In this series inviting exploration of the Core Vocabulary terms from The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours we look at the word kosmos [κόσμος] which is glossed as ‘arrangement, order, law and order, the social order, the universal order; cosmic order, orderliness of costume, hairdo; orderliness of group or society, of cosmos, of song; ritual adornments’. There is also a related verb, kosmeîn [κοσμεῖν]. How does the arrangement of… Read more
This month I've chosen as our Core Vocab word menos [μένος ] ‘power, life-force, activation’ (divinely infused into cosmic forces, like fire and wind, or into heroes); a partial synonym of thūmos; a partial synonym of mēnis'. Which gods activate which heroes, and why? What examples are there of other types of cosmic forces, and in which contexts is a hero's menos brought into use? Here are some examples—let's see… Read more
The Core Vocab word for this month, taken from those terms listed in Gregory Nagy's The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours, is oikos [οἶκος] ‘house, dwelling, abode; resting place of cult hero; family line’; verb oikeîn [οἰκεῖν] ‘have a dwelling’. This post includes a selection of passages exemplifying the everyday and sacred uses of the word, and pictures of grave monuments and tombs to illustrate imagery and locations associated… Read more
"Be philos to the one who is philos to you, and seek the company of those who seek yours." This month I have chosen for a Core Vocab exploration terms that we hold close to our hearts: "philos ‘friend’ (noun); ‘dear, near-and-dear, belonging to self’ (adjective); philotēs or philiā ‘the state of being philos’... It is a term of endearment, an emotional term." Read more
"When two men are together, one of them may see some opportunity [kerdos] which the other has not caught sight of; if a man is alone he is less full of resource, and his thinking [noos] is weaker." This month's Core Vocab word—from Gregory Nagy's book The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours—is kerdos [κέρδος], plural kerdea [κέρδεα] which he glosses as ‘gain, profit; desire for gain; craft employed for… Read more
