A Traditional Formula in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite

Abstract

Lines 256‒7 of the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite can be translated in two ways (τὸν μέν, ἐπὴν δὴ πρῶτον ἴδῃ φάος ἠελίοιο | Νύμφαι μιν θρέ- ψουσιν ὀρεσκῷοι βαθύκολποι). In the first, a comma is usually inserted after μέν, and τὸν is not included in the ἐπὴν clause. In this case, the phrase should be translated “him, when he sees the sunlight, the deep-bosomed mountain nymphs will bring him up”. However, in the second version, the comma is absent and τὸν is included in the ἐπὴν clause. In this case, the phrase should be translated “when the sunlight sees him, the…nymphs will bring him up”. Most editors choose the first interpretation and the main reason is that the phrase “to see the sunlight (φάος ἠελίοιο)” in the first version is very common while the phrase “the sunlight sees”, as in the second version, is very rare. However there are the two most significant objections to the first interpretation. First, verse-initial relative pronouns followed by a subordinating conjunction are elsewhere construed within the subordinate clause. Secondly, the doubled pronoun τόν... μιν is awkward. Moreover, it is possible to refute the editors’ main reason (“the phrase ‘to see the sunlight’ is very common, while the phrase ‘the sunlight sees’ is very rare”) of their choice. There is an example of “the sunlight (φάος ἠελίοιο) sees…”. Also, even though in the combination of φάος ἠελίοιο and a verb which means “see”, φάος ἠελίοιο is usually accusative in other poems, it does not mean that φάος ἠελίοιο is necessarily accusative in this hymn. Some neuter words which are usually accusative in other poems are nominative in this hymn, or vice versa. Therefore, it should be concluded that the poet of the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite included the τὸν in the ἐπὴν clause in line 256 and that we must choose the second version.