Homeric Oracle

 

HOMERIC ORACLE

based on the work of Hans Dieter Betz in The Greek Magical Papyri In Translation

employing the A. T. Murray Odyssey 1919 and the A. T. Murray Iliad 1924
(except line 1-1-3, tr. Samuel Butler, 1898)

# # # Oracle Source Book Line
1 1 1 yet for their cursed belly’s sake men endure evil woes Odyssey 15 344
1 1 2 either to throw out anchor-stones or to make fast stern cables Odyssey 9 137
1 1 3 rose hideous as the sword smote them, and the river ran red with blood Iliad 21 21
1 1 4 ———
1 1 5 uprose, bearing in his hands the sceptre which Hephaestus had wrought with toil Iliad 2 101
1 1 6 ———
1 2 1 I am minded to make amends and to give requital past counting. Iliad 9 120
1 2 2 then of a surety have the gods themselves destroyed thy wits. Iliad 7 360
1 2 3 ———
1 2 4 ———
1 2 5 And for thyself I wish that with joy thou mayest reach thy well-built house Odyssey 15 128
1 2 6 ———
1 3 1 ———
1 3 2 ———
1 3 3 But lo, Zeus fulfilleth not for men all their purposes Iliad 18 328
1 3 4 even that would I choose; and it would be better far Odyssey 11 358
1 3 5 Then would he scatter all the proud airs Odyssey 17 244
1 3 6 Woman, I too take thought of all this, but wondrously have I shame Iliad 6 441
1 4 1 ———
1 4 2 speaking him fair, but pondering evil in the deep of their hearts Odyssey 17 66
1 4 3 Not to be flung aside, look you, are the glorious gifts of the gods Iliad 3 65
1 4 4 ———
1 4 5 ———
1 4 6 Thus shall it be, Scamander, nurtured of Zeus, even as thou biddest. Iliad 21 223
1 5 1 to thy foes a joy, but to thine own self a hanging down of the head Iliad 3 51
1 5 2 In the course of this self-same day [year?] Odysseus shall come hither Odyssey 14 161
1 5 3 in no wise a profit unto thee, seeing thou shalt not lie therein Iliad 22 513
1 5 4 and whichsoever of the twain shall conquer, him let woman and treasure follow Iliad 3 255
1 5 5 No good thing is a multitude of lords; let there be one lord Iliad 2 204
1 5 6 And full of ghosts is the porch and full the court, of ghosts Odyssey 20 355
1 6 1 We have won us great glory; we have slain goodly Hector Iliad 22 393
1 6 2 Who is there now that would promise me this deed and bring it to pass? Iliad 10 303
1 6 3 nay, not though he gave gifts in number as sand and dust Iliad 9 385
1 6 4 ———
1 6 5 ———
1 6 6 ———
2 1 1 For not one of the islands that lean upon the sea is fit for driving horses, or rich in meadows Odyssey 4 607
2 1 2 Surely ye hearkened not at all in olden days, when ye were children, when your fathers told Odyssey 4 688
2 1 3 ———
2 1 4 ———
2 1 5 ———
2 1 6 Hateful in my eyes are his gifts, I count them at a hair’s worth. Iliad 9 378
2 2 1 his only son and well-beloved, that is heir to great possessions
2 2 2 ———
2 2 3 ———
2 2 4 ———
2 2 5 So these were thronging about Achilles, and near Odyssey 24 19
2 2 6 men that fashion lies out of what no man can even see Odyssey 11 366
2 3 1 be thou valiant, that many an one of men yet to be born may praise thee Odyssey 1 302
2 3 2 leaning the while against a pillar on the barrow that men’s hands reared Iliad 11 371
2 3 3 get thee gone; before thee lies the way, and thy ships stand beside the sea Iliad 9 43
2 3 4 Thou wilt play the cheat, and not bring thy word to fulfillment. Iliad 19 107
2 3 5 And over against him the mother in her turn wailed and shed tears Iliad 22 79
2 3 6 Nay, if for five years’ space or six years’ space thou wert to abide here Odyssey 3 115
2 4 1 He spake, and bade Paeëon heal his hurt Iliad 5 899
2 4 2 All this, unhappy man, will I perform and do. Odyssey 11 80
2 4 3 How art thou minded to render my labour vain and of none effect, and the sweat that I sweated in my toil Iliad 4 26
2 4 4 late in coming, late in fulfillment, the fame whereof shall never perish Iliad 2 325
2 4 5 thou wouldest grow weary ere the end and get thee back to thy native land Odyssey 3 117
2 4 6 to bring from thence deadly drugs Odyssey 2 329
2 5 1 Husband, perished from out of life art thou, yet in thy youth, and leavest me a widow Iliad 24 725
2 5 2 even as I am minded, and as it shall be brought to pass, that ye sit not Iliad 9 310
2 5 3 Bring me no honey-hearted wine, honoured mother Iliad 6 264
2 5 4 ———
2 5 5 ———
2 5 6 lest thou make thy child an orphan and thy wife a widow Iliad 6 432
2 6 1 may they now feast here their latest and their last Odyssey 4 685
2 6 2 To sleep the whole night through beseemeth not a man that is a counsellor Iliad 2 24
2 6 3 Strange man, thou dost not well to nurse this anger in thy heart. Iliad 6 326
2 6 4 Who knows but Odysseus may some day come and take vengeance on them Odyssey 3 216
2 6 5 I will bring you each a wife, and will give you possessions Odyssey 21 214
2 6 6 and so make trial of [the bow], and end the contest Odyssey 21 180
3 1 1 For in sooth I count it not shame to flee from ruin, nay, not though it be by night. Iliad 14 80
3 1 2 Bethink thee of all manner of valour: now in good sooth it behoveth thee Iliad 22 268
3 1 3 a widow in thy halls, and thy son is still a mere babe Iliad 22 484
3 1 4 But do thou not enter into the turmoil of Ares Iliad 18 134
3 1 5 for quickly do men grow old in evil fortune. Odyssey 19 360
3 1 6 ———
3 2 1 ———
3 2 2 That mortal man lives not, or exists nor shall ever be born Odyssey 6 201
3 2 3 Aye, verily, as thou sayest, my child, it is in truth no ill thing Iliad 18 128
3 2 4 for now is it no more possible for him to escape us Iliad 22 219
3 2 5 will we ransom them with bronze and gold, seeing there is store thereof Iliad 22 50
3 2 6 be still, and drink thy wine, and do not strive with men younger than thou Odyssey 21 310
3 3 1 whither fleest thou with thy back turned, like a coward in the throng? Iliad 8 94
3 3 2 Would that a man such as he might be called my husband Odyssey 6 244
3 3 3 yet thereafter planteth her head in heaven, while her feet tread on earth. Iliad 4 443
3 3 4 But lo, Zeus fulfilleth not for men all their purposes Iliad 18 328
3 3 5 as he wept, and vouchsafed him that his folk should be saved and not perish Iliad 8 246
3 3 6 would thou hadst never besought the peerless son of Peleus Iliad 9 698
3 4 1 It is wine that wounds thee, honey-sweet wine, which works harm to others too Odyssey 21 293
3 4 2 Do as thy pleasure is and hold thee back no more. Iliad 22 185
3 4 3 for both of us twain are fated to redden the selfsame earth with our blood Iliad 18 329
3 4 4 hoot on in this wise, if so be thou mayest prove a light of deliverance to the Danaans Iliad 8 282
3 4 5 because of what thou hast wrought, as surely as there lives no man that shall ward off the dogs Iliad 22 348
3 4 6 Thou shalt never slay me, for lo, I am not one that is appointed to die. Iliad 22 13
3 5 1 thou wouldest abide here and keep this house with me Odyssey 5 208
3 5 2 Give way, old man, from the doorway, lest soon thou be even dragged out by the foot. Odyssey 18 10
3 5 3 Better it is if one fleeth from ruin and escapeth, than if he be taken. Iliad 14 81
3 5 4 and tell no man of them all nor any woman Odyssey 13 308
3 5 5 of wheat or barley, and the handfuls fall thick and fast Iliad 11 69
3 5 6 Whatsoever word thou speakest, such shalt thou also hear. Iliad 20 250
3 6 1 would not suffer that Helen be given back to fair-haired Menelaus Iliad 11 125
3 6 2 or wilt thou anywise turn thee; for the hearts of the good may be turned? Iliad 15 203
3 6 3 But as for me, I never doubted of this, but in my heart Odyssey 13 339
3 6 4 Eurymachus, this shall not be so, and thou of thyself too knowest it. Odyssey 21 257
3 6 5 Ah, wretched stranger, thou hast no wit, no, not a trace. Odyssey 21 288
3 6 6 and a part [of the prayer] the Father granted him, and a part denied. Iliad 16 250
4 1 1 Nay, go to thy chamber, and busy thyself with thine own tasks Odyssey 1 356
4 1 2 bear all these things in mind, that thou mayest hereafter tell them to thy wife Odyssey 11 224
4 1 3 else wouldest thou ere this have donned a coat of stone by reason of all the evil thou hast wrought Iliad 3 57
4 1 4 it has been thy dearest prayer to the immortals to see him a bearded man Odyssey 18 176
4 1 5 vow to Apollo, the wolf-born god, famed for his bow Iliad 4 101
4 1 6 nor do wolves and lambs have hearts of concord Iliad 22 263
4 2 1 Nay then, let us yield one to the other herein Iliad 4 62
4 2 2 And amid them Strife and Tumult joined in the fray, and deadly Fate Iliad 18 535
4 2 3 ———
4 2 4 Come, rouse thee for battle, such a one as of old thou declaredst thyself to be. Iliad 4 264
4 2 5 ———
4 2 6 Fool, why bearest thou a bow thus worthless as wind? Iliad 21 474
4 3 1 For even the fair-haired Niobe bethought her of meat Iliad 24 602
4 3 2 after giving him stores of bronze and gold and raiment Odyssey 5 38
4 3 3 So then shall this journey of thine be neither vain nor unfulfilled. Odyssey 2 273
4 3 4 One omen is best, to fight for one’s country. Iliad 12 243
4 3 5 Her will I sacrifice to thee and will overlay her horns with gold. Iliad 10 294
4 3 6 and wouldst win favour and renown in the eyes of all the Trojans Iliad 4 95
4 4 1 in secret and not openly […]; for no longer is there faith in women Odyssey 11 456
4 4 2 It may not be that I should say thee nay, nor were it seemly Iliad 14 212
4 4 3 forthwith bend his mind to follow thy heart and mine Iliad 15 52
4 4 4 and give him counsel, and direct him; and he will obey thee to his profit Iliad 11 789
4 4 5 thou shalt yield glory to me, and thy soul to Hades of the goodly steeds Iliad 5 654
4 4 6 let him then enter in […] and heap up his ship with store of gold and bronze Iliad 9 137
4 5 1 but tell her somewhat, and let somewhat also be hidden Odyssey 11 443
4 5 2 even thus I ween hath Zeus laid upon us even at our birth the heaviness of woe. Iliad 10 71
4 5 3 that he alone should have understanding; but the others flit about as shadows Odyssey 10 495
4 5 4 yielding to his own spirit; and to him thereafter they paid not the gifts Iliad 9 598
4 5 5 Glad am I, son of Laertes, to hear thy words Iliad 19 185
4 5 6 But as for valour, it is Zeus that increaseth it for men or [di]minisheth it Iliad 20 242
4 6 1 dread man; lightly would he blame even one in whom was no blame. Iliad 11 654
4 6 2 with all speed, since now thou mayest take the broad-wayed city Iliad 2 66
4 6 3 Endure, my heart; a worse thing even than this didst thou once endure Odyssey 20 18
4 6 4 Fellow, sit thou still, and hearken to the words of others Iliad 2 200
4 6 5 had cast aside his wrath and had chosen friendliness Iliad 16 282
4 6 6 so good a thing is it that a son be left behind a man at his death Odyssey 3 196
5 1 1 Come, take this veil, and stretch it beneath thy breast. Odyssey 5 346
5 1 2 an unholy thing is it to boast over slain men. Odyssey 22 412
5 1 3 through the immortal night when other mortals are sleeping Iliad 24 363
5 1 4 How should I, then, forget godlike Odysseus Odyssey 1 65
5 1 5 and down over his eyes came dark death and mighty fate Iliad 5 83
5 1 6 So true is it that there is nothing more dread or more shameless than a woman Odyssey 11 427
5 2 1 Let us not go forward to fight with the Danaans for the ships. Iliad 12 216
5 2 2 ye should defend you against a man, when one waxes wroth without a cause Iliad 24 369
5 2 3 nor do his children prattle about his knees Iliad 5 408
5 2 4 At home now in truth am I here before you, my very self. After many grievous toils Odyssey 21 207
5 2 5 Nay, speak not thus; things shall in no wise be any better before Iliad 5 218
5 2 6 abide here the while, eager though he be for war Iliad 19 189
5 3 1 Nor yet do thou, as thou exultest in war and conflict […], lead on Iliad 16 91
5 3 2 never went I up into her bed neither had dalliance with her Iliad 9 133
5 3 3 his [l]ips he wetteth, but his palate he wetteth not Iliad 22 495
5 3 4 Be of good cheer, neither let these things distress thy heart. Iliad 18 463
5 3 5 only this mad dog can I not smite Iliad 8 299
5 3 6 Good friend, abide in silence, and hearken to my word. Iliad 4 412
5 4 1 Ill deeds thrive not. The slow catches the swift Odyssey 8 329
5 4 2 bar the close-fitting doors of their hall Odyssey 21 236
5 4 3 Ah, poor wretch, death verily is not in thy thoughts Iliad 17 201
5 4 4 Odysseus is here, and has come home, late though his coming has been Odyssey 23 7
5 4 5 yet late and at length doth he fulfill them, and with a heavy price Iliad 4 161
5 4 6 and therein is Strife, therein Valour, and therein Onset, that maketh the blood run cold Iliad 5 740
5 5 1 to die of hunger, and so meet one’s doom, is the most pitiful Odyssey 12 342
5 5 2 lie low when I am dead. But now let me win glorious renown Iliad 18 121
5 5 3 Come, rouse thee for battle, such a one as of old thou declaredst thyself to be. Iliad 4 264
5 5 4 I mock thee not, dear child, but in very truth Odyssey 23 26
5 5 5 but stayed Alcmene’s bearing, and held back the Eileithyiae Iliad 19 119
5 5 6 Nay, come, these things will we make good hereafter, if any harsh word hath been spoken now Iliad 4 362
5 6 1 Whither are ye twain hastening? Why is it that the hearts are mad within your breasts? Iliad 8 413
5 6 2 Nay verily, not for him be thy heart overmuch troubled. Odyssey 13 421
5 6 3 But in no wise do the gods grant to men all things at one time. Iliad 4 320
5 6 4 Nay, speak not thus; things shall in no wise be any better before Iliad 5 218
5 6 5 So spake he, but with these words he moved not the mind of Zeus Iliad 12 173
5 6 6 but Odysseus nodded in dissent, and checked him in his eagerness Odyssey 21 129
6 1 1 How art thou fain to go alone to the ships of the Achaeans Iliad 24 203
6 1 2 a bridegroom though he was, and he left only one daughter Odyssey 7 65
6 1 3 And the mist moreover have I taken from thine eyes that afore was upon them Iliad 5 127
6 1 4 and so make trial of [the bow], and end the contest Odyssey 21 180
6 1 5 And I know that by you two alone of all my thralls is my coming desired Odyssey 21 209
6 1 6 I will clothe him in a cloak and tunic, fair raiment Odyssey 16 79
6 2 1 She made fast a noose on high from a lofty beam Odyssey 11 278
6 2 2 rememberest our skill, what feats Odyssey 8 244
6 2 3 cross over the great gulf of the sea, for this the Earth-shaker has granted them Odyssey 7 35
6 2 4 Father, bear the bow onward—soon shalt thou rue giving heed to all— Odyssey 21 369
6 2 5 Nay, rouse thee for battle, and rouse withal the rest of thy people. Iliad 19 139
6 2 6 For not even the mighty Heracles escaped death Iliad 18 117
6 3 1 I am minded to make amends and to give requital past counting. Iliad 9 120
6 3 2 And let him rise up in the midst of the Argives and swear to thee an oath Iliad 19 175
6 3 3 Near by is that man; not long shall we seek him, if so be ye are minded Iliad 14 110
6 3 4 from somewhere thus suddenly, and some god should bring him Odyssey 21 196
6 3 5 Yea, verily, these things have now been brought to pass and are here at hand Iliad 14 53
6 3 6 Nay, have at them with me; the more men the better work. Iliad 12 412
6 4 1 then of a surety have the gods themselves destroyed thy wits. Iliad 7 360
6 4 2 Be of good cheer, and let not death be in thy thoughts. Iliad 10 383
6 4 3 wake from sleep with her long lamentings all her household Iliad 5 413
6 4 4 Only go thou quietly, and I will lead the way. Odyssey 7 30
6 4 5 Verily it is for naught that thou hast ears for hearing, and thine understanding and sense of right are gone from thee. Iliad 15 129
6 4 6 when he himself waxed old; howbeit in the armour of the father the son came not to old age Iliad 17 197
6 5 1 to reach my home, and to see the day of my return Odyssey 5 220
6 5 2 when as yet he had no son, Apollo of the silver bow smote in his hall Odyssey 7 64
6 5 3 then there is hope that thou wilt see thy friends Odyssey 7 76
6 5 4 But to you two will I tell the truth, even as it shall be. Odyssey 21 212
6 5 5 For thus will I speak, and this thing shall truly be brought to pass. Iliad 1 212
6 5 6 and send him whithersoever his heart and spirit bid him go Odyssey 16 81
6 6 1 thou man distraught? Soon by thy swine, alone and apart from men, shall the swift hounds devour thee Odyssey 21 363
6 6 2 Then shouldest thou know what manner of might is mine, and how my hands obey. Odyssey 20 237
6 6 3 it is not that we think the man will lead thee to his home—that were indeed unseemly— Odyssey 21 322
6 6 4 ever gather here, waiting expectantly day after day Odyssey 21 156
6 6 5 give judgments which you have pondered in secret, nor have you ever brought yourself with a ready heart Iliad 1 542
6 6 6 Nay, I bid thee, Dolon, put no thought of escape in thy heart Iliad 10 447