After narrating his conversation with Elpenor at the entrance of Hades, Odysseus adds three verses to detail their positions during this dialogue (vv. 81-83), describing himself áneuthen ef' aímati fásganon ísxwn. It has been understood that the prepositional phrase ef' aímati specifies the position of the sword and that Odysseus is holding it «over the blood». This interpretation provides epí + dative with a locative meaning «above» or «over» with an absence of contact that is unparalleled and, in fact, not possible, although it is thus recorded in syntax handbooks and monographs on prepositions. Here, we try to clarify the meaning ef' aímati and the spatial relationships among the different elements, human or not, involved in the scene.

This paper was written within the Research Project of the Spanish MEC Ref. FFI2014-56131-P (Diccionario Griego-Español y anejos: avance y desarrollos).

Con permiso de la revista para autores CSIC

Peer reviewed