The Battle of Frogs and Mice

A digital edition by George Grimbilas and Phillip Mitsis,
illustrations by David Beck and readings by David Starr.
Text under construction - send comments and observations to
phillip.mitsis@nyu.edu

Arming Scene 1

ταῦτ’ εἰπὼν ἀνέπεισε καθοπλίζεσθαι ἅπαντας.

καὶ τοὺς μέν ῥ’ ἐκόρυσσεν Ἄρης πολέμοιο μεμηλώς·*

κνημῖδας μὲν πρῶτον ἐφήρμοσαν εἶς δύο μηρούς,

ῥήξαντες κυάμους χλωρούς, εὖ δ’ ἀσκήσαντες,

οὕς αὐτοὶ διὰ νυκτὸς ἐπιστάντες κατέτρωξαν.

θώρηκας δ’ εἶχον καλαμοστεφέων ἀπὸ βυρσῶν,

οὓς γαλέην δείραντες ἐπισταμένως ἐποίησαν.

ἀσπὶς δ’ ἦν λύχνου τὸ μεσόμφαλον· ἡ δέ νυ λόγχη

εὐμήκης βελόνη, παγχάλκεον ἔργον Ἄρηος·

ἡ δὲ κόρυς τὸ λέπυρον ἐπὶ κροτάφοις ἐρεβίνθου.

οὕτω μὲν μύες ἦσαν ἔνοπλοι· ὡς δ’ ἐνόησαν

βάτραχοι ἐξανέδυσαν ἀφ’ ὕδατος, ἐς δ’ ἕνα χῶρον

ἐλθόντες βουλὴν ξύναγον πολέμοιο κακοῖο.

122. ἀνέπεισε

3 sg. aor. ind. act., ἀναπείθω [ἀνα, πείθω], ‘to persuade, convince.’

καθοπλίζεσθαι

pres. inf. mid., καθοπλίζω, ‘to arm,’ mid., ‘to arm oneself,’ cf. line 120.

123. ἐκόρυσσεν

3 sg. impf. ind. act., κορύσσω, [κόρυς, ‘helmet’], ‘to furnish with a helmet, equip with weapons, arm.’

Ἄρης

“Ares” is here perhaps metaphorical. As characterological personification (prosopopoeia) it would be the singular instance in the poem, cf. lines 4, 130, 256, 275, 277, 278.

μεμηλώς

masc. sg. nom. pf. act. part., μέλω, ‘to care about, be interested in;’ μεμηλώς, ‘interested in, intent on.’

124. κνημῖδας

κνημίς -ῖδος, ἡ [κνήμη], ‘greave, a piece of armor used to protect the shins.’ Normally greaves are strapped to shins, but given mouse anatomy they cover the thighs as well implying that the mice will fight standing up.

μὲν πρῶτον

Mice Arming Scene. The order of the armor mentioned for both mice and frogs is greaves, chest- armor, shield, spear, helmet. They do not appear to use swords. Cf. Kelly (2006) for the claim that by using this particular order the poet is engaging both with Alexandrian scholarship on Homer, esp. Zenodotus, and with Apollonius of Rhodes (Argon. 3.1225–34). In any case, the careful balance of the two arming scenes is noteworthy, cf. lines 160-67.

ἐφήρμοσαν

3 pl. aor. ind. act., ἐφαρμόζω, ‘fit.’ With ἐφαρμόζω one would expect τί τινι, which has led to various proposed emendations, none of which is particularly convincing. εἰς perhaps suggests “up to their two thighs.”

μηρούς

μηρός -οῦ, ὁ, ‘thighs,’ of animals.

125. ῥήξαντες

masc. pl. nom. aor. act. part., ῥήγνυμι, ‘to break; to tear, rend or split.’

κυάμους

κύαμος -ου, ὁ, ‘bean.’

χλωρούς

χλωρός -ά -όν, ‘yellow-green, pale green, verdant, green.’

ἀσκήσαντες

masc. pl. nom. aor. act. part., ἀσκέω, ‘to work, elaborate (with art).’

126. διὰ νυκτὸς

After the morning assembly, they continue working throughout the night, cf. note 103.

κατέτρωξαν

3 pl. aor. ind. act., κατατρώγω [κατά, τρώγω] ‘to eat up;’ τρώγω, ‘to gnaw on, to nibble at, of animals.’ Cf. note 28.

127. θώρηκας

θώραξ -ακος, ὁ, ‘armor for the chest, breastplate.’

καλαμοστεφέων

καλαμοστεφής -ές [κάλαμος, στέφω], ‘covered with reeds.’

βυρσῶν

βύρσα -ης, ἡ, ‘tanned skin, hide.’ Defensive military gear of wicker and hide was used throughout antiquity for both lightness and strength. βύρσα often refers to leather or tanned skin, but here just refers to the skin of the weasel, the mice’s enemy. Cf. Theocritus Idyll 25 lines 238 and 272 where Heracles skins the Nemean lion and wears its fur, which is impervious to weapons.

128. δείραντες

masc. pl. nom. aor. act. part., δέρω, ‘to flay, skin, remove the skins’ (of animals).

129. ἀσπὶς

ἀσπίς -ίδος, ἡ, ‘shield.’ Cf. lines 163, 225.

λύχνου

λύχνος -ου, ὁ, ‘lamp.’

μεσόμφαλον

μεσόμφαλος -ον [μέσος, ὀμφαλός], subst.‘the central boss or lug,’ of an oil lamp. Cf. line 180, mice are notorious for stealing olive oil from lamps.

λόγχη

λόγχη -ης, ἡ, ‘iron point;’ extens. ‘spear, javelin.’

130. εὐμήκης

εὐμήκης -ες [εὖ, μῆκος], ‘of considerable dimensions, big, high, long.’

βελόνη

βελόνη -ης, ἡ, [βέλος, ‘weapon’], ‘needle, point.’ The needle’s status as a weapon is reflected in the Greek.

παγχάλκεον

ἔργον Ἄρηος: Cf. note 123.

131. κόρυς

κόρυς -υθος, ἡ, ‘helmet,’ cf. note 123.

λέπυρον

λέπυρον -ου, τό, [λέπω, ‘to husk, shell, peel’] hence ‘husk.’

κροτάφοις

κρόταφος -ου, ὁ [κρότος, ‘noise, sound, produced by striking’], ‘temple,’ often thought to be derived from the sound of blood beating in the temples.

ἐρεβίνθου

ἐρέβινθος -ου, ὁ, ‘chickpea.’

132. ἔνοπλοι

ἔνοπλος -ον [ἐν, ὅπλον], ‘armed.’

133. ἐξανέδυσαν

3 pl. aor. ind. act., ἐξαναδύομαι [ἐξ, ἀναδύομαι], ‘to rise, emerge,’ τινος from sthg.

ἐς δ’ ἕνα χῶρον

Both gods and frogs gather to one place without formal summons, unlike the mice,cf. line 198.

134. βουλὴν

βουλὴν . . . πολέμοιο: The narrator, in describing the action of the frogs, anticipates that the council will be about war even though, in the next line, the frogs are still considering the source of the strife.

ξύναγον

poet. 3 pl. impf. ind. act., συνάγω, ‘to assemble, convene,’ with acc., of political and military entities.’

Saying these things, he convinced them all to arm themselves. [122]

And Ares intent on war equipped them;

they first fit greaves to their two thighs,

splitting green beans, and artfully forming them, [125]

which turning to throughout the night they nibbled down.

They had chest-armor of reed-covered hides,

that they made having expertly flayed a weasel.

A shield was the lug of an oil lamp; and indeed the spear

a long needle, the solid bronze work of Ares; [130]

the helmet upon their temples was the husk of a chickpea.

In this way then the mice were armed; but once the frogs perceived this

they rose up from the water, and having come to one place

they gathered together a council of baleful war.

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Lines 122-134