Lesson VI: ἀγλαὰ ἄποινα

[Talmid]

When looking at section 26, exercise #1, I ran across this oddity:

ἀγλαὰ ἄποινα

I thought to myself: "Well, I bet I'll never see these two words juxtaposed in Homer without an elision."

Does anyone else agree? Are there any examples contrary to my suspicion?

[annis]

I thought to myself: "Well, I bet I'll never see these two words juxtaposed in Homer without an elision."

That's right. The only time the form ἀγλαά occurs before a vowel is with á¼”Ï￾γα, where digamma is in play.

What a curious word ἀγλαός is. It's used very often to describe offspring (τέκνα, but ἀγλαὸς υἱός is frequent and favors line end); goods handed over, δῶÏ￾α rather more often than ἄποινα; after that it's a grab-bag: Hermes, works, heros, water, thigh-bones and, out of nowhere, a branch in Homeric Hymn 4 (to Hermes):

δάφνης ἀγλαὸν ὄζον ἑλὼν á¼￾πέλεψε σιδήÏ￾ῳ
ἄÏ￾μενον á¼￾ν παλάμῃ, ἄμπνυτο δὲ θεÏ￾μὸς ἀϋτμή·

Actually, the word was popular with the Hermes poet: it occurs 10 times in that poem, against 12 other uses in all the remaining hymns.

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This nerdery brought to you by Word Hoard, whose "find words" feature makes these little investigations such a delight.

[Talmid]

That's right. The only time the form ἀγλαά occurs before a vowel is with á¼”Ï￾γα, where digamma is in play.

Annis -

Ought the digamma be pronounced in the oral reading of such a construction?

[annis]

Ought the digamma be pronounced in the oral reading of such a construction?

The metrical effects of digamma were already artificial when Iliad assumed its present form (ignoring for the moment the question of the treatment the text received at the hands of the Athenians). It probably ceased being pronounced a few generations before Homer did his thing. I don't pronounce it, but I don't doubt some people would argue fiercely in favor of pronouncing it.

[Bert]

Ought the digamma be pronounced in the oral reading of such a construction?

The metrical effects of digamma were already artificial when Iliad assumed its present form (ignoring for the moment the question of the treatment the text received at the hands of the Athenians). It probably ceased being pronounced a few generations before Homer did his thing. I don't pronounce it, but I don't doubt some people would argue fiercely in favor of pronouncing it.

How can we be so sure that letters like digamma did exist?
Is it just something that makes sense out of metrical oddities? (I guess along with cognates like work, werk, verk, for á¼”Ï￾γον.)

[annis]

How can we be so sure that letters like digamma did exist?
Is it just something that makes sense out of metrical oddities? (I guess along with cognates like work, werk, verk, for á¼”Ï￾γον.)

As you said, it explains several metrical oddities. There are not only the cognates in other languages, which are compelling in themselves, but some Greek dialects did keep the digamma in certain positions.