[96] αἵματος ὄφρα πίω. Teiresias had received the special privilege “οἴῳ πεπνῦσθαι”, in contradistinction to the rest of the shades. His “φρένες” were still “ἔμπεδοι”. Now Elpenor made no request, and showed no need, to drink of the blood in the pit; see on sup. 82. And Teiresias had no need of the blood to enable him to resume his powers of mind and memory; though it would seem to have been necessary for the other shades, as in the case of Anticleia (inf. 153), who “ἤλυθε καὶ πίεν αἷμα κελαινεφὲς, αὐτίκα δ᾽ ἔγνω”. Teiresias recognises Odysseus and addresses him before he drinks of the blood, therefore it was not the drinking that gave him either the power of recognition or of holding communication. The blood was craved by him as a gratification, and the pouring of it into the pit was the exact antithesis to the offering of the bloody sacrifice on the raised altar to the gods of heaven. The blood was a welcome drink-offering to the dead; their peculiarly appropriate libation (“χοή”). Compare the words of Neoptolemus at the sacrifice of Polyxena, “ὦ παῖ Πηλέως, πατὴρ δ᾽ ἐμὸς”,
“δέξαι χοάς μοι τάσδε κηλητηρίους”,“νεκρῶν ἀγωγούς: ἐλθὲ δ̓, ὡς πίῃς μέλαν”
“κόρης ἀκραιφνὲς αἷμα”. The Schol. on v. 37 says that the “ψυχαί” come up to the blood, like flies to honey, “ὡς μυίας νομιστέον αὐτὰς ἥκειν”. Eustath. puts it well, “ὁ Τειρεσίας εἰ καὶ γνωρίζει πρὸ τοῦ πιεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ μαντεύεται, μισθὸν δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦ πιεῖν ἀντιδίδωσιν”.
