The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

ὕβρις

hybris

wanton violence

Appears 17 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

ὕβρις [ῠ by nature, ῡ by position in Ep. etc.], ἡ, gen. εως Ar. Lys. 425, Th. 465 (lyr.), εος Id. Pl. 1044, Eub. 67.9, Ep. and Ion. ιος Hes. Op. 217, Hdt. 1.189:—
wanton violence, arising from the pride of strength or from passion, insolence, freq. in Od., mostly of the suitors, μνηστήρων, τῶν ὕ. τε βίη τε σιδήρεον οὐρανὸν ἵκει 15.329, 17.565; μνηστῆρες ὑπέρβιον ὕ. ἔχοντες 1.368, 4.321; λίην γὰρ ἀτάσθαλον ὕ. ἔχουσι 16.86, cf. Alc. Supp. 27.10; ὕβρει εἴξαντες Od. 14.262, 17.431; θεοὶ . . ἀνθρώπων ὕβριν τε καὶ εὐνομίην ἐφορῶντες ib. 487; δίκη ὑπὲρ ὕβριος ἴσχει Hes. l.c., cf. Archil. 88, IG 1(2).394 (vi B. C.), 4(2)(1).122.98 (Epid., iv B. C.); joined with ὀλιγωρίη, Hdt. 1.106; δυσσεβίας μὲν ὕβρις τέκος A. Eu. 533 (lyr.); ἐπιθυμίας . . ἀρξάσης ἐν ἡμῖν τῇ ἀρχῇ ὕ. ἐπωνομάσθη Pl. Phdr. 238a; in Poets freq. joined with κόρος (v. κόρος (A) 2): predicated of actions, ἆρʼ οὐχ ὕβρις τάδʼ; S. OC 883; ταῦτʼ οὐχ ὕβρις δῆτʼ ἐστίν; Ar. Nu. 1299, cf. Ra. 21, Pl. 886; ὕβρις τάδʼ ἐστί, κρείσσω δαιμόνων εἶναι θέλειν E. Hipp. 474; ὕβρει in wantonness or insolence, S. El. 881, Pl. Ap. 26e; ἐφʼ ὕβρει E. Or. 1581, D. 21.38, PCair.Zen. 462.9 (iii B. C.), etc.; διʼ ὕβριν D. 21.42; διὰ τὴν ὕ. X. HG 2.2.10; πρὸς ὕβριν Plu. Alc. 37, etc.
2. lust, lewdness, opp. σωφροσύνη, Thgn. 379, X. Cyr. 8.4.14.
3. of animals, violence, Hdt. 1.189; ὕβρις ὀρθία κνωδάλων Pi. P. 10.36, cf. N. 1.50 (v. ὑβρίζω I.2); ἡ ἐκ τοῦ χαλινοῦ ὕ. D.Chr. 63.5.
II. = ὕβρισμα, an outrage (though it is freq. difficult to separate this concrete sense from the abstract), Il. 1.203, 214; ὕβριν τεῖσαι Od. 24.352; ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἄρχεσθαι ὕ. ἐσχάτη Democr. 111, cf. Xenoph. 1.17: sts., like ὑβρίζω, folld. by a Prep., Ἥρας μητέρʼ εἰς ἐμὴν ὕβρις her outrage towards . . , E. Ba. 9; ἡ κατʼ Ἀργείων (-ους codd. Priscian.) ὕ. S. Fr. 368; ἡ πρὸς τοὺς δημότας ὕ. Hdn. 2.4.1: c. gen. objecti, ὕ. τινός towards him, Id. 1.8.4, etc.: pl., wanton acts, outrages, Hes. Op. 146, E. Ba. 247, HF 741, Pl. Lg. 884a, etc.:—for ὕβριν ὑβρίζειν, cf. ὑβρίζω II.2.
2. an outrage on the person, esp. violation, rape, Pi. P. 2.28, Lys. 1.2, etc.; παίδων ὕβρεις καὶ γυναικῶν αἰσχύνας Isoc. 4.114, cf. Plb. 6.8.5; τὴν ὕ. τὴν εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα Aeschin. 1.116; τὴν τοῦ σώματος ὕβριν πεπρακώς ib. 188; so τὸ σῶμα ἐφʼ ὕβρει πεπρακώς ib. 29; γυναῖκας ἤγαγε δεῦρʼ ἐφʼ ὕβρει D. 19.309; γυναικῶν ὕβρεις ἢ εἰς αὑτοὺς ἢ εἰς υἱεῖς Arist. Rh. 1373a35.
3. in Law, a term covering all the more serious injuries done to the person, Isoc. 20.2, Aeschin. 1.15, D. 37.33, 45.4; see esp. D. 21 (against Meidias); ὁ τῆς ὕβρεως νόμος ib. 35 (the text is given ib. 47); δίκη ὕβρεως ἢ πληγῶν PHal. 1.115 (iii B. C.), cf. PHib. 1.32.8 (iii B. C.), etc.
III. used of a loss by sea, Pi. (v. ναυσίστονος), Act.Ap. 27.21.
B. as masc., = ὑβριστής, a violent, overbearing man, κακῶν ῥεκτῆρα καὶ ὕβριν ἀνέρα Hes. Op. 191.
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