Epeus does not act alone or exclusively by his own will. He is the goddess’ ὑποεργός (57), her servant or assistant, an adjective only attested otherwise in A.R. 1.226, to which Triphiodorus seems clearly alluding, as it refers to another process of construction under divine patronage: the building of the Argo.
The configuration of the dative absolute βουλῇσι(ν) with a genitive of a deity’s name or some form of θεὸς or its synonyms is far from uncommon in epic poetry. This instance here could be considered a re-working of Hes. Th. 960 and 993, which refer to the marriage of Aeetes and Idyia, resulting in Medea’s birth and her later abduction by Jason.
Already on the first line (57), Epeus is identified as the maker of the Horse. This introduction reads as a variation of Od. 8.492-3, including a version of the etymological wordplay between the verb and the subject. It has to be noted that ἐποίει (58) is used in epic only twice apart from here, both times in the Odyssey (19.34 and 23.178). Both occurrences are contextually and semantically related to Triph. 58, as they refer to a glow produced by Athene and to a construction attributed to Odysseus; any instance of intertextuality alluding to Athene’s protection of Odysseus and his family or to Odysseus as a handicraftsman can be considered to enforce Epeus’ presence in the narrative up to the point of Odysseus’ substitution by him. The verb, as well as those which follow, is in the third person singular: in Triphiodorus, as Miguélez-Cavero notes, “Epeius appears to be working on his own with Athena’s inspiration, whereas in the Posthomerica he directs the work of the army, with the horse presented as a collective enterprise” (2013: 166).
The Horse is introduced with an intricate description to an appropriately polysemous effect. It is πελώριος (58), gigantic and huge (LSJ) in size, and also warlike and threatening, as this is an adjective defining heroes on the battlefield, such as Ajax (Il. 3.229), Hector (11.820) and Achilles (21.527), or the armour and weapons they are carrying (for Rhesus at 10.439). It is also applied to Polyphemus, the first time that Odysseus and his companions lay eyes on him (Od. 9.187-190), as well as a horse sent by Poseidon as a portent at A.R. 4.1365-6. It would be reasonable to consider that Triphiodorus is alluding to this particular instance, as Epeus’ creation and Poseidon’s omen share the referent of the same species, the adjective μετήορος is also used at Triph. 67 and both representations belong to the realm of the supernatural and make an equally strong impression.
The Horse is also an ἐχθρὸν ἄγαλμα (58). The noun refers to the Wooden Horse, also at Od. 8.509, during the Trojan debate on how to deal with it. Its meaning has evolved from its Homeric origins to one particularly pertaining to ekphrasis (LSJ).
The phrase for the woodcutting process alludes to the corresponding stage of Odysseus’ building of the raft (Od. 5.243). Triphiodorus’ version, as opposed to Quintus (12.125, 12.135) leaves unmentioned a collective involvement. The third person singular assigns the whole effort to Epeus himself, which should not be dismissed as unreasonable, due to the supernatural premise of the whole enterprise.
Triphiodorus specifies the geographical provenance of timber, which is none other than Mount Ida, same as in Quintus, and explicitly connects the woodcutting which leads the war towards its conclusion with the one that triggered its beginning, as he mentions Phereclus by name and his role in the tradition.
By adopting this term, Triphiodorus alludes to Od. 8.81, where the exact same collocation occurs in the same sedes and in a narrative context referring to the beginnings of the Trojan War, as part of Demodocus’ indirectly rendered song.
A simile, likening the work of Epeus with shipbuilding carpentry alludes to Od. 5.249-251, from the familiar passage of Odysseus building his raft. An array of verbal details, either identical or of a broader similarity displays an extremely close relationship. According to Miguélez-Cavero, "the comparison with the work of the shipwright reshapes" (2013: 170) Il. 15.410-2, where a balanced and inconclusive battle is compared to a carpenter’s skilfulness to keep a straight line. His art can only be divine in inspiration and Athene its source, as is also the case with Epeus. This possible double allusion to Homer directs the reader’s imagination to visualise the Horse as a ship, in the sense that it is a man-made construction, a means of transportation and a hollow wooden structure carrying men.
Αn imperfect emphatically repeated throughout the Shield of Achilles, always at first metrical position in line, as in Il. 18.478-82, at the very beginning of the process, same as here. It is also applied to the construction of the raft (Od. 5.252-6), attested twice in each case, in the Iliad for the whole shield and its decorations, and in the Odyssey for the deck and the mast. Triphiodorus’ repetition of this pattern encourages us to identify an allusion, which frames the passage and writes it into the tradition it belongs.
This verb type, aorist of πήγνυμι (LSJ) is applied to the fixing of the neck on the breast. Its infinitive is used for Odysseus’ raft, as Calypso announces to him the gods’ verdict and offers advice (Od. 5.162-4).
The Horse’s breast is hollow or curved, an adjective predominantly applied to ships (Il. 40x, Od. 23x, A.R. 3x), but also caves (Il. 2x, Od. 13x, Hes. Th. 1x), with a semantic content inclusive of both man-made objects and features of the landscape.
One of the instances where Triphiodorus combines the material and its colour. A blonde-maned horse is already mentioned in Homer (Il. 9.407 and 11.680) and a rich mane an essential element of a proper and healthy appearance (καλλίτριχες ἵπποι, Il. 12x, Od. 3x).
An intriguing phrasal collocation, probably alluding to A.R. 4.1365-6. Apart from the common use of μετήορος (4.1366), the two passages also share the golden colour of the mane (χρυσέῃσι … χαίταις) and the same noun for the neck (67 αὐχένι ~ 4.1366 αὐχένα).
The context in Apollonius is of a divine intervention, as the horse mentioned is a sea creature, unfastened by Poseidon from his chariot to lead the Argonauts from dry land to a safe maritime journey. Following a prophecy that Jason had received from the daughters and guardians of Libya, Peleus provides an explanation (A.R. 4.1372-4). The analogies are evident: both the Argonauts and the Achaeans find themselves within a man-made structure, a wooden womb, out of which the fruitful completion of their respective endeavours will be delivered. Triphiodorus’ Horse is simultaneously alluding to a supernatural apparition of its own species and, once more, to a ship.
The semantic combination of pregnancy and maritime vocabulary is reiterated with the participle ἐπικυμαίνουσα. Αs a derivative of κῦμα, it may refer to "anything swollen as if pregnant" (LSJ). Its attestation here is the only one extant in epic poetry, but an additional occurrence is provided in imperial prose (Plu. Alex. 33.2-4). What is described here is a Macedonian attack during the battle of Gaugamela: the cavalry charges and, closely behind, the infantry “floods” the battlefield. We seem to be invited to visualise the horses galloping, their manes fluttering, and the soldiers dashing along or to recognise the analogies this image has with the representation of the Wooden Horse, not to mention that Alexander’s expedition is a historical chapter of the same East-West rivalry initiated with the Trojan War.
The "arched neck" is mentioned by Xenophon (Eq. 10.3-4) as a natural position for a horse, a posture which allows it to be at ease and enjoy itself. By ascribing the living animal’s attributes to its artistic representation, Triphiodorus blurs the lines between the two, seems to acknowledge the corresponding technical and practical aspects and adds to the realism and vividness of his description.
An hapax compound epithet whose second component "is a synonym of the noun to which the epithet refers" (Giangrande 1973: 109) and defines their material as stone. As specified straight away, they are made of gems and consist of two circles of beryl and amethyst (70). This line’s syntactic configuration is open to interpretations. We could understand it to signify that each eye is a circle made of either material or of the two materials combined or that, instead, each one consists of two circles, one made of each material, presumably representing the iris and the sclera.
Two distinct terms are applied to the two different types of air, παλίρροον ἆσθμα (76) and φυσίζοος … ἀήρ (77). The literal meaning of the adjective παλίρροον refers to the ebb and flow of the tide and is only attested, as far as epic is concerned, in Opp. H. 2.398, a biological observation set in the context of an octopus’ lethal assault on a crayfish.
The noun ἆσθμα, much like the medical condition named after it, usually stands for short breath and panting from toil or, in a general sense, breath and breathing (LSJ). In H. 5.183-7 ἆσθμα is used of a breathing whale likened to a horse which has laboured much. Therefore, a noun used in Oppian for the vehicle of the simile is applied here to an image within the narrative.: the object of description itself. Furthermore, a feature of the living being is attributed to its inanimate representation, contributing to the effect of its lifelikeness.
This part, referring to the back, the flanks and the spine, corresponds with the respective passage in Quintus (12.140), with the common verbal elements of the verb συνήρμοσε and the noun νῶτα.
Τhe description of the hooves provides specifications on the material used: they are "not without bronze". This is a hapax, presumably a variation on tragic parallels, such as ἀχαλκεύτοις (A. Ch. 493) and ἄχαλκος (S. OT 190), recast here for metrical reasons.
A surprising choice, extant in epic poetry only with a river’s name (Il. 2.753, Hes. Th. 340) or with the noun ποταμός (Il. 21.8). Miguélez-Cavero presumes that Triphiodorus is "reinterpreting it after the verb δινεύω 'whirl', 'spin round', to smarten the ivory and bronze inlays with a silver whirl" (2013: 185).
In this short span of text, the elements included are the effect of the Horse, which glows (103 ἐξήστραπτε), the emotions it provokes, fear and admiration for its beauty (103 φόβῳ καὶ κάλλεϊ), a specification of its size (104 εὐρύς θ’ ὑψηλός τε) and, once more, an implication of its lifelikeness (105 ).
The glow emanating from an object and the emotions it arouses to those who observe it are two elements already attested in the Iliad, in the context of Achilles’ armour, the resulting product of the archetypical ekphrastic scene, and the reaction it provokes, as it comes to plain view for the first time: it frightens the Myrmidons and gives joy to Achilles himself (Il. 19.12-9).
The wideness and height of the Horse is described in the same words with which Achilles asks his companions tο expand and reface Patroclus’ grave in the future (Il. 23.247)
The wording for the lifelikeness is also alluding to Homer (Od. 3.256), although in a quite dissimilar narrative context.
As Campbell notes, this is a typical dream-sequence, which "leans heavily on Homeric prototypes" and "incorporates many of the features of set routines" (1981: 37). Athene is presented to leave Olympus, travel to the Achaean camp, stand over the head of Epeus and deliver her message to him. He immediately wakes up and reacts to the dream; as soon as day breaks, he informs the rest of the Argives and the process of the construction begins. The corresponding introduction in Triphiodorus also refers to the element of divine intervention, but does so in a remarkably laconic manner.
An adjective attested in the Iliad (25x), in most cases used to define Menelaus, as in 4.13. We would be inclined to consider the application of an adjective denoting military prowess to a hero predominantly associated with handicraft and similar endeavours surprising and uncharacteristic. If we follow Campbell’s interpretation on this point, this is related with Epeus’ upgraded role in the episode and his quintessential contribution to the war effort, albeit without his own military skills. Campbell also presumes that this must have been "his original role in the saga" (1981: 41).
The verb type used for the act of construction is the aorist infinitive τεῦξαι. We take note of its occurrence in Pindar (O. 8.32-6). Not only does the passage refer to the walls of Troy and the circumstances of their making, but it also connects the fortification’s foundation with its siege and destruction. In his presumably original narrative, Pindar has Apollo and Poseidon enlist the help of Aeacus with building the walls, so that the part made by him, as a mortal, would be vulnerable to attack, eventuating the fall of the city. Furthermore, Apollo foretells that Troy will be taken by none other than the first and fourth generations of Aeacus’ own descendants (O. 8.42-6). Through their respective fathers, Achilles and Panopeus, and grandfathers, Peleus and Phocus, the latter generation consists of Neoptolemus and Epeus. The narrative context in Pindar, as well as the rarity of this word type, allow us to consider that τεῦξαι is pregnant with meaning. Its use by Quintus seems to acknowledge and mirror the fact that it has been already associated with both the construction and the destruction of the walls of Troy, involving members of the same family with a degree of divine patronage, as Apollo’s prophecy is fulfilled at the instigation of Athene.
Not attested in Homer, this phrasing is presumably traced back to the Epic Cycle (Campbell 1981: 42), and its only extant hexameter occurrence, earlier than Quintus, is [Lucill.] AP 11.259.3-4, a satirical epigram on the addressee’s proverbially heavy horse.
The passage which details how the raw materials were acquired, transported and processed describes this throughout as a collective endeavour. Those responsible, sent out by the sons of Atreus are "men … in haste" (12.122-4). After completing their woodcutting task, they carry the timber back to the Achaean camp and perform any carpentry necessary prior to the construction itself. Again, the acting subject is a plural one (12.130, 12.133) and the effort is not exclusive to the human species, as the animals’ contribution does not go unmentioned (12.133).
The specific type of wood cut down and used is identified as silver fir (12.124). What survives of the tradition is either silent or inconsistent regarding this detail. Euripides refers to pine (Tr. 534) and Virgil does mention fir (Aen. 2.16), but among a variety of other types, as he describes a structure consisting of "interwoven timbers".
This is the sole extant epic instance of the dative plural in a narrative context of woodcutting. Moreover, the majority of its occurrences appears against a maritime setting, either of travel or of fishing, where the word assumes the meaning of "oars" instead (LSJ II). The word’s ambiguity and the higher frequency of its alternative meaning allow us to propose that this, in fact, is an instance suggesting a semantic underlayer explicitly connected to the woodcutting scene which resulted to the construction of Paris’ ships.
The tools used by the Achaeans are identified as "axes". In epic poetry, this type is either understood as a weapon or applied to a woodcutting simile within a battle scene.
The other tool draws its name from the material it is made of. As it is normal and unmarked for σίδηρος to stand for "anything made of iron", including tools and weapons (LSJ II), we focus instead on the adjective ὀκριόεις, which signifies anything pointed, prominent or jagged. In Homer, we always find it attached to a variety of nouns denoting a rock as an instrument of war, when it is being hurled towards a (usually human) target. Apollonius attributes it instead to natural elements of the landscape (3x) and Oppian to animals, reasonably so due to his poem’s subject matter. In Quintus, it primarily reverts to its Homeric use as a weapon, and this here is its only attestation as a tool of handiwork, with a powerful military undercurrent serving to imply the eventual purpose of this endeavour.
A series of actions in this segment is described with an array of corresponding verbs or phrasings, which could be divided into two categories, those providing generic terms for physical toil and those denoting a specific task.Particular emphasis is given to the work’s divine patronage. Based on the occurrence of the verb ἀέξετο, Campbell (1981: 53) sees this phrasing as a blending of two Homeric passages (Il. 8.66 and Od. 14.65-6, with the latter also containing an invocation of divine protection.
The verb κάμεν is part of the conventional epic diction, usually having to do with a god-made artifact or one supported by divine intervention. Examples include creations by Hephaestus, among which the "bronze-hooved bulls", made for Aeetes, king of Colchis, display a certain level of verbal proximity, which could qualify as a possible allusion (A.R. 3.230).
The verb is also applied to creations by Athene, such as a robe, woven by herself (Il. 5.734-5, as she removes it and puts on military garments, and also her involvement in the building of Argo (A.R. 1.111-2).
Especially in Quintus, the type κάμε(ν) does not only define toil or labour, but also the ensuing physical exhaustion. This here, however, is the unique extant epic occurrence where it is applied to the beginning of a process and not its completion, as in Triph. 99.
The term used for the Horse, instead of the variation δούριον (12.110), is a reversion to the traditional Homeric epithet (Od. 8.493 and Od. 8.512).
The phrasing for the back and the hindquarters seems to be borrowed from the Argonautica, where a very similar combination is occurring twice (4.1348-9 and 4.1610-2). In both those instances, the narrative context presents significant analogies, as the words form part of an ordered description of body parts, listed on the occasion of a decisive divine intervention in favour of the Argonauts by, respectively, the goddesses named Libya’s guardians and daughters (A.R. 4.1309) and the maritime deity of Triton.
The phrasing for the mane is undeniably modelled after Od. 4.149-50. Not only are these lines, once more, a structured listing of body parts, spoken by Menelaus, as he describes the features of Odysseus, to trace their similarity with Telemachus who stands before him and Helen, they also precede, in close proximity, the narration of the Wooden Horse scheme.
The mane is attached to a "towering neck", with a genitive also found as part of the ordered description at A.R. (4.1349) and towards the completion of the corresponding passage in Triphiodorus (95), where, as noted by Campbell (1981: 53), "the horse as a whole is labelled ὑψηλός" (104).
Essential to the text as an ekphrasis and to the Horse as an object of description is the twice mentioned attribute of lifelikeness, for the movement of the mane and for the whole structure. In both instances, the adjective (LSJ) is followed by a participle, in a figure of speech presumably borrowed from the Argonautica where Phrixus is depicted on the imagery displayed on Jason’s cloak (1.763-4).
The artifact’s sanctity and lifelikeness are both attributed to the maker’s skill being a god-given gift. The divine provenance of aptitudes and capabilities is certainly not an uncommon concept, as shown, for instance, at Polydamas’ speech to Hector (Il. 13.730-3, or regarding the art of Demodocus (Od. 8.43-5), just before he proceeds to sing about the scheme of the Wooden Horse, providing us essential insights into its afterlife.
The supernatural support impacts on the rapidity of the whole process, which is completed in a mere three days. This is, as Campbell notes, "our only estimate of work-time" (1981: 54). The phrasing probably alludes to Od. 5.262, which refers to the completion of Odysseus’ raft.
A composite epithet, used in the Iliad for a ship (as in 8.222) or a sea animal, namely a dolphin (21.22). As a possessive compound, it also qualifies the sea, as in A.R. 4.318. Therefore, it conveys the Horse’s massiveness, the cargo it contains, the threat it poses.
An adjective drawn from the Homeric formula ἐΰτριχας … ἵππους (as in Il. 23.13), in its only epic occurrence outside the Iliad.