It is arguable as to what the true motive was for the fighting of the Trojan War – was it all for Helen, was it all for power, or was it all for honor, to show who was the most courageous? Perhaps it was even all of the above. Regardless of the true motive, honor and courage were important aspects of the entire war. Those who refused to fight or who turned and ran from the fight were seen as lacking courage and subsequently called a “coward”.
The use of the word “coward” appears in The Illiad 13 times [1] and are all insults used specifically towards men. For example, in book one, Achilles claims others will refer to him as coward if he gives in to Agamemnon’s orders [2]. In other words, Achilles believed that failing to stand up against Agamemnon would show weakness.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, coward derives from the word “coart”, (also seen as “cohart”, “cuard”, or “cowairt”), meaning tail. “The precise reference to tail is uncertain: it may be to an animal ‘turning tail’ in flight, or to the habit in frightened animals of drawing the tail between the hinder legs,” [3]. The formal definition as used since the 13th century is, “A reproachful designation for one who displays ignoble fear or want of courage in the face of danger, pain, or difficulty; an ignobly faint-hearted or pusillanimous person” [4]. In other words, a coward is a noun used to describe a person who is overcome with fear in a dangerous or challenging situation thus resulting in a refusal to perform.
In order to better understand the true insult of being called a coward, it is important to recognize the significance of honor, especially in the time of the Trojan War. To honor, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, has been defined as, “to pay worthy respect to (by some outward action); to worship, perform one's devotions to; to do obeisance or homage to; to celebrate” since the 13th century [5]. It is evident through reading The Illiad that honor must be given to the gods, the dead, the Kings and captains, the country, the family and the individual. Thus, failing to go into battle is dishonorable to all of them and only something “…green, defenseless boys or widowed women/whimpering to each other, wailing to journey back” would do [6].
I would argue that the insult of being called a coward is just as powerful as it was in the days of the Trojan War. While society may not value the same things (i.e. society honors different things), nobody wants to be considered weak or spineless. Instead, people want to be the hero and heroes are not cowards.
[1] perseus.tufts.edu/hopper
[2] Homer. “The Rage of Achilles.” The Illiad. p. 87, 342-355.
[3] “Etymology: Coward.” Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. Online.
[4] “Coward.” Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. Online.
[5] “Honor.” Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. Online.
[6] Homer. “The Great Gathering of the Armies.” The Illiad. p. 109, 338-339.
2 comments:
I like your post. While I was reading it, I remember how the use of being a coward was so extreme, to even mention the word was significant. As you mentioned, the word was used only 13 times in the text, and for a war that was fought on so many issues (even if some reasons may be quite insane), the premise of not fighting is the display of weakness.
As one of the other posts discussed the concept of kleos, or modern day glory, these men during that time were at times in the position where options were limited and it is either you fight for glory or you are considered a coward. Which the usage of both of these terms, glory and coward, are extreme, but as a warrior at that time, it was never the consideration of being the latter of the two.
I, too, thought your post was a nice contradiction to mine. We still have kleos and we certainly still have the concept of a coward. Men are still held to this standard of being the hero, the knight in shining armor. Comparing a man to a woman is still offensive (typically using more derogatory terms, of course).
On a completely separate note, did anyone picture the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz when reading this post, especially during the portion on the tail? He literally shakes and grabs his tail when the Wizard is yelling at him, Dorothy and the scarecrow.
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