Pro imaginibus

In the case of Agamemnon, moreover, see how parsimonious Homer was with the gods, and with what propriety he doled out his comparisons! He says that in eyes and head he was like to Zeus, in waist to Ares, and in chest to Poseidon,[*](Iliad 2, 478-479. ) dismembering the man for the sake of comparing him with all those gods. Again, he says that someone is a match for devastating Ares ;[*](Notably Hector, Iliad 11, 295; 13, 802. ) and just so with the rest of them—the Phrygian, the son of Priam, is beautiful as a god,[*](Paris, Iliad 3, 16. ) and the son of Peleus is often godlike.[*](Achilles, Iliad 1, 131. ) But I will return to the parallels that concern women. You know, naturally, that he says:

1. Artemis she resembleth, or else Aphrodite the golden,

Odyssey17, 37 (19, 54), of Penelope. also,

1. Just so Artemis runneth adown the slope of a mountain.

Odyssey6, 102, of Nausicaa.

Moreover, he not only compares human beings with gods, but likens the long hair of Euphorbus to

the Graces, and that too when it was soaked with blood! In short, this sort of thing is so frequent that there is no part of his poetry which is not well adorned with comparisons of gods. Therefore you must either expunge all that, or permit us to be equally venturesome. So exempt from all accountability is the use of comparisons and similes that Homer actually did not hesitate to derive praise for the goddesses from things of lower degree. For instance, he likened Hera’s eyes to those of kine. And someone else called Aphrodite violet-browed.[*](The “Theban poet” of the preceding piece (p.271); i.e. Pindar. ) As for “rosy-fingered,” who that has even the slightest acquaintance with Homer’s poetry does not know it?