Accentuation and prosody of words ending in -δη and -θη, with place-names and examples; rules for oxytone vs barytone depending on final syllable length and grammatical status.
προσηγορικὰ ὄντα ὀξύνεται, χορδή, σπονδή. τὸ μέντοι Χόνδη κύριον βαρύνεται καὶ τὸ Μένδη πόλις Θρᾴκης ἀπὸ Μένδης γυναικός. Ἀπολλόδωρος Μένδαν αὐτήν φησι, καὶ τὸ Τίνδη Θρᾴκης Χαλκιδικὴ πόλις καὶ τὸ ἄλδη. Τὰ εἰς 'δη' προσηγορικὰ μακρᾷ παραληγόμενα ὀξύνεται, ᾠδή, ἀοιδή, σπουδή, ἐδωδή, αὐδή. τὸ μέντοι Λήδη κύριον, καὶ Ἴδη Τροίας ὄρος. Ὅμηρος (Il. Γ 276) »Ἴδηθεν μεδέων« ἀπὸ Ἴδης τινὸς βασιλίσσης, ὡς Χάραξ. καὶ Μήδη καὶ Λύδη. Τὰ εἰς 'δη' λήγοντα ἔχοντα πρὸ τέλους συλλαβὴν βραχεῖαν μὴ εἰς σύμφωνον καταλήγουσαν, εἰ μὲν κύρια ὦσιν ἢ οὐσίαν σημαίνει, βαρύνεται, πέδη, κνίδη, σίδη. ἔστι καὶ Σίδη πόλις Παμφυλίας ὡς Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. κέκληται δὲ ἀπὸ Σίδης τῆς θυγατρὸς μὲν Ταύρου, γυναικὸς δὲ Κιμώλου. Νέδη πόλις Ἀρκαδίας ἀπὸ νύμφης Νέδης. Εὐφορίων δὲ Νεδέην αὐτήν φησι. Ὕδη πόλις Λυδίας, ἐν ᾗ ᾤκει Ὀμφάλη δυναστεύουσα Λυδῶν, Ἰαρδάνου θυγάτηρ, ὡς Ἀπολλώνιος Καρικῶν τετάρτῳ. Ὅμηρος δὲ διὰ τοῦ 'λ' (Il. Η 221). »σκυτοτόμων ὄχ´ ἄριστος Ὕλῃ ἐνὶ οἰκία ναίων«. Μαιάνδριος δ´, ὃν Νικάνωρ παρατίθησι ἐν μετονομασίαις, τὴν αὐτὴν Ὕδην καὶ Σάρδεις φησίν. κράδη καὶ Κράδη πόλις Καρίας. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίας περιηγήσει. Λάδη νῆσος Αἰολίδος. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. Ῥόδη πόλις Ἰβηρίας καὶ πληθυντικῶς πόλις Ἰταλίας. εἰ δὲ κατὰ πράγματος τάσσοιτο, ὀξύνεται, κομιδή ἡ ἐπιμέλεια, ἁδή ἡ ἡδονή, φραδή ἡ βουλή, χλιδή ὁ κόσμος. * Τὰ εἰς 'δη' ὑπερδισύλλαβα κύρια βαρύνεται, Χαρμάνδη πόλις πέραν τοῦ Εὐφράτου. Σοφαίνετος ἐν Κύρου ἀναβάσει »ἐπὶ δὲ ταῖς Βαβυλωνίαις πύλαις πέραν τοῦ Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ πόλις ᾤκιστο ὄνομα Χαρμάνδη«. Ἀγαμήδη τόπος περὶ Πύρραν τῆς Λέσβου ἀπὸ Ἀγαμήδης τῆς Μάκαρος, τῆς καὶ Πύρρας ἐπίκλησιν. ἔστι καὶ κρήνη Ἀγαμήδη, ὡς Νικόλαος εʹ. Τὰ εἰς 'θη' δισύλλαβα βαρύνεται, εἰ μὴ ἰαμβικὰ εἴη τῷ 'ο' παραληγόμενα, μάλθη ὁ κηρός, τήθη, τίτθη, Ξάνθη οὕτως ἡ Τρῳάς ἐκαλεῖτο.
When they are appellatives they are accented with an acute: χορδή, σπονδή. But Χόνδη, being a proper name, is accented with a grave, and likewise Μένδη, a city of Thrace, from Μένδη, a woman. Apollodorus says that she herself is Μένδα, and likewise Τίνδη, a city of Thrace in Chalcidice, and ἄλδη.
Appellatives in -δη, with a long penult, are accented with an acute: ᾠδή, ἀοιδή, σπουδή, ἐδωδή, αὐδή. But Λήδη is a proper name, and Ἴδη, a mountain of Troy. Homer (Il. Γ 276) “Ἴδηθεν μεδέων,” from some queen Ἴδη, as Charax says; and likewise Μήδη and Λύδη.
Words ending in -δη that have before the last syllable a short syllable not ending in a consonant—if they are proper names or signify a substance—are accented with a grave: πέδη, κνίδη, σίδη. There is also Σίδη, a city of Pamphylia, as Hecataeus in his Asia says; and it is named from Σίδη, daughter of Taurus and wife of Cimolus. Νέδη, a city of Arcadia, from the nymph Νέδη; but Euphorion says that she herself is Νεδέη. Ὕδη, a city of Lydia, in which Omphale dwelt, ruling the Lydians, daughter of Iardanus, as Apollonius says in the fourth book of his Carica. Homer, however, with lambda (Il. Η 221): “σκυτοτόμων ὄχ᾽ ἄριστος Ὕλῃ ἐνὶ οἰκίᾳ ναίων.” But Maiandrius, whom Nicanor cites in his Metonomasiai, says that this same place is both Ὕδη and Σάρδεις. κράδη, and Κράδη, a city of Caria—Hecataeus in his Periegesis of Asia. Λάδη, an island of Aeolis—Hecataeus in his Asia. Ῥόδη, a city of Iberia, and in the plural a city of Italy. But if it is used in the sense of a thing, it is accented with an acute: κομιδή, “care”; ἁδή, “pleasure”; φραδή, “counsel”; χλιδή, “adornment.”
Proper names of more than two syllables ending in -δη are accented with a grave: Χαρμάνδη, a city beyond the Euphrates. Sophainetus in the Anabasis of Cyrus: “and at the Babylonian gates beyond the river Euphrates a city had been founded, named Χαρμάνδη.” Ἀγαμήδη, a place near Pyrrha of Lesbos, from Ἀγαμήδη, daughter of Macar, who also had the byname Pyrrha. There is also a spring Ἀγαμήδη, as Nicolaus, book 5.
Disyllables in -θη are accented with a grave, unless they are iambic with omicron in the penult: μάλθη, “wax”; τήθη; τίτθη; Ξάνθη—thus the Troad was called.