The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

θυμός

thymos

soul, spirit

Appears 757 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

θυμός, ὁ, A. soul, spirit, as the principle of life, feeling and thought, esp. of strong feeling and passion (rightly derived from θύω (B) by Pl. Cra. 419e ἀπὸ τῆς θύσεως καὶ ζέσεως τῆς ψυχῆς): I. in physical sense, breath, life, θ. ἀπηύρα, ἀφελέσθαι, ἐξαίνυσθαι, ὀλέσαι, freq. in Hom., Il. 6.17, 5.852, 155, 1.205: c. dupl. acc., ἄμφω θ. ἀπηύρα 6.17; ἐπεί κε . . ῥεθέων ἐκ θ. ἕληται 22.68; λίπε δʼ ὀστέα θ. 12.386; ἀπὸ δʼ ἔπτατο θ. Od. 10.163; ὀλίγος δʼ ἔτι θ. ἐνῆεν Il. 1.593; μόγις δʼ ἐσαγείρετο θυμόν 21.417; ἄψορρόν οἱ θ. ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἀγέρθη 4.152; θυμοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς κεκαδών 11.334; of animals, 3.294, 12.150, etc.: less freq. in Trag., A. Ag. 1388, E. Ba. 620 (troch.). 2. spirit, strength, τείρετο δʼ ἀνδρῶν θ. ὑπʼ εἰρεσίης Od. 10.78; ἐν δέ τε θ. τείρεθʼ ὁμοῦ καμάτῳ τε καὶ ἱδρῷ Il. 17.744. 3. πάτασσε δὲ θ. ἑκάστου each manʼs heart beat high, 23.370, cf. 7.216. II. soul, as shown by the feelings and passions; and so, 1. desire or inclination, esp. desire for meat and drink, appetite, πιέειν ὅτε θ. ἀνώγοι Il. 4.263; πλησάμενος . . θυμὸν ἐδητύος ἠδὲ ποτῆτος Od. 17.603: generally, τά με θ. ἐνὶ στήθεσσι κελεύει Il. 7.68; βαλέειν δέ ἑ ἵετο θ. 8.301; αἲ γάρ με μένος καὶ θ. ἀνείη 22.346; θ. ἐποτρύνῃ [τινά] Od. 9.139; θ. ἐπέσσυταί τινι, ἐφορμᾶται, Il. 1.173, 13.73; ἤθελε θυμῷ he wished in his heart or with all his heart, 16.255, 21.65; ἵετο θυμῷ 2.589; so later θυμῷ βουλόμενοι wishing with all their heart, Hdt. 5.49; [ὄσσα ϝ] οι θ. κε θέλῃ γένεσθαι Sapph. Supp. 1.3; θυμὸς ὥρμα Pi. O. 3.25, cf. 38; θυμὸς ἡδονὴν φέρει S. El. 286; ὧν ἐρᾷ θυμός Herod. 7.61; τῶν σφι θ. ἦν μάλιστα Hdt. 1.1; ἄλλως σφι θ. ἐγένετο θεήσασθαι τὸν πόλεμον Id. 8.116, etc.: with Verb omitted, σὲ γάρ μοι θῦμος ὔμνην Alc. 5; ἄρχʼ αὐτὸς ὥς σοι θ. S. El. 1319; ὅπου ὑμῖν θ. X. Cyr. 3.1.37; βῆξαι θυμός ἐγγίνεται Hp. Prog. 8. 2. mind, temper, will, θ. πρόφρων, ἵλαος, Il. 8.39, 9.639; θ. ὑπερφίαλος καὶ ἀπηνής, νηλέα θ. ἔχοντας, σιδήρεος θ., 15.94, 19.229, Od. 5.191; ἕνα θ. ἔχειν to be of one mind, Il. 15.710, etc.; οὐδὲ λύκοι τε καὶ ἄρνες ὁμόφρονα θ. ἔχουσιν 22.263; ἕτερος δέ με θ. ἔρυκε Od. 9.302; ἐμὸν θ. ἔπειθεν ib.33; θωπείας κολακικάς, αἳ . . τοὺς θ. ποιοῦσιν κηρίνους Pl. Lg. 633d. 3. spirit, courage, μένος καὶ θ. Il. 20.174; θ. ἐνὶ στήθεσσι λαβεῖν Od. 10.461; πᾶσιν δὲ παραὶ ποσὶ κάππεσε θ. Il. 15.280; ψῦχρος ἔγεντο θ., of doves, Sapph. 16; θ. ἔχειν ἀγαθόν Hdt. 1.120; θ. οὐκ ἀπώλεσεν S. El. 26; ὁ θυμὸς εὐθὺς ἦν Ἀμυνίας Ar. Eq. 570; ἴωμεν ῥώμῃ καὶ θυμῷ ἐπί . . X. Cyr. 4.2.21; φρονήματός τε καὶ θυμοῦ ἐμπίπλασθαι Pl. R. 411c: so in Philos., opp. λόγος, ἐπιθυμία, ib.440b, al., cf. Arist. Pol. 1328a7, 1327b24, Phld. Mus.p.26K., etc.; personified, Passion, Emotion, opp. Λογισμός, Cleanth.Stoic. 1.129. 4. the seat of anger, χωόμενον κατὰ θυμόν Il. 1.429; νεμεσιζέσθω ἐνὶ θυμῷ 17.254; θυμὸν ἐχώσατο 16.616, etc.: hence, anger, wrath, δάμασον θυμόν 9.496; εἴξας ᾧ θυμῷ ib.598; θυμὸς μέγας ἐστὶ . . βασιλήων 2.196; θ. ὀξύς S. OC 1193; θ. κρείσσων τῶν ἐμῶν βουλευμάτων E. Med. 1079, etc.; θυμῷ f.l. for θυμοῦ in S. Ant. 718; οἱ τῷ θ. πραχθέντες φόνοι Pl. Lg. 867b; opp. λογισμός, Th. 2.11, etc.; ἐπανάγειν τὸν θ. Hdt. 7.160; ἐκτείνειν And. 3.31; καταθέσθαι Ar. V. 567; δακεῖν Id. Nu. 1369; θυμῷ χρᾶσθαι Hdt. 1.137, al.; ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ μεστοί Isoc. 12.81 (so τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὸν θ., i.e. the outward manifestation of ὀ., Phld. Ir.p.90W.); of horses, X. Eq. 9.2: pl. (not earlier than Pl., f.l. in S. Aj. 718 (lyr.)), fits of anger, passions, περὶ φόβων τε καὶ θυμῶν Pl. Phlb. 40e; οἵ τε θ. καὶ αἱ κολάσεις Id. Prt. 323e, cf. Arist. Rh. 1390a11. 5. the heart, as the seat of the emotions, esp. joy or grief, χαῖρε, γήθησε δὲ θυμῷ, Il. 14.156, 7.189; θ. ἐνὶ στήθεσσι γεγήθει 13.494; μιν ἄχος κραδίην καὶ θ. ἵκανεν 2.171; ἄχνυτο θ. 14.39, etc.; δόκησε δʼ ἄρα σφίσι θ. ὣς ἔμεν ὡς εἰ . . they felt as glad at heart as if . . , Od. 10.415; μηδʼ ὀνίαισι δάμνα . . θ. Sapph. 1.4; of fear, δέος ἔμπεσε θυμῷ Il. 17.625, cf. 8.138; of love, τὴν ἐκ θυμοῦ φίλεον 9.343; ἐκ θυμοῦ στέργοισα Theoc. 17.130; ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ my heartʼs beloved, Il. 5.243; reversely, ἀπὸ θ. μᾶλλον ἐμοὶ ἔσεαι wilt be alien from my heart, 1.562; ἐκ θ. πεσέειν, i.e. to lose thy favour, 23.595; ἔρωτι θυμὸν ἐκπλαγεῖσα E. Med. 8; ἐκ θ. κλαῦσαι Philet. 11. 6. mind, soul, as the seat of thought, ταῦθʼ ὥρμαινε κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θ. Il. 1.193, etc.; ᾔδεε γὰρ κατὰ θ. 2.409, cf. 4.163, etc.; φράζετο θυμῷ 16.646; ἐν θ. ἐβάλοντο ἔπος 15.566; τοὺς λόγους θυμῷ βάλε A. Pr. 706; εἰς θ. βαλεῖν τι S. OT 975; οὐκ ἐς θ. φέρω I bring him not into my mind or thoughts, Id. El. 1347.
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