SPEECHESAltercationsHeroic battle narrative in the Indo-European traditions is not just an account
of tactical movements, blows delivered, wounds sustained, bloody deaths. It
contains a considerable amount of dialogue. A significant encounter between
two warriors normally begins with a spirited exchange of words.^86
When a hero is faced by a single opponent and is not busy felling
anonymous multitudes, he will want to know who it is, if they have not met
before. As noted in the last chapter, the question ‘who are you?’ is common
in this situation. It may be combined with an assurance that whoever he is, he
is doomed, as when Diomedes accosts Glaucus (Il. 6. 123–7, cf. 21. 150 f.):
Who are you, my good fellow, of mortal men?...
Unfortunate are they whose sons come against my fury.Similarly Ashkabus to Rostam in the Sha ̄h-na ̄ma: ‘What is your name? Who is
it that must weep over your headless body?’ (Levy (1967), 135).
Each is confident of victory and ready to denigrate his antagonist. He may
warn him not to fight against his superiors (Il. 21. 486, cf. Hes. Op. 210; MBh.
- 14; 8. 17. 94), or remind him of a previous occasion when he was put
to flight (Il. 20. 187–94; MBh. 8. 26. 66–9). He may boast, before or after
dealing the fatal blow, that his foe’s body will be eaten by the birds and dogs.^87
If he is hit by an arrow, he may dismiss it as a feeble effort: ‘I think nothing of
it, as if a woman had hit me or a silly child; blunt is the missile of a worthless
coward’ (Il. 11. 389 f.); ‘you scratch me with arrows soft as flowers’ (Rm. 3. 26.
12).
Often one of the combatants sums the matter up with a statement to
the effect that ‘now either I am going to kill you, or you me’. Sokos, son of
Hippasos, tells Odysseus ‘Today either you will exult over the two sons of
Hippasos after killing the men we are and stripping us of their armour, or you
will be struck by my spear and lose your life’ (Il. 11. 431–3). ‘Defeat us and
win renown, or we will defeat you’ (MBh. 6. 70. 14, cf. 77. 9; 8. 22. 30, 26. 52,
- 14; 8. 17. 94), or remind him of a previous occasion when he was put
(^86) For example Il. 5. 630–54, 7. 225–43, 20. 176–258, 21. 148–60, 22. 248–72; MBh. 6. 104.
40 ff.; 7. 117. 2ff.; 8. 17. 49ff., 42. 22ff.; 9. 55. 27ff.; Rm. 3. 28. 1–29. 15; Sha ̄h-na ̄ma, Levy
(1967), 56, 72, 134 f., al.; Hildebrandslied 7–62; Atlamál 42 f.; Saxo 1. 8. 3 p. 26; Táin (I) 3015–80;
Sikojev (1985), 294 f.; West (1997), 214–16; Miller (2000), 232–8.
(^87) Il. 11. 452–4, 13. 831 f., 16. 836, 22. 335, 354; Beowulf 2940 f.; Saxo 1. 4. 5 p. 15, 5. 3. 4 p.
113; Sikojev (1985), 295. Also in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament: West (1997),
215 f.
476 12. Arms and the Man