- inasmuch asphraseChapter 1 →
Because; given that. Used here to introduce the reason or justification for a claim, in the formal sense of 'seeing that' or 'since.'
“Let him submit to me! inasmuch as he is the more powerful of the two.”
- ponderingverbChapter 1 →
Thinking deeply and carefully about something troubling or difficult, turning it over in one's mind without reaching a quick answer.
“She found him sitting by his ship and pondering in his heart the great sorrow.”
- counselnounChapter 2 →
Wise advice or guidance given to a group, especially in a military or political crisis; here it means the strategic direction a leader provides to his troops.
“Up then, son of Atreus. Sleep no longer, you who must give counsel to the armies that trust in you.”
- disgracenounChapter 2 →
A person or action that brings shame and dishonor on others; something that causes others to lose respect for a group or cause.
“Surely the rest of us Achaeans are no cowards, but it is you, our commander, who are the disgrace.”
- generationsnounChapter 2 →
Successive waves of living things — people or leaves — that grow, die, and are replaced by the next; used here to stress the brief, replaceable nature of human life.
“As the many generations of leaves, so too the generations of men.”
- unweddedadjectiveChapter 3 →
Never having married; dying before taking a spouse. Used as a curse-wish, meaning it would have been better if the person had died young and alone.
“I wish you had never been born, or had died unwedded.”
- strifenounChapter 4 →
Bitter conflict, quarreling, or fighting between people or groups; here it refers specifically to the violent discord that drives enemies to war.
“Father Zeus, which of the gods was it who put this strife and contention between us, and roused us to fight each other in open war?”
- contentionnounChapter 4 →
Heated disagreement or rivalry that leads to open conflict; closely paired with 'strife' to emphasize the depth of the enmity between the two sides.
“Father Zeus, which of the gods was it who put this strife and contention between us, and roused us to fight each other in open war?”
- aristeianounChapter 5 →
A hero's extended moment of peak battlefield dominance, during which he defeats enemy after enemy almost unstoppably; a recognized episode type in ancient epic poetry.
- excelverbChapter 5 →
To surpass all others in skill or achievement; here it means to outperform every other Greek warrior on the battlefield on a given day.
“Then Pallas Athena put strength into the son of Tydeus, Diomedes, so that he should excel all the Argives and win glory.”
- rampartnounChapter 6 →
A broad defensive wall or raised embankment built around a city or camp to protect those inside from enemy attack.
“Please take pity upon me then, stay here on the rampart, that you may not leave your child an orphan.”
- bosomnounChapter 6 →
The chest or breast, especially as a place of warmth and comfort where a mother holds a child close.
“She took him to her fragrant bosom, laughing in her tears.”
- trucenounChapter 7 →
A formal, agreed-upon pause in fighting between two sides, during which neither is supposed to attack the other.
“So let us make a truce, and let them fight it out alone, and whichever wins, let him be called the victor truly.”
- rivalrynounChapter 7 →
Intense competition between two opponents, each striving to outdo or defeat the other; here it describes the fierce but honorable contest between two warriors.
“these two fought in heart-devouring rivalry, yet parted in friendship.”
- scalesnounChapter 8 →
A balance with two pans used for weighing; here Zeus's golden scales literally weigh the fates of men to determine who will live or die in battle.
“Then Zeus held out his golden scales, and in them he placed two fates of death that lays men low.”
- citadelnounChapter 9 →
A strongly fortified stronghold or fortress, usually at the heart of a city, serving as its last line of defense.
“all the possessions they fable were won for Ilios, that well-built citadel, in the old days when there was peace.”
- lyrenounChapter 9 →
A small, U-shaped stringed instrument of ancient Greece, plucked by hand and used to accompany singing or poetry.
“He was pleasuring his heart with a clear-sounding lyre... and he was singing of men's fame.”
- ransomnounChapter 10 →
A payment of goods or money offered to an enemy in exchange for the release of a captive person or the return of a body.
“He begged hard for his life: 'Take me alive; I will pay you a ransom... my father is rich, and will give gold and bronze and wrought iron.'”
- wroughtadjectiveChapter 10 →
Shaped or worked by hammering or crafting, especially metal; 'wrought iron' means iron that has been beaten and formed by a smith rather than cast.
“my father is rich, and will give gold and bronze and wrought iron.”
- fleetadjectiveChapter 10 →
Extremely fast; swift in movement. Used here to describe horses that can run as quickly as the wind.
“they are whiter than snow and fleet as the wind.”
- corseletnounChapter 11 →
A piece of armor covering the torso, essentially a breastplate and backplate joined together, worn by warriors in battle.
- foremostadjectiveChapter 12 →
At the very front of the fighting; in the most dangerous and prominent position in battle, where the bravest warriors stand.
“If you and I could escape this battle and live forever, ageless and immortal, I myself would never fight among the foremost.”
- agelessadjectiveChapter 12 →
Never growing old; free from the effects of aging. Used here as part of a paired ideal — living forever without the body's decay — that heroes can never actually achieve.
“If you and I could escape this battle and live forever, ageless and immortal, I myself would never fight among the foremost.”
- immortaladjectiveChapter 12 →
Unable to die; living forever. In the Iliad, this quality belongs to the gods and is precisely what mortal heroes lack, making their courage in battle all the more meaningful.
“If you and I could escape this battle and live forever, ageless and immortal, I myself would never fight among the foremost.”
- seernounChapter 13 →
A prophet who claims to receive divine knowledge of the future or the will of the gods, and who interprets signs and omens for others.
- overwhelmedverbChapter 14 →
Completely overpowered or swept away by a force or feeling too strong to resist; here used of desire or grief that overtakes a person entirely.
“Never has such desire for goddess or woman ever flooded my heart and overwhelmed me so.”
- desecrationnounChapter 24 →
The act of treating something sacred or honored with violent disrespect; here it refers to the abuse of a dead body that should be treated with dignity.
The IliadNovel by Homer