i am sick with norovirus but i miss my blog badly. happy 2025 my club. the blogaversary is coming up soon!
to keep you fulfilled i am going to post some analysis i did on the phrase "dog eyed" in homeric poetry.
i was reminded of this writing by song lyrics i wrote with my friend:
dog eyed runner where do you run
with chaos walking beside you
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These 3 scenes all use the same word: κῠνώπης, derived from κῠ́ων (dog) and ὤψ (eye/face). Literally, it means “dog-eyed” or “dog-faced.” It is always some sort of insult, usually directed at women. Clytemnestra is shameless in killing her husband. Helen is shameless in starting a ten-year war. So it is especially impactful when Achilles calls Agamemnon κῠνώπης.
I wanted to observe the significance of κῠνώπης as it relates to dogs and women. This word seems reserved for the most despicable of women, as Agamemmnon describes Clytemnestra in Book 11. He says there is nothing more κύντερον (translated as “shameless”) than a woman who has this much passion in an act like this, murdering her husband. κύντερον also has origins from κῠ́ων and it literally means “dog-like.” Murray’s translation of the word in the Odyssey reminds us of Priam’s speech in Book 22 of the Iliad; dogs feast upon their masters without a shred of shame. Dogs are seen as shameless beings, living with no regrets of their desecration, only looking for gluttonous gratification without considering others. While Clytemnestra obviously did not consider Agamemnon’s feelings in his murder, how does Helen relate to this?
κῠνώπης is reminiscent of the English phrase “puppy eyes,” used to describe big, soft, vulnerable eyes that could persuade anyone to do anything. I feel like a similar idea is applied to κῠνώπης , but with an emphasis on shameless and selfish seduction, only demonstrated by conniving women.
Clytemnestra is generally known as Ancient Greece’s worst wife, as shown in Book 11 of the Odyssey. This speech is told by Agamemmnon, husband and victim to Clytemnestra. He describes her with utmost hatred, trying to convince Odysseus of her evilness, with imagery of how once she killed him she turned away (νοσφίσατ᾽, οὐδέ μοι ἔτλη). Clytemnestra even refused to shut his eyes, a custom of respect for the dead (Od 4.426). Agamemnon speaks with a bite in his tone, as seen in the alliteration of ‘τ’ in line 428 (ἥ τις δὴ τοιαῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶν ἔργα βάληται), discussing her premeditated action. He emphasizes Clytemnestra’s agency in her deed, her conscious choice to kill her. There is a repetition of ἔργα... ἔργον (Od 11.428–439), accentuating the gravity and deliberateness of her betrayal. He finishes his speech with a bold and generalizing statement: her actions put shame unto all women, even those of the future (Od 4.434-435). He employs the comparative of θῆλυς (female) in line 435, adding to the generality of the statement.
The passage from Book 4 is very revealing of Helen’s character. Here, she is portrayed as self-aware, critically thinking, and having emotional depth. She opens with a rhetorical question to Menelaus (Od 4.138-139), highlighting her perceptiveness as an individual, not needing validation or a response. Her speech flows from one line to another with enjambment (Od 4.144-145), showcasing her spontaneous thought but also depth of feeling. She uses epithets for both her husband Menelaus (Μενέλαε διοτρεφές) and Odysseus (Ὀδυσσῆος μεγαλήτορος), portraying them as divine and heroic to Telemachus, while she is κυνώπιδος (line 145). Overall, her speech is riddled with guilt, as she feels to blame for the loss of Odysseus. Still, Helen displays that she is more than a pawn in a war or a wife.
Finally, Achilles uses κῠνώπης to describe Agamemnon in a heated argument over Briseis, a war bride that Agamemnon took from Achilles. The use of κῠνώπης is most insulting here, as describing a man and his self-gratifying impulses. Achilles’ speech is full of rage and pride. His repetition of negative phrases like οὐ γὰρ πώποτ᾽ (Il 1.154) οὐδὲ μὲν… οὐδέ ποτ᾽ (Il 1.154-55) οὔ τι μετατρέπῃ οὐδ᾽ (Il 1.160) suggest his absolute refusal and feelings of betrayal. He alludes to his past in Phthia with flourishing language (ἐριβώλακι), evoking pathos for his leaving of home just to be cheated by Agamemnon. Adding to the emotional intensity, Achilles uses direct address to Agamemnon (ὦ μέγ᾽ ἀναιδὲς), calling him shameless, and later κῠνώπης as well. κῠνώπης fits perfectly into Achilles’ upset, the ideal insult in this moment of wrath and Agamemnon’s sexually-charged prideful impulses.
