The Pentagrams and the Translation of

'Herkos Odonton'
in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey

Fig. 1 “Words, which hit the Target as Feathered Arrows”

Source: Champfleury (1529), Geoffroy Tory

Joannes Richter

Abstract
Reading Homer's Iliad and Odyssey we may observe strange translations for the words of phonetic
sources. In English a common translation for ἕρκος ὀδόντων1 in the Odyssey book 1, card 44 is:...
child, what a word has escaped the barrier of thy teeth? Translations in German and Dutch may
prefer another and use the formula “barrier of thy lips”: “Welche Rede, mein Kind, ist deinen
Lippen entflohen?2”.
In a human voice the teeth and the lips belong to the five places of articulation (phonetic sources).
The teeth are involved in the sound of the dental sounds, whereas the lips are most activated to
generate the labials.
In speaking or singing we may use our teeth or lips as a barrier. For some words the lips are formed
to represent the last fence for the uttering of the word. Other words are positioning the teeth as a
“last barrier” for the words.
The archaic Greek language may have discerned the sequence of the phonetic sounds. Especially
for the pentagrams (5-letter-words, in which each letter represents one place of articulation as a
phonetic source) the last letter completes the final sound of the word. The last letter controls the
completion of a word.

1 τὴν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς:

‘τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων. (Odyssey book 1, card 44)
2 Quoted in German in: Liste griechischer Phrasen → Ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
The Greek vocabulary for pentagrams

The fundamentals of the Parents (Father & Mother)

In the recent phase (“introduction of the alphabet”) of my study I classified a number of Greek
pentagrams, which may be found in Hesiodus and Homer.
I also added the modern words for the parents, which may be interpreted as pentagrams in their
pronunciation: Greek: πατήρ (PATÍR), respectively μητέρα (el) f (MITÉRA) f (plural μητέρες,
masculine πατέρας).
Standard pentagrams are the words for the parents (“FIThAR” and “MOThIR”), which start with a
labial “F” or “M” and end with a dental “R”. Standard words with endings of “R” or “S” will be
completed if the last letter leaves the barrier. In the last letters “R” or “S” the wind of our breath
passes the teeth as a barrier and generates in the teeth the sound for the “R” respectively “S”.
Therefore the translation “barrier of thy teeth” would be a more accurate for ἕρκος ὀδόντων than
“barrier of thy lips”. In order to generate a dental sound we must retract the lips, which in the
retracted position cannot be activated as a place of articulation.
In archaic conversations the translation “barrier of thy lips” could not be understood for the
common words with endings “R” or “S”.
Statistic Classifications for the pentagrams
The most popular pattern for pentagrams is: ***** (sample: MINOS). Some observations are found:
• The most interesting words may be the sky-god dZiEUS and the virtues METIS (wisdom)
and ThEMIS (justice). Probably these words were the fundamentals for the religion. These
words contain Lingual (dZ, Th) and Labial (M) initials.
• In the archaic Greek mythology the most important (cardinal?) virtues are Metis and
Themis, in which the roots are antipodes: MET ↔ ThEM. The consonants are the Labial
respectively Lingual initials, which are the preferred initial letters for pentagrams.
• These letters MET ↔ ThEM have been inherited to the Germanic mythology as well: W for
WIT and T for TIW. The Germanic virtues are antipodes (WIT ↔ TIW) and gods for
wisdom (WIT or Odin) and for justice ( TIW or Tyr).
• Names for the royals preferred Labial initials: MINOS, MIDAS, MYNES, PhYLAS, ΠΑΣΙΦάη
• Names for the cardinal virtues preferred similar letters: METIS, MENIS, ThEMIS, ΜΥΥΘΟΣ,
ThYMOS, …

Number Class Labial initials (M, P, B, V, U) Lingual initials (D, T, Th, L, N

MÌ, ΦI MY, PhY ME, PO, ΠΑ ThE ΘΊ, LII dZiE
7 Cities MILAS PYREN(e) POLIS ΘΊSΒE
ThÍVA(s)
6 Royals MINOS MYNES ΠΑΣΙΦάη LAIUS
MIDAS PhYLAS
5 Names ΦΡΎΝΗ
4 Virtues ΜΥΥΘΟΣ METIS ThEMIS ThYMOS
MENIS
3 Deities METIS ThEMIS dZiEUS
3 Rivers PINEoS
3 Animals LÚKOS
2 Parents MITÉRA PATÍR
1 Island MILOS
1 Planet MÌNAS
1 Body part BREKhMÓS
1 Other ΦIΛOΣ PYLOS ΜΈΤRΙΟS LII MOS

Table 1 Classification of the Greek pentagrams

Most of the pentagrams contain dental symbols (usually the “S” or seldom “A”, “E”, “H” or “R”)
as trailing letters. The dental letters seemed to be passive and rather irrelevant.
(Incomplete) Greek vocabulary for pentagrams
The pentagrams seem to be preferred for important name-giving for gods, parents, virtues, heroes
and royals. The names for cities and rivers seem to have been chosen for very early foundations and
discoveries.
The guttural vowels A, E and O and the initial consonants a palatal I, K and dental R, S seem to be
too irrelevant to be initial symbols for important words.
The following overview is listed in alphabetic order:
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
1. A
ΑἼΣΩΝ P (Αἴσων) – Aison was the son of Cretheus & Tyro Aison name
2. A
ἈΡΊΩΝ P (Ἀρείων) – very fast, black horse. Arion animal
3. B
BREKhMÓS - Brekhmós: skull skull Body part
4. D
dZiEUS - The sky-god - Zeus Zeus god
5. E
ELPIS P Elpis hope Other
6. E
ἘΧῙῙΩΝ - (ἘχῑῙων) "viper", one of the 5 founders of Thebes Echion King
animal
7. F
L ΦIΛOΣ F Filos, from: “philosopher” love Other
L
LIEF(S) P ΦIΛOΣ
LIeBES -
8. K
KOTUS P Kotys (war, slaughter) war Other
9. K
KRÉŌN P son of Menoikeus Kreon name
10. L
ΛΌΦΙΣ P In Haliartus there is a river Lophis (Λόφις). Lophis river
11. L
LII MOS P Limos hunger Other
12. L
LAIUS King Laius of Thebes Laius King (of
Thebe)
13. L
LÚKOS P LÚKOS ("wolf") Wolf Animal
river
14. M
MENIS P anger, wrath, fury. Initial word of the Iliad Mēnis Wrath
virtue (?)
15. M
ΜΥΥΘΟΣ P Virtue: temperance: mythos (belief in real Myth virtue
history) - word of “unknown origin”
16. M
MÌNAS P Μήνας (moon) moon planet
17. M
MITÉRA P Mother - μητέρα (el) f (MITÉRA) Mother Parent
18. M
ΜΈΤRΙΟS P Metrios - moderate, average, mean mean Other
19. M
MIDAS P Midas (/ˈmaɪdəs/; Greek: Μίδας) is the name of Midas king
one of at least three members of the royal house
of Phrygia.
20. M
MINOS P King of Creta Minos king
21. M
MYNES P Mynes (mythology). Mynes, king of the city of Mynes king
Lyrnessus which was sacked by Achilles, who
there captured his wife, Briseis. Mynes was son
of King Evenus, son of Selepus.[2]
 # P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
22. M
MILOS P Milos – Milos island island
volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea
23. M
METIS P Metis (personified by Athena) goddess of Wisdom Goddess
(ΜΗΥΤΙΣ) P wisdom. First consort of the sky-god Zeus. virtue
24. M
MILAS P Original capital of Caria. Milas city
25. O Υ
ΟΥΥΤΙΣ P Oútis (Translation for Ancient Greek Pronoun Nobody name
ΟUΤΙS P Οὖτις = "Nobody"[1]
26. P
PINEoS - Pineios ; Greek: Πηνειός Pineios river
27. P
ΠΑΣΙΦάη - Pasiphaë – Queen of Crete, married with Minos, Pasiphaë queen
king of Crete name
28. P
PATÍR P πατήρ (PATÍR), πατέρας (patéras) Father parent
29. P
PYLOS P Pylos - "Palace of Nestor" in Homer's Iliad. Pylos other
30. P
PYLOS P „seven-gated Thebes“ (Thebe Heptapylos) Gate Other
PYLUS -- Pylus - member of the Aetolian royal family
31. P
ΦΡΎΝΗ P Φρύνη - Phryne Greek hetaira (courtesan). Phryne, name
32. P
PhYLAS P Φύλας Phýlas /Phylas- King of the Dryoper Phylas king
33. P
PYREN(e) P Pyrene (Heuneburg); → Hekataios von Milet Pyrene city
34. P
P POLIS P ancient Greek city-state, 1894, from Greek polis, Polis city
PTOLIS - ptolis "citadel, fort, city, .." from PIE *tpolh-
"citadel; .. high ground; hilltop"
35. S
SMILA P Smila (Σμίλα), the city Crusis, Herodotus. Smila (city) city
Histories. 7.123.
36. S
SOLYM(us) P Solym(us) (mountain) and Solym(us) (city) Solyma (city) city
37. T
ThYMOS P Courage (θυμός) soul, will , temper, mind courage virtue
38. T
ThEMIS P ThEMIS – (after METIS) second consort of Zeus Themis goddess
(ΘEMIΣ) P (justice) virtue
39. T
ThÍVA(s) - Thebe (in Boeotia) (Greece) Thebe city
Greek: Θήβα, Thíva [ˈθiva]
40. T
ΘΊSΒE P Thisbe Θίσβη ΘΊΣΒΗ – Greek city Thisbe city

(Incomplete) Greek vocabulary for pentagrams

Classified sets of pentagrams
In order to derive some rules for the pentagrams a reordering of the dictionary may be helpful.
The following overview is regrouped in sections of their classification:

Animals and body parts (3)

# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
1. A
ἈΡΊΩΝ P (Ἀρείων) – very fast, black horse. Arion animal
2. L
LÚKOS P LÚKOS ("wolf") Wolf Animal
river
3. B
BREKhMÓS - Brekhmós: skull skull Body part

Table 2 Animals and body parts

Gods, goddesses and (cardinal & secondary) virtues (6)

• Metis (METIS, later personified by Athena) is the archaic goddess of wisdom and first
consort of the sky-god Zeus.
• Themis (ThEMIS) is (after METIS) the second consort of Zeus. Themis is the last consort,
whose name is spelled as a pentagram.
• The most interesting words may be the sky-god dZiEUS and the virtues METIS (wisdom)
and ThEMIS (justice). Probably these words were the fundamentals for the religion. These
words contain Lingual (dZ, Th) and Labial (M) initials.
• In the archaic Greek mythology the most important (cardinal?) virtues are Metis and
Themis, in which the roots are antipodes: MET ↔ ThEM. The consonants are the Labial
respectively Lingual initials, which are the preferred initial letters for pentagrams.
• These letters MET ↔ ThEM have been inherited to the Germanic mythology as well: W for
WIT and T for TIW. The Germanic virtues are antipodes (WIT ↔ TIW) and gods for
wisdom (WIT or Odin) and for justice ( TIW or Tyr).
• The Germanic Wotan (WIT) is also known as a virtue WUT (“passion”), which in Greek
language might have been symbolized by the divine wrath (MENIS, the initial word of the
Iliad).
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
4. D
dZiEUS - The sky-god - Zeus Zeus god
5. T
ThEMIS P ThEMIS – Themis (justice) goddess
(ΘEMIΣ) P (after METIS) second consort of Zeus virtue
6. M
METIS P Metis (personified by Athena) goddess of Wisdom Goddess
(ΜΗΥΤΙΣ) P wisdom. First consort of the sky-god Zeus. virtue
7. T
ThYMOS P Courage (θυμός) soul, will , temper, mind courage virtue
8. M
ΜΥΥΘΟΣ P Virtue: temperance: mythos (belief in real Myth virtue
history) - word of “unknown origin”
9. M
MENIS P anger, wrath, fury. Initial word of the Iliad Mēnis Wrath, virtue (?)

Table 3 Gods, goddesses, and (cardinal and secondary) virtues

Royals (8)
The compositions of the royals (MIDAS, MINOS, MYNES) may be equivalent to the parents
(PATÍR and MITÉRA).
CRÉŌN and his sister, Jocasta, were descendants of Cadmus and of the Spartoi. After the death of
King Laius (LAIUS) of Thebes by the hands of his own son Oedipus, Creon sat on the vacant
throne and became the ruler of the kingdom.
King Laius (LAIUS) of Thebes may have been a reference to the name of the Frankish royals
named CLOVIS and LOUIS.
#
Pentagram P Information Definitions Class.
10. E
ἘΧῙῙΩΝ - (ἘχῑῙων) "viper", one of the 5 founders of Thebes Echion King (of Thebe)
animal
11. K
CRÉŌN P son of Menoikeus Creon King (of Thebe)
12. L
LAIUS King Laius of Thebes Laius King (of Thebe)
13. M
MYNES P Mynes (mythology). Mynes, king of the city of Mynes king
Lyrnessus which was sacked by Achilles, who there
captured his wife, Briseis. Mynes was son of King
Evenus, son of Selepus.[2]
14. M
MINOS P King of Creta Minos king
15. M
MIDAS P Midas (/ˈmaɪdəs/; Greek: Μίδας) is the name of one of Midas king
at least three members of the royal house of Phrygia.
16. P
ΠΑΣΙΦάη - Pasiphaë – Queen of Crete, married with Minos, king Pasiphaë queen
of Crete name
17. P
PhYLAS P Φύλας Phýlas /Phylas- King of the Dryoper Phylas king

Table 4 Royals

Names (3)
Some of these names may also belong to the royals (as princes or princesses):
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
18. P
ΦΡΎΝΗ P Φρύνη - Phryne Greek hetaira (courtesan). Phryne, name
19. O
ΟΥΥΥΤΙΣ P Oútis (Translation for Ancient Greek Pronoun Nobody name
ΟUΤΙS P Οὖτις = "Nobody"[1]
20. A
ΑἼΣΩΝ P (Αἴσων) – Aison was the son of Cretheus & Tyro Aison name

Table 5 Names
Other entries (7)
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
21. P
PYLOS P Pylos - "Palace of Nestor" in Homer's Iliad. Pylos other
22. P
PYLOS P „seven-gated Thebes“ (Thebe Heptapylos) Gate Other
PYLUS -- Pylus - member of the Aetolian royal family
23. M
ΜΈΤRΙΟS P Metrios - moderate, average, mean mean Other
24. L
LII MOS P Limos hunger Other
25. K
KOTUS P Kotys (war, slaughter) war Other
26. F
L ΦIΛOΣ F Filos, from: “philosopher” love Other
L
LIEF(S) P ΦIΛOΣ
LIeBES -
27. E
ELPIS P Elpis hope Other

Table 6 Other entries

Parents (2)
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
28. P
PATÍR P πατήρ (PATÍR), πατέρας (patéras) Father parent
29. M
MITÉRA P Mother - μητέρα (el) f (MITÉRA) Mother Parent

Table 7 Parents

Cities (8)
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
30. T
ΘΊSΒE P Thisbe Θίσβη ΘΊΣΒΗ – Greek city Thisbe city
31. T
ThÍVA(s) - Thebe (in Boeotia) (Greece) Thebe city
Greek: Θήβα, Thíva [ˈθiva]
32. S
SOLYM(us) P Solym(us) (mountain) and Solym(us) (city) Solyma (city) city
33. S
SMILA P Smila (Σμίλα), the city Crusis, Herodotus. Smila (city) city
Histories. 7.123.
34. P
P POLIS P ancient Greek city-state, 1894, from Greek polis, Polis city
PTOLIS - ptolis "citadel, fort, city, .." from PIE *tpolh-
"citadel; .. high ground; hilltop"
35. P
PYREN(e) P Pyrene (Heuneburg); → Hekataios von Milet Pyrene city
36. M
MILAS P Original capital of Caria. Milas city
37. M
MILOS P Milos – Milos island island
volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea

Table 8 Cities & Islands

Planet (1)
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
38. M
MÌNAS P Μήνας (moon) moon planet

Table 9 Planet

Rivers (2)
# P
Pentagram Information Definitions Class.
39. P
PINEoS - Pinewoods ; Greek: Πηνειός Pineios river
40. L
ΛΌΦΙΣ P In Haliartus there is a river Lophis (Λόφις) Lophis river

Table 10 Rivers
Summary
Reading Homer's Iliad and Odyssey we may observe strange translations for the words of phonetic
sources. In English a common translation for ἕρκος ὀδόντων3 in the Odyssey book 1, card 44 is:...
child, what a word has escaped the barrier of thy teeth? Translations in German and Dutch may
prefer another and use the formula “barrier of thy lips”: “Welche Rede, mein Kind, ist deinen
Lippen entflohen?4”.
In a human voice the teeth and the lips belong to the five places of articulation (phonetic sources).
The teeth are involved in the sound of the dental sounds, whereas the lips are most activated to
generate the labials.
In speaking or singing we may use our teeth or lips as a barrier. For some words the lips are formed
to represent the last fence for the uttering of the word. Other words are positioning the teeth as a
“last barrier” for the words.
The archaic Greek language may have discerned the sequence of the phonetic sounds. Especially
for the pentagrams (5-letter-words, in which each letter represents one place of articulation as a
phonetic source) the last letter completes the final sound of the word. The last letter controls the
completion of a word.
Standard pentagrams are the words for the parents (“FIThAR” and “MOThIR”), which start with a
labial “F” or “M” and end with a dental “R”. Standard words with endings of “R” or “S” will be
completed if the last letter leaves the barrier. In the last letters “R” or “S” the wind of our breath
passes the teeth as a barrier and generates in the teeth the sound for the “R” respectively “S”.
Therefore the translation “barrier of thy teeth” would be a more accurate for ἕρκος ὀδόντων than
“barrier of thy lips”. In order to generate a dental sound we must retract the lips, which in the
retracted position cannot be activated as a place of articulation.
In archaic conversations the translation “barrier of thy lips” could not be understood for the common words
with endings “R” or “S”.
• Metis (METIS, later personified by Athena) is the archaic goddess of wisdom and first
consort of the sky-god Zeus.
• Themis (ThEMIS) is (after METIS) the second consort of Zeus. Themis is the last consort,
whose name is spelled as a pentagram.
• The most interesting words may be the sky-god dZiEUS and the virtues METIS (wisdom)
and ThEMIS (justice). Probably these words were the fundamentals for the religion. These
words contain Lingual (dZ, Th) and Labial (M) initials.
• In the archaic Greek mythology the most important (cardinal?) virtues are Metis and
Themis, in which the roots are antipodes: MET ↔ ThEM. The consonants are the Labial
respectively Lingual initials, which are the preferred initial letters for pentagrams.
• These letters MET ↔ ThEM have been inherited to the Germanic mythology as well: W for
WIT and T for TIW. The Germanic virtues are antipodes (WIT ↔ TIW) and gods for
wisdom (WIT or Odin) and for justice ( TIW or Tyr).
• The Germanic Wotan (WIT) is also known as a virtue WUT (“passion”), which in Greek
language might have been symbolized by the divine wrath (MENIS, the initial word of the
Iliad).

3 τὴν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς:

‘τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων. (Odyssey book 1, card 44)
4 Quoted in German in: Liste griechischer Phrasen → Ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
Contents
The Greek vocabulary for pentagrams.................................................................................................2
The fundamentals of the Parents (Father & Mother).......................................................................2
Statistic Classifications for the pentagrams.....................................................................................3
(Incomplete) Greek vocabulary for pentagrams..............................................................................4
Classified sets of pentagrams...............................................................................................................6
Animals and body parts (3)..............................................................................................................6
Gods, goddesses and (cardinal & secondary) virtues (6).................................................................6
Royals (8).........................................................................................................................................7
Names (3).........................................................................................................................................7
Other entries (7)...............................................................................................................................8
Parents (2)........................................................................................................................................8
Cities (8)..........................................................................................................................................8
Planet (1)..........................................................................................................................................9
Rivers (2).........................................................................................................................................9
Summary.............................................................................................................................................10