Hiatus in Hesiod

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Previous research on hiatus in epos has focused on linguistic and metrical factors, or the inflection and juxtaposition of formulaic phrases, as factors behind its occurrence. This study, building on haphazard observations in previous scholarship, shows that much hiatus occurs in fixed patterns that have not previously been adequately acknowledged or studied. The instances of hiatus (excluding those linked to digamma) in the Theogony and Erga are examined in close textual detail and categorised. From this evidence it seems that the majority of Hesiodic hiatus can be found in particular patterns and phrases, or in association with particular words. This analysis allows us to reach a new understanding of hiatus that acknowledges both the synchronic and diachronic dimension of traditional epic diction.