Friday, April 23, 2021
Some Compound Epithets of Ares
Homer, Iliad 5.31 (Athena to Ares) = 5.455 (Apollo to Ares; tr. Richmond Lattimore):
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Ares, Ares, manslaughtering, blood-stained, stormer of strong walls...G.S. Kirk on 5.31:
Ἆρες Ἄρες βροτολοιγὲ μιαιφόνε τειχεσιπλῆτα...
[P]resumably he would enjoy the savage epithets....Of his three epithets βροτολοιγός is straightforward, 'ruinous to mortals', μιαιφόνος means 'polluted by murder', cf. μιαίνω, μίασμα, and τειχεσιπλήτης 'approacher [i.e. attacker] of [city] walls', with -πλήτης connected with πέλας, πελάζω.
