epithet

The traditional epithet for Phthie, the homeland of Achilles, is bōti-aneira ‘she who nourishes men’. There is a paradox built into this noun+epithet combination, sin ... Continue reading

commentary on xanthos in the context of immortalizationThe epithet applied to the hair of Achilles, xanthos/xanthē ‘golden’, is a marker of the hero’s future immortalization. The epithet applied to the hair o ... Continue reading

We see here in the Iliad the first occurrence of the epithet rhododaktulos ‘rosy-fingered’, applied to Eos, goddess of the dawn. This epithet can be explained as a substitution for another epithet, thuga ... Continue reading

The epithet xanthos ‘golden’ (with reference to hair) is a stylized signal of a mystical immortalization after death for mortal heroes in Homeric poetry. ... Continue reading

The epithet applied to the hair of Menelaos, xanthos/xanthē ‘golden’, is a marker of the hero’s future immortalization. The epithet applied to the hair of ... Continue reading

The goddess Demeter is the only divinity in Homeric poetry who is described by the epithet xanthē ‘golden’ (with reference to hair).The goddess Demeter is the only divinity in Homeric poetry who is described by the epithet xanthē ‘go ... Continue reading