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[146] εὐρύοπα Ζεύς. Interpretations are divided between ‘far-seeing’ and ‘farsounding.’ Eustath. and Hesych. give both renderings. Curtius (G. E. 414) accepts the latter, but the difficulty involved is, that in Homer “ὄψ” is used mostly of articulate sounds, or of the voice of living things, as lambs ( Il.4. 435), or cicadas ( Il.3. 152), but not of what we call noises properly. Still it is a simple poetical notion to regard the thunder as the voice (“ὄψ”) of Zeus and not merely as a loud sound. Cp. h. Hom. Cerer. 441 “τῇς δὲ μετ᾽ ἄγγελον ἧκε βαρύκτυπος εὐρύοπα Ζεύς” . This form of the nom. of 1st declension is a characteristic of the Aeolic dialect. Compare “νεφεληγερέτα”, etc. At any rate these forms are ‘evidently part of the archaic and conventional style of Epic poetry.’ Monro, H. G. § 96.

Homer's Odyssey. W. Walter Merry. James Riddell. D. B. Monro. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1886-1901.

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hide References (3 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (3):
    • Homer, Iliad, 3.152
    • Homer, Iliad, 4.435
    • Homeric Hymns, Hymn 2 to Demeter, 442
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