At 17:44 20.01.97 -0800, L.H. Grant wrote:
>If this is the case then the word Oudeis is probably just as valid
>as the word Outis.
I asked our expert, Martin Mueller:
>Return-Path: martinmueller@nwu.edu
>X-Sender: mmueller@merle.acns.nwu.edu
>Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 16:58:26 -0600
>To: Monika Wunderer <wunderer@st1hobel.phl.univie.ac.at>
>From: Martin Mueller <martinmueller@nwu.edu>
>Subject: Re: homers odyssey
>
>outis and oudeis are both Greek words meaning 'nobody.' Homer uses 'outis.'
>There is a pun here: the word 'outis' is just sufficiently close to Odysseus
>to recall his name. It's no accident, as the Marxists say, that the name of
>Odysseus is not mentioned in the first line of the Odyssey: Odysseus is
>capable of concealing his name. Achilles could never do that and he is
>prominently named in the opening line of the Iliad. But then even Odysseus
>is a heroic fellow and cannot keep his mouth shout: he must tell Polyphemos
>that he is not outis but Odysseus. This gets him into a lot of trouble and
>reduces him to something as close to nothing as you can get in this life and
>still stay alive.
>
>I'm glad your project is going well.
>
>Martin Mueller
>
>
------------------------------alles Theater--------------
Monika Wunderer wunderer@st1hobel.phl.univie.ac.at
++ 43 (1) 892 35 20
http://st1hobel.phl.univie.ac.at/~wunderer/
http://iguwnext.tuwien.ac.at/~oudeis/