The Iliad 1.1–15 — Narrator | The Lexicon

The Iliad 1.1–15

The wrath sing, goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls of heroes, and made them themselves spoil for dogs and every bird; thus the plan of Zeus came to fulfillment, from the time when1 first they parted in strife Atreus' son, king of men, and brilliant Achilles. Who then of the gods was it that brought these two together to contend? The son of Leto and Zeus; for he in anger against the king roused throughout the host an evil pestilence, and the people began to perish, because upon the priest Chryses the son of Atreus had wrought dishonour. For he had come to the swift ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, bearing ransom past counting; and in his hands he held the wreaths of Apollo who strikes from afar,2 on a staff of gold; and he implored all the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, the marshallers of the people: Sons of Atreus, and other well-greaved Achaeans, to you may the gods who have homes upon Olympus grant that you sack the city of Priam, and return safe to your homes; but my dear child release to me, and accept the ransomout of reverence for the son of Zeus, Apollo who strikes from afar. Then all the rest of the Achaeans shouted assent, to reverence the priest and accept the glorious ransom, yet the thing did not please the heart of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, but he sent him away harshly, and laid upon him a stern command:

μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρίʼ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγεʼ ἔθηκε, πολλὰς δʼ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δʼ ἐτελείετο βουλή, ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς. τίς τʼ ἄρ σφωε θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι; Λητοῦς καὶ Διὸς υἱός· ὃ γὰρ βασιλῆϊ χολωθεὶς νοῦσον ἀνὰ στρατὸν ὄρσε κακήν, ὀλέκοντο δὲ λαοί, οὕνεκα τὸν Χρύσην ἠτίμασεν ἀρητῆρα Ἀτρεΐδης· ὃ γὰρ ἦλθε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας Ἀχαιῶν λυσόμενός τε θύγατρα φέρων τʼ ἀπερείσιʼ ἄποινα, στέμματʼ ἔχων ἐν χερσὶν ἑκηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος χρυσέῳ ἀνὰ σκήπτρῳ, καὶ λίσσετο πάντας Ἀχαιούς,

Lattimore commentary

The opening word of the Iliad, “anger” (mênis), announces the theme of the poem. The word designates not just ordinary anger but the particularly destructive wrath possessed by a god: Achilleus is the only mortal whose emotion is so described. > The Muse is asked to “sing” the story, a reminder both that long poems could be accompanied by music, and that the Muses (daughters of Memory) are the ultimate preservers of traditional lore and wisdom. Poets are their mouthpieces. This type of invocation became standard for epics and hymns to gods in ancient Greek and in later literary imitations. Heroes. Any warrior in Homeric epic can be designated with this word, not just outstanding protagonists of a story, since all are thought to be far beyond average in their abilities. Will of Zeus. Two possible references: before the events of the Iliad, Zeus had promised Earth (Gaia) to relieve the oppressive weight of people on her surface, and allowed the Trojan War to lessen the population (as the now lost epic Cypria narrated). Within the time frame of the Iliad, the fulfillment of Zeus’ will can refer to the carrying out of his plan (at Thetis’ request) to honor Achilleus by letting his comrades suffer in his absence. Heralds, suppliants, and kings all carry the skêptron (“scepter” or “staff”) as a token of their special status. The fillets, or ribbons, were pieces of wool attached as a further marker of protection by the god: participants in sacrifice or ritual meals also wore them.

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