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ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ πολύμητις ἀναΐξειεν Ὀδυσσεύς,

I am trying to understand the meaning of the optative ἀναίξειεν but I am failing miserably.
Isn't Antenor (or however his name is supposed to be Englished) just recounting an event of the past?
I would have expected an aorist indicative.

I just see it as being part of a past general condition, especially because it's followed by the iteratives στάσκεν, ἴδεσκε, and so on. So he would just be describing what Odysseus was like, something like, "whenever Odysseus leapt up, he would stand..."

modus.irrealis wrote:I just see it as being part of a past general condition, especially because it's followed by the iteratives στάσκεν, ἴδεσκε, and so on. So he would just be describing what Odysseus was like, something like, "whenever Odysseus leapt up, he would stand..."

I see you made ὅτε δή whenever. That makes sense of the optative. Thanks.