Hestia, Honored and Unwed: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, 21-31

Hestia’s Vow

Name:    Unknown Date:    7th – 5th century BCE Region:    [modern Greece] Citation:   Homeric Hymn 5.21 – 32

Nor are the plots of Aphrodite welcome to the sacred virgin Hestia.

She was both the firstborn and youngest of wily Kronos,

Revered by Aegis-wearing Zeus,

Wooed by both Poseidon and Apollo.

But she did not want to get married,

And even stubbornly rejected men.

She swore a great oath, one that was approved by Zeus himself.

She touched Father Zeus’ head,

Vowing to remain a virgin throughout eternity.

And Father Zeus gave to her, in lieu of a wedding,

A great gift: she would sit in the house at the head of the table.

She has honor in all of the temples of all of the gods

And is revered by all mortal men.

οὐδὲ μὲν αἰδοίῃ κούρῃ ἅδε ἔργ᾽ Ἀφροδίτης, Ἱστίῃ, ἣν πρώτην τέκετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης, αὖτις δ᾽ ὁπλοτάτην, βουλῇ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, πότνιαν, ἣν ἐμνῶντο Ποσειδάων καὶ Ἀπόλλων: ἣ δὲ μαλ᾽ οὐκ ἔθελεν, ἀλλὰ στερεῶς ἀπέειπεν: ὤμοσε δὲ μέγαν ὅρκον, ὃ δὴ τετελεσμένος ἐστίν, ἁψαμένη κεφαλῆς πατρὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, παρθένος ἔσσεσθαι πάντ᾽ ἤματα, δῖα θεάων. τῇ δὲ πατὴρ Ζεὺς δῶκε καλὸν γέρας ἀντὶ γάμοιο καὶ τε μέσῳ οἴκῳ κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζετο πῖαρ ἑλοῦσα. πᾶσιν δ᾽ ἐν νηοῖσι θεῶν τιμάοχός ἐστι καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι βροτοῖσι θεῶν πρέσβειρα τέτυκται.

Nec quidem venerandae nymphae Vestae Veneris opera accepta fuere: quam primam versutus Saturnus sustulit, deinde postremam Jovis sententia venerandam, quam ambiere sponsam Neptunus & Apollo.At illa noluit, verum repulit rigide. Magnum enim iuravit iusiurandum, quod sane perfectum est, Jovis patris caput tangens, ut perpetua virginitate frueretur diva dearum. At hanc pater Jupiter nuptiarum loco, pulchro donavit dono: atque media domo sedet pinguedinum carpens, ac omnibus in deorum templis prae ceteris honore colitur, ac apud mortales omnes deorum legatione fungitur. Translated into Latin by Raphael Regius

I Do Not Owe The State Children: Epaminondas to the Thebans, John Tzetzes Hist. 12.412ff

I Do Not Owe the State Children

Name: John Tzetzes Date:   1100 – 1180 CE Region:    Constantinople [modern Istanbul, Turkey] Citation:     Histories / Chiliades 12.464 – 471

Epaminondas was an excellent leader of the Thebans.

When he died, he was excessively mourned by them.

They reproached him, saying, “When you die, Thebes will die with you,

For you did not leave behind a son from your loins.”

As he died, he responded to them:

“I do not die childless, fellow countrymen;

Instead, I am a prolific father!

For I leave behind my two daughters,

The victory at Leuctra, and the victory at Mantinea!”

Ἔπαμεινώνδας στρατηγὸς Θηβαίων ὑπηργμένος, Ὡς ἐθρηνεῖτο τελευτῶν περιπαθῶς Θηβαίοις, Ἔπαμεινώνδα, λέγουσι, θνήσκῃς σὺν σοὶ καὶ Θῆβαι Τέκνον ἐν βίῳ μὴ λιπών, τέκνον ἐκ σῶν σπερμάτων, Ἀποκριθεὶς ὡς πρὸς αὐτοὺς τάδε καὶ θνήσκων λέγει: Οὐ μὲν οὐ θνήσκω ἄτεκνος, ἀλλ ̓ εὔτεκνος, Θηβαῖοι Δύο γὰρ καταλέλοιπα ἐμοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας, Τὴν ἐπὶ Λεύκτροις νίκην τε καὶ τὴν ἐν Μαντινεία.

Epaminondas imperator Thebanorum existens, ut lugebatur mortuus perdolenter a Thebanis Epaminonda (dicentibus) mortuus es, tecum & Thebae filium in vita non linquens, filium ex tuis seminibus. Respondens ad ipsos, haec et moriens dicit: Haud vero haud morior orbus, sed fecundus pater, o Thebani: duas enim reliqui ex me filias, illam in Leuctris victoriam, & illam Mantinaeae. Translated into Latin by Paolo Lazise

John Tzetzes [1100 – 1180 CE, Constantinople/Byzantium, modern Istanbul, Turkey] was a Byzantine scholar and beaurocrat. He is known for his epic poem the Histories / Chiliades, which ties together topics from Greek and Roman history and mythology, followed by a Christian interpretation.

Christianizing the Myth of Achilles: John Tzetzes' Histories 8.793ff

Achillem Thessalum, velut ex patria Phthia,

Lycomedis recenter nuptiis accipientem puellam

nomine Deidamiam, ex qua filius Pyrrhus,

Ut cum hac commoratus est nuptiis atque thalamo,

fabulas quidam finxerunt, quod Hectoris timore

Thetis hunc abscondit Lycomedis domo,

velut puellam induta veste muliebri,

ne forte profectus cum exercitu Graecorum, occumberet.

 --Joannes Tzetzes, Historiarum --8.793ff; Translated into Latin by Paulus Lacisius (1546) [Greek text forthcoming]

 

Just because the Thessalian Achilles,

traveling from his homeland Phthia,

And marrying Lycomedes’ daughter Deidamia

[who bore his son Pyrrhus]

Spent time honeymooning with his bride,

 Some people made up stories

That out of fear of Hector

Thetis hid him in Lycomedes’ home,

Clothing him in women’s clothing as if he were a girl

So he wouldn’t set out with the Greek army and die in Troy.

  

 

 

 

M/M: Achilles and Patroclus, John Tzetzes, Hist. 8.182 & 10.336

De iis quae spectrum Patrocli ad Achillem dixit, non me viventem neglegis, sed mortuum

In Iliade Homerus spectrum Patrocli indtroducit,

eo quod adhuc insepultum tentoriis illud iaceret,

ut sepeliret adhortans ipsum Achillem,

Dicens illam sententiam quam Homerus inscribit

Heroicis in carminibus sic ipsa proferens:

non quidem de me vivo tristeris, sed mortuum

sepeli me, ut quam citissime portas Orci pertranseam.

Procul enim me arcent animae, simulachra mortourm." (8.182)

 

De Hoc, Quae Utinam non Fuisset

Patroclo ab Hectore occiso in bello

Antilochus Nestoris [filius] destinatus est a Graecis

ut [puero] atque Achilli calamitatem nunciaret.

Qui cum pervenisset ad eum, sic ad verbum dicit:

Heu Pelei fili prudentis, equidomitoris,

audies nuncium, qui utinam non esset,

Iacet Patroclus, pro eius vero cadavere sand pugnant

Nudo, verum arma habet galeatus Hector. (10.336)

 --Joannes Tzetzes, Historiarum 8.182, 10.336; Translated into Latin by Paulus Lacisius (1546) [Greek text forthcoming]

 

Concerning What the Ghost of Patroclus told Achilles, “You didn’t neglect me when I was alive, but now you neglect me when I’m dead”

In Homer’s Iliad, the author portrays the ghost of Patroclus  

At the time when his body still lay unburied in their tent.

Patroclus encouraged Achilles to bury his body,

Saying the thing that Homer wrote,

Quoted in the heroic epic:

“You never hurt me when I was alive,

But you do so now that I am dead.

Bury me so I can cross over through the gates of death

For the spirits of the dead are keep me from entering.”

Concerning the Thing That Should Not Have Happened

When Patroclus was killed by Hector in war

Antilochus [Nestor’s son] was selected by the Greeks

To tell Achilles what had happened to his boyfriend.

When he met up with Achilles, he said the following:

“Alas, son of Peleus, breaker of horses,   

Listen to the news which should not have happened:

Patroclus lies dead! They’re fighting over his body.

His corpse lies naked—stripped of armor!—and

helmet-wearing Hector has his armor.”

M/M: Gone, but not forgotten: John Tzetzes Analyzes the Deaths of Hyacinthus & Narcissus, Hist. 1.11

Hyacinthus and Narcissus, United in Purpose

Name: John Tzetzes Date:   1100 – 1180 CE Region:    Constantinople [modern Istanbul, Turkey] Citation:     Histories / Chiliades 1.241 – 265

There are countless tales of abduction and transformation in Greco-Roman mythology. Although modern readers see these myths as cautionary tales against predatory behavior, their

primary purpose in the ancient world was an attempt to alleviate grief after the loss of a loved one.  Young people who died before reaching societal milestones of adulthood would be euphemistically married to divinities as a way of handling the grief of their lost potential. There are countless references to young people being “snatched by the nymphs,” or becoming “brides” of Persephone or Hades. In this passage, the Byzantine author John Tzetzes explains how the transformations of Narcissus and Hyacinthus were used to help alleviate the grief of their loved ones.

Hyacinthus was the attractive brother of Cynortus.

He was the son of Amyclus and Diomeda,

From Lacon, the noble land of the Amyclean clan.

Both Apollo and Zephyr often competed for the youth’s affection.

And—they say—once, while Apollo and Hyacinthus were practicing the discus,

Zephyr sent a violent wind, and changed the course of the discus.

It struck the beautiful youth in the head and killed him.

The Earth created a flower in memory of the youth, taking his name,

Mourning his beauty the same way she mourned Narcissus.

But the allegory of Narcissus is apparent:

When the youth fell into the water, he drowned.

As a consolation for their grief,

Those who praised the youth’s beauty

Said he fell in the water, struck by longing for his own beauty.  

Famous transformation tales of plants, of trees of all kinds,

And of constellation myths are similar to this.

The kin of the deceased, transforming their loss,

Name these things after their lost kin.

Just as I’ve stated, they say that the rivals of Hyacinthus [Apollo and Zephyr]

Reveal the extreme beauty of the youth,

Since the Sun reveled in the delight of Hyacinthus,

And the Wind itself also vied for his affection.

When the youth was killed while training with a discus,

They made up a story that the Wind, jealous of the Sun,

Took Hyacinthus away from his life—and from the Sun.  

Hyacinthus and Narcissus, United in Purpose

Ὑάκινθος Κυνόρτου μὲν ἦν ἀδελφὸς ὡραῖος Ὑἱὸς Ἀμύκλου δὲ πατρός, μητρὸς τῆς Διομήδης Ἐκ γῆς ἀνδρῶν τῶν εὐγενῶν Λακώνων Ἀμυκλαίων. Ἀπόλλων δὲ καὶ Ζέφυρος τοῦ μείρακος ἀντήρων. Καὶ δή ποτε δισκεύοντος Ἀπόλλωνος σὺν τούτῳ, Λάβρον πνεύσας ὁ Ζέφυρος τὸν δίσκον περιτρέπει. Τῇ κορυφῇ δὲ τὸν καλὸν πλήξας ἀνεῖλε νέον,

Hyacinthus Cynorti quidem erat frater venustus. Filius Amycli autem patris, matris Diomedae, ex terra virorum nobilium Laconum Amycleensium. Apollo vero et Zephyrus adolescentem certatim deperibant et sane olim disco ludente Apolline cum hoc Vehementer cum efflasset zephyrus, discum circumvertit. Vertice autem pulchrum cum percussisset, occidit iuvenem.

Ἡ γῆ δ ̓ ἄνθος ὁμώνυμον ἀντέδωκε τοῦ νέου, Καθάπερ καὶ τὸν Νάρκισσον οἰκτείρασα τοῦ κάλλους. Ἀλλ’ ἡ Ναρκίσσου πρόδηλός ἐστιν ἀλληγορία, Ὅτι πεσὼν ἐν ὕδασιν ὁ νέος ἀπεπνίγη. Τὸ κάλλος δ ̓ ὑπεραίροντες, πένθους παρηγορία, Φασὶ πεσεῖν ἐν ὕδασι σκιᾶς αὐτοῦ τῷ πόθῳ. Τὸ τῶν φυτῶν δὲ πρόδηλον, ὡς καὶ τῶν δένδρων πάντων Καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων σὺν αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν ὁμοιοτρόπων. Τῶν γὰρ θνησκόντων ἀγχιστεῖς, τρέφοντες πόθον τούτων, Ἐκεῖνα κατωνόμαζον εἰς κλήσεις τὰς ἐκείνων. Τοῦ ̔Υακίνθου δέ φασιν ἀντεραστὰς οὓς ἔφην Δεικνύντες, ὑπεραίροντες τοῦ νέου τὸ ὡραῖον Ὡς ἔχαιρεν ὁ ἥλιος τρεπόμενος τῷ νέῳ, Καὶ τῶν ἀνέμων αἱ πνοαὶ θέλγητρον εἶχον τοῦτον. Ὡς δὲ σὺν μείρακί τινι δισκεύων ἀνηρέθη

Terra autem florem eiusdem nominis reddidit pro iuvene, quasi Narcissum miserata ob pulchritudinem. Sed narcissi clara est allegoria. Quia cum cecidisset in aquas iuvenis, praefocatus est. Pulchritudinem vero extollentes, luctus solatio. Dicunt cecidisse in aquas, umbrae suae desiderio. Plantarum autem fictio clara, sicut et arborum omnium, et stellarum cum ipsis atque istiusmodi. Morientium enim affines, nutrientes desiderium horum, ista nominarunt nominibus illorum. Hyacinthi autem dicunt rivales, quos dixi, ostendentes excellentem iuvenis venustatem, quod gavisus sit Sol, oblectatus iuvene: et ventorum flatus pro deliciis habuerint hunc. Ut vero cum iuvene aliquo disco ludens interfectus est,

Ἔπλασαν ὡς ὁ Ζέφυρος βασκαίνων τῷ Ηλίῳ Ἐξάγει τοῦτον τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τοῦ λαμπρου φωσφόρου.

vento subvertente in verticem discum, finxerunt quod Zephyrus invidens Soli educit hunc e vita, atque e splendido lucifero.  Translated into Latin by Paolo Lazise

John Tzetzes [1100 – 1180 CE, Constantinople/Byzantium, modern Istanbul, Turkey] was a Byzantine scholar and beaurocrat. He is known for his epic poem the Histories / Chiliades, which ties together topics from Greek and Roman history and mythology, followed by a Christian interpretation.

M/M: The Watery End of Narcissus, Johannes Tzetzes, Historiarum 1.235ff

De Narcisso

Narcissus, Lacon venator, amator venustatis erat

in Hora aestiva autem olim cum situisset, post venationem,

ut incurvatur ad fontem, vidit se speciosum,

amat umbram suam, ut alterius iuvenis.

cupiens autem hanc apprehendere, humidam haurit mortem.

[Greek text forthcoming]

--Joannes Tzetzes, Historiarum 1.235 / 1.9; Translated into Latin by Paulus Lacisius (1546) 

 

Narcissus

Narcissus, a Laconian hunter, was a lover of beauty.

One time during the summer, when he was thirsty after a long day’s hunt

He knelt by a spring, saw his own beauty,

Fell in love with his own shadow, believing it was another man.

He tried to embrace him, but only caught a watery demise.  

M/M: The Sacred Band of Thebes, Athenaeus, Deipno. 13.12

Ποντιανὸς δὲ Ζήνωνα ἔφη τὸν Κιτιέα ὑπολαμβάνειν τὸν Ἔρωτα θεὸν εἶναι φιλίας καὶ ἐλευθερίας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁμονοίας παρασκευαστικόν, ἄλλου δὲ οὐδενός. διὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ Πολιτείᾳ ἔφη τὸν Ἔρωτα θεὸν εἶναι συνεργὸν ὑπάρχοντα πρὸς τὴν τῆς πόλεως σωτηρίαν. …ὁ δὲ παρὰ Θηβαίοις ἱερὸς λόχος καλούμενος συνέστηκεν ἐξ ἐραστῶν καὶ ἐρωμένων, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ σεμνότητα ἐμφαίνων, ἀσπαζομένων θάνατον ἔνδοξον ἀντ᾽ αἰσχροῦ καὶ ἐπονειδίστου βίου. 

Tum Potianus, Zenonem Citieum, aiebat, existimare Amorem Deum esse, Amicitiae &Libertatis & Concordiae auctorem, neque ei aliud esse negotium. Quare etiam in Republica scripsit, esse Amorem Deum, adiutorem ad salutem civitatis … Apud Thebanos sacra cohors, quae vocabatur, ex amatoribus & amasiis composita, maiestatem Dei huius declarabat, quum gloriosam mortem turpi & probrosae vitae anteferrent. 

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 13.12, Translated into Latin by Johannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

Pontianos said that Zenon from Citium declared that Eros was the god of friendship and liberty, the provider of harmony, and nothing else. He wrote in The Republic that Eros was a god and an assistant in the safety of the community….In Thebes, the so-called “Sacred Band” composed of lovers, demonstrates the majesty of the god of love, for these soldiers welcome an honorable death over living with dishonor.

 

ATHENAEUS	MAP:
Name:  Athenaeus Date:  2nd c. CE Works:  Deipnosophists	REGION  4
BIO:	Timeline:
Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.	ROMAN GREEK LITERATURE

 

Not Each Other's Type, Anacreon fr. 358

Not Each Other’s Type

Name: Anacreon Date:  582 – 485 BCE Region:  Teos [modern Turkey] Citation: Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 13.72

According to Athenaeus, Anacreon wrote this poem to Sappho, because he was smitten by her:

Golden Haired Love

Attacked me with a purple ball.

He keeps trying to get me

To play with him.

But she who inhabits posh Lesbos [Sappho]

Takes one look at my silver hair,

Laughs at me

And swoons over someone else—a girl!

 

σφαίρῃ δεὖτέ με πορφυρῇ βάλλων χρυσοκόμης Ἔρως νήνι ποικιλοσαμβάλῳ συμπαίζειν προκαλεῖται. ἡ δ᾽ ἐστὶν γὰρ ἀπ᾽ εὐκτίτου Λέσβοὐ τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν κόμην λευκὴ γάρ καταμέμφεται, πρὸς δ᾽ ἄλλην τινὰ χάσκει.

Globo, age, me purpureo petens auricomus Amor, huic, varie me prensans, ut colludam provocat. at illa, est enim ex bene habitata Lesbo, meam quidem comam, cana cum sit, vituperat, et alli cuipiam inhiat.  Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Anacreon [575 – 495 BCE, modern Turkey] was a Greek poet who lived during the 6th century BCE. He was born in Teos [modern Turkey] during a period of intense conflict between the Ionian and Persian forces, and did not remain in his homeland for long. Sources indicate that he found success and fame for his poetry in Samos and Athens, but little is known about his life beyond anecdotes written hundreds of years after his death.  His poetry was exceedingly popular, to the extent that an entire genre of poetry was dedicated to his style of writing; the Anacreonta are a collection of poems written in imitation of his writing style composed by Greek authors throughout the centuries. Despite Anacreon’s immense popularity and influence on literature, only fragments of his poetry remain today.