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[182] ὧδε. Aristarchus insists that in Homer “ὧδε” never means ‘here,’ but always ‘so.’ Apollon. Lex.872“ὧδε: κατὰ Ἀρίσταρχον οὐδέποτε συνήθως ἡμῖν” (that is “τοπικῶς”) “κεῖται, ἀλλ᾽ ἀντὶ τοῦ οὕτως τάσσεται”. Buttmann combats this, quoting passages which seem to him to refute it: Il.18. 392“πρόμολ᾽ ὧδε Il., 12. 346 ὧδε γὰρ ἔβρισαν Δαναοί”, Od.2. 28“νῦν δὲ τίς ὧδ᾽ ἤγειρε; 17. 544 τὸν ξεῖνον ἐναντίον ὧδε κάλεσσον”, and the present passage “νῦν δ᾽ ὧδε σὺν νηὶ κατήλυθον”. With such phrases it will suffice to compare “στῆθ᾽ οὕτως ἐς μέσσον” Od.17. 447, “ἀμφίπολοι στῆθ᾽ οὕτω ἀπόπροθεν” Od.6. 218, “ἔρρ᾽ οὕτως” Il.22. 498.What “οὕτω” can express can equally well be expressed, mutatis mutandis, by “ὧδε. ὧδε” is related to “οὕτως”, as “ὅδε” is related to “οὗτος”. Now “ὅδε” refers to that which is nearest to the speaker; “οὗτος” to that which is at a greater distance from him, or nearer to the person addressed. Thus “ὅδε” is related to “ἐμός” (cp. “ἀνὴρ ὅδε” as a periphrasis for “ἐγώ”), and “οὗτος” to “σός” (cp. “ὦ οὗτος” as an address = “ὦ σύ”). The meaning of “ὧδε” and “οὕτως” in Homer will be often best expressed by a gesture, e. g. “πρόμολ᾽ ὧδε” = ‘come in this way,’ the hand beckoning in the direction of the speaker's self; “στῆθ᾽ οὕτω” = ‘stand in that way,’ the hand waving in the direction of a more distant spot. This might readily account for the interpretation assigned in later times to “ὧδε”, as if it meant ‘here.’ With “ὧδε κατήλυθον” in the present passage cp. “τόδ᾽ ἱκάνει” inf. 409 with note. See Lehrs, Aristarch. 70, and an elaborate analysis of Funk's dissertation on “ὅδε” and “οὗτος” in Philologus 27. 3, p. 508 foll.

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

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