The komos in epinician poetry

Christopher C. Eckerman (University of California, Los Angeles)

In this paper I argue that contemporary epinician critics as well as Alexandrian scholars have misinterpreted the important term komos. I suggest that in epinician poetry komos refers to the immediate ‘celebration’ at which an epinician ode was first performed and not to a ‘festive procession’ or to a ‘chorus’ performing an ode, as the two contemporary interpretive strands argue alternatively. I defend my argument through scrutinizing the use of the noun komos (as well as other semantically related nominal and verbal forms) in Pindaric odes. My interpretation fits all uses of the noun in epinician poetry in a more acceptable manner than prior interpretations have offered.

Ancient scholiasts glossed komos in epinician texts with the noun ‘chorus’ because the peculiar Pindaric vocabulary that described the immediate celebration of epinician poetry (the komos) was no longer in circulation. Following the misinterpretation of ancient scholiasts, several contemporary scholars (e.g. Goldhill 1991, Burnett 1989: 287, 292; Nagy 1994, 22) have assumed that the noun komos in epinician odes refers to the chorus performing the ode (i.e. komos=chorus). In a twist on this interpretation some critics have equated the komos not with the chorus per se, but with Pindar’s song more broadly understood (e.g. Carey 1989: 549, 550; 1991, 196).

The second contemporary interpretation of komos in epinician odes holds that, to use Heath’s definition, a komos should be equated with “a victor and his friends making their way to the venue [of epinician performance] in a festive procession” (p.193, cf. Lefkowitz 1988: 5; Lefkowitz 1995, 141; Heath/Lefkowitz 1991, 191). This assumption is problematic for epinician odes since Pindar refers to ‘this komos’ in his odes. He envisions his odes as part of the komos, and not as performance posterior to the komos. When Pindar refers to ‘this komos’ it makes better sense to understand that he is referring to a ‘static’ victory celebration at which he is performing his ode rather than to a procession. Given the lack of agreement over the komos in epinician poetry, Morgan (1993) argued that the use of komastic vocabulary in epinician poetry appropriates the festive occasion of komoi (understood as revels) into epinician odes. This is correct; however, her thesis does not direct attention to the reality behind the rhetoric.

An example may be taken from Pindar’s fourth Olympian ode. ἀλλὰ Κρόνου παῖ, ὃς Αἴτναν ἔχεις/ ἶπον ἀνεμόεσσαν ἑκατογκεφάλαΤυφῶνος ὀβρίμου,/ Οὐλυμπιονίκαν/ δέξαι Χαρίτων θ’ ἕκατι τόνδε κῶμον,/ χρονιώτατον φάος εὐρυσθενέων ἀρετᾶν (But, child of Kronos, you who rule Aitna, windy burden for hundred-headed mighty Typhon, accept an Olympic victor and this celebration with the aid of the Graces, a very long-lasting light for achievements of great strength). The use of komos as ‘festive procession’ in the middle of the performance of this ode is problematic. We can see, moreover, how the reference to ‘celebration’ was easily confused with the chorus or ode itself, since Pindar refers to ‘this komos.’ Since the ode was performed during the komos (celebration) the passage makes perfect sense literally, and we do not need to resort to assuming that Pindar is calling his ode or chorus a komos—an interpretation that stretches the semantics of komos too far.