Homeric Greek

Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the Iliad
and Odyssey. It is an archaic version of Ionic Greek, with admixtures from certain other
dialects, such as Aeolic Greek. It later served as the basis of Epic Greek, the language of
epic poetry, typically in dactylic hexameter, of poets such as Hesiod. Unlike later forms
of the language, Homeric Greek did not have available in most circumstances a true
definite article.
!"
#ompositions in $pic Greek may date from as late as the %rd century
A&, though its decline was inevitable with the rise of 'oine Greek.
Main features
(nly irregular forms are provided, omitted forms can usually be predicted by following
patterns seen in Ionic Greek.
Nouns
First Declension
)ominative *ingular+ ends in ,-, even after .,/, and 0. 1or $xample, 23.-, rather
than 23.4. However, some nouns do end in ,4.
Genitive 5lural+ usually ends in ,467 or ,/67. 1or example, 789:;67, rather than
789:7.
&ative 5lural+ almost always ends in ,<0 or ,=. 1or example, >?@<07 is
eAuivalent to >?@40=.
#ertain first declension nouns may end in ,4 B>>CD4E rather than ,-= B74?D-=,
D./FG-=E. 1or $xample, >>CD4, rather than >>CD-=.
Genitive *ingular of these nouns ends in ,4H or ,/6, rather than ,H8. 1or example,
D./FG4H, as opposed to D./FGH8.
Second Declension
Genitive *ingular+ ends in ,H0H, as well as ,H8. 1or example, >/GIH0H, as well as
>/GIH8.
Genitive and &ative &ual+ ends in ,H0J7. Khus, >>H0J7 appears, rather than >>H07.
&ative 5lural+ ends in ,H0<0 and ,H0=. 1or example, :?@@H0<0 , as well as :?@@H0=.
Third Declension
Accusative *ingular+ ends in ,07, as well as ,0G4. 1or example, L@48M>07, as well
as L@48M3>0G4.
&ative 5lural+ ends in ,/<<0 and ,<0. 1or example, >CG/<<0 or >/<<0.
Homeric Greek lacks the Auantitative metathesis present in later Greek+
Homeric N4<0@ instead of N4<0@, >C@ instead of >C@!
N4<0@" instead of N4<0@
N4<0@" instead of N4<0@
N4<0@#$ instead of N4<0@$
Homeric Greek sometimes uses different stems+
%&'!6= instead of %&'(H=
)ronouns
First )erson Sin*ular +,-
Genitive *ingular+ 9/H, 9OH, 9/, 9/8, 9OP/7.
First )erson )lural +.e-
Accusative 5lural+ 9O4=, 99/.
Genitive 5lural+ 9/I67, 9O67.
&ative 5lural+ 990B7E
Second )erson Sin*ular +/ou-
Genitive *ingular+ </H, <OH, </, </8, <OP/7.
Second )erson )lural +/ou-
Accusative 5lural+ 9O4=, 99/.
Genitive 5lural+ 9/I67, 9O67.
&ative 5lural+ 990B7E
Third )erson Sin*ular Masculine +Him-
Accusative *ingular+ .
Genitive *ingular+/H, H, /, P/7.
&ative *ingular+ H, H.
Third )erson )lural +Them-
Accusative 5lural+ <:/, <:O4=, <:4=.
Genitive 5lural+ <:/I67, <:O67.
&ative 5lural+ <:0, <:0<I.
Third )erson Sin*ular )ronoun +He0 She0 ,t- +The 1elati2e- 31 Sin*ular
4rticle +The- +This is rare-
)ominative *ingular+ , , DC. Betc.E
Third )erson )lural )ronoun +He0 She0 ,t- +The 1elati2e- 31 )lural 4rticle
+The- +This is rare-
)ominative 5lural+ H, 4, DHI, D4I.
&ative 5lural+ DH=, DH<0, D=, D<0, D4=.
,nterro*ati2e )ronoun Sin*ular and )lural +.ho0 .hat0 .hich-
)ominative *ingular+ DI=.
Accusative *ingular+ DI74.
Genitive *ingular+ DOH, D/.
&ative *ingular+ DO.
Genitive 5lural+ DO67.
4 Note on Nouns
I. ,<, and ,<<, alternate in Homeric Greek. Khis can be of metrical use. 1or
example, DC<H= and DC<<H= are eAuivalentQ 9O<H= and 9O<<H=Q >H<I and >H<<I.
II. Khe ending ,:0 B,H:0E can be used for the &ative *ingular and 5lural of nouns
and adRectives Boccasionally for the Genitive *ingular and 5lural, as wellE. 1or
example, NI-:0 B...by forceE, G4M.8C:07 B...with tearsE, and ./<:07 B...in the
mountainsE.
5er6s
)erson Endin*s
,7 appears rather than ,<47. 1or example, <D47 for <D-<47 in the Khird 5erson
5lural Active.
Khe Khird 5lural SiddleT5assive often ends in ,4D40 or ,4DHQ for example, 4DH is
eAuivalent to 7DH.
Tenses
1uture+ Generally remains uncontracted. 1or example, .O6 appears instead of
. or D/@O6 instead of D/@O<6.
5resent or Imperfect+ Khese tenses sometimes take iterative form with the letters
,<M, penultimate with the ending. 1or example, :?L/<MH7+ Uthey kept on running
awayU
Aorist or Imperfect+ Voth tenses can occasionally drop their augments. 1or
example, N;@H7 may appear instead of N4@H7. Wesultantly, necessary
adRustments may need to be made in compoundsQ in this vein, 9N4@/ would
appear instead of 7ON4@/.
Moods
Su67uncti2e
Khe *ubRunctive appears with a short vowel. Khus, the form H9/7, rather than
69/7.
Khe *econd *ingular Siddle *ubRunctive ending appears as both ,-40 and ,/40.
Khe Khird *ingular Active *ubRunctive ends in ,<0. Khus, we see the form
:H./<0, instead of :H..
(ccasionally, the *ubRunctive is used in place of the future and in general
remarks.
,nfiniti2e
Khe infinitive appears with the endings ,9/7, ,9/740, and ,740, in place of ,/07 and
,740. 1or example, GC9/740 for GH740Q 9/7 instead of O740Q 9/7, 99/7, or
99/740 for /740Q and MH8O9/7B40E in place of MH?/07.
8ontracted 5er6s
In contracted verbs, where Attic employs an ,6,, Homeric Greek will use ,H6, or
,66, in place of ,4H,. 1or example, Attic .7D/= becomes .C67D/=.
*imilarly, in places where ,4/, contracts to ,4, or ,4/0, contracts to ,,, Homeric
Greek will show either 44 or 4.
4d2er6s
4d2er6ial Suffi9es
,G/+ conveys a sense of Uto whereUQ >C@/9C7G/+ Uto the warU
,GH7+ conveys a sense of UhowUQ M@4LL-GC7+ Uwith criesU
,P/7+ conveys a sense of Ufrom whereUQ XCP/7+ Ufrom aboveU
,P0+conveys a sense of UwhereUQ XCP0+ Uon highU
)articles
.4, ., 4+ force conveys transition+ UsoU or UnextU
GY+ force conveys emphasis+ UindeedU
+ force conveys emphasis+ UsurelyU
>/.+ force conveys emphasis+ URustU or UevenU
D/+ force conveys a general remark or a connective+ UandU
DH0+ force conveys assertion+ UI tell you ...U
5oca6ular:
Homer Bthe Iliad and the OdysseyE uses about Z,[[[ words, of which !,%\] are proper
names. (f the ^,_!\ remaining words ],%[^ are hapax legomena.
]"%"
Sample
Khe Iliad, lines !,^
`707 /0G/, P/, a-@-J;G/6 20@H=
H!@H9O7-7, " 98.Ib 240H= @L/b P-M/,
>H@@= Gb :PI9H8= X82= #JG0 >.H$4X/7
.367, 4!DH%= G& @3.04 D/2/ M?7/<<07
H67H<I D/ >'<0c d0(= Gb D/@/I/DH NH8@Yc
e H G) D >.D4 G04<DYD-7 .I<47D/
D./FG-= D/ 74e 7G.7 M4* GH= 20@@/?=.
Wobert 1itfgerald B!Z^gE+
Anger be now your song, immortal one,
AkhilleusU anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men,,carrion
for dogs and birdsQ and the will of heus was done.
Vegin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another,,
the iord Sarshal
Agamemnon, AtreusU son, and 5rince Akhilleus.
Alexander 5ope B!^][E+
AchillesU wrath, to Greece the direful spring
(f woes unnumberUd, heavenly goddess, singj
Khat wrath which hurlUd to 5lutoUs gloomy reign
Khe souls of mighty chiefs untimely slainQ
khose limbs unburied on the naked shore,
&evouring dogs and hungry vultures tore.
*ince great Achilles and Atrides strove,
*uch was the sovereign doom, and such the will of lovej
*amuel Vutler+
*ing, ( goddess, the anger of Achilles son of 5eleus, that brought countless ills
upon the Achaeans. Sany a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and
many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of
love fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great
Achilles, first fell out with one another.
Andrew iang+
*ing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles 5eleusU son, the ruinous wrath that brought on
the Achaians woes innumerable, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls
of heroes, and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowlsQ and so
the counsel of heus wrought out its accomplishment from the day when first strife
parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles.
Wobert 1agles+
WagemGoddess, sing the rage of 5eleusU son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of &eath so many sturdy souls,
great fightersU souls, but made their bodies carrion,
feasts for the dogs and birds,
and the will of heus was moving towards its end.
Vegin, Suse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.