Etymology

The participial adjective μηρία "femur, thighbone" (< "thigh", default. ὄστεα "bones") comes from the noun μηρός, "thigh" (Risch 1974, 115); used in the plural in the technical sense of "thigh bones of cattle, sheep or goats" wrapped in a fatty peritoneal membrane (κνῖσα, less commonly: δημός, ἐπιπόλαιον, πιμελή) and then burned on an altar. In the Homeric epic a synonym for the collective noun μῆρα (→ μῆρα ➚), in later texts it has almost completely replaced it (Chantraine 1999 [1968], 697). See also → μηροί ➚.

Testimonies

The verb μηρία appears in the context of activities comprising three successive phases of the ritual process: (1) the preparation of the part of the sacrificial animal destined for the gods, i.e. (1a) the cutting off of the legs and the trimming of the μηρία ἐκτάμνω/ἐκτέμνω, 'I cut off, I cut out, I trim', cf. Meuli, 1946, 216-7), (1b) 'hiding' the μηρία by wrapping them bilaterally with a fatty peritoneal membrane ([κνίσῃ] κατακαλύπτω, 'I cover (with fat)', and (1c) placing raw pieces of meat from other parts of the animal on them (ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν ὠμοθετέω, 'on them (i.e. legs) I lay the pieces of meat"); (2) the laying of the portion destined for the gods on the altar: ἐπιτίθημι, 'I arrange, lay on (the default. altar)'; (3) burning: καίω, 'I burn, I burn', δαύω, 'I burn'. To this should be added references to (4) the use of the ashes resulting from the burnt bones.

1. The preparation of the part destined for the gods.

In the Homeric epic, the expression ἐκ μηρία τάμνον ("they cut out the femurs", with the thesis Od. 3.456) appears in a detailed description of the sacrifice made by Nestor to Athena (Od. 3. 456b-457): ἄφαρ δ᾽ ἐκ μηρία τάμνον / πάντα κατὰ μοῖραν, κατά τε κνίσῃ ἐκάλυψαν ('when they cut out the femurs, all as they should be, and hid them in the fat of the peritoneum'), which is a variant of a more common version of the description of the procedure for preparing the thighs (μηρούς) for burning (Il. 1.464-5 = Il. 2.427-8 = Od. 12. 364-5): μηρούς τ᾽ ἐξέταμον κατά τε κνίσῃ ἐκάλυψαν / δίπτυχα ποιήσαντες, ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν δ᾽ ὠμοθέτησαν, 'they cut out the hind legs and hid them in the fat of the peritoneum, / doubly wrapped, and laid raw trimmings on them'. In the mentions of sacrifices embedded in the characters' utterances, the wrapping of μηρία with fat is metonymically signalled by the adjectives πίων 'fat' (7x in the Homeric epic), ἀγλαά "shiny" (Hes. Op.337), the noun δημός "fat" (2x) or the expression καλύψας πίονι δημῷ (1x).

In the Room of Aristophanes (Pax 1025) it is recommended that the femurs be cut out after the sacrifice, i.e. after the ritual slaughter of the animal in the skene, and brought to the orchestra: θύσας τὰ μηρὶ᾽ ἐξελὼν δευρ᾽ ἔκφερε. The word μηρία probably appears in a fragment of Eubulos' comedy Semele Eubulos (fr. 94 Kassel-Austin = fr. 95 Kock, corrupted text, crux philologorum), where Dionysus complains about the composition of the parts of the sacrificial animal intended for the gods: πρῶτον μὲν ὅταν ἐμοί τι θύωσίν τινες, / αἷμα, κύστιν, ἧπαρ, καρδίαν, / ὑμέν᾽ ἐπιπόλαιον- οὐδ᾽ ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐσθίω / γλυκεῖαν οὐδὲ μηρία. "First, when any offerings they give me, / It is only blood and bladder, heart, liver also, / And the thin outer membrane, but I eat not, / Neither gall nor bone from the hip taken after all. / (...) and the upper part of the hip (translated by Janina Niemirska-Pliszczyńska).

2. Arranging the part destined for the gods on the altar.

The phraseological compound μηρία + ἐπιτίθημι, 'to lay (on the altar) a leg' = 'to offer an animal sacrifice' in the epic appears in the commands to prepare the sacrifice (Od. 21.267: ὄφρ᾽ ἐπὶ μηρία θέντες Ἀπόλλωνι, says Alkinoos, cf. A.Rh. 2.691: δὴ τότε οἱ κεραῶν ἐπὶ μηρία θήσομεν αἰγῶν 'let us sacrifice the horned goats' for him. Cf. the mention of fulfilled sacrifices (Nestor, Od. 3.178-9: Ποσειδάωνι δὲ ταύρων / πόλλ᾽ ἐπὶ μῆρ᾽ ἔθεμεν). In the inscriptions μηρία is sometimes replaced by other expressions, see LSAM 24 (c.380/360 BC), Erythraj, l.33-34: ὅταν τὴν ἱρὴν μοῖραν ἐπιθῆι. The leg lying on the altar as a backdrop to the violent death threatening the sacrificer appears in the passage by Euripides (E.Fr. 143 = Ar. Th. 694) cited by Aristophanes: ἐπὶ τῶν μηρίων.

3. the burning of the part dedicated to the gods.

In the epic, the noun μηρία occurs most often in conjunction with the verb 'to burn' καίω and its derivatives. In the sacrifices depicted by the main narrator, the burning of the legs is a central element of the scene of a typical sacrificial feast (see Corpus, Homer, Introduction). In the Homeric formula καῖε δ᾽ ἐπὶ σχίζῃς ὁ γέρων, ἐπὶ δ᾽ αἴθοπα οἶνον / λεῖβε 'then the old man burned on stumps, poured sparkling wine over the wine' (Il. 1.462-463 = Od. 3.459-460) the default complement is a fat-wrapped leg with pieces of raw meat on top. In a variant of this hexameter καὶ τὰ μὲν ἂρ σχίζῃσιν ἀφύλλοισιν κατέκαιον 'and burned them on leafless stumps' (Il. 2.425) the pronoun τὰ points directly to the legs, cf. A.Rh. 1.434-5: τά γε πάντα (...) καῖον ἐπὶ σχίζῃσιν.

The key role of burning the femurs and tasting the entrails is indicated by the formal hexameter, which sums up the description of the ritual process with the words: εὖθ᾽ οἱ σπλάγχνα πάσαντο, θεῷ δ᾽ ἐπὶ μηρί᾽ ἔκηαν "when they had tasted the entrails, and burned the femurs to the god" (Od. 3.9), cf. its standard form: αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μῆρ᾽ ἐκάη καὶ σπλάγχνα πάσαντο "when they had burnt the thigh-bones and tasted the entrails" (4x: Il. 1, 464=Il. 2, 427=Od. 3, 461=Od. 12,364).

Beyond the typical scenes, the expression καίω + μηρία in the Homeric epic is used as a metonymy for the victims mentioned by the main narrator (aojda) or in the statements of the characters. The main narrator uses it in two places: when mentioning the sacrifices made by Autolykos for Hermes (Od. 19.397-398: τῷ γὰρ κεχαρισμένα μηρία καῖεν / ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων) and when presenting the thoughts of Thespis considering how to save his life during the slaughter of the suitors (Od. 22.334-336: ἢ ἐκδὺς μεγάροιο Διὸς μεγάλου ποτὶ βωμὸν (...) / ἔνθ᾽ ἄρα πολλὰ / Λαέρτης Ὀδυσεύς τε βοῶν ἐπὶ μηρί᾽ ἔκηαν). In the former case, it is about "kind (κεχαρισμένα)" offerings, which are linked to Hermes' special favour for a worshipper endowed by the god with special qualities; in the latter, it is part of the description of the altar of Zeus, the protector of the homestead, and emphasises Odysseus' connection as a zealous sacrificer with a place where the supplicant can seek protection from his wrath.

In the characters' speeches, the burning of the legs for the god is a typical element of prayer, and its recollection linked to a request to a supernatural being creates a relationship of reciprocity. Prayers may recall offerings they themselves once made:

Il. 1.40-41 (Chryses): ἢ εἰ δή ποτέ τοι κατὰ πίονα μηρί᾽ ἔκηα / ταύρων ἠδ᾽ αἰγῶν, "if I burned you when I burned the fat legs / of bulls and goats"; Il. 8. 240 (Agamemnon): ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ πᾶσι βοῶν δημὸν καὶ μηρί᾽ ἔκηα, "but on all (the altars) the fat and the hind legs I burned"; Il. 15. 373-374 (Agamemnon): ἢ βοὸς ἢ οἰὸς κατὰ πίονα μηρία καίων / εὔχετο νοστῆσαι, '(if I) prayed for return by burning the fat legs of an ox or a sheep'. If, on the other hand, the person praying is a figure occupying a lower social position (Eumayos, Penelope), he invokes the sacrifices made in the past by the rightful host, Odysseus:

From. 17.240-242 (Eumajos): Νύμφαι κρηναῖαι, κοῦραι Διός, εἴ ποτ᾽ Ὀδυσσεὺς / ὔμμ᾽ ἐπὶ μηρί᾽ ἔκηε, καλύψας πίονι δημῷ, / ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων, τόδε μοι κρηήνατ᾽ ἐέλδωρ; Od. 4.763-765 (Penelope): εἴ ποτέ τοι πολύμητις ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν Ὀδυσσεὺς / ἢ βοὸς ἢ ὄϊος κατὰ πίονα μηρία κῆε, / τῶν νῦν μοι μνῆσαι καί μοι φίλον υἷα σάωσον. Characteristically, in all cases the burnt hind legs are referred to as fat (πίονα μηρία, Il. 1.40; 11.773; 15.373; Od. 4.764) or, in the case of Eumaios' prayer, the fact that they are hidden in fat is emphasised (καλύψας πίονι δημῷ, Od. 17.241).

In several places the characters mention in their stories the hind legs burnt by any of the heroes in the past. Twice it is spoken by Nestor, who, as the oldest of the heros who came to Troy, is the bearer of the historical memory of the generation fighting in the Trojan War. In Il. 11.772-773 he mentions the sacrifice made by Peleus when Nestor arrived in Phthia before the Trojan War (γέρων δ᾽ ἱππηλάτα Πηλεὺς / πίονα μηρία καῖε βοὸς Διὶ τερπικεραύνῳ). This refers to a version of the typical scene "sacrificial feast + arrival of guests" adapted to the speech format of the heros. By contrast, in Od. 3.273 Nestor speaks of Ajgistos, emphasising the futility of his sacrifices (πολλὰ δὲ μηρί᾽ ἔκηε θεῶν ἱεροῖσ᾽ ἐπὶ βωμοῖς). In the 24th song of the Iliad, the gods twice mention the leg burned by Hector (Il. 24.33-34; Apollon: οὔ νύ ποθ᾽ ὑμῖν / Ἕκτωρ μηρί᾽ ἔκηε βοῶν αἰγῶν τε τελείων; Il. 24.170-3; Zeus: (Ἕκτωρ) ὅς μοι πολλὰ βοῶν ἐπὶ μηρί᾽ ἔκηεν / Ἴδης ἐν κορυφῇσι πολυπτύχου, ἄλλοτε δ᾽ αὖτε / ἐν πόλει ἀκροτάτῃ). Finally, when Odysseus tells of the hind legs burnt in sacrifice by him during his wanderings, he uses the phrase, ῥέξας μηρί᾽ ἔκαιον (Od. 9.550 ἀρνειὸν (...) /- τὸν δ᾽ ἐπὶ θινὶ / Ζηνὶ κελαινεφέϊ Κρονίδῃ, ὃς πᾶσιν ἀνάσσει, / ῥέξας μηρί᾽ ἔκαιον- ὁ δ᾽ οὐκ ἐμπάζετο ἱρῶν).

The burning of the legs as a metonymy of sacrifice also occurs in other poetic genres: in the elegy (Thgn. 1145: let him pray to the gods and offer sacrifice (...) burning shining hind legs, εὐχέσθω δὲ θεοῖσι, καὶ ἀγλαὰ μηρία καίων (...) θυέτω), in the paean Bakchylides (B. 1. 66: ἐπὶ βω[μῶν θεοῖσιν αἴθε]σθαι βο[ῶν ξανθᾷ φλογί] [[μηρί᾽ εὐ]μάλ]λων τε [μήλων] 'on the altars / in the bright fire to the gods laid / the legs of oxen and woolly sheep burn (translated by J. Danielewicz)'. In the lyric: Call. frg.2a: μνῆσαι δ᾽, εἴ κοτέ τοι μηρία καλὰ βοῶν.

Aristophanes in the Birds adopts an inverted optic, the sacrifice seen from above; he shifts the emphasis from the burning process to its result, the 'oily' smoke rising to the sky (Ar. Av. 193): διὰ τῆς πόλεως ... τὴν κνῖσαν οὐ διαφρήσετε "from the burnt hinds you shall not let the smoke flow through your city (translated by J. Ławińska-Tyszkowska)," cf. 1517-8 ("neither shall the smoke from the burnt hinds / flow to us," οὐδὲ κνῖσα μηρίων ἄπο / ανῆλθεν). The phrase τῶν μηρίων τὴν κνῖσαν, by way of reversal, finds its counterpart in κεκίς μηρίων in Sophocles' Antigone.

In the classical era, the first testimonies of mantic practices accompanying burning appear, and consequently detailed descriptions of the anomalies of the burning process of the part dedicated to the gods. The evil omens are described in detail by Tiresias in Sophocles' Antigone (S.Ant. 1005-1020): ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ σποδῷ μυδῶσα κηκὶς μηρίων ἐτήκετο κἄτυφε κἀνέπτυε, καὶ μετάρσιοι χολαὶ διεσπείροντο, καὶ καταρρυεῖς μηροὶ καλυπτῆς ἐξέκειντο πιμελῆς, "but on the ashes the seeping, bubbling liquid of the sacrificial bones melted and smoked and sizzled, and drops of bile splashed high, and the slimy legs fell out of the fat covering them".

In inscriptions of the archaic and classical periods the word appears rarely. The state of preservation of an inscription regulating the ritual norms of the cult of Heracles at Milet (LSAM 42, Milet, c. 500 BC) does not allow the context of the word to be determined, but the verb παρατίθημι may suggest that one is instructed to place something beside or in front of the hind legs (]ὰ τοῖσι μηρίοισ[ι | πα]ρατιθέναι- ἔρ̣δεν ο-).

In later prose, the burning of hind legs is mentioned by authors when an unusual sacrifice is involved, such as the sacrifice of a deer sacrificed at Megalopolis: καὶ τά τε μηρία ἐκτεμόντες καίουσι καὶ δὴ καὶ ἀναλίσκουσιν αὐτόθι τοῦ ἱερείου τὰ κρέα, "after cutting out the femurs, they burn them and eat the meat of the sacrificial animal in the sacred precinct itself (Paus. 8.38.8)".

4. The use of the ashes of the burnt μηρία.

The ashes of burnt μηρία were sometimes collected in special places: on the heroon (Hdt 4. 35: καὶ τῶν μηρίων καταγιζομένων ἐπὶ τῷ βωμῷ τὴν σποδὸν ταύτην ἐπὶ τὴν θήκην τὴν Ὤπιός τε καὶ Ἄργης ἀναισιμοῦσθαι ἐπιβαλλομένην, "the ashes of the legs burnt on the altar are used to sprinkle the tomb of Opis and Argi").

Catalogue of occurrences

1) Verb. + μηρία:

ἐκτάμνω + μηρία, "to cut out": Od. 3.456; Paus. 8.38.8

ἐξαιρέω + μηρία, "to take out": A. Pax 1021

ἐπιτίθημι + μηρία, "to lay (on the altar)": Od. 21.267; Ap. Rhod. 2.691; cf. ἐπὶ τῶν μηρίων E. fr. 143 = A.Th. 694

καίω + μηρία, "to burn": Il. 1.40; 8.240; 11.773; 22.34; Od. 3.273; 9.553; 19.366; 19.397; 22.336; Hes. Op. 337; Thgn. 1.1145; default. [μηρία], Il. 1.462 = Od. 3.459; Il. 2.425; A.Rh. 1.435; Paus. 8.38.8

ἐπικαίω + μηρία, "to burn": Od. 3.9; Od. 17.241;

κατακαίω + μηρία, "to burn": Il. 1.40; Il. 15.373; Il. 22.170; Od. 4.764; [Call. Eleg. 2a]; default. Il. 2.425

δαύω + μηρία, "to burn": Sem. 30 (μηρίων δεδαυμένων)

2) Adj. + μηρία

In the epic, the noun μηρία occurs with the appendages:

πίονα 'fat': Hom. Il. 1.40; Il. 15.373; Il. 11.773; Od. 4.764

ἀγλαὰ 'shining': Hes. Op. 337; Thgn. 1.1145

πολλὰ 'numerous, plural': Hom. Od. 3.273; 24.170

κεχαρισμένα "pleasant": Hom. Od. 19.397)

ἱερὰ 'holy': A.Rh. 1.433.

It seems that πίονα is used primarily in prayers as a metonymy signalling the ritual process of preparing the portion intended for the gods.

3) μηρία + SubstGEN

The names of sacrificial animals appear as complements: ἢ βοὸς ἢ ὄϊος (Il. 15.373: for Zeus; Od. 4. 763: for Zeus), ταύρων ἠδ᾽ αἰγῶν (Il. 1.41; for Apollon), ταύρων (Od. 3.178, for Poseidon); βοῶν (Il. 8.240; for Zeus; Il.24 .170; for Zeus, Od. 22.336; for Zeus Herkeios), βοῶν αἰγῶν τε (Il. 24.34; Hector's offerings to the gods, says Apollon), ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων (Od. 17.242; for Nymphs, Od. 19.397, for Hermes).

sacrificial animal - recipient of sacrifice

ταύρων - Poseidon

ταύρων ἠδ᾽ αἰγῶν - Apollon

βοῶν - Zeus (3x)

βοῶν αἰγῶν τε - gods (says Apollon)

ἢ βοὸς ἢ ὄϊος - Zeus (2x)

ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων - Nymphs (1x), Hermes (1x)

It seems that the choice of sacrificial animals is not random. Poseidon and Apollon receive uncastrated bulls (ταύροι), Zeus - oxen (βοῦς) and sheep (οἶς), Nymphs and Hermes, closely related deities - "lambs and kids" (ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων); it is worth noting that when Apollon appears in the context, goats, αἰγῶν, also appear. Cf. A.Rh. 2,697: κεραῶν ἐπὶ μηρία θήσομεν αἰγῶν. No pigs appear in the phrase μηρία + SubstGEN.

4) μηρία καίειν + ἐπί Substdat. loc. or ἐν Substdat. loc.

In the epic the phrase may occur with the place circumstance "on the altar": Od. 3.273: ἱεροῖσ᾽ ἐπὶ βωμοῖς; Il. 8.240: ἐπὶ πᾶσι (scil. βωμοῖς); or "on the shore (of the sea)". Od. 9.550: ἐπὶ θινὶ.

Il. 24.170-3: Ἴδης ἐν κορυφῇσι πολυπτύχου, (...) ἐν πόλει ἀκροτάτῃ; Od. 4.763-765: ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν.

Discussion/Interpretation

There has long been debate as to whether the word μηρία means "leg", i.e. "femur with surrounding muscles", or "thigh bone, femur". In a landmark article by Karl Meuli, he showed that the second meaning is correct (Meuli 1946, earlier bibliography, ibid., p. 215, note 6; cf. Detienne, Vernant 1979, Detienne 1998, pp. 70-2, van Straten 1995; Ekroth 2007, 2009, 2013). More recently, Guy Berthiaume has suggested that sacrificing cleaned bones or bones with meat was not the absolute norm, but depended on the circumstances and the decision of the sacrificer (Berthiaume 2005), but the sources cited in support of this thesis are not convincing (Ekroth 2009, 127-8). Hesiod, in the Theogony, justified the custom of burning μηρία, mēría on the altars with the myth of deception to which Prometheus resorted during the final separation of gods and men (ἐκ τοῦ δ᾽ ἀθανάτοισιν ἐπὶ χθονὶ φῦλ᾽ ἀναθρώπων / καίουσ᾽ ὀστέα λευκὰ θυηέντων ἐπὶ βωμῶν, → cf. commentary on Hesiod, Theogony, 535-558). The expression ὀστέα λευκὰ here is the functional equivalent of μηρία, which could suggest that the flesh-cleansed femurs were burned on the altar or that they were the most important ingredient of the portion dedicated to the gods, hence the metonymic usage. Although the early epic does not use the word 'sacrifice', the epithet describing altars in conjunction with ὀστέα λευκὰ καίειν, 'to burn the white bones' captures the essence of the sacrificial ritual: it involves the production of smoke during the burning of the femurs, a visible signal sent by the people as a sign of reverence within a reciprocal relationship (Parker 1998; 2011).

The interpretation of the noun μηρία as a technical term denoting flesh-cleaned femurs is confirmed by lexicographical tradition. Hesychios defines it as τὰ ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν ἐξαιρούμενα ὀστᾶ 'bones cut from the thighs' (s.v. μηρία), cf. the use of the verb in Ar. Pax 1021). Similarly in Apollon. Lex. s.v. μηρία- οὐχ ὡς ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τῶν μηριῶν ἐξαιρούμενα καὶ ἱεροθυτούμενα ὀστᾶ "different from our usage, means bones cut from the legs and offered to the gods". Whereas Etym. M. (p. 585, 22) explains: μηρία- τὰ μηριαῖα ὀστᾶ "femurs" (Meuli 1946, 216).

In the Homeric epic, the act of burning μηρία on the altar is a metonymy of blood sacrifice, especially in the utterances of characters recalling past or foreshadowing future sacrifices. It is about deeds performed, which, if pleasing to the god, win his goodwill, charis. A direct connection between the concept of charis and the legs burnt on the altars is found in Od. 19.397 (κεχαρισμένα μηρία). It is not a simple exchange based on the principle of do ut des, but a fixed relationship of reciprocity, a generalized reciprocity (on charis: Parker 2011; Loew, 1908; Latacz 1967, pp. 78-98; Moussy 1966, 411-415).