μῦθος

μῦθος, ὁ,

• word, speech, freq. in Hom. and other Poets, in sg. and pl., ἔπος καὶ μῦθος Od. 11.561; opp. ἔργον, μύθων τε ῥητῆρʼ ἔμεναι πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων Il. 9.443, cf. 19.242; esp. mere word, μύθοισιν, opp. ἔγχεϊ, 18.252; ἔργῳ κοὐκέτι μύθῳ A. Pr. 1080 (anap.), etc.:—in special relations:
• • • 2 public speech, μ. ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει Od. 1.358; μύθοισιν σκολιοῖς Hes. Op. 194; μύθου ἐπισχεσίη the submission of a plea, Od. 21.71; πρὶν ἂν ἀμφοῖν μ. ἀκούσῃς, οὐκ ἂν δικάσαις Ar. V. 725; μύθοισι κεκάσθαι to be skilled in speech, Od. 7.157.
    • 3 conversation, mostly in pl., 4.214, 239, etc.
    • 4 thing said, fact, matter, μῦθον δέ τοι οὐκ ἐπικεύσω ib. 744; τὸν ὄντα μ. E. El. 346; threat, command, ἠπείλησεν μῦθον Il. 1.388, cf. 25, 16.83; charge, mission, 9.625; counsel, advice, 7.358.
    • 5 thing thought, unspoken word, purpose, design, 1.545 (pl.); μύθων οὓς μνηστῆρες ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον Od. 4.676, cf. 777; ἔχετʼ ἐν φρεσὶ μῦθον 15.445; ἔχε σιγῇ μ., ἐπίτρεψον δὲ θεοῖσι 19.502, cf. 11.442; matter, θεοῖσι μῦθον ἐπιτρέψαι 22.289; μῦθον μυθείσθην, τοῦ εἵνεκα λαὸν ἄγειραν the reason why . ., 3.140.
    • 6 saying, κατὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον μ. Pl. Epin. 980a; οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ μ. ἀλλʼ . . E. Fr. 484, cf. Pl. Smp. 177a, Call. Lav.Pall. 56, Ph. 1.601, Plu. QConv. 2.661a; saw, proverb, τριγέρων μ. τάδε φωνεῖ A. Ch. 314 (anap.).
    • 7 talk of men, rumour, ἀγγελίαν . . τὰν ὁ μέγας μ. ἀέξει S. Aj. 226 (lyr.), cf. 188 (lyr., pl.), E. IA 72; report, message, S. Tr. 67 (pl.), E. Ion 1340.
  • II tale, story, narrative, Od. 3.94, 4.324, S. Ant. 11, etc.: in Hom. like the later λόγος, without distinction of true or false, μ. παιδός of or about him, Od. 11.492: so in Trag., ἀκούσει μῦθον ἐν βραχεῖ λόγῳ (χρόνῳ cod. M.) A. Pers. 713; μύθων τῶν Λιβυστικῶν Id. Fr. 139.1: in Prose, τὸν εἰκότα μ. the likely story, likelihood, Pl. Ti. 29d: prov., μ. ἀπώλετο, either of a story which never comes to an end, or of one told to those who do not listen, Cratin. 59, Crates Com. 21, Pl. Tht. 164d, cf. R. 621b, Lg. 645b, Phlb. 14a; μ. ἐσώθη ‘thatʼs the end of the story’, Phot.
  • • 2 fiction (opp. λόγος, historic truth), Pi. O. 1.29 (pl.), N. 7.23 (pl.), Pl. Phd. 61b, Prt. 320c, 324d, etc.
    • 3 generally, fiction, μ. ἴδιοι Phld. Po. 5.5; legend, myth, Hdt. 2.45, Pl. R. 330d, Lg. 636c, etc.; ὁ περὶ θεῶν μ. Epicur. Ep. 3p.65U.; τοὺς μ. τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους γέγραφεν SIG 382.7 (Delos, iii B.C.).
    • 4 professed work of fiction, childrenʼs story, fable, Pl. R. 377a; of Aesopʼs fables, Arist. Mete. 356b11.
    • 5 plot of a comedy or tragedy, Id. Po. 1449b5, 1450a4, 1451a16.
  • III = στάσις, Panyas. in Coll.Alex. p.249, v.l. in Batr. 135; cf. μυθιήτης.

μῦθος, ὁ, Wort, Rede ; sehr häufig bei Hom.; ποῖον τὸν μῦθον ἔειπες, was sprachst du da für ein Wort, Il. 4.25, öfter ; πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε, c. acc., zu Einem ein Wort sagen, zu ihm sprechen, sehr geläufige Verbindung, wie μύθων ἦρχε, er fing an zu sprechen, sowohl von einer öffentlichen Rede in der Volksversammlung, Od. 1.358, Hes. O. 196, als von einem Gespräche, einer Unterhaltung zwischen Mehreren, Od. 4.214, 239, 11.379 u. sonst ; μῦθον ἀκούειν, ein Wort, eine Rede, das Gesagte hören ; ἔπος καὶ μῦθος verbunden, Od. 11.561 ; ἑκάστου μῦθον ἄκουεν, hörte eines Jeden Rede, 20.389 ; μῦθος παιδός, die Erzählung vom Sohne, die von ihm handelt, ihn betrifft, 11.492. Oft bestimmter, Auftrag, Geheiß, besonders ἐπὶ μῦθον ἔτελλεν ; Versprechen, ἅλιον τὸν μῦθον ὑπέστημεν Μενελάῳ, Il. 5.715 ; Rat, wie ἅδε δʼ Ἕκτορι μῦθος ἀπήμων 12.80, u. sonst ; Beschluß, Anschlag, οὐδʼ ἄρα Πηνελόπεια … ἦεν ἄπυστος μύθων, οὓς μνηστῆρες ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον, Od. 4.675 ; μὴ δὴ πάντας ἐμοὺς ἐπιέλπεο μύθους εἰδήσειν, Il. 1.545 ; u. so ist es auch Od. 21.70, οὐδέ τινʼ ἄλλην μύθου ποιήσασθαι ἐπισχεσίην ἐδύνασθε, der Anschlag, wo schon Schol. erkl. τῆς στάσεως (vgl. μυθιήτης). – Aus Stellen, wie ὁ μὲν ἂρ μύθοισιν, ὁ δʼ ἔγχεϊ πολλὸν ἐνίκα, Il. 18.252, bildet sich der Begriff des Wortes >im Ggstz zur Tat, μύθων τε ῥητῆρʼ ἔμεναι, πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων, 9.443 ; μῦθον τελεῖν, ein Wort erfüllen, zur Tat werden lassen, Od. 4.777 ; vgl. ἔργῳ κοὐκέτι μύθῳ χθὼν σεσάλευται, Aesch. Prom. 1082. – Erzählung, μῦθον δʼ ὡς ὅτʼ ἀοιδὸς ἐπισταμένως κατέλεξας, 11.368, wo noch nicht an Erdichtung zu denken ist, welchen Nebenbegriff das Wort nirgends bei Hom. hat, den es aber schon bei Pind. annimmt, wenn er sagt δεδαιδαλμένοι ψεύδεσι ποικίλοις ἐξαπατῶντι μῦθοι, Ol. 1.29 ; vgl. αἱμύλων μύθων ὁμόφοιτος, N. 8.33, σοφία κλέπτει μύθοις παράγοισα, 7.23. – Wort, Rede ist es noch oft bei den Tragg.; βραχεῖ δὲ μύθῳ πάντα συλλήβδην μάθε, Aesch. Prom. 503 ; σαφεῖ δὲ μύθῳ πᾶν – πεύσεσθε, 644 ; μήτι μακεστῆρα μῦθον, ἀλλὰ σύντομον λέγων, Ch. 444 ; σὺ δʼ ἐμῶν μύθων ἐπάκουσον, Soph. Phil. 1463 ; Gespräch, σοῦ γὰρ βραχύν τινʼ αἰτεῖ μῦθον, O.C. 1164 ; das Gerücht, Aj. 188, 224 ; Meldung, Botschaft, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐδεὶς μῦθος ἵκετο, Ant. 11, vgl. O.C. 358 ; ὁ μῦθος εἰσενήνεκται νέος, Eur. Ion 1340 ; ἁπλοῦς ὁ μῦθος τῆς ἀληθείας ἔφυ, Phoen. 472, öfter ; der Inhalt der Rede, Geschichte, πάντα γὰρ ἀκούσῃ μῦθον ἐν βραχεῖ λόγῳ, Aesch. Pers. 699 ; Ch. 732 ; τὸν ὄντα εἴσῃ μῦθον, Eur. El. 346. – In Prosa hat es gew. den Nebenbegriff des Fabelhaften, Erdichteten, bes. im Ggstz von λόγος ; πότερον ὑμῖν μῦθον λέγων ἐπιδείξω ἢ λόγῳ διεξελθών ; Plat. Prot. 320c ; μὴ πλασθέντα μῦθον, ἀλλʼ ἀληθινὸν λόγον, Tim. 26e ; ὅτι τοὺς ποιητὰς δέοι ποιεῖν μύθους, ἀλλʼ οὐ λόγους, Phaed. 61b ; ὥσπερ ταῖς γραυσὶ ταῖς τοὺς μύθους λεγούσαις, Rep. I.350e, wie man sie Kindern erzählt, Polit. 268e ; vgl. Legg. X.887d, Rep. II.377a ; bes. auch Göttergeschichten, τὸν περὶ τὸν Γανυμήδη μῦθον, Legg. I.636c ; οἱ λεγόμενοι μῦθοι περὶ τῶν ἐν ᾍδου, Rep. I.330d ; so bes. bei Sp., wie Plut. u. Luc.; die Tierfabel des Aesop, Plat. Phaed. 60c, vgl. διελέγοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τὰ θηρία μύθους Polit. 272d ; zuweilen auch ausführliche Untersuchungen, Epinom. 980a, vgl. Legg. VII.790c ; – μύθους λέγειν, so viel wie fabeln, die Unwahrheit sagen, Dem. 50.40 u. Sp. – Auch die Fabel, die einer Tragödie zum Grunde liegt, Arist. – Die Rhett., bei denen das Verfertigen eines μῦθος eine gewöhnliche Uebung war, erklären oft λόγος ψευδης εἰκονίζων ἀλήθειαν. – Ein Garten des Hiero bei Syrakus hieß μῦθος, vielleicht wegen seiner fabelhaften Schönheit, Ath. XII.542a.
[Erst bei sehr späten Dichtern findet sich υ kurz gebraucht, Jacobs AP p. LXIV.416.]

μῦθος

-ου, ὁ.

• • 1

    Something said, an utterance or speech : μῦθον ἀκούσας Il. 3.76. Cf. Il. 2.335, Il. 4.357, Il. 7.404, Il. 8.492, etc. : Od. 8.185, 272, Od. 13.254, Od. 20.271, etc.

  • 2

    What one has to say, speech, discourse, words : ἄλλων μῦθον ἄκουε Il. 2.200. Cf. Il. 2.199, 282, Il. 10.61, 190, Il. 11.781, Il. 16.631, etc. : ἵνα μῦθον ἀκούσῃς ἡμέτερον Od. 11.561. Cf. Od. 1.273, Od. 2.77, Od. 3.94, Od. 14.379, Od. 17.57, etc.

    Contrasted in terms with ἔργον Il. 19.242 : Od. 1.358.

  • 3

    In pl., speech, discourse, words : μύθων ἦρχεν Il. 2.433. Cf. Il. 2.796, Il. 3.171, 212, Il. 6.343, Il. 11.643, Il. 15.284, Il. 18.252, Il. 22.281, etc. : μύθοις τέρπεσθε Od. 4.239. Cf. Od. 1.28, Od. 2.83, Od. 3.23, 124, Od. 4.214, 774, Od. 7.157, Od. 10.189, Od. 15.53, Od. 21.291, etc.

    Contrasted in terms with ἔργα Il. 9.443.

  • 4

    The sense of the word coloured by the context Il. 1.25 = 379, Il. 1.33= Il. 24.571, Il. 1.221, 326, Il. 16.199 (a charge or injunction), Il. 1.273 (counsel), 388 (a threat), 545 (counsels, intentions), 565 (my charge), Il. 2.16 (the charge or commission), Il. 3.87 (the proposal), Il. 4.323 (counsel), 412 (my injunction), Il. 5.715 (our promise), Il. 7.358= Il. 12.232 (counsel), Il. 7.374 = 388 (what he is prepared to agree to), Il. 7.406 (their answer), Il. 8.412 (his message), 524 (the order), Il. 9.62 (my counsel), 309 (my mind), 522 (their mission), 625 (our charge), 627 (the answer), Il. 10.288 (a message or communication), 337 (word, information), Il. 11.186 (this injunction), 839 (the exhortation), Il. 12.80= Il. 13.748 (his recommendation), Il. 14.127 (my counsel), Il. 15.202 (this reply), Il. 16.83 (of my charge), Il. 19.85 (this reproach), 107 (thy boast), 220 (my counsel), Il. 20.295 (his counsel), 369 (his vaunts), Il. 23.157 (thy counsel) : Od. 1.271, 305 (my counsel), 361 = Od. 21.355 (his injunction), Od. 1.373 (an order or command), Od. 2.137 (injunction), Od. 2.412 (my purpose), Od. 4.676 (the plots), Od. 4.744 (the matter), Od. 4.777 (the purpose), Od. 5.98 (the matter), Od. 7.161 (the word from thee), Od. 8.302 (the matter), Od. 11.368 (thy story), 442 (give her all thy confidence), 492 (his story, how it is with him), Od. 13.16, Od. 16.406= Od. 20.247, Od. 18.50 = 290= Od. 21.143 = 269 (the proposal or suggestion), Od. 13.298, Od. 16.420 (counsel), Od. 15.196 (my request), 445 (the matter), Il. 16.387 (what I propose), Od. 17.177 (the proposal or suggestion), 399 = Od. 20.344 (a command or order), Od. 19.502 (what I say), Od. 21.71 (of a plea or defence), Od. 22.289 (the thing that you would say, the matter), Od. 23.62 (this story of yours), 349 (a charge), Od. 24.465 (the counsel or recommendation).

μῡθος

• 1tale δεδαιδαλμένοι ψεύδεσι ποικίλοις ἐξαπατῶντι μῦθοι O. 1.29 σοφία δὲ κλέπτει παράγοισα μύθοις N. 7.23 πάρφασις αἱμύλων μύθων ὁμόφοιτος N. 8.33

μῦθος : speech with reference to the subject - matter, like the later λόγος, hence to be paraphrased in Eng. by various more specific words, ‘conversation,’ ‘recital,’ ‘subject,’ ‘request,’ ‘counsel,’ ‘command,’ etc., Od. 4.214, 597, Od. 15.196, Il. 1.545.

μῦθος

• • Ianything, delivered by word of mouth, word, speech, opp. to ἔργον, Hom., etc.
  • • 2a speech in the public assembly, Od., Ar.
    • 3talk, conversation, mostly in pl., Od.
    • 4counsel, advice, a command, order, also a promise, Il.
    • 5the subject of speech, the thing or matter itself, Od., Eur.
    • 6a resolve, purpose, design, plan, Hom.
    • 7a saying, saw, proverb, Aesch.
    • 8the talk of men, rumour, Soph., Eur.
  • IIa tale, story, narrative, Hom.; μ. παιδός of or about him, Od.:—after Hom., μῦθος, like Lat. fabula, is a tale, legend, myth, opp. to λόγος the historic tale, Hdt., Plat., etc.: a fable, such as those of Aesop, Plat.