‘AÁTO∑ at Odyssey 22.5: Greek and Indo-European oaths

Abstract

The meaning of the word άατo at Homer's Odyssey 22.5 becomes clearer examined in conjunction with its occurrence at Iliad 14.271 where it is used as an epithet of the river Styx. Further discussion, by locating the word within the context of IE ordeal rituals, Greek cosmogony and the pre-IE mythology of Greek Arcadia, reveals a complex theology amalgamated from these different sources.