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[334] ἀρήν: al. “Ἄρην”, an uncertainty found elsewhere, e.g. 14.485, 18.100. But in Od. 2.59 “ἀρήν” has nothing to do with disaster in war. We must recognise, therefore, a word meaning disaster generally (quite distinct from “ἀρή” = prayer, with “α_”); in all probability it is a masc. “ἄρης”, gen. “ἄρηο” (MSS. “ἀρῆς” or “ἄρεω”), acc. “ἄρην” (with accent corrupted in MSS. by the analogy of “ἀρήν” prayer). (So Fick.) This suits every passage where the word occurs except Hes. Theog. 657 “ἀλκτὴρ δ᾽ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀρῆς γένεο κρυεροῖο”, where we must read “ἄρεω” with synizesis (note the masc. adjective).

The Iliad, edited, with apparatus criticus, prolegomena, notes, and appendices. Walter Leaf. London. Macmillan. 1900.

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