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[175] ἠὲ νέον μεθέπεις, ‘whether thou art but now a visitor.’ The rules laid down by the grammarians, especially by Herodian, for the accentuation of “ἠ”, are as follows:—

(1) The disjunctive “ἢ” (“ὁ διαζευκτικός” or “παραδιαζευκτικός”) is always oxytone. Schol. V. on Il.10. 174“ἢ . . ἄμφω τοὺς συνδέσμους ἐγκλιτέον: διαζευκτικοὶ γάρ εἰσι”.

(2) The asseverative “ἦ” (“διαβεβαιωτικός”) is always circumflexed. Herodian on Il.1. 77“τὸ δὲ ‘ἦ γὰρ ὀίομαι’ περισπωμένῃ τάσει ἀναγνωστέον: διαβεβαιωτικὸς γὰρ ὁ σύνδεσμος”.

(3) The interrogative “ἦ” in direct questions (“ἐρωτηματικός”) is always circumflexed. Herodian on Il.20. 17“ἦ: ἐρωτηματικὸς ὁ σύνδεσμος καὶ ἅπαξ εἰλημμένος κατὰ μίαν διάνοιαν: διὸ περισπαστέος”.

(4) The second “ἦ” in a double question, whether direct or indirect, is always circumflexed (“ἦ” or “ἦε διαπορητικός” or “ἀπορηματικός”). Herodian on Il.1. 190“ἢ . . ἦε: τὸν μὲν πρότερον σύνδεσμον βαρυτονητέον, τὸν δὲ δεύτερον περισπαστέον: διαπορητικὴ γὰρ ἡ σύνταξις καὶ οὕτως ἐν τῇ καθόλου”. See La Roche, Hom. Textkrit. 265. The reason for the circumflex accent in the second clause in a question probably is that the second clause is really the principal one, and this fact is marked by the stronger accent. See Monro, H. G. § 340.

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

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