Discussion of words and place-names ending in -ωνη, accentuation of -ωνη disyllables, and Homeric citations regarding Δωδώνη (Dodona), Χώνη, and other similar toponyms and variants.
Τὰ εἰς 'ωνη' δισύλλαβα παροξύνεται, ζώνη· ἔστι καὶ πόλις Κικόνων. Ἑκαταῖος Εὐρώπῃ. μνώνη, σμώνη ἡ πλῆξις τοῦ ἀνέμου, γρώνη, χώνη. ἔστι καὶ Χώνη πόλις Οἰνωτρῶν, ἧς Στράβων μέμνηται ἐν ἕκτῃ »καὶ τὴν γῆν ὀνομάσαι Χώνην«. »καὶ Χώνη πόλις ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, ἀφ´ ἧς οἱ ταύτῃ Χῶνες ἐκλήθησαν«. τὸ δὲ φωνή ἀπὸ τοῦ φωνῶ καὶ τὸ ὠνή ἀπὸ τοῦ ὠνῶ ὀξύνεται. Τὰ διὰ τοῦ 'ωνη' κύρια καὶ προσηγορικὰ ὑπερδισύλλαβα βαρύνεται, Δωδώνη πόλις τῆς Μολοσσίδος ἐν Ἠπείρῳ, καθ´ ἣν Δωδωναῖος Ζεύς »Δωδώνης μεδέων δυσχειμέρου« (Il. Π 234). Φιλόξενος δὲ ὁ τὴν Ὀδύσσειαν ὑπομνηματίζων δύο φησί, Θετταλικὴν καὶ Θεσπρωτικήν, οὕτως »Δωδώνην νῦν φησι τὴν Θεσπρωτικὴν ἐν ᾗ τὸ μαντεῖον ἐκ τῆς δρυός, ἑτέρα δὲ ἡ Θετταλικὴ ἀφ´ ἧς ὁ Ἀχιλλεὺς καλεῖ τὸν Δία.« ἔοικε δὲ οὗτος ἐπιλελῆσθαι τὸ »ἀμφὶ δὲ Σελλοὶ σοὶ ναίους´ ὑποφῆται ἀνιπτόποδες χαμαιεῦναι« (Il. Π 234). πῶς γὰρ τούτων μέμνηται ἀπὸ τῆς Θεσσαλικῆς καλῶν αὐτόν; οὕτω δὲ καὶ Ἐπαφρόδιτος ἐν τῇ Π τῆς Ἰλιάδος »τιμᾷ τοὺς ἐν Δωδώνῃ ἔχοντας ἐπιφανὲς μαντεῖον, «τὸν δ´ ἐς Δωδώνην φάτο βήμεναι». ἐπικέκληκε δὲ Ἀχιλλεὺς τὸν ἐν τῇ Θετταλίᾳ γειτνιῶντα θεόν, ὡς καὶ ὁ Πάνδαρος εὔχεται τῷ Λυκηγενεῖ καὶ ὁ Χρύσης τῷ Σμινθεῖ. τὸν δὲ Δωδωναῖον ἔλεγον καὶ Νάϊον. Ζηνόδοτος δὲ γράφει Φηγωναῖε, ἐπεὶ ἐν Δωδώνῃ πρῶτον φηγὸς ἐμαντεύετο«. καὶ Σουίδας δέ φησι Δωδωναίου Διὸς ἱερὸν εἶναι ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ καὶ τοῦτον ἐπικαλεῖσθαι. ἕτεροι δὲ γράφουσι Βωδωναῖε. πόλιν γὰρ εἶναι Βωδώνην, ὅπου τιμᾶται. Κινέας δέ φησι πόλιν ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ εἶναι καὶ φηγὸν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Διὸς μαντεῖον εἰς Ἤπειρον μετενεχθῆναι. ὠνόμασται δὲ κατὰ Θρασύβουλον, ὡς Ἐπαφρόδιτος ὑπομνηματίζων τὸ βʹ Αἰτίων »ἀπὸ Δωδώνης μιᾶς τῶν Ὠκεανίδων νυμφῶν. Ἀκεστόδωρος δὲ ἀπὸ Δώδωνος τοῦ Διὸς καὶ Εὐρώπης«. εἰκὸς δὲ ἀπὸ Δώδωνος ποταμοῦ Ἠπείρου. διτταὶ δ´ εἰσὶ Δωδῶναι, ἡ ἐν Ἠπείρῳ καὶ ἡ ἐν Θετταλίᾳ, καθάπερ ἄλλοι καὶ Μνασέας. ἡ δὲ Δωδῶνος γενικὴ μετὰ τῆς λοιπῆς κινήσεως ἠδύνατο κλίσις εἶναι τῆς Δωδών, εἴπερ ἦν ἐν χρήσει τῆς πόλεως ἡ εὐθεῖα. ἀλλ´ οὐκ εἴρηται· διόπερ μεταπλασμὸς ἔοικε εἶναι. λήγεται δὲ καὶ εἰς 'ω'. Σιμμίας ὁ Ῥόδιος »Ζηνὸς ἕδος Κρονίδαο μάκαιρ´ ὑπεδέξατο Δωδώ«. Βωδώνη πόλις Περραιβική, ὡς Ἀπολλόδωρος. οἱ δ´ ὀρθῶς Θετταλίας ἀπὸ Βωδωνοῦ ἥρωος. Μεθώνη πόλις Θρᾴκης. Μαγνησίας, ἣν Ὅμηρος διὰ τοῦ 'η' »οἱ δ´ ἄρα Μηθώνην καὶ Θαυμακίην ἐνέμοντο« (Β 716). ἔστι δὲ καὶ Μακεδονίας. ἐκλήθη δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μέθυ. πολύοινος γάρ ἐστι. καὶ τῆς Λακωνικῆς. δʹ ἐν Περσίδι. εʹ Εὐβοίας. Μοθώνη, εἰρεσιώνη, χελώνη,
Disyllables in -ωνη are accented on the penult: ζώνη; there is also a city of the Cicones. Hecataeus in his Europa. μνώνη, σμώνη, the gust of wind; γρώνη, χώνη. There is also Χώνη, a city of the Oenotrians, which Strabo mentions in the sixth book: “and to name the land Χώνη.” “And Χώνη, a city above it, from which the Χῶνες in that region were named.” But φωνή, from φωνῶ, and ὠνή, from ὠνῶ, are accented on the ultima. Proper names and appellatives of more than two syllables in -ωνη are accented with a grave: Δωδώνη, a city of the Molossians in Epirus, after which Zeus is called Dodonaean: “ruling over wintry Δωδώνη” (Il. Π 234). Philoxenus, however, who wrote a commentary on the Odyssey, says there are two, a Thessalian and a Thesprotian, as follows: “By Δωδώνη he now means the Thesprotian, in which the oracle is from the oak; but the other is the Thessalian, from which Achilles calls upon Zeus.” But this man seems to have forgotten “and about you dwell the Selloi, your interpreters, unwashed of feet, who sleep on the ground” (Il. Π 234). For how does he mention these while calling him from Thessaly? So too Epaphroditus in book Π of the Iliad: “he honors those in Δωδώνη who possess a famous oracle, ‘and he said that he would go to Δωδώνη.’” But Achilles invoked the god who is neighboring in Thessaly, just as Pandarus prays to Lycegenēs and Chryses to Smintheus. They also called the Dodonaean Zeus Naios. Zenodotus writes Φηγωναῖε, since in Δωδώνη an oak first gave oracles. And Suidas too says that there is a sanctuary of Dodonaean Zeus in Thessaly and that he is invoked thus. Others write Βωδωναῖε, for there is said to be a city Βωδώνη where he is honored. Cineas says that there is a city in Thessaly and an oak, and that the oracle of Zeus was transferred to Epirus. It was named, according to Thrasybulus, as Epaphroditus notes in the second book of the Aetia, “from Δωδώνη, one of the Oceanid nymphs.” But Acestodorus derives it from Δώδων, son of Zeus and Europa. It is likely, however, from the river Δώδων of Epirus. There are two Δωδῶναι, the one in Epirus and the one in Thessaly, as others too, including Mnaseas, say. The genitive Δωδῶνος, with the rest of its inflection, could have been a declension of Δωδών, if the nominative of the city had been in use; but it is not attested, and therefore it seems to be a reshaping. It is also found ending in -ω. Simmias of Rhodes: “the blessed seat of Zeus, son of Cronus, received Δωδώ.” Βωδώνη, a Perrhaebian city, according to Apollodorus; but those who are correct derive it in Thessaly from the hero Βωδωνός. Μεθώνη, a city of Thrace; and Μαγνησίας, which Homer writes with η: “and they inhabited Μηθώνη and Thaumacia” (Β 716). There is also one in Macedonia; and it was named from μέθυ, for it is rich in wine; and one in Laconia; a fourth in Persis; a fifth in Euboea. Μοθώνη, εἰρεσιώνη, χελώνη.