to) 17 times

δαίμονι ἶσος (equal to a god)

Diomedes 5:438, 5.459*, 5:884*
Patroclus 16:705*, 16:786*
Achilles 20:447*, 20:493*, 21:18*, 21:227*

θεοῖσιν / ἶσ᾽ ἔθελε φρονέειν (like in spirit to the gods)

Diomedes 5:441*
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ἶσος Ἄρηϊ, ἶσος Ἐνυαλίῳ (equal to Ares)

Hector 11:295, 13:802
Patroclus 11:604
Leonteus 12:130
Achilles 20:46, 22:132*

μέμονεν δ᾽ ὅ γε ἶσα θεοῖσι (he is minded [to vie] equally with the gods)
Achilles 21:315*

ὁμοῖος (like) 1 time

Euphorbus’ hair 17:51

ὣς (like, as) 2 times

θεὸς ὣς (as a god)

Idomeneus 3:230

ὡς ὅτ᾽ Ἄρης (as Ares)

Hector 15:605*

ὥς τέ (like, as) 1 time

ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ Ὑπερίων
Achilles 19:398

No prothesis

Γοργοῦς ὄμματ᾽ ἔχων ἠδὲ βροτολοιγοῦ Ἄρηος (having the eyes of Gorgon and
Ares, bane of mortals)
Hector 8:349*

Predicate Comparisons:

ἔοικα 4 times

ἀθανάτῃσι θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἔοικεν (she seemed like the goddesses to look on)
Helen 3:158*

ἔοικεν / ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν

Rhesus’ armor 10:440*

θεοῖσι γὰρ ἄντα ἐῴκει

Achilles 24:630*
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ἐῴκει / ἀνδρός γε θνητοῦ πάϊς ἔμμεναι ἀλλὰ θεοῖο (he seemed to be the child not of
a mortal but of a god)
Hector 24:258*

Adverbial Comparisons:

ἶσον (equally to) 1 times

ἶσον … θεῷ τίσουσιν (honor … equally to a god)
Achilles 9:603*

ὣς 7 times

θεὸς δ᾽ ὣς τίετο δήμῳ (honored by [his] people as a god)

Hypsenor 5:78*
Agamemnon 10:33*
Aeneas 11:58*
Thoas 13:218*
Laogonus 16:605*

θεῷ ὣς εὐχετόωντο (pray to as to a god)

Hector 22:394*

θεὸν ὣς / δειδέχατ᾽ (greeted as a god)

Hector 22:434*

Scene Similes:

7:208 σεύατ᾽ ἔπειθ᾽ οἷός τε πελώριος ἔρχεται Ἄρης,

ὅς τ᾽ εἶσιν πόλεμον δὲ μετ᾽ ἀνέρας οὕς τε Κρονίων
θυμοβόρου ἔριδος μένεϊ ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι. 210
τοῖος ἄρ᾽ Αἴας ὦρτο πελώριος ἕρκος Ἀχαιῶν
μειδιόων βλοσυροῖσι προσώπασι.

Then he sped as huge Ares goes forth / when he enters into battle amid warriors whom
the son of Cronus / has brought together to contend in the fury of soul-devouring strife. /
Even so sprang forth huge Ajax, the bulwark of the Achaeans, / with a smile on his
grim face.
[huge Ajax ≈ huge Ares] Narrator
Lee counts this as a simile

13:298 οἷος δὲ βροτολοιγὸς Ἄρης πόλεμον δὲ μέτεισι,

τῷ δὲ Φόβος φίλος υἱὸς ἅμα κρατερὸς καὶ ἀταρβὴς
ἕσπετο, ὅς τ᾽ ἐφόβησε ταλάφρονά περ πολεμιστήν: 300
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τὼ μὲν ἄρ᾽ ἐκ Θρῄκης Ἐφύρους μέτα θωρήσσεσθον,

ἠὲ μετὰ Φλεγύας μεγαλήτορας: οὐδ᾽ ἄρα τώ γε
ἔκλυον ἀμφοτέρων, ἑτέροισι δὲ κῦδος ἔδωκαν:
τοῖοι Μηριόνης τε καὶ Ἰδομενεὺς ἀγοὶ ἀνδρῶν
ἤϊσαν ἐς πόλεμον κεκορυθμένοι αἴθοπι χαλκῷ. 305

And just as man-destroying Ares goes out to war, / and with him follows Rout, his
son, equally valiant and fearless, / who routs a warrior, no matter how steady, / these
two arm themselves and go out from Thrace to join the Ephyri / or the great-hearted
Phlegyes, yet they / do not listen to both sides, but give glory to one or the other; / as
such men did Meriones and Idomeneus, leaders of men, go out into the fight,
helmeted in flaming bronze.
[Meriones and Idomeneus go forth to war ≈ Ares and Rout] Narrator

Lee counts this as a simile.

***

Other:

ἄλλοι δ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ ἄλλῃσι μάχην ἐμάχοντο πύλῃσιν: 175

Il 12:176* ἀργαλέον δέ με ταῦτα θεὸν ὣς πάντ᾽ ἀγορεῦσαι:
πάντῃ γὰρ περὶ τεῖχος ὀρώρει θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ
λάϊνον.

But others were fighting in battle about the other gates, / and it would be
difficult for me, as though I were a god, to tell the tale of all these
things, / for everywhere about the wall of stone rose the divinely-kindled
(fiercely blazing) fire.

An unusual use of the ‘divine epithet’ (175–178) to refer to the Narrator

speaking in the first person.
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Appendix VIII-B Divine Comparisons in the Odyssey

Adjective:

ἀντίθεος (god-like) 32 times

Odysseus 1:21*, 2:17*, 4:741*, 6:331*, 13:126*, 14:40*, 15:90*,
19:456*, 20:369*, 21:254*, 22:291*
Polyphemus 1:70*
Thrasymedes 3:414*
Odysseus’ companions 4:571*, 11:371*, 14:247*, 14:385*, 19:216*,
24:300*
Phaeacians 6:241*
Rhexenor 7:146*
Clytoneus 8:119*
Menelaus 8:518*, 14:116*
Odysseus’ wife 11:117*, 13:378*
Otus 11:308*
Nestor 11:512*
Suitors 14:18*
Arcesius 14:182*
Neleus 15:237*
Telemachus’ companions 17:54*

ἀρηίφιλος (dear to Ares) 1 time

Menelaus 15:169*

διογενὴς (Zeus-born) 22 times

Odysseus 2:352*, 2:366*, 5:203*, 5:387*, 8:3*, 10:401*, 10:443*,
10:488*, 10:504*, 11:60*, 11:92*, 11:405*, 11:473*,
11:617*, 13:375*, 14:486*, 15:485*, 16:167*, 18:312*,
22:164*, 23:306*, 24:542*

διοτρεφής (Zeus fostered) 22 times

kings 3:480*, 4:63*, 7:49*
Menelaus 4:26*, 4:44*, 4:138*, 4:157*, 4:235*, 4:291*, 4:316*,
4:391*, 4:561*, 15:64*, 15:87*, 15:155*, 15:167*
Phaeacians 5:378*
Odysseus 10:266*, 10:419*
Peisistratus 15:199*
Agelaus 22:136*
Agamemnon 24:122*
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θεῖος (god-like) 47 times

Odysseus 1:65*, 2:233*, 2:259*, 2:394*, 3:398*, 4:682*, 4:799*,
5:11*, 5:198*, 15:63*, 15:313*, 15:347*, 15:554*,
16:58*, 16:335*, 17:3*, 17:230*, 17:402*, 18:417*,
20:248*, 20:283*, 20:298*, 20:325*, 21:74*, 21:189*,
21:244*, 21:432*, 24:151*
Phemius 1:336*
Menelaus’ singer 4:17*
Palace 4:43*
Proteus 4:395*
Menelaus 4:621*
Kings 4:691*
Demodocus 8:43*, 8:47*, 8:87*, 8:549*, 13:27*
Drink 9:205*
Enipeus 11:238*
Dream 14:495*
Singer of Ithaca 16:257*, 17:359*, 23:133*, 23:143*, 24:439*

θεοειδής (god-like) 17 times

Telemachus 1:113*, 3:343*, 14:173*, 16:20*, 17:328*, 17:391*
Eurymachus 4:628*, 21:186*
Nausithous 6:7*
Alcinous 7:231*
Eurylochus 10:205*
Theoclymenus 15:271*, 15:508*, 17:152*, 20:350*, 20:363*
Antinous 21:277*

θεοείκελος (god-like)
Telemachus 3:416*
Deiphobus 4:276*

ἰσόθεος φώς (god-like man) 2 times

Telemachus 1:324*, 20:124*
Antinous 8:256*

Attributive Phrases and Comparisons:

ἀτάλαντος (equal) 2 times

θεόφιν μήστωρ ἀτάλαντος (peer of the gods in counsel)

Patroclus 3:110*
Neleus 3:409*
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εἰκός (like) 2 times

Ἀρτέμιδι χρυσηλακάτῳ ἐικυῖα (like Artemis of the golden arrows)

Helen 4:122
.
ἐικυῖα θεῇσι (resembling the goddesses)
Nausicaa 7:291

ἐναλίγκιος (like) 5 times

θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος ἄντην

Telemachus 2:5
Menelaus 4:310*

ἀθανάτοις ἐναλίγκιοι (resembling the immortals)

Nausicaa’s brothers 7:5
Laertes 24:371*

θεοῖς ἐναλίγκια μήδε᾽ ἔχοντα (having counsel like to the gods)

Odysseus 13:89*

ἐπιείκελος (like) 4 times

ἐπιείκελος ἀθανάτοισιν (like to the immortals)

Ctesius 15:414*
Iphitus 21:14*, 21:37*

θεοῖς ἐπιείκελ᾽ (like to the gods)

Achilles 24:36*

ἠύτε (like as) 1 time

ἠύτ᾽ Ἄρηα (like Ares)

Odysseus 8:518

ἴκελος (like) 2 times

Ἀρτέμιδι ἰκέλη ἠὲ χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ (like Artemis or golden Aphrodite)

Penelope 17:37, 19:54*

ἶσος (equal to) 1 times

ἶσος Ἄρηϊ (like Ares)

Euryalus 8:115
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οἷος (such as) 1 time

οἷα θεάων (such as [the handiwork] of the goddesses

Circe’s web 10:222*

ὁμοῖος (like) 4 times

ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος (like the immortals)

Telemachus 3:468
Nausicaa 6:16
Odysseus 8:14*, 23:163*

ὣς (like, as) 1 times

ἀθάνατος ὥς
Alcinous 6:309

No prothesis

Ἑρμιόνην, ἣ εἶδος ἔχε χρυσέης Ἀφροδίτης. (Hermione, who had the appearance of
golden Aphrodite)
Hermione 4:14*

Predicate Comparisons:

ἀλίγκιος (like) 1 time

ἀλίγκιος ἀθανάτοισιν (like to the immortals)

Someone else 8:174*

ἐίσκω (liken) 2 times

Ἀρτέμιδί … / …ἐίσκω (liken to Artemis)

Nausicaa 6:152*

ἀθανάτοισιν ἐΐσκεις (liken to the immortals)

Odysseus 16:187*

ἐναλίγκιος (like) 3 time

θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιος (like to the gods)

Singer 1:371*
Demodocus 9:4*
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Odysseus 19:267*

ἔοικα (seem) 3 times

γενεῇ δὲ Διὸς … ἔικτον (like to the race of Zeus)

Telemachus and Peisistratus 4:27*

θεοῖσιν ἔοικε (is like the gods)

Odysseus 6:243*

ἀθανάτοισιν ἔοικα (I am [not] like the immortals)

Odysseus 7:209*

θεοῖσιν ἔοικας (seem like the gods)

Odysseus 16:200*

ὥς τέ (like, as) 1 time

ὥς τέ … ἀθάνατος (like an immortal)

Nestor 3:246*

Adverbial Comparisons:

ἶσα (equal to) 3 times

τιμὴν δὲ λελόγχασιν ἶσα θεοῖσι (they have won honor like that of the gods)
Castor and Polydeuces 11:304*

ἐτίομεν ἶσα θεοῖσιν (we honor [you] like the gods)

Achilles 11:484*

τὸν νῦν ἶσα θεῷ Ἰθακήσιοι εἰσορόωσι (the Ithacans look on him as equal to a god)
Eurymachus 15:520

ὣς 11 times

θεοῦ ὣς τερπόμεθ᾽ (take delight in as a god’s)

Menelaus 4:160

θεὸν ὣς τιμήσουσιν (honor as a god)

Odysseus 5:36*, 19:280*, 23:339*

θεῷ ὣς δῆμος ἄκουεν (the district obeyed [him] as though a god)

Alcinous 7:11*
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θεὸν ὣς εἰσορόωντες (look on as a god)

Arete 7:71*, 8:173*

οἱ κομιδή γε θεῷ ὣς ἔμπεδος ἦεν (there had been care for him as for a god)
Odysseus 8:453*

θεῷ ὣς εὐχετοῴμην (pray [to you] as to a god)

Nausicaa 8:467*
Helen 15:181*

θεὸς ὣς τίετο δήμῳ (was honored as a god among the people)

Castor 14:205*

ὥς τε 2 times

εὔχομαι ὥς τε θεῷ (pray [to you] as to a god)

Athena in disguise 13:231

παραείδειν / ὥς τε θεῷ (sing to as to a god)

Odysseus 22:349
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Appendix IX
Transformations and Disguises

Both the Iliad and Odyssey have a number of instances in which characters are
transformed or are disguised. The descriptions of many of these transformations and
disguises have the form of similes with a tenor (i.e., character being transformed) and
vehicle (i.e., transformed or disguised being). The table below summarizes the
protheses used for these transformations and disguises.

Prothesis Frequency in the Iliad Frequency in the Odyssey

εἴδομαι 13 10

εἴκελος 0 1

εἰκός 2 6

ἐίσκω, ἴσκω 0 2

ἐναλίγκιος 2 2

ἔοικα 8 7

ἴκελος 2 1

ὥς τε 1 0

No prothesis 1 7

Totals 29 36

The specific transformations and disguises are listed on the following pages. For the
most part, the descriptions are unique to each transformation or disguise. An exception
is five of the transformations of Athena into Mentor in the Odyssey which are described
as follows:

Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν

likening herself in form and voice to Mentor
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Appendix IX-A Transformations and Disguises in the Iliad

Transformation From: Number of Transformation To:

Transformations

Aphrodite 1 old woman

Apollo 6 Asius, Mentes, Lycaon, Phaenops, Periphas, vulture

Apollo’s idol 1 Aeneas

Ares 3 Acamas, mortal man, Hector

Athena 5 herald, Phoenix, Deiphobus, vulture, Laodocus

Boreas 1 horse

Dream 2 Nestor (2)

Hera 1 Stentor

Hermes 1 prince

Iris 2 Polites, Laodice

Poseidon 5 Calchas, seer, Thoas, a man, old man

Sleep 1 bird

Strife/Tumult/Fate 1 mortals

εἴδομαι (in the likeness of)

2:280* Athena→herald `εἰδομένη κήρυκι

in the likeness of a herald

2:791* Iris→Polites εἴσατο δὲ φθογγὴν υἷϊ Πριάμοιο Πολίτῃ,

she made her voice like Polites, son of Priam

2:795* Iris→Polites τῷ μιν ἐεισαμένη

(continuation of 2:791*) likening herself to him

3:122* Iris→Laodice εἰδομένη γαλόῳ Ἀντηνορίδαο δάμαρτι

in the likeness of her husband’s wife <Laodice>

3:389* Aphrodite→old woman τῇ μιν ἐεισαμένη

(continuation of 3:386) likening herself to her
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5:462* Ares→Acamas εἰδόμενος Ἀκάμαντι θοῷ ἡγήτορι Θρῃκῶν

in the likeness of Acamas, swift leader of the Thracians

5:785* Hera→Stentor Στέντορι εἰσαμένη μεγαλήτορι χαλκεοφώνῳ

in the likeness of great-hearted, bronze-voiced Stentor

13:45* Poseidon→Calchas εἰσάμενος Κάλχαντι δέμας καὶ ἀτειρέα φωνήν

in the likeness of Calchas in form and untiring voice

13:69* Poseidon→seer μάντεϊ εἰδόμενος

appearing like a seer

13:216* Poseidon→Thoas εἰσάμενος φθογγὴν Ἀνδραίμονος υἷϊ Θόαντι

likening his voice to Thoas’, son of Andraemon

16:715* Apollo→Asius ἀνέρι εἰσάμενος αἰζηῷ τε κρατερῷ τε, / Ἀσίῳ,

in the likeness of a vigorous, strong man, Asius

17:73* Apollo→Mentes ἀνέρι εἰσάμενος Κικόνων ἡγήτορι Μέντῃ

in the likeness of a man, Mentes, leader of the Cicones

17:326* Apollo→Periphas ῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος

(continuation of 17:322*) likening himself to him

17:555* Athena→Phoenix εἰσαμένη Φοίνικι δέμας καὶ ἀτειρέα φωνήν

in the likeness of Phoenix in form and untiring voice

17:585* Apollo→Phaenops τῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος

(continuation of 17:583*) likening himself to him

20:81* Apollo→Lycaon Λυκάονι εἴσατο φωνήν: / τῷ μιν ἐεισάμενος

He likened his voice to Lycaon; / being like him,

20:224* Boreas→Horse ἵππῳ δ᾽ εἰσάμενος

likening himself to horse

εἰκός (like)

3:386* Aphrodite→old woman γρηῒ δέ μιν ἐϊκυῖα παλαιγενέϊ

like an old woman

22:227 Athena→Deiphobus Δηϊφόβῳ ἐϊκυῖα δέμας καὶ ἀτειρέα φωνήν

like Deiphobus in form and untiring voice
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ἐναλίγκιος (in the likeness of)

14:290* Sleep→bird ὄρνιθι λιγυρῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἥν τ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσσι

χαλκίδα κικλήσκουσι θεοί, ἄνδρες δὲ κύμινδιν
in the likeness of a clear-voiced bird, which in the mountains / the gods call
‘chalkis’ and men ‘cumindis’

17:583* Apollo→Phaenops Φαίνοπι Ἀσιάδῃ ἐναλίγκιος

in the likeness of Phaenops, son of Asias

ἔοικα (like)

2:20* Dream→Nestor Νηληΐῳ υἷι ἐοικώς / Νέστορι

like the son of Neleus / Nestor

2:57* Dream→Nestor Νέστορι δίῳ

εἶδός τε μέγεθός τε φυήν τ᾽ ἄγχιστα ἐῴκε
most of all it was like divine Nestor in form and size and build

5:604* Ares→mortal βροτῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς

in the likeness of a mortal man

7:59* Athena/Apollo→vultures ὄρνισιν ἐοικότες αἰγυπιοῖσι

in the likeness of vultures

13:357* Poseidon→a man ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς

in the likeness of a man

14:136* Poseidon→old man παλαιῷ φωτὶ ἐοικώς

in the likeness of an old man

17:322* Apollo→Periphas δέμας Περίφαντι ἐοικὼς

taking on the form of Periphas

24:347* Hermes→a prince κούρῳ αἰσυμνητῆρι ἐοικὼς

in the likeness of a young man, a prince

ἴκελος (like)

4:86* Athena→Laodocus ‘ἣ δ᾽ ἀνδρὶ ἰκέλη … Λαοδόκῳ Ἀντηνορίδῃ

she like a man …, Laodocus, son of Antenor

5:450* Apollo’s idol→Aeneas εἴδωλον τεῦξ᾽ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων

αὐτῷ τ᾽ Αἰνείᾳ ἴκελον
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Silver-bowed Apollo made an idol / like Aeneas himself

ὥς τε (like)

18:539* Strife/Tumult/Fate→Mortals ὥς τε ζωοὶ βροτοὶ

like mortal men

No prothesis

17:210* Hector→Ares δῦ δέ μιν Ἄρης / δεινὸς ἐνυάλιος

Ares, terrible Enyalius, entered him <Hector>
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Appendix IX-B Transformations and Disguises in the Odyssey

Transformation From: Number of Transformation To:

Transformations

Athena 19 Mentes, Mentor (7), herald, osprey, Dymas’ daughter,

swallow, Telemachus, maid, man, shepherd, woman (3)

Athena’s idol 1 Iphthime

Eurylochous’ men 1 pigs

Helen 1 Argive wives

Hermes 1 young man

Ino 2 seabird (2)

Odysseus 7 beggar (2), beggar/youth, old man (2), youthful, stronger

Penelope 1 more beautiful

Poseidon 1 Enipeus river

Proteus 1 lion/serpent/leopard/boar/water/tree

ship 1 stone

εἴδομαι (in the likeness of)

1:105* Athena→Mentes εἰδομένη ξείνῳ, Ταφίων ἡγήτορι Μέντῃ

in the likeness of a stranger, Mentes, leader of the Taphians

2:268* Athena→Mentor Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν,

2:401* likening herself in form and voice to Mentor
22:206*
24:503*
24:548*

3:372* Athena→osprey φήνῃ εἰδομένη

in the likeness of an osprey
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6:22* Athena→Dymas daughter εἰδομένη κούρῃ ναυσικλειτοῖο Δύμαντος

ἥ οἱ ὁμηλικίη μὲν ἔην, κεχάριστο δὲ θυμῷ.
τῇ μιν ἐεισαμένη
in the likeness of the daughter of Dymas, famed for ships, who was the same
age as her <Nausicaa> and was dear to her heart. Having likened herself to
her,

8:8* Athena→herald εἰδομένη κήρυκι δαΐφρονος Ἀλκινόοιο

in the likeness of the herald of wise Alcinous

11:241* Poseidon→Enipeus τῷ δ᾽ ἄρα εἰσάμενος γαιήοχος ἐννοσίγαιος

the enfolder and shaker of the earth made himself like him <river Enipeus>

εἴκελος (like)

22:240 Athena→swallow χελιδόνι εἰκέλη ἄντην.

like a swallow to look on

εἰκός (like)

2:383* Athena→Telemachus Τηλεμάχῳ ἐικυῖα

like Telemachus

5:337* Ino→seabird αἰθυίῃ δ᾽ ἐικυῖα ποτῇ

like a seabird on wing

5:353* Ino→seabird αἰθυίῃ ἐικυῖα

like a seabird

7:20* Athena→maid παρθενικῇ ἐικυῖα νεήνιδι, κάλπιν ἐχούσῃ.

like a young maid carrying a pitcher

8:194* Athena→a man ἀνδρὶ δέμας ἐικυῖα

like a man in form

13:222* Athena→shepherd ἀνδρὶ δέμας εἰκυῖα νέῳ, ἐπιβώτορι μήλων,

παναπάλῳ, οἷοί τε ἀνάκτων παῖδες ἔασι,
like in form to a young man, a shepherd, / most delicate, as are the sons of
kings

ἐίσκω, ἴσκω (made like)

4:247* Odysseus→beggar ἄλλῳ δ᾽ αὐτὸν φωτὶ κατακρύπτων ἤισκε, δέκτῃ

he, hiding himself, made himself like another man, a beggar
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4:279* Helen→Argive wives πάντων Ἀργείων φωνὴν ἴσκουσ᾽ ἀλόχοισιν

she made her voice like the wives of all the Argives

ἐναλίγκιος (in the likeness of)

16:209* Odysseus→beggar/youth ἄλλοτε μὲν πτωχῷ ἐναλίγκιον, ἄλλοτε δ᾽ αὖτε

ἀνδρὶ νέῳ
at one time in the likeness of a beggar and at another / in the likeness of a
young man

17:337* Odysseus→old beggar πτωχῷ λευγαλέῳ ἐναλίγκιος ἠδὲ γέροντι,

in the likeness of a woeful and aged beggar

ἔοικα (like)

4:654* Athena→Mentor Μέντορα, ἠὲ θεόν, τῷ δ᾽ αὐτῷ πάντα ἐῴκει

Mentor or a god, who was in all things like Mentor.

4:796* Athena’s idol→Iphthime εἴδωλον ποίησε, δέμας δ᾽ ἤικτο γυναικί, / Ἰφθίμῃ,

she made an idol; in form it was like a woman, Iphthime

10:278* Hermes→young man νεηνίῃ ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς

like a young man

13:288* Athena→woman … δέμας δ᾽ ἤϊκτο γυναικὶ

καλῇ τε μεγάλῃ τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργα ἰδυίῃ:
she was in form like a woman / beautiful and tall and skilled in glorious
handiwork

16:157* Athena→woman … δέμας δ᾽ ἤϊκτο γυναικὶ

καλῇ τε μεγάλῃ τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργα ἰδυίῃ.
she was in form like a woman / beautiful and tall and skilled in glorious
handiwork

20:31* Athena→woman δέμας δ᾽ ἤϊκτο γυναικί

she was in form like a woman

24:446* Athena→Mentor Μέντορι πάντα ἐῴκει

she seemed like Mentor in all things

ἴκελος (like)

13:157* ship →stone θεῖναι λίθον ἐγγύθι γαίης / νηῒ θοῇ ἴκελον
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make her <Phaeacian ship> into a stone like a swift ship

No prothesis

4:456* Proteus→lion, serpent, ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι πρώτιστα λέων γένετ᾽ ἠυγένειος,

leopard, boar, water, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα δράκων καὶ πάρδαλις ἠδὲ μέγας
tree σῦς:
γίγνετο δ᾽ ὑγρὸν ὕδωρ καὶ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον
At first he became a bearded lion, / and then a serpent, and a leopard, and a
huge boar; / then he became flowing water and a tall, leafy tree

10:239* Eurylochus’ men→pigs οἱ δὲ συῶν μὲν ἔχον κεφαλὰς φωνήν τε τρίχας τε

καὶ δέμας,
they had the heads, voice, bristles, and form of pigs

13:430* Odysseus→old man κάρψεν μὲν χρόα καλὸν ἐνὶ γναμπτοῖσι μέλεσσι,
ξανθὰς δ᾽ ἐκ κεφαλῆς ὄλεσε τρίχας, ἀμφὶ δὲ
δέρμα
πάντεσσιν μελέεσσι παλαιοῦ θῆκε γέροντος,
κνύζωσεν δέ οἱ ὄσσε πάρος περικαλλέ᾽ ἐόντε:
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν ῥάκος ἄλλο κακὸν βάλεν ἠδὲ χιτῶνα,
ῥωγαλέα ῥυπόωντα, κακῷ μεμορυγμένα καπνῷ:
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν μέγα δέρμα ταχείης ἕσσ᾽ ἐλάφοιο,
ψιλόν: δῶκε δέ οἱ σκῆπτρον καὶ ἀεικέα πήρην,
πυκνὰ ῥωγαλέην: ἐν δὲ στρόφος ἦεν ἀορτήρ.
She withered the fair skin on his supple limbs, / and destroyed the flaxen hair
from off his head, / and about all his limbs she put the skin of an aged old man.
/ And she dimmed his two eyes that were before so beautiful, / and clothed him
in other raiment, / a vile ragged cloak and a tunic, / tattered garments and foul,
begrimed with filthy smoke. / And about him she cast the great skin of a swift
hind, / stripped of the hair, and she gave him a staff, and a miserable pouch, /
ragged, slung by a twisted cord

16:174* Odysseus→more youthful … δέμας δ᾽ ὤφελλε καὶ ἥβην

she <Athena> increased his stature and youthfulness

16:456* Odysseus→old man ῥάβδῳ πεπληγυῖα πάλιν ποίησε γέροντα

hitting with a wand, she <Athena> made him an old man again

18:70* Odysseus→stronger μέλε᾽ ἤλδανε ποιμένι λαῶν.

she <Athena> made greater the limbs for the shepherd of the people

18:192* Penelope→beautiful κάλλεϊ μέν οἱ πρῶτα προσώπατα καλὰ κάθηρεν

ἀμβροσίῳ, οἵῳ περ ἐϋστέφανος Κυθέρεια
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χρίεται, εὖτ᾽ ἂν ἴῃ Χαρίτων χορὸν ἱμερόεντα:

καί μιν μακροτέρην καὶ πάσσονα θῆκεν ἰδέσθαι,
She <Athena> first made her <Penelope’s> face beautiful, / with ambrosial
balm, such as that which Cytherea <Aphrodite>, of the fair crown, / anoints
herself when she goes into the lovely dance of the Graces; / and she made her
taller, too, and statelier to look on,
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Appendix X

Varia

A. Similes in This Compendium Not Listed in Lee

B. Similes in Lee (List A) Not Counted As Similes In This

Compendium

C. Statistics of Similes and Related Types

D. Speakers of Similes in the Iliad and Odyssey

****
*
A. Similes in This Compendium Not Listed in Lee

1. 27 Iliad Similes Not Listed In Lee (List A):

Bk 1 #3* (249)
Bk 2 #7* (326); Bk 2 #8* (337)
Bk 3 #4* (11); Bk 3 #5* (12); Bk 3 #12* (219); Bk 3 #15* (454)
Bk 4 #7* (277)
Bk 6 #3* (389)
Bk 8 #1* (16)
Bk 9 #4* (385); Bk 9 #6* (563)
Bk 10 #5* (351), Bk 10 #7* (437)
Bk 12 #7* (219)
Bk 13 #27* (819)
Bk 14 #6* (396); Bk 14 #7* (398)
Bk 17 #10* (366)
Bk 18 #4* (109)
Bk 20 #6* (371), Bk 20 #7* (372)
Bk 21 #5* (251)
Bk 22 #5* (125)
Bk 23 #4* (430); Bk 23 #7* (517)
Bk 24 #7* (758)

***
2. 28 Odyssey Similes Not Listed In Lee (List A):
Bk 2 #1* (47); Bk 2 #2* (234)
Bk 3 #1* (73)
Bk 5 #9* (400)
Bk 6 #7* (294)
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Bk 8 #1* (124), Bk 8 #2* (159), Bk 8 #3* (161), Bk 8 #4* (164)

Bk 9 #1* (51), Bk 9 #3* (241), Bk 9 #4* (254), Bk 9 #8* (322), Bk 9 #11* (473)
Bk 10 #1* (113), Bk 10 #2* (120), Bk 10 #6* (304), Bk 10 #7* (378)
Bk 12 #1* (86), Bk 12 #7* (439)
Bk 15 #2* (153), Bk 15 #3* (174)
Bk 17 #3* (416), Bk 17 #5* (500)
Bk 18 #3* (196)
Bk 20 #3* (194), Bk 20 #4* (362)
Bk 23 #2* (103)

B. Similes in Lee (List A) Not Counted As Similes In This

Compendium

1. 13 Similes in Lee (List A) for Iliad Not Counted As Similes In This Compendium:

All listed here under ‘Divine Comparisons’

Bk 2.478 Agamemnon as Zeus, Ares and Poseidon

Bk 3.230 Idomeneus . . . stood like a god
Bk 5.438 When for the fourth time he <Diomedes> rushed upon him like a god
Bk 7.208 σεύατ᾽ ἔπειθ᾽ οἷός τε πελώριος ἔρχεται Ἄρης
Huge Ajax like huge Ares
Bk 11.295 Ἕκτωρ Πριαμίδης βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ:
Hector . . . equal to Ares
Bk 11.604 ἔκμολεν ἶσος Ἄρηϊ, κακοῦ δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ πέλεν ἀρχή.
And he <Patroclus> heard and came out of the tent like Ares
Bk 12.130 τὸν δὲ Λεοντῆα βροτολοιγῷ ἶσον Ἄρηϊ.
Leonteus, peer of Ares the bane of men.
Bk 13.298 οἷος δὲ βροτολοιγὸς Ἄρης…/,τῷ δὲ Φόβος φίλος
Meriones and Idomeneus go to war like Ares and Rout
Bk 13.802 Ἕκτωρ . . . ἶσος Ἄρηϊ: Hector . . . the peer of Ares
Bk 17.51 κόμαι Χαρίτεσσιν ὁμοῖαι
Euphorbus’ hair like the hair of the Graces
Bk 17.88 φλογὶ εἴκελος Ἡφαίστοιο
Hector crying shrilly like the flame of Hephaestus
Bk 19.398 τεύχεσι παμφαίνων ὥς τ᾽ ἠλέκτωρ Ὑπερίων
Achilles gleaming armor like bright Hyperion

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Bk 20.46 ὁρῶντο ποδώκεα Πηλεΐωνα / … βροτολοιγῷ ἶσον Ἄρηϊ.

They saw swift-footed son of Peleus, / … equal to Ares.

2. 19 Similes in Lee (List A) for Odyssey Not Counted As Similes In This Compendium:

14 listed here under Divine Comparisons

1 listed here (Bk 22.240) under Transformation and Disguise
2 listed here (Bk 14.476 and Bk 18.323) under Factual Comparison
1 listed here (Bk 20.66) is a mythical story rather than a simile
1 listed here (5-line simile at Bk 13.231) can not be found.

Bk 2.5 βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν ἐκ θαλάμοιο θεῷ ἐναλίγκιος ἄντην

And <Telemachus> went forth from his chamber like a god to look upon
Bk 3.468 ἔκ ῥ᾽ ἀσαμίνθου βῆ δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος
Out of the bath he <Telemachus> came in form like the immortals
Bk 4.122 ἤλυθεν Ἀρτέμιδι χρυσηλακάτῳ ἐικυῖα
<Helen> came, like Artemis of the golden arrows
Bk 4.160 ἄντα σέθεν, τοῦ νῶι θεοῦ ὣς τερπόμεθ᾽ αὐδῇ
In whose <Menelaus’> voice we both take delight as in a god’s.
Bk 6.16 κοιμᾶτ᾽ ἀθανάτῃσι φυὴν καὶ εἶδος ὁμοίη
<Nausicaa> slept - in shape and appearance like the immortal goddesses
Bk 6.309 τῷ ὅ γε οἰνοποτάζει ἐφήμενος ἀθάνατος ὥς
[a seat] on which he <Alcinous> sits and drinks wine like an immortal god.
Bk 7.5 …κασίγνητοι δέ μιν ἀμφὶς / ἵσταντ᾽ ἀθανάτοις ἐναλίγκιοι,
Her brothers / - resembling the immortal gods - gathered round
<Nausicaa>
Bk 7.291 παιζούσας, ἐν δ᾽ αὐτὴ ἔην ἐικυῖα θεῇσι
she <Nausicaa> playing was among them, resembling the goddesses
Bk 8.115 ἂν δὲ καὶ Εὐρύαλος, βροτολοιγῷ ἶσος Ἄρηϊ
[There] also [rose] up Euryalus, who was like man-destroying Ares
Bk 8.518 βήμεναι, ἠύτ᾽ Ἄρηα σὺν ἀντιθέῳ Μενελάῳ
[Odysseus] went, like Ares, along with god-like Menelaus.
Bk 13.231 εὔχομαι ὥς τε θεῷ καί σευ φίλα γούναθ᾽ ἱκάνω
I pray [to you <Athena>], as to a god, and I come to your dear knees
Lee lists a second five-line simile at Bk 13.231, which can not be found.
Bk 14.476 … αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε χιὼν γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε πάχνη
and snow came down on us from above, covering us like frost
* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A
+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Bk 15.520 τὸν νῦν ἶσα θεῷ Ἰθακήσιοι εἰσορόωσι

whom now the men of Ithaca look upon as equal to a god
Bk 17.37 Πηνελόπεια, / Ἀρτέμιδι ἰκέλη ἠὲ χρυσέῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ
Penelope, / like Artemis or golden Aphrodite
Bk 18.323 παῖδα δὲ ὣς ἀτίταλλε
and [Penelope] cherished [her] as [her own] child
Bk 20.66 ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρας ἀνέλοντο θύελλαι
Harpies snatch up Pandareus’ daughters
Bk 22.240 ἕζετ᾽ ἀναΐξασα, χελιδόνι εἰκέλη ἄντην.
[Athena] leaped up and sat in the likeness of a swallow
Bk 22.349 ἔοικα δέ τοι παραείδειν / ὥς τε θεῷ
I would sing to you / as to a god

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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C. Statistics of Similes and Related Types

Table X-1 Iliad: Similes and Related Types

Number Number Similes Short Divine Disguises &
of of Lines per 100 Simile Comparisons Transformations
Similes lines Percentage

Book 1 (A) 4 611 0.65 100 1 0

Book 2 (B) 21 877 2.39 43 6 4

Book 3 (Γ) 15 461 3.25 53 2 2

Book 4 (Δ) 13 544 2.39 31 1 1

Book 5 (Ε) 18 909 1.98 33 6 4

Book 6 (Ζ) 7 529 1.32 71 0 0

Book 7 (Η) 5 482 1.04 40 3 1

Book 8 (Θ) 7 565 1.24 43 5 0

Book 9 (Ι) 7 713 0.98 43 3 0

Book 10 (K) 10 579 1.73 50 3 0

Book 11 (Λ) 29 848 3.42 41 6 0

Book 12 (Μ) 16 471 3.40 31 2 0

Book 13 (Ν) 27 837 3.23 48 7 5

Book 14 (Ξ) 10 522 1.92 70 1 1

Book 15 (Ο) 20 746 2.68 10 2 0

Book 16 (Π) 24 867 2.77 13 4 1

Book 17 (Ρ) 24 761 3.15 17 6 5

Book 18 (Σ) 15 617 2.43 67 0 1

Book 19 (Τ) 8 424 1.89 75 4 0

Book 20 (Υ) 12 503 2.39 58 3 2

Book 21 (Φ) 14 611 2.29 21 3 0

Book 22 (Χ) 18 515 3.50 33 6 1

Book 23 (Ψ) 13 897 1.45 38 1 0

Book 24 (Ω) 7 804 0.87 29 2 1

Totals 344 15693 2.19 39 77 29

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Table X-2 Odyssey: Similes and Related Types

Number Number Similes Short Divine Disguises &
of of Lines per 100 Simile Comparison Transformations
Similes lines Percentage s

Book 1 (α) 2 444 0.45 100 1 1

Book 2 (β) 2 434 0.46 100 1 3

Book 3 (γ) 2 497 0.40 50 4 1

Book 4 (δ) 7 847 0.83 57 4 5

Book 5 (ε) 11 493 2.23 36 1 2

Book 6 (ζ) 7 331 2.11 43 4 1

Book 7 (η) 3 347 0.86 100 4 1

Book 8 (Θ) 6 586 1.02 50 6 2

Book 9 (ι) 11 566 1.94 18 1 0

Book 10 (κ) 8 574 1.39 75 1 2

Book 11 (λ) 8 640 1.25 75 2 1

Book 12 (μ) 7 453 1.55 71 0 0

Book 13 (ν) 3 440 0.68 33 2 4

Book 14 (ξ) 4 533 0.75 100 1 0

Book 15 (ο) 4 557 0.72 75 3 0

Book 16 (π) 2 481 0.42 0 2 4

Book 17 (ρ) 6 606 0.99 50 1 1

Book 18 (σ) 5 428 1.17 100 0 2

Book 19 (τ) 9 604 1.49 67 3 0

Book 20 (υ) 4 394 1.02 50 0 1

Book 21 (φ) 3 434 0.69 33 2 0

Book 22 (χ) 5 501 1.00 0 1 2

Book 23 (ψ) 6 372 1.61 67 2 0

Book 24 (ω) 3 548 0.55 67 2 3

Totals 128 12110 1.06 56 48 36

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Appendix X-D

Speakers of Similes in the Iliad and Odyssey

The compendia identify the speakers of the similes. The tables of simile characteristics
also list the speaker for each simile. Tables X-1 and X-2 below show for each book in
the Iliad and the Odyssey how many similes are spoken by the Narrator versus other
speakers. For the Odyssey, the similes spoken by Odysseus are also identified.

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Table X-1 Iliad: Speakers of Similes by Book

Iliad Book # Narrator Other Total

1 4 0 4

2 16 5 21

3 10 5 15

4 12 1 13

5 16 2 18

6 4 3 7

7 4 1 5

8 5 2 7

9 2 5 7

10 7 3 10

11 26 3 29

12 14 2 16

13 23 4 27

14 10 0 10

15 19 1 20

16 22 2 24

17 23 1 24

18 9 6 15

19 8 0 8

20 6 6 12

21 12 2 14

22 15 3 18

23 12 1 13

24 5 2 7

Sums 284 60 344

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Table X-2 Odyssey: Speakers of Similes By Book

Book # Narrator Odysseus Other Total
Speakers

1 1 1 2

2 0 2 2

3 1 1 2

4 3 4 7

5 10 1 11

6 5 1 1 7

7 2 1 3

8 2 4 6

9 0 10 1 11

10 0 6 2 8

11 0 5 3 8

12 0 6 1 7

13 3 3

14 1 2 1 4

15 1 3 4

16 2 2

17 2 1 3 6

18 2 3 5

19 2 3 4 9

20 2 2 4

21 3 3

22 5 5

23 4 2 6

24 2 1 3

Sums 53 34 41 128

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Table X-3 Iliad: Speakers of Similes Other Than Narrator

Speaker 60 Similes: 21 Scene Similes / 39 Short Similes
Achilles 9 Similes: Bk 9 #3 (323)+, Bk 9 #4* (385), Bk 9 #7 (648), Bk 16 #2 (7)+,
Bk 16 #3 (59), Bk 18 #4 (109), Bk 18 #5 (110), Bk 21 #8 (282)+, Bk 22 #14 (262)+

Aeneas 3 Similes: Bk 20 #3 (200), Bk 20 #4 (244), Bk 20 #5 (252)+

Agamemnon 1 Simile: Bk 4 #4 (243)+

Ajax 2 Similes: Bk 13 #27* (819), Bk 23 #12 (783)

Apollo 2 Simile: Bk 21 #11 (464)+, Bk 24 #1 (41)+

Asius 1 Simile: Bk 12 #6 (167)+

Calchas 1 Simile: Bk 2 #7 (326)+

Diomedes 2 Similes: Bk 8 #2 (94), Bk 11 #20 (389)

Dolon 2 Similes: Bk 10 #7* (437), Bk 10 #8 (437)

Glaucus 1 Simile: Bk 6 #1 (146)+

Hector 7 Similes: Bk 6 #5 (443), Bk 7 #4 (735), Bk 20 #6* (371), Bk 20 #7* (372),

Bk 20 #10 (431), Bk 22 #5* (125), Bk 22 #6 (127)+

Hecuba 1 Simile: Bk 24 #7* (758)+

Housekeeper 1 Simile: Bk 6 #3* (389)

Iris 1 Simile: Bk 2 #20 (800)

Menelaus 1 Simile: Bk 17 #2 (20)+

Meriones 1 Simile: Bk 13 #9 (292)

Nestor 3 Similes: Bk 2 #8* (337), Bk 10 #10 (547), Bk 11 #29 (747)

Odysseus 2 Similes: Bk 2 #4 (190), Bk 2 #6 (289)

Paris 2 Similes: Bk 3 #8 (60)+, Bk 11 #19 (383)

Phoenix 2 Similes: Bk 9 #5 (481)+, Bk 9 #6* (563)

Polydamus 1 Simile: Bk 12 #7* (219)+

Poseidon 3 Similes: Bk 13 #2 (53), Bk 13 #4 (102)+, Bk 15 #3 (196)

Priam 4 Similes: Bk 3 #10 (196), Bk 3 #11 (197)+, Bk 3 #12* (219), Bk 3 #13 (222)

Sarpedon 2 Similes: Bk 5 #6 (476), Bk 5 #7 (487)

Thetis 4 Similes: Bk 18 #2 (56), Bk 18 #3 (57), Bk 18 #12 (437), Bk 18 #13 (438)

Zeus 1 Simile: Bk 8 #1* (16)+

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Table X-4 Odyssey: Speakers of Similes Other Than Narrator

Speaker 27 Similes Odysseus as Narrator: 11 Scenes / 16 Short
47 Other Similes: 13 Scene Similes / 34 Short Similes
Agamemnon 2 Similes: Bk 11 #5 (411)+, Bk 11 #6 (413)+

Alcinous 1 Simile: Bk 11 #4 (368)

Amphimedon 1 Simile: Bk 24 #2 (148)

Athena 2 Similes: Bk 5 #1 (12), Bk 7 #1 (36)

Circe 2 Similes: Bk 10 #7* (378), Bk 12 #1* (86)

Demodocus 1 Simile: Bk 8 #5 (280)

Eidothea 1 Simile: Bk 4 #4 (413)

Eumaeus 3 Similes: Bk 14 #2 (175), Bk 15 #4 (479), Bk 17 #6 (518)+

Euryalus 3 Similes: Bk 8 #2* (159), Bk 8 #3* (161)+, Bk 8 #4* (164)

Eurycleia 2 Similes: Bk 19 #7 (494), Bk 23 #1 (48)

Eurymachus 1 Simile: Bk 20 #4* (362)

Helen 1 Simile: Bk 15 #3* (174)+

Hermes 1 Simile: Bk 10 #5 (283)

Irus 2 Similes: Bk 18 #1 (27), Bk 18 #2 (29)

Menelaus 3 Similes: Bk 4 #1 (32), Bk 4 #3 (335)+, Bk 15 #2* (153)

Mentor 1 Simile: Bk 2 #2* (234)

Nausicaa 1 Simile: Bk 6 #7* (294)

Nestor 1 Simile: Bk 3 #1* (73)+

Odysseus 27 Similes as narrator of Books 9 to 12

7 Similes elsewhere: Bk 6 #4 (162)+, Bk 14 #3 (254), Bk 14 #4 (308),
Bk 17 #3* (416), Bk 19 #2 (109)+, Bk 19 #5 (233), Bk 19 #6 (234)

Penelope 3 Similes: Bk 17 #5* (500), Bk 19 #8 (518)+, Bk 19 #9 (574)

Philoetius 1 Simile: Bk 20 #3* (194)

Polyphemus 1 Simile: Bk 9 #4* (254)+

Proteus 1 Simile: Bk 4 #5 (535)+

Telemachus 6 Similes: Bk 1 #1 (308), Bk 2 #1* (47), Bk 17 #1 (111)+, Bk 18 #4 (240),

Bk 19 #1 (39), Bk 23 #2* (103)

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Table X-5 Comparison of Simile Average Lengths

Iliad Odyssey
Narrator Similes 2.5 lines 2.2 lines

Similes by Speakers Other Than 1.1 lines Odysseus Bks 9 - 12: 1.2 lines
the Narrator Others: 1.1 lines

All Similes 2.3 lines 1.6 lines

* asterisked similes not listed in Lee List A

+ similes with plus sign are scene similes
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Similes: Bibliography

I. General

Addison, C. 1993. “From Literal to Figurative: an Introduction to the Study of Simile,” College

English 55.4 (Apr.) 402–419.

Aristotle. 1973. The Poetics, Longinus On the Sublime, Demetrius On Style. Harvard 1932.

Baldwin, R. and R. Paris. 1983. The Book of Similes. Futura.

Bethlehem, L. S. 1996. “Simile and Figurative Language,” Poetics Today 17.2 (Summer) 203-240.

Bloom, H. 1986. Homer (Modern Critical Views). Chelsea House.

Boys-Stones, G. R., ed. 2003. Metaphor, Allegory, and the Classical Tradition. Oxford.

Brogan, J. V. 1986. Stevens and Simile: A Theory of Language. Princeton.

Bullinger, E. W. 2004. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (Explained and Illustrated). 1898; Baker

Books 1968.

Cooper, D. E. 1986. Metaphor (Blackwell).

Grassi, E. 1994. The Primordial Metaphor (La Metafora inaudita,1990), tr. Laura P. and Manuel S. in

Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies.

Hanson, J. 1976. Similes: As Gentle as a Lamb, Spin Like a Top, & Other “Like” or “As” Comparisons

Between Unlike Things (Lerner).

Hawkes, T. 1972. Metaphor. London.

Hiraga, M. K. 2005. Metaphor and Iconicity. Palgrove.

Hornsby, R. 1970. Patterns of Action in the Aeneid: An Interpretation of Vergil’s Epic Similes. Iowa City.
 back to Table of Contents
2

Innes, D. 2003. “Metaphor, Simile, and Allegory as Ornaments of Style.” In Boys-Stones 2003:7–

27.

Kirby, J. T. 1997. “Aristotle on Metaphor,” The American Journal of Philology 118.4 (Winter) 517–

554.

Kittay, E. F. 1987. Metaphor – Its Cognitive Force and Linguistic Structure. Clarendon.

Kövecses, Z. 2005. Metaphor in Culture. Cambridge.

Lakoff, G.; M. Johnson. 1980. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago.

Leary, D. E. (ed.). 1990. Metaphors in the History of Psychology. Cambridge.

Leidl, C. G. 2003. “The Harlot’s Art: Metaphor and Literary Criticism,” in Boys-Stones: 32–54.

Levin, S. R. 1977. The Semantics of Metaphor. Baltimore.

Lodge, D. 1977. Modes of Modern Writing. Hodder Arnold.

Lucas, D. W. 1968. Aristotle Poetics. Introduction, Commentary and Appendices. Oxford.

Lucas, F. L. 1962. Style. Collier.

Lloyd, G. E. R. 2003. “Chinese Reflexions,” in Boys-Stones, Chap. 3.

Mac Cormac, E. R. 1985. A Cognitive Theory of Metaphor. Bradford Books.

McCall, M. H. Jr. 1969. Ancient Rhetorical Theories of Simile and Comparison. Boston.

Nowottny, W. 1962. The Language Poets Use. New York.

Olso, K. 1980. Ariosto and the Classical Simile. Harvard Studies in Romance Languages, V. 36.

Organ, T. W. 1949. An Index To Aristotle in English Translation. Princeton.

Ortony, A. 1993. Metaphor and Thought. Cambridge, England. 1979; 2nd ed.
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3

Richards, I. A. 1936. The Philosophy of Rhetoric. Oxford 1965. The Mary Flexner Lectures on the

Humanities III at Bryn Mawr College.

Ricoeur, P. 1977. The Rule of Metaphor. London.

Silk, M. S. 1996. “metaphor and simile,” Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.) 966–968.

Sommer, E. (ed.) 1988. Similes Dictionary. Detroit. A collection of more than 16,000 comparison

phrases . . . arranged under 500+ thematic categories.

Stanford, W. B. 1936. Greek Metaphor. Oxford.

Thomas, Owen. 1969. Metaphor and Related Subjects. New York.

Turbayne, C. M. 1962. The Myth of Metaphor. New Haven.

White, R. M. 1986. The Structure of Metaphor. Oxford.

Wilstach, F. J. 1924. A Dictionary of Similes. New York (1916). A reference to 17,000 similes from

1865 authors under 3465 subject headings — with a heading attributed to George

Moore: “It is hard to find a simile when one is seeking for one.”

Ziolkowski, J. E. 2014. Plato’s Similes: A Compendium of 500 Similes in 35 Dialogues.

http://wp.chs.harvard.edu/ziolkowski

II. Similes in Homer

Alden, M. 2012. “The Despised Migrant (Il. 9.648 = 16.59),” in Homeric Contexts: Neoanalysis and

the Interpretation of Oral Poetry, Franco Montanari, Antonios Rengakos, and Christos

Tsagalis, (eds.) Berlin, 115–132.

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