Ἔτυμα‎ and Ἀληθέα‎

This chapter examines one of the last days accounted for in Hesiod’s catalogue of days, the so-called triseinas (Works and Days 814–18), the correct understanding of which has been debated already in antiquity. The lack of clarity concerning the meaning of the term triseinas and the poet’s comment on the frequent errors in the designation of the day are manifestations of a problem that runs throughout both poems: the distinction between truth (ἀληθέα‎, ἐτήτυμα‎) and lies/falsehoods (ψεύδεα‎). Besides being yet another riddle, the brief entry of the triseinas-day is intimately connected to questions of truth and naming and thus leads us back to the beginning of both the Theogony (27–8) and the Works and Days (10). Therefore, beginning with a discussion of Op. 814–18 the chapter moves into a question that is central for the understanding of Hesiod’s project, namely the truth status of his poetry.