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[332] γλώσσας. The tongues of the bulls sacrificed at the beginning of this book are intended. But what does τάμνετε mean? The commentators mostly give ‘cut out.’ But is it not rather (as in “ὅρκια τάμνειν”) ‘cut in pieces’ for sacrifice? The Attic phrase ( Aristoph. Av.1705; Aristoph. Pax1060) “ἡ γλῶσσα χωρὶς τέμνεται” favours this, for it would be hard to find any sense for “χωρίς” if “τέμνεται” means ‘is cut out.’ Cp. Aristoph. Plut.1111“ἡ γλῶσσα τῷ κήρυκι χωρὶς τέμνεται”, on which a Schol. says, “ἔθος ἦν τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τῆς γλώττης τῷ κήρυκι δίδοσθαι”. The tongues, then, in the case before us had been previously cut out and laid apart. To whom were they now offered? Some have answered To Hermes, as god of language, in accordance with the custom mentioned Hom. Od.7. 137“ἀργειφόντῃ”

“ᾧ πύματον σπένδεσκον ὅτε μνησαίατο κοίτου”. But there is no trace here of Hermes; rather (as Nitzsch says), the next line suggests Poseidon, in whose honour the whole day had been kept. The religious character of the day as a whole was thus completed, by the reservation and offering, at the last moment, of the tongues—as the Schol. says “ὅτι τὸ κάλλιστον τοῦ ἱερείου ἡ γλῶττα”, or as Philochoros (quoted by Nitzsch), “τὴν γλῶτταν εἶναί φησι τὸ κάλλιστον καὶ πρωτεῦον μόριον”.

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

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hide References (4 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (4):
    • Aristophanes, Birds, 1705
    • Aristophanes, Peace, 1060
    • Aristophanes, Plutus, 1111
    • Homer, Odyssey, 7.137
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