Talk:Mysians

Latest comment: 14 years ago by 78.186.204.12 in topic Untitled

Untitled edit

It's worth adding a few words on Arnossus of Mysia and Tudo of Mysia. Some mention is made in Gyges of Lydia. I'll do it when I have the time. 78.186.204.12 (talk) 20:13, 17 October 2009 (UTC)Reply

Homeric Line Spurious? edit

The article currently refers to the Mysians as "lion-hearted spearmen who fought with their bare hands.[1]" where the footnote refers to "Homer. 'II, 858'. The Iliad." The line cited gives the names of the commanders found a bit earlier in the article, but not the characterization as "spearmen who fought with their bare hands" (an oxymoron). The relevant lines in Greek:

Μυσῶν δὲ Χρόμις ἦρχε καὶ Ἔννομος οἰωνιστής·
ἀλλ' οὐκ οἰωνοῖσιν ἐρύσατο κῆρα μέλαιναν,
ἀλλ' ἐδάμη ὑπὸ χερσὶ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο
ἐν ποταμῷ, ὅθι περ Τρῶας κεράϊζε καὶ ἄλλους.

The Mysians did Chromis lead and Ennomus the augur:
but by his birds he did not ward off black death,
but he was defeated by the hands of the swift-footed descendent of Aeacus
in the river, where he slaughtered Trojans and others. (Hom. Il. 2.858–61; my translation)

I haven't found the oxymoron "spearmen who fought with their bare hands" in any translation of the Iliad, and it's certainly not in the Greek. Is it someone's joke?