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

Intro and Puff-Jaw’s Speech

μῦς ποτε διψαλέος γαλέης κίνδυνον ἀλύξας,

πλησίον ἐν λίμνῃ λίχνον προσέθηκε γένειον,*

ὕδατι τερπόμενος μελιηδέϊ· τὸν δὲ κατεῖδε

λιμνόχαρις* πολύφημος,* ἔπος δ’ ἐφθέγξατο τοῖον·

"ξεῖνε, τίς εἶ; πόθεν ἦλθες ἐπ’ ἠϊόνας; τίς ὁ φύσας;

πάντα δ’ ἀλήθευσον, μὴ ψευδόμενόν σε νοήσω.

εἰ γάρ σε γνοίην φίλον ἄξιον ἐς δόμον ἄξω·

δῶρα δέ τοι δώσω ξεινήϊα πολλὰ καὶ ἐσθλά

εἰμὶ δ’ ἐγὼ βασιλεὺς Φυσίγναθος , ὃς κατὰ λίμνην

τιμῶμαι βατράχων ἡγούμενος ἤματα πάντα·

καί με πατὴρ Πηλεὺς ἀνεθρέψατο , Ὑδρομεδούσῃ

μιχθεὶς ἐν φιλότητι παρ’ ὄχθαις * Ἠριδανοῖο .

καὶ σὲ δ’ ὁρῶ καλόν τε καὶ ἄλκιμον ἔξοχον ἄλλων,

σκηπτοῦχον βασιλῆα καὶ ἐν πολέμοισι μαχητὴν

ἔμμεναι· ἀλλ’ ἄγε θᾶσσον ἑὴν γενεὴν ἀγόρευε.”*

9. μῦς

The mouse remains unnamed until line 24, while the frog first reveals his name in line 17 in the account of his heritage. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is not named in the proem, though he is the protagonist of the poem. Cf. Pucci (1982)

ποτε

indef. encl. adv., ‘once in the past, one time, already.’

διψαλέος

διψαλέος -α, -ον [δίψα], ‘thirsty.’

γαλέης

γαλέη -έης, ἡ, ‘weasel, marten, polecat.’

ἀλύξας

masc. sg. nom. aor. act. part., ἀλύσκω, ‘to flee, escape,’ with acc.

10. πλησίον

πλησίον ἐν λίμνῃ λίχνον: The line begins with onomatopoeic liquids. πλησίος -α -ον, neut. adj. as adv., ‘nearby, beside, close by.’

λίμνῃ

λίμνη -ης, ἡ, ‘marsh, lake, pond, sea.’ The word has a wide range of meanings. Judging from the various contexts throughout the poem, “pond” seems to be the best.

λίχνον

λίχνος -η -ον, [λείχω, ‘to lick, lap.’], ‘gluttonous, greedy, fig. avid, yearning.’ Compare the English ‘lickerish.’ Licking is characteristic of mice and an element in many mice names, cf. lines 29, 100, 202, 230.

γένειον

γένειον -ου, τό, ‘a chin,’ covered with a beard. Strictly speaking, only humans have chins, though Greek beliefs about this contemporary commonplace are unclear. One recurring interpretive question is the extent to which the animals are anthropomorphized. “Muzzle” has no direct support in the Greek.

11. τερπόμενος

masc. sg. nom. pres. mid. part., τέρπω, ‘to delight;’ mid. with dat., ‘to be pleased with, delight in.’

μελιηδέϊ

μελιηδής -ές [μέλι, ἡδύς] ‘sweet as honey.’ In Greek, freshwater is γλυκύς, ‘sweet,’ cf. Hdt. 4.52.2, which also suggests, perhaps, a pond.

12. λιμνόχαρις

λιμνόχαρις -ιτος, ὁ, [λίμνη, χάρις], ‘pond grace.’ The manuscripts confront the reader with important ambiguities about the narrative presentation of the frog between a noble, famous king, and a pond-loving loud-mouth. See textual notes.

πολύφημος

πολύφημος -ον, ‘abounding in songs and legends; many-voiced, wordy; famous.’ The word presents an interesting ambiguity between ‘wordy’ and ‘famous,’ that carries over to the frog’s upcoming speech in which he proclaims his fame. We soon find in line 17 that the frog’s name is Φυσίγναθος which suggests loquacity, and perhaps arrogance, rather than fame.

ἔπος

ἔπος -εος, -ους, τό, ‘word, what is said; extens. verse (of poetry, usu. epic poetry).’ Perhaps a tongue-in-cheek indication that Puff-Jaw is speaking in verse or even hexameter verse.

ἐφθέγξατο

3 sg. aor. ind. mid., φθέγγομαι, onomat., ‘to emit a sound or voice, shout,’ commonly for animal sounds, here with ἔπος.

13. ξεῖνε

voc. ξένος -η -ον, usu. subst., ‘stranger, foreigner.’ Konstan (2022) argues that ξένος solely means ‘stranger’ as opposed to ‘guest-friend.’ Cf. note 16, ξεινηϊα.

ἠϊόνας

ἠϊών -όνος, ἡ, ‘shore.’ Often plural for singular.

φύσας

masc. sg. nom. aor. act. part., φύω, ‘to produce, generate, cause to be born, esp. ὁ φύσας, the father.’ Elevated tragic language, cf. Soph. OT 1019. There is an amusing element of grandiloquence in this series of questions. There is also a common pun φυσάω ≈ φύω which the poet may or may not be activating here. Considering the more ‘philosophical’ character of frogs, the author might have a latent joke about their interest in natural philosophy/natant puffery.

14. νοήσω

νοέω [νόος], ‘to perceive with the senses, see, notice, become aware of.’ Although this is identical to the form for the first person future indicative (which is rare), it is more plausibly taken as an aorist subjunctive. There is a question whether this demand for truthfulness is rude or merely playful banter.

15. εἰ γάρ

. . . : a mixed conditional, with εἰ + optative in the protasis and a future indicative in the apodosis: ‘if he should think, he actually will carry,’ which makes the apodosis more vivid. The protasis can also be rendered “were to.”

γνοίην

1 sg. aor. opt. act., γιγνώσκω, ‘to form an opinion, believe, think.’

ἄξιον

. . . ἄξω: alliteration. ἄγω is used of ships transporting cargo, cf. line 78. Beekes suggests a possible etymological connection between ἄξιος and ἄγω in the sense of ‘to weigh.’ Perhaps there is a sense of assessing the weight of the cargo before transporting it. Here, ἄξιον clearly modifies φίλον rather than δόμον.

δόμον

δόμος -ου, ὁ, ‘house, temple, abode of animals.

16. δῶρα δέ τοι δώσω

figura etymologica, cf. lines 103-4.

ξεινήϊα

ξεινήϊος -ον; subst. τὸ ξεινήϊον, ‘gift for a stranger.’ A derivative from ξεῖνος. “ξεινήϊα” is typically used in Homer as a substantive and thus here could also be used as object of the verb with δῶρα in apposition (‘as gifts’). Cf. Odyssey 24.273. Gifts and hospitality are given to those strangers thought to be protected by Zeus and to persons in recognition of shared nobility, cf. line 21.

πολλὰ καὶ ἐσθλά

A common hendiadys in Homer.

17. εἰμὶ δ’

δέ = γάρ, explicative.

Φυσίγναθος

Φυσίγναθος -ου, ὁ, ‘Puff-Jaw,’ [φυσάω, γνάθος], φυσάω, ‘to blow, puff; abs. to be proud, arrogant;’ γνάθος -ου, ἡ, ‘jaw, cheek.’ The vocal sac underneath a male frog’s jaw is especially prominent.

18. ἡγούμενος

masc. sg. nom. pres. mid. part., ἡγέομαι, ‘to rule, have dominion,’ +gen, over s.o. or sthg.

19 .Πηλεὺς

Πηλεύς -έως, ὁ, ‘Peleus,’ male name. Perhaps alludes to the name of Achilles’ father who appropriately saw out his days living with Thetis under water; also assumed to humorously play on πηλός -οῦ, ὁ, ‘mud, mire, muck.’ Given the descriptive and fanciful quality of the rest of frog and mouse names, “Peleus” stands out for its incongruity. Many translators reverse the effect by making the connection to mud explicit (“Muddy”, “Mudman”, “Quagmire” etc.), thus eliminating the name’s primary denotation and initial effect.

ἀνεθρέψατο

3 sg. aor. ind. mid., ἀνατρέφω [ἀνα, τρέφω], mid. = act., ‘to make grow by nourishing, raise.’

Ὑδρομεδούσῃ

Ὑδρομέδουσα -ης, ἡ, ‘Water-Reign,’ [ὕδωρ, μέδω], ὕδωρ, τό, ‘water;’ μέδω, ‘to rule, reign.’ Achilles’ mother, the sea goddess Thetis, and her sister, Ποντομέδουσα (Apollodorus 1.2.7), also have a connection to water. For the sake of a pun not in the Greek, our translation takes liberties with the order of the word elements.

20. μιχθεὶς ἐν φιλότητι

μιχθεὶς is aor. pass. pple. of μίγνυμι, 'to mix or mingle'. The phrase altogether means ‘mingling in love.’ Animals “mingle” but not typically in φιλότης (friendship or affection), cf. Konstan (2012), which again raises the question of anthropomorphism. Puff-Jaw’s reference to the details of his own conception, however, may strike one as insufficiently discreet as a mode of royal introduction.

ὄχθαις

ὄχθη -ης, ἡ, ‘bank, shore.’

Ἠριδανοῖο

Ἠριδανός -οῖο, ὁ, ‘Eridanos.’ This is the only indication of a location for the poem. In the first instance, Eridanos is the son of Tethys and Okeanos (Hesiod, Th. 338) and provides a generalized mythological setting. Bliquez (1977) sees an additional reference to the Eridanos, a small river in Athens, and a further wink to an Athenian audience. This, however, postulates a specific Athenian audience and occasion for the performance of the poem—a view not accepted by most scholars. In Eur. Hipp. 737, Eridanos is the river Po, in Italy. Of course, it may just be a learned flippant allusion.

21. δέ

adversative

ἄλκιμον

ἄλκιμος -ον [ἀλκί], ‘strong, mighty, robust, courageous.’ Only occurrence in the poem.

ἔξοχον

ἔξοχος -ον [ἐξέχω], ‘prominent, standing out.’ neut. adv., ‘far and away, in an extraordinary way;’ with gen., ‘more than, beyond all the rest.’ After boasting of his own noble lineage in 17-21, Puff- Jaw then declares to the unfamiliar mouse that he appears καλόν τε καὶ ἄλκιμον ἔξοχον ἄλλων, “noble and mighty beyond all the rest.” Depending on how one views Puff-Jaw, this could also be taken as deceptive flattery or merely bolstering the mouse’s importance to magnify his own. ἔξοχον ἄλλων is also employed in Homer, interestingly enough in the context of Achilles’ birth by Thetis); see Il. 18.55-56: ... τέκον υὶὸν ἀμύμονά τε κρατερόν τε, | ἔξοχον ἄλλων

22. σκηπτοῦχον

σκηπτοῦχον βασιλῆα . . . μαχητὴν: σκηπτοῦχος -ου, ὁ, ‘scepter-bearing;’ μαχητής -οῦ, ὁ, ‘warrior, fighter.’ An extravagant pairing in keeping with Puff-Jaw’s grandiloquence. In Homer, however, kings are formulaically ‘scepter-bearing.’ Much in the way that Achilles may be ‘swift- footed’ even at rest, so, perhaps, in this poem may a king be ‘scepter-bearing’ although he carries no staff at a given moment.

23. θᾶσσον

ταχύς -εῖα -ύ, ‘quick,’ compar. θάσσων, θᾶσσον, neut. adj. as adv., ‘quickly.’ May have a sense of, “but come, be quick about it.”

γενεὴν

γενεά -ᾶς, ἡ, ‘race, generation, lineage.’

A mouse, once, thirsty after having escaped the peril of a weasel,

poked his greedy muzzle into a pond close by, [10]

delighting in honey-sweet water; a loquacious

pond grace observed him, and shouted out words to this effect:

“Stranger, who are you? From where did you come to these shores?

Who is your sire?

Tell everything truly, that I not perceive you lying.

For should I think you a worthy friend, I will carry you to my abode; [15]

and I will give you many good hospitable gifts.

I am King Puff-Jaw, who throughout the pond

am honored ruling frogs day upon day;

and Peleus my father raised me, having mingled in love

with Reign-Water by the banks of the Eridanos. [20]

And you too I see are noble and mighty beyond all the rest,

a sceptered king and a fighter in wars;

but come, quickly declare your lineage.”

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Lines 9-23