Introductory Formulas in the Catalogue of Men of Odyssey 11

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, I examine the formulaic system of the catalogue of men in Odyssey 11. The discursive means at work whenever a catalogue entry is introduced, rest on vision and kinetics. These are two cardinal notions that establish themselves in narrative contexts of male catalogue poetry in the Iliad. Scrutinising the formula-based linguistic register pertaining to visual perception and movement/stasis shows that entry introductory formulas serve as mechanisms of meticulous inner structuring and co-ordination of the narrative material and of outer framing with regard to the preceding free-floating entries and the catalogue of women.