Pindar on Archilochus and the gluttony of blame (Pyth. 2.52-6)

Abstract

AbstractInPyth. 2.52–5 Pindar describes Archilochus as ‘growing fat on dire words of hatred’. This article argues that Pindar portrays Archilochus as a glutton in the manner of iambic invective. A glutton is seen as a person who grows fat at the expense of others, and so fails in the matter of χάρις. In this light, Archilochus, the poet of blame, stands with Ixion in the poem as a negative paradigm, serving as a foil to Pindar's praise of Hieron. Praise is thus placed in a setting that recognizes its opposite: praise is only meaningful when seen in relation to blame. Pindar's poetry is not the product of gluttony; it is a return that offers a necessary recognition of excellence.