ὑλακόμωρος - "delighting in the bark"
Motivations:
As I decided upon this topic in a rather circuitous way, I thought to state a few of my reasons for investigating words denoting barking in Homer. The first is of course, my great love for dogs and interest in how they were perceived in antiquity. The second stems from a passage in book I of Boethius’ De Consolatione where Boethius states that he “barked out in grief.” [1] I found this reference strikingly similar to the barking that resounds from Odysseus’ heart when he sees the maidservants consorting with the suitors. Given that Homeric references in Greek are present throughout the work (indeed, the Iliad is quoted only a couple sentences later), I really wanted to investigate the roots of this Homeric phrase. Finally, I am also quite interested in the use and meaning of sound in epic poetry as a genre; exploring the use and possible significance of the Homeric bark provided an opportunity to combine previous study of sound in epic with an intriguing metaphorical phrase.
Findings:
I decided to search the Homeric epics for all forms of ὑλάω as well as related words stemming from the root ὑλακ-. This search resulted in ten instances - four uses [2] of the verb ὑλάω and three uses [3] of ὑλακτέω (both meaning “to bark”), two uses [4] of ὑλακόμωρος (“delighting in the bark”), and one use [5] of ὑλαγμός (“the sound of barking”). I then explored the context of each example, and divided them into categories. Based on my search, the primary significance of barking in both epics is recognition and identification; I will discuss this connection in more detail using the examples below.
Barking in Simile/Art (Iliad 18.586, 21.575; Odyssey 20.13, 20.15, 20.16):
The Iliad 21 passage describes Agenor’s unwillingness to run away before he challenges Achilles. In this passage, Agenor is likened to a panther that does not flee its pursuers, but rather faces the men hunting it. Even though the panther hears the sound of barking (i.e. the sound of hunting dogs), even when it has been pierced by a spear, it neither fears nor relinquishes its anger. This description includes the predator/prey motif that is featured very often in the Iliad. Yet the dogs here are in the company of humans hunting the panther - they identify the location of the animal, but it is ultimately wounded by a spear, not by their teeth. The passage in Iliad 18 comes from the description of Achilles’ shield: two lions have seized a bull from the pastoral scene and have begun to tear it open. The herdsmen urge the dogs to attack the lion, but they only stand nearby, barking at it. This is a more complicated image of barking that doesn’t quite fit the recognition pattern that I see in the rest of the scenes. However, one could argue that the dogs again are simply identifying the presence of the enemy; the herdsmen should take up arms and defeat it themselves.
The Odyssey simile occurs in the context of Odysseus viewing the traitorous maidservants who leave their assigned section of the house to sleep with the suitors. The image helps to explain the nature of Odysseus’ soul-barking - as a mother barks at a strange man approaching her little puppies and stands ready to fight, thus does Odysseus bark within himself at the maidservants’ evil deeds. Perhaps the primary overtone to this instance of barking is that of protection and warning: the dog barks at a stranger, because he may be approaching to harm her puppies. The mother’s bark here serves as a warning that, should the man continue, he should expect a vicious attack. Obviously, the simile implies that Odysseus’ heart yearns to protect his family, but it is interesting to consider his desire to publicly announce (i.e. “call out”) the treachery of the maidservants and herald the revenge he has planned for them. Unlike other instances of barking in the Odyssey, Odysseus’ heart does not bark because the maidservants are unknown to him (and thus have potentially dangerous motivations), but he barks because their evil deeds are actually manifest.
Barking (& Not Barking) in Real Life (Odyssey 14.29, 16.4, 16.5, 16.9, 16.162)
In the beginning of Odyssey 14, Odysseus approaches the hut of Eumaeus only to be jumped by his dogs “who delight in the bark” (ὑλακόμωροι). This is an epithet only used for Eumaeus’ dogs; it always appears at the end of the line. I would speculate that this epithet is chosen to illustrate that these are fine watchdogs, hounds that are loyal to their owners and suspicious of all unknown people (as they are potentially harmful). The scene of Odysseus being taken to be a stranger on his own farmland is poignant; it also serves as an apt mirror for the aged Argos’ quiet recognition of his master.
The use of ὑλακόμωροι at 16.4 is striking: here Telemachus approaches and in a lovely enjambed line we are told that “the dogs delighting in the bark / did not bark.” This playful description highlights the fact that the dogs know Telemachus well and thus do not feel he should be announced as a threat. Odysseus correctly identifies this as the reason for their silence and fawning behavior in 16.9. I find that this passage negates any thought that the epithet ὑλακόμωροι is merely a convenient way to end a line. In this passage (and, I would argue, the earlier one), the epithet clearly highlights the duty of the dogs and the significance of their “not-barking.”
The last example of barking is actually another instance of “not-barking” - the dogs in Odyssey 16.162 see Athena (who takes the guise of a woman), but do not bark at her. Instead, they retreat to the other side of the farmhouse, whimpering. This is an interesting scene in the context of the other barking/non-barking examples. Here Athena is seen, but it’s not clear whether the dogs actually regard her as known or unknown (and thus potentially dangerous). The text states explicitly that they do not bark - and one might assume that the dogs must know her as unthreatening or at least recognize her. However, the whimpering and retreat is quite different than the fawning, tail-wagging reception that Telemachus receives. I am curious as to whether the presence of gods in disguise disturbs other animals in Greek epic (or culture as a whole).
This is just a brief examination the purposes of barking in Homer, but I’m quite intrigued by a couple of the examples. If you have any recommendations on scholarship to read regarding this issue, I’d be quite grateful. Admittedly, I don’t know how well this has already been treated.
[1] dolore delatravi. Boethius, De Consolatione 1.5 (prosa).
[2] Odyssey 16.5, 16.9, 16.162, 20.15.
[3] Iliad 18.586; Odyssey 20.13, 20.16.
[4] Odyssey 14.29, 16.4.
[5] Iliad 21.575.
As I decided upon this topic in a rather circuitous way, I thought to state a few of my reasons for investigating words denoting barking in Homer. The first is of course, my great love for dogs and interest in how they were perceived in antiquity. The second stems from a passage in book I of Boethius’ De Consolatione where Boethius states that he “barked out in grief.” [1] I found this reference strikingly similar to the barking that resounds from Odysseus’ heart when he sees the maidservants consorting with the suitors. Given that Homeric references in Greek are present throughout the work (indeed, the Iliad is quoted only a couple sentences later), I really wanted to investigate the roots of this Homeric phrase. Finally, I am also quite interested in the use and meaning of sound in epic poetry as a genre; exploring the use and possible significance of the Homeric bark provided an opportunity to combine previous study of sound in epic with an intriguing metaphorical phrase.
Findings:
I decided to search the Homeric epics for all forms of ὑλάω as well as related words stemming from the root ὑλακ-. This search resulted in ten instances - four uses [2] of the verb ὑλάω and three uses [3] of ὑλακτέω (both meaning “to bark”), two uses [4] of ὑλακόμωρος (“delighting in the bark”), and one use [5] of ὑλαγμός (“the sound of barking”). I then explored the context of each example, and divided them into categories. Based on my search, the primary significance of barking in both epics is recognition and identification; I will discuss this connection in more detail using the examples below.
Barking in Simile/Art (Iliad 18.586, 21.575; Odyssey 20.13, 20.15, 20.16):
The Iliad 21 passage describes Agenor’s unwillingness to run away before he challenges Achilles. In this passage, Agenor is likened to a panther that does not flee its pursuers, but rather faces the men hunting it. Even though the panther hears the sound of barking (i.e. the sound of hunting dogs), even when it has been pierced by a spear, it neither fears nor relinquishes its anger. This description includes the predator/prey motif that is featured very often in the Iliad. Yet the dogs here are in the company of humans hunting the panther - they identify the location of the animal, but it is ultimately wounded by a spear, not by their teeth. The passage in Iliad 18 comes from the description of Achilles’ shield: two lions have seized a bull from the pastoral scene and have begun to tear it open. The herdsmen urge the dogs to attack the lion, but they only stand nearby, barking at it. This is a more complicated image of barking that doesn’t quite fit the recognition pattern that I see in the rest of the scenes. However, one could argue that the dogs again are simply identifying the presence of the enemy; the herdsmen should take up arms and defeat it themselves.
The Odyssey simile occurs in the context of Odysseus viewing the traitorous maidservants who leave their assigned section of the house to sleep with the suitors. The image helps to explain the nature of Odysseus’ soul-barking - as a mother barks at a strange man approaching her little puppies and stands ready to fight, thus does Odysseus bark within himself at the maidservants’ evil deeds. Perhaps the primary overtone to this instance of barking is that of protection and warning: the dog barks at a stranger, because he may be approaching to harm her puppies. The mother’s bark here serves as a warning that, should the man continue, he should expect a vicious attack. Obviously, the simile implies that Odysseus’ heart yearns to protect his family, but it is interesting to consider his desire to publicly announce (i.e. “call out”) the treachery of the maidservants and herald the revenge he has planned for them. Unlike other instances of barking in the Odyssey, Odysseus’ heart does not bark because the maidservants are unknown to him (and thus have potentially dangerous motivations), but he barks because their evil deeds are actually manifest.
Barking (& Not Barking) in Real Life (Odyssey 14.29, 16.4, 16.5, 16.9, 16.162)
In the beginning of Odyssey 14, Odysseus approaches the hut of Eumaeus only to be jumped by his dogs “who delight in the bark” (ὑλακόμωροι). This is an epithet only used for Eumaeus’ dogs; it always appears at the end of the line. I would speculate that this epithet is chosen to illustrate that these are fine watchdogs, hounds that are loyal to their owners and suspicious of all unknown people (as they are potentially harmful). The scene of Odysseus being taken to be a stranger on his own farmland is poignant; it also serves as an apt mirror for the aged Argos’ quiet recognition of his master.
The use of ὑλακόμωροι at 16.4 is striking: here Telemachus approaches and in a lovely enjambed line we are told that “the dogs delighting in the bark / did not bark.” This playful description highlights the fact that the dogs know Telemachus well and thus do not feel he should be announced as a threat. Odysseus correctly identifies this as the reason for their silence and fawning behavior in 16.9. I find that this passage negates any thought that the epithet ὑλακόμωροι is merely a convenient way to end a line. In this passage (and, I would argue, the earlier one), the epithet clearly highlights the duty of the dogs and the significance of their “not-barking.”
The last example of barking is actually another instance of “not-barking” - the dogs in Odyssey 16.162 see Athena (who takes the guise of a woman), but do not bark at her. Instead, they retreat to the other side of the farmhouse, whimpering. This is an interesting scene in the context of the other barking/non-barking examples. Here Athena is seen, but it’s not clear whether the dogs actually regard her as known or unknown (and thus potentially dangerous). The text states explicitly that they do not bark - and one might assume that the dogs must know her as unthreatening or at least recognize her. However, the whimpering and retreat is quite different than the fawning, tail-wagging reception that Telemachus receives. I am curious as to whether the presence of gods in disguise disturbs other animals in Greek epic (or culture as a whole).
This is just a brief examination the purposes of barking in Homer, but I’m quite intrigued by a couple of the examples. If you have any recommendations on scholarship to read regarding this issue, I’d be quite grateful. Admittedly, I don’t know how well this has already been treated.
[1] dolore delatravi. Boethius, De Consolatione 1.5 (prosa).
[2] Odyssey 16.5, 16.9, 16.162, 20.15.
[3] Iliad 18.586; Odyssey 20.13, 20.16.
[4] Odyssey 14.29, 16.4.
[5] Iliad 21.575.