Three Friends in One! Codex Salmasianus #428

Roman men often had deep, loving and affectionate friendships with their peers. There was no shame or stigma in expressing love and support to one another.

De tribus amicis bonis

Serranum Vegetumque simul iunctumque

Herogenem, caros aspice Geryonas.

Esse putas fratres, tanta pietate fruuntur

immo neges: sic est in tribus unus amor.

Triga mihi paucos inter dilecta sodales,

triga sodalicii pars bene magna mei!

--Seneca the Younger, as recorded in Codex Salmasianus 428

The Three Good Friends

Check out Serranus, Vegetus and Herogenes,

A darling three-in-one Geryon.*

They’re so close to each other,

You’d think they were brothers;

There’s one love shared among the three.

Of the few people I call friends, this trio is so very dear to me,

This trio is such a large part of my social life!

 

* According to Greek mythology, Geryon was a three-bodied giant whom Hercules defeated.

SENECA THE YOUNGER	MAP:
Name:  Lucius Annaeus Seneca Date:  4 BCE – 65 CE Works:  Epistulae Morales                De Clementia                Phaedra, etc.	REGION  2
BIO:	Timeline:
Originally from Corduba, Hispania, Seneca the Younger was a Roman statesman with a tumultuous career. First exiled to the island of Corsica by the emperor Claudius, he was later recalled and became the emperor Nero’s mentor and tutor. Seneca wrote prolifically in several genres, including Stoic philosophy and Roman tragedies. He was ultimately put to death by the emperor Nero for his participation in the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 CE.	SILVER AGE LATIN

 

 

 

 

M/M: Love will Save Us From A Tyrant: Aelian, Hist. Var. 2.4

De amore Charitonis & Melanippi, & tyranni erga ipsos miseratione

Phalaridis factum recensebo vobis, alienum id quidem ab eius moribus. Nam humanitatem quandam prae se fert singularem, & idcirco ei non convenire videtur. Chariton erat quidam Agrigentinus, pulchritudinis amator, & nimius in adolescentium amore. Hic ardenti desiderio Melanippum amabat, qui etiam ipse Agrigentinus erat, animum gerens honestum, & elegantia formae praestans. Hunc Melanippum laeserat quadam re Phalaris. Quum enim iudicio cum amico Phalaridis contenderet, tyrannus mandavit, ut accusatione desisteret. Qui quum non obediret, extremum periculum ei ministratus est, nisi morem gereret. Itaque vi coactus lite abstinuit. Magistratus autem, qui sub Phalaride, irritatam iudicii sententiam fecerunt. Quod adolescens aegre ferens, iniuriam sibi fieri dixit & ei a quo amabatur, suam iram prodidit atque confessus est Melanippus, rogavitque ut sibi adiumento esset, ad insidias in tyrannum intendendas. Alios etiam adolescentes in societatem adscisciscere cogitavit, quos ad eiusmodi facinus commodissimos paratissimusque esse scirent. Chariton, quum insaniam eius ac furorem cerneret, & ab ira incensum rapi, atque sciret neminem civium in hanc rem consensurum esse metu tyranni, se quoque; dudum aiebat hoc agitasse, & omnem diligentiam semper adhibere, ut patriam a servitute praesenti in libertatem vidicaret: sed periculose haec multis enunciari & communicari. Quamobrem orare, ut sibi de his rebus penitius considerandi curam permittat, & tempus idoneum ad obeundum facinus capere sinat. Concessit adolescens. Proinde Chariton, omnem hius ausi conatu in se assumens, amasium in societatem sceleris assumere nolebat: ut si deprehenderetur, & manifestum fieret negotium, ipse solus poenas dependeret, non etiam amasium periculi faceret participe. Sumpta igitur sica, quum opportunum videbatur, adversus tyrannum ruebat. Nec vero clam esse potuit, sed deprehensus est a satellitibus, qui in eiusmodi res summo studio intenti erant. Coniectus autem in carcerem. & quaestionibus examinatus ad prodendos coniuratores, fortiter toleravit, & passus est tormentorusm saevitiamque atque vim. Postqauam vero longum id fuit. Melanippus ad Phalarim accessit & se non tantum socium huius consilii, sed etiam auctorem insidiarum. Charitoni fuisse confessus est. Percontante rege, qua causa impulsus hoc fecisset, narravit ei rem omnem a principio, de accusandi potestate sibi adempta, atque haec sibi molesta & indigna vis esse fassus est. Miratus igitur tyrannus, utrumque liberum dimisit: sed ea lege atque conditione, ut eodem die non solum ex Agrigentinorum urbe, verum etiam e Sicilia excederent. Nihilominus tamen eis permittebat, ut ex suis possessionibus & facultatibus debitum tructum caperent. Hos postmodoum & eorum amicitiam Pythia celebravit his carminibus :

Humana genti auctores caelestis amoris,

et Chariton felix & Melanippus erat.

oraculo horum amorem divinam & caelestem appellante.

Φαλάριδος ὑμῖν ἔργον οὐ μάλα ἐκείνῳ σύνηθες εὶπεῖν ἐθέλω: τὸ δὲ ἔργον φιλανθρωπίαν ἄμαχον ὁμολογεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀλλότριον ἐκείνου δοκεῖ. Χαρίτων ἦν Ἀκραγαντῖνος φιλόκαλος ἄνθρωπος καὶ περὶ τὴν ὥραν τὴν τῶν νέων ἐσπουδακὼς δαιμονίως: διαπύρως δὲ ἠράσθη μάλιστα Μελανίππου Ἀκραγαντίνου καὶ ἐκείνου καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τὸ κάλλος διαφέροντος. τοῦτον ἐλύπησέ τι Φάλαρις τὸν Μελάνιππον: δικαζομένῳ γὰρ αὐτῷ πρός τινα τῶν ἑταίρων αὐτοῦ τοῦ Φαλάριδος προσέταξεν ὁ τύραννος τὴν γραφὴν καταθέσθαι. τοῦ δὲ μὴ πειθομένου ὃ δὲ ἠπείλησε τὰ ἔσχατα δράσειν αὐτὸν μὴ ὑπακούσαντα.  καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν παρὰ τὴν δίκην ἐκράτησεν ἀνάγκῃ προστάξαντος τοῦ Φαλάριδος, οἱ δὲ ἄρχοντες τὴν γραφὴν τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἠφάνισαν. βαρέως δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ νεανίσκος ἤνεγκεν ὑβρίσθαι λέγων, καὶ ὡμολόγει τὴν ὀργὴν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς τὸν ἐραστήν, καὶ ἠξίου κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν γενέσθαι τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῆς κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄλλους δὲ ἔσπευδε προσλαβεῖν τῶν νεανίσκων, οὓς μάλιστα ᾔδει περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην πρᾶξιν θερμοτάτους. ὁρῶν δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Χαρίτων ἐνθουσιῶντα καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀναφλεγόμενον, καὶ γινώσκων ὅτι τῶν πολιτῶν οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς συλλήψεται δέει τῷ ἐκ τοῦ τυράννου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔφη πάλαι τοῦτο ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ σπεύδειν ἐκ παντὸς τὴν πατρίδα ῥύσασθαι τῆς δουλείας τῆς καταλαβούσης: ἀσφαλὲς δὲ μὴ εἶναι πρὸς πολλοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐκφέρειν. ἠξίου δὴ τὸν Μελάνιππόν οἱ συγχωρῆσαι ἀκριβέστερον ὑπὲρ τούτων διασκέψασθαι καὶ ἐᾶσαι παραφυλάξαι τὸν χρόνον τὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν. συνεχώρησε τὸ μειράκιον. ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ τοίνυν ὁ Χαρίτων βαλόμενος τὸ πᾶν τόλμημα, καὶ κοινωνὸν αὐτοῦ μὴ θελήσας παραλαβεῖν τὸν ἐρώμενον, ἵν᾽ εἰ καταφωραθείη, αὐτὸς ὑπέχοι τὴν δίκην, ἀλλὰ μὴ καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἐς ταὐτὰ ἐμβάλοι, ἡνίκα οἱ ἐδόκει καλῶς ἔχειν, ἐγχειρίδιον λαβὼν ὡρμᾶτο ἐπὶ τὸν τύραννον. οὐ μὴν ἔλαθε, πάνυ σφόδρα ἀκριβῶς τῶν δορυφόρων τὰ τοιαῦτα φυλαττόντων. ἐμβληθεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Φαλάριδος ἐς τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ στρεβλούμενος ἵν᾽ εἴποι τοὺς συνεγνωκότας, ὃ δὲ ἐνεκαρτέρει καὶ ἐνήθλει ταῖς βασάνοις. ἐπεὶ δὲ μακρὸν τοῦτο ἦν, ὁ Μελάνιππος ἧκεν ἐπὶ τὸν Φάλαριν, καὶ ὡμολόγησεν οὐ μόνον κοινωνὸς εἶναι τῷ Χαρίτωνι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρξαι τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς. τοῦ δὲ πυνθανομένου τὴν αἰτίαν, εἶπε τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς λόγον καὶ τὴν τῆς γραφῆς ἄρσιν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡμολόγει περιαλγῆσαι. θαυμάσας οὖν ἀμφοτέρους ἀφῆκε τῆς τιμωρίας, προστάξας αὐθημερὸν ἀπελθεῖν μὴ μόνον τῆς Ἀκραγαντίνων πόλεως ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Σικελίας: συνεχώρησε δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἴδια δίκαια καρποῦσθαι. τούτους ὕστερον ἡ Πυθία καὶ τὴν φιλίαν αὐτῶν ὕμνησε διὰ τούτων τῶν ἐπῶν

 

θείας ἡγητῆρες ἐφημερίοις φιλότητος

εὐδαίμων Χαρίτων καὶ Μελάνιππος ἔφυ,

τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν ἔρωτα αὐτῶν θείαν ὀνομάσαντος φιλίαν. 

 --Aelian, Hist. Var. 2.4; Translated into Latin by Joannis Schefferi [Second Edition 1662]

I’m going to tell you about what Phalaris did that was out of character. It’s strange, since it showed empathy, which wasn’t something he did. Chariton was an honorable man from Agrigento and was madly in love with a youth [Melanippus] who was a fellow citizen who had a good heart and good character.

Phalaris offended Melanippus in this manner. When he had sued one of Phalaris’ companions, the tyrant ordered him to drop the lawsuit. When Melanippus refused, Phalaris threatened to kill him. He was compelled to drop the suit and the judges nullified the case.

Melanippus got upset over this, yelled that he was treated unfairly, vowed revenge. He tried make a plot with Chariton, and tried to assemble other like-minded youths to take down the tyrant. Chariton, seeing his boyfriend’s inflamed anger, realized that everyone was too afraid of the tyrant to act, agreed with him and offered to join him. He said he would do anything to free his country from slavery, but that it wasn’t safe to tell this to too many people, and that he should lay low until they could find the opportune time to act. Melanippus agreed.

Taking charge, Chariton wanted to shield his lover from the association of the crime. In case he was caught, he didn’t want Melanippus in trouble; he alone would pay the consequences, and his lover wouldn’t be endangered.

Grabbing a dagger, he attacked the tyrant. He wasn’t sneaky about it; he did it openly and he was caught by tyrant’s guards who were alert to such attacks. Melanippus was thrown in prison and interrogated to betray his fellow conspirators, but he bravely endured the torture. But after a long time, Melanippus went to Phalaris and told him that he not only agreed to do it, but actually planned the deed—not Chariton. When Phalaris asked the reason, Melanippus explained everything from the beginning, about the trial and how he was upset about it. Phalaris was amazed at the both of them, and released them both! They were free under the condition that they leave not only Agrigento, but stay out of Sicily. Furthermore, they got to keep their property.

This is the relationship that the Pythia later sings about, stating

"The blessed gods gave as a guide to humankind

The blessed Chariton and Melanippus!"

She called their relationship divine and heavenly love.

 

One Proud Olympic Mama! Aelian, Var. Hist. 10.1

The Olympic Games did not allow women spectators, but there are several stories of women who challenged this law in order to watch their family members compete. You can see another example here.

Pherenice filium suum ad Olympia certaminis causa adduxit: & quum Hellanodicae prohiberent eam a spectaculo ludorum, ad ius cum ipsis descendit, dicens se patrem habere victorem Olympiorum, atque tres fratres, itemque filium adduxxisse pugilatorem. His rationibus & populum & legem superavit, quae feminas a spectaculis arceret, & Olympia spectavit.

Φερενίκη τὸν υἱὸν ἦγεν ἐς Ὀλύμπια ἀθλεῖν. κωλυόντων δὲ αὐτὴν τῶν Ἑλλανοδικῶν τὸν ἀγῶνα θεάσασθαι, παρελθοῦσα ἐδικαιολογήσατο πατέρα μὲν Ὀλυμπιονίκην ἔχειν καὶ τρεῖς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ αὐτὴ παῖδα Ὀλυμπίων ἀγωνιστήν: καὶ ἐξενίκησε τὸν δῆμον [p. 108] καὶ τὸν εἴργοντα νόμον τῆς θέας τὰς γυναῖκας, καὶ ἐθεάσατο Ὀλύμπια.

--Aelian, Var. Hist. 10.1; translated into Latin by Joannis Schefferi  (1662)

 

Pherenike brought her son to the Olympic games. When the judges forbid her from attending the games, she countered them, saying that not only was her father an Olympic champion, but her three brothers were and now even her son was, too.  She was able to win over both the people and their laws (which forbid women from watching the Olympics).

 

 

M/M: The Funeral of Hephaestion: Aelian, Var. Hist. 7.8

De luctu Alexandri, quem ex Hephaestionis morte cepit.

Quum Hephaestion diem suum obiisset, Alexander iniectis in pyram armis, auro & argento, simul ea cum mortuo igni tradidit, itemque vestem magni precii apud Persas. Rasit etiam ones bellicosos et fortes atque seipsum, rem faciens Homericam, imitans Achillem Homericum. Sed hic illo violentius & vehementius fecit, quum circumradens everteret muros Ecbatanorum arcis: Usque ad suos igitur capillos, videtur mihi plane Graeco ingenio fecisse:at quum muros dirueret, tum vero barbarico more luxit & stolam quoque permutavit, dolori, amori & lacrymis omnia permittens.

Hephaestio mortuus est ad Ecbatana. Fama autem emenavit, haec (quae diximus) facta, fuisse in gratiam quidem Hephaestionis mortui, sed Alexandrum vita defunctum iis usum esse. non enim a luctu ob iuvenem suscepto prius destitisse Alexandrum, quam ipsum quoque mors abstulerit.

ὅτε Ἡφαιστίων ἀπέθανεν, Ἀλέξανδρος ὅπλα αὐτῷ ἐς τὴν πυρὰν ἐνέβαλε, καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον τῷ νεκρῷ συνέτηξε καὶ ἐσθῆτα τὴν μέγα τιμίαν ἐν Πέρσαις. ἀπέκειρε δὲ καὶ τοὺς πλοκαμοὺς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, Ὁμηρικὸν πάθος δρῶν καὶ μιμούμενος τὸν Ἀχιλλέα τὸν ἐκείνου. βιαιότερον δὲ καὶ θερμότερον ἐκείνου ἔδρασεν οὗτος, τὴν τῶν Ἐκβατάνων ἀκρόπολιν περικείρας. μέχρι μὲν οὖν τῆς κόμης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ Ἑλληνικὰ ἐδόκει μοι δρᾶν: ἐπιχειρήσας δὲ τοῖς τείχεσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνταῦθα ἐπένθει βαρβαρικῶς Ἀλέξανδρος ἤδη, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν στολὴν ἤμειψε, θυμῷ καὶ ἔρωτι ἐπιτρέπων πάντα καὶ δακρύοις. ὅτι Ἡφαιστίων ἐς Ἐκβάτανα ἀπέθανε. διαρρεῖ δὲ λόγος Ἡφαιστίωνι μὲν ταῦτα εὐτρεπισθῆναι νεκρῷ, Ἀλέξανδρον δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀποθανόντα χρήσασθαι: μὴ γὰρ φθάσαι τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ μειρακίῳ τελεσθὲν πένθος, ἐπιλαβεῖν δὲ τὸν τοῦ Ἀλέξάνδρου θάνατον.

--Aelian, Hist. Var. 7.8; Translated into Latin by Justus Vulteius (1731)

When Hephaestion died, Alexander threw his own armor upon the pyre, as well as gold and silver and rich Persian garb. He ordered his warriors to shave their heads, just like Achilles did in the works of Homer. But he acted more out-of-control and rash, and tore down the walls of the citadel of Ecbatana*. In my opinion, the head-shaving was a Greek way of mourning, but the utter destruction of the city walls was barbaric, as well as his change of mourning garb, and allowing himself to succumb to tears, his love, and his over-the-top behavior.

Hephestion died in Ecbatana. The story goes that the preparations Alexander made for Hephestion ended up being used for his own death, for Alexander died before the mourning period was over.

 

* In the Iliad, Achilles dragged Hector’s corpse around the city of Troy as a form of psychological warfare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Telesilla's Prophecy: Herodotus, Histories 6.77

Herodotus records the following prophecy in his account of the story of Telesilla's defense of Argos:

θήλεια τὸν ἄρσενα νικήσασα

ἐξελάσῃ καὶ κῦδος ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἄρηται,

πολλὰς Ἀργείων ἀμφιδρυφέας τότε θήσει.

ὧς ποτέ τις ἐρέει καὶ ἐπεσσομένων ἀνθρώπων

δεινὸς ὄφις τριέλικτος ἀπώλετο δουρὶ δαμασθείς.

 

Verum, quando marem praevertet foemina victrix,

inter et Argivos referet praelustris honorem;

tunc Argivarum reddet plerasque gementes,

ut venturorum aiat quis quandoque virorum:

telo saevus obiit nuoso corpore servens.

--Herodotus Histories 6.77; Translated into Latin by Johannes Schweighaeuser (1814)

 

When a woman conquers a man,

And drives him off,

She will raise up glory among the Argives,

She will bring tears upon the cheeks of many Argive women.

One day, someone in the future will say

“The triple-coiled dragon, now tamed by the spear, is dead.”

  

HERODOTUS	MAP:
Name: Herodotus   Date:  484 – 425 BCE Works:  Histories	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Herodotus was an Anatolian-born Greek author who lived during the 5th century BCE. He was born into nobility, and used his privilege to travel the Mediterranean extensively. His magnum opus, Histories, details wars between the Greeks and the Persian Empire, as well as important cultural information for these and Egyptian culture. He is often called the “Father of Greek History,” since his work is the earliest attempt within Greek literature to collect research and primary accounts of historical events.	GOLDEN AGE GREEK

 

 

Were They Or Weren't They? Patrochilles and 5th century Athens

Gender and sexuality are constructs defined by the society that created them, and there are considerable differences between what ancient Greeks (and later, Romans) believed was queer identity in comparison to our modern ones. It is important to be careful when assigning a modern label or orientation to a person from an ancient culture, and in many cases, it can be dangerous to do so, as it can warp our understanding of the person in question. For example, whereas it is universally known that Sappho transcended heteronormative identity and behavior patterns, people often argue whether Sappho was a lesbian or bisexual, when the reality is that she was simultaneously neither and both, and would not have easily fit into any modern term.

This conflict of identification also existed in ancient times. One of the most obvious examples of this is “Patrochilles,” the relationship between Trojan War veterans Achilles and Patroclus. In Athens during the 5^th century BCE, the prevalent model of same sex relationships was one with an imbalance of power, not of equality. Because they did not understand that Homeric culture would have different concept of the spectrum of gender and sexuality, many Athenians were baffled by the Achilles / Patroclus relationship. This couple did not easily fit into the Athenian model; Patroclus was older of the two, but politically inferior, while Achilles was top-tier socially, but younger than Patroclus. An entire section of Plato’s Symposium was dedicated to the discussion on which of the two was the dominant lover (180a).  Plato’s contemporary, the orator Aeschines, however, argued the opposite. Since the couple did not fit the contemporary model, their relationship must not be romantic, but merely a friendship (In Timarchum 1.142:[Homerus] cum multis locis Patrocli & Achillis meminerit: amorem & Cognomentum amicitiae illorum dissimulat cum insignem illam benevolentiam eruditis auditoribus esse conspicuam existimet, translated into Latin by Jerome Oporinus, 1553). It is clear from this and other contemporary treatments of the Achilles / Patroclus relationship that ancient Athenians struggled with understanding how interpersonal relationships were influenced by the culture they exist in.

One of the ways that LGBT Meets SPQR tries to counteract this difficulty is by using overlapping labels. The blog readily acknowledges that one ancient person or myth might simultaneously fit into multiple conflicting modern identities. Modern labels are provided in the tag section to help sort material into topics of interest, but it is important to remember that ancient people would use their own spectrum and not ours.

Sore Loser: Pindar loses against Corinna, Aelian, H.V. 13.25

Content Warning: misogyny 

De Pindaro in certamine superato a Corinna.

quum* in imperitos incidisset auditores, superatus est a Corinna quinquies. Redarguens vero ruditatem ipsorum Pindarus, suem vocavit Corinnam. 

Πίνδαρος ὁ ποιητὴς ἀγωνιζόμενος ἐν Θήβαις ἀμαθέσι περιπεσὼν ἀκροαταῖς ἡττήθη Κορίννης πεντάκις. ἐλέγχων δὲ τὴν ἀμουσίαν αὐτῶν ὁ Πίνδαρος σῦν ἐκάλει τὴν Κόρινναν.

--Aelian, Hist. Var. 13.25; Translated into Latin by Justus Vulteius (1731)

Regarding Pindar’s Defeat by Corinna

When the poet Pindar competed in Thebes, he was defeated by Corinna five times because the audience was ignorant and unlearned. Pindar called them out for their stupidity, and called Corinna a pig.

 

 * Early publishers of Latin texts differentiated the preposition cum ("with") with the conjunction cum ("when / since / although") by spelling the conjunction quum

 

 

M/M: Alexander the Great at the Tomb of Achilles, Aelian Var. Hist. 12.7

 De Alexandro & Hephaestione

Alexander Achillis sepulchrum coronavit & Hephaestion Patrocli, significans, ita etiam se amari ab Alexandro, ut Patroclus fuerat ab Achille.

ὅτι Ἀλέξανδρος τὸν Ἀχιλλέως τάφον ἐστεφάνωσε καὶ Ἡφαιστίων τὸν τοῦ Πατρόκλου, αἰνιττόμενος ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐρώμενος τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, ὥσπερ Ἀχιλλέως ὁ Πάτροκλος.

 

--Aelian, Varia Historia, translated into Latin by Justus Vulteius (1731) 12.7

 

Alexander placed a crown upon the tomb of Achilles, and Hephaestion did the same for Patroclus’ tomb. This show that Hephaestion was the lover of Achilles, just like Patroclus was the lover of Achilles.

Women Saving their City: Polyaenus, Strat. 8.33

Telesilla  

Cleomenes Spartiatarum rex, interfectis in prelio Argivis viris ad septem millia septingentos, septuaginta septem, inter Argos direxit, ut per vim urbem caperet. Telesilla musica Argivas armatas ad pugnam eduxit: quae armatae in propugnaculis stantes, circumcirca muros tuentes, Cleomenem repulerunt. Demaratum vero alterum regem etiam expulerunt, urbemque a periculo vindicarunt. Et hoc mulierum stratagema usque in hodiernum diem Argivi celebrant numenia cuiusque mensis, mulieres virilibus tunicis & Chlamydibus, viros autem peplis muliebribus amicientes.

 --Polyaenus, Strategematon 8.33, Translated into Latin by Justus Vulteio (1691)

 

After killing 7,777 Argive men in battle, the Spartan King Cleomenes headed for the city of Argos to take it by force. The musician Telesilla led the Argive women in battle; these women stood armed at the ramparts, overlooking the walls around the city, and they fended off Cleomenes. They also fended off the other Spartan King Demaratus’ attack, and saved their city from danger. Even today, the Argives still celebrate the women’s strategy; during this holiday, women wear men’s tunics and men wear women’s dresses.

Telesilla's Rampage: I'm coming for you! Theophylact Simocatta Ep.24

This passage provides excellent insight into the transmission of knowledge in the ancient world. Although Telesilla was well known to the author of the Suda (10th century CE), the 7th century theologian Theophylact Simocatta knew only the poet Telesilla's aggression against Sparta, but not her heroic military stratagem that saved her city. Instead, she is portrayed as an angry courtesan who is seeking revenge on a Spartan man [named after King Agesilaus here, not the accurate king's name Cleomenes] who is spending time with another woman instead of her. Although Telesilla never married and wrote poetry of a religious, not romantic, nature, her name gets lumped in with other Greek women poets as names for courtesans and other women entertainers (similar to Corinna, Erinna, Philaenis, and Sappho). 

Telesilla Laidi

Neque venas auri mettallifabri inquirentes, neque puteorum fossores, qui terrae arcana in tenebris scrubantur, aquarum oculos quaerentes videre, tanta in sua arte diligentiam ac curam adhibent, quanta ego totam civitatem scrutata sum, si possem Agesilaum alicubi cernere. Potum enim ei apparasse furiosam Leucippen audio. Et vehemens fulmen eos excepit. Atque damnum insolabiles adurit mihi lachrymas. Itaque Tragoediae adiutrix ero. Non enim orientem solem in posterum contemplabimur. Sic & Medea & Phaedra terribilior fiam! 

--Theophylact Simocatta (fl. 7c CE) Theophilacti Scholastici Simocati Epistolae Ethiae, Agrestes & Amatoriae. Ep. 24. Trans. Jacob Cuiacio (1606)

Miners don’t seek a vein of gold,

And excavators don’t seek sources for wells

With as much passion and care

As I have searched the whole town

Trying to find Agesilaus!

I had heard that he was partying with out-of-control Leucippe!

I was thunderstruck, and overcome with tears!

And so I become the Villain of the Tragedy.

This is the last day I will see the light of day.

I shall become more frightening than Medea & Phaedra!

Women Are Capable of Achieving Perfection: Clement of Alexandria, Misc. 4.19

Tam mulieres quam viros esse perfectionis obtinendae capaces, quod et heroinarum apud exemplis confirmat

...Annon enim tormenta quoque tulit fortiter Leaena Attica, quae cum esset conscia insidiarum quae ab Harmodio et Aristogitone parabantur in Hipparchum, nihil omnino est elocuta, etsi valde cruciaretur? Aiunt autem Argolicas quoque, Telesilla poetria duce, Spartanos, qui magna erant virtute in rebus bellicis, solo instituito prodeuntes fugasse, et effecisse ut illae mortem nihil extimescerent. De filiabus quoque Danai dicit similia Danaidis auctor: "Tumque cito Danai sumpserunt arma puellae / in ripis pulchro labentis flumine Nili;" et quae sequuntur. Canunt autem reliqui poetae velocitatem Atalantae in venatione, et egregiam Anticleae amicitiam ,et Alcestidis in maritum amorem, et Maeaeriae et Hyacinthidum fortitudinem...

 --Clement of Alexandria, Stromatum lib.4 cap.19 translated into Latin by D. Nicolae le Nourry (1856)

That Both Women and Men are Capable of Achieving Perfection, Which Is Also Seen In Examples from Non-Christian Sources

…Didn’t the Athenian woman Leaena bravely endure torment? She revealed nothing at all about the plot of Harmodius & Aristogiton had planned against Hipparchus, even when she was brutally tortured.

They say that the Argive women, under the poet Telesilla’s leadership, were the only ones who were able to rout the excessively warlike Spartans who had leveled their spears against them? Telesilla was able to make them fearless; they were no even afraid of death. 

The author of the Danai says something similar: “Rapidly, the Danai girls took up arms / upon the banks of the beautiful Nile,” etc.

Other poets sing of Atalanta’s speed in hunting, and Anticlea’s outstanding friendship, Alcestis’ love for her husband, the bravery of Maeaeria and Hyacinthides.

  

 

Marco Antonio Tritonio: A List of the Chaste

 Content Warning: attempted rape

CASTI

• Anaxarete
• Arethusa
• Daphne
• Eperie
• Hippolytus
• Lotos
• Musae
• Narcissus
• Syrinx

Castitatem plurimi semper faciendam & si ex historiis facile colligere possumus, id tamen ex iis etiam, quae afferemus exemplis unicuique patebit.

ANAXARETE Cypria virgo Iphidis amantis precibus ad lasciviam nunquam potuit adduci [lib xiiii.fab.xvii]

ARETHUSA nympha Dianae comes tanta fuit castitate, ut cum illam Alpheus fluvius vehementius persequeretur, in fontem abire non recusarit. [lib.viii.fab.xvii]

DAPHNE Penei fluvii filia tanta fuit castitate, ut ab Apolline amata in laurum potius converti, quam illum voluerit audire [lib.i.fab.ix]

EPERIE una & ipsa ex nymphis, ne ab insequenti raperetur Aesaco, inter currendum serpentis ictu interiit. [lib.ii.fab.ii]

HIPPOLYTUS THesei filius cum a Phaedra noverca adamaretur, nullis precibus adduci potuis, ut ei congrederetur. [lib.xviii.fab.xlv.]

LOTOS nympha Priapi fugiens vim, ne castitatem ammitteret suam, in arborem versa est. [lib.ix.fab.vi]

TAM castae fuerunt Musae, ut cum sibi a Pyreneo, qui Daulida Phocis urbem incolebat, vim sensissent inferri, iamque in thalamo stuprandae clausae forent, in volucres commutatae sumptis aliis effugerint, sicque pristinam potius formam, quam castam voluntatem noluerunt commutare. [lib.v.fab.iiii]

NARCISSUS etiam inter castos merito est numerando, cu mEcho nymphae illecebris commoveri nunquam potuerit. [lib. iii.fab.v]

NEC minus Syrinx castissima praedicatur, quae ut Pana Deum amantem fugeret, in arundinem se transformari postulavit. [lib.i.fab.xii]

-- --M. Antonii Tritonii Utinenis, Mythologia, 1560 p. 15-16

Chaste / Celibate / Asexual:

Anaxarete

Arethusa

Daphne

Eperie

Hippolytus

Lotos

Musae

Narcissus

Syrinx

Many people preserve their chastity, and we can easily list a bunch from literature, but these are a few examples that are relevant to everyone:

ANAXARETE: was a maiden from Cyprus who was never worn down by her suitor Iphis’* begging to court her [cf. Ovid’s Metamorphoses, book 14, story 17]

ARETHUSA: was a nymph and companion of Diana who valued her chastity so much that turned into a spring when the river god Alpheus tried to attack her [book 8, story 17] 

DAPHNE: was the daughter of the river god Peneus and object of Apollo’s desire who valued her chastity so much that she would rather turn into a laurel tree instead of being courted by him [book 1, story 9]

EPERIE was one of the nymphs who died of a snake bite while running away from Aesacus’ attack [book 2, story 2]

HIPPOLYTUS: was the son of Theseus. When he was desired by his stepmother Phaedra, he was never worn down by her prayers to court him [book 17, story 45] 

LOTOS: was a nymph who was turned into a tree to preserve her chastity while fleeing Priapus’ attack [book 9, story 6]

THE MUSES were so chaste that when they were imprisoned and anticipated being attacked by Pyreneus, they turned into birds and flew away. They would rather lose their original form than give up their chastity [book 5, story 4]

NARCISSUS: of course Narcissus is listed here, since he was never swayed by Echo’s attempts to date him [book 3, story 5]

SYRINX: of course we have to list Syrinx, who transformed herself into a reed when she was escaping the god Pan’s attack [book 1, story 12] 

* Iphis was a common first name. This is not the same Iphis in the myth of Iphis & Ianthe

Marco Antonio Tritonio: Love Comes in All Forms

Content Warning: murder, rape, suicide 

Amor Aliquorum Mutuus.

Halcyon & Ceyx

Hermaphroditus & Smilax

Orpheus & Euridice

Philemon & Baucis

Progne & Philomela

Pyramus & Thisbe

Sirenes, et Proserpina

Sorores, et Phaeton

 Praeclare veteres dixerunt amicos esse tanquam unam animam in pluribus corporibus, nihil enim aliud est amicitia, quam mutuus quidam animorum consensus, adeo ut cum dolentibus amicis doleamus, cum gaudentibus laetemur, quare optime fabulosa haec exempla sunt perpendenda, quae nobis mutuum aliquorum amorem & benevolentiam demonstrant.

1. Nonne maximus fuit Halcyonis in Ceycem maritum amor, si longius illum in aequore submersum prospiciens ac in medias undas prosiliens in Halcyonem avem conversa est? Nonne maxima ipsius Ceycis in coniugem benevolentia, si vel mortuus uxoris in avem commutatae sentiebat oscula, cuius etiam cadaver in eiusdem generis volucrem fuit transmutatum? in quibus adhuc servatam inter coniuges benevolentiam perspicimus [lib.ii.fab.x]

2. Hermaphroditus Veneris & Mercurii filius & Smilax Salmacis fontis nympha ita mutuo se dilexerunt amore, ut e duobus corporibus in unum commutati dicantur.[lib.iiii.fab.ii]

3. Amor etiam Euridices, et Orphei notus est, is enim vivus ad inferos descendit, ut mortuam coniugem ad pristinam vitam & incolumitatem reduceret. [lib.x.fab.i]

4. Inter Philomonem, & Baucidem coniuges tanta fuit benevolentia, ut pauperitatem suam patienter ferentes sine ulla rixa longam traduxerint aetatem. [lib.viii.fab.vii]

5. Progne, sine sorore Philomela vivere non poterat, cumque illam a marito Tereo stupratam cognovisset, ut pro sorore de marito vindictam sumeret, illi proprium filium Ityn devorandum apposuit. [lib.vi.fab.xxix.]

6. Pyramus & Thibse Babylones tanto se mutuo prosecuti sunt amore, ut cum Pyramus amicam credens mortuam seipsum interfecisset, Thisbe amantem mortuum nacta eodem se gladio traiecerit. [lib.iiii.fab.iiii]

7 Syrenes tanto amore Prosperinam sunt prosequutae, ut a Diis alas flagitarent, quo facilius Proserpinam terra, marique possent inquirere. Quare ita in aves fuere conversae, ut facies tamen virginea, voxque humana remanserit. [lib.v.fab.xvi.]

8 Sorores Phaetontis fratrem coelo delapsum tot lacimis deplorarunt, ut in arbores demum sint commutatae; tantus inter fratrem, et sorores amore extitit. [lib. ii. fab.ii]

-- --M. Antonii Tritonii Utinenis, Mythologia, 1560 p. 8-9

  

Reciprocal Love:

Halcyon & Ceyx

Hermaphroditus & Smilax

Orpheus & Euridice

Philemon & Baucis

Progne & Philomela

Pyramus & Thisbe

Sirens & Proserpina

The Sisters of Phaeton

The ancients stated perfectly that friends are merely one soul in many bodies, and that friendship is nothing more than a mutual harmony of souls—so much so that we grieve when a friend grieves, and we rejoice when a friend is happy. Check out the following examples which highlight reciprocal love and kindness:

1. Isn’t the greatest example of matrimonial love Halcyone’s love for Ceyx, for she spotted him drowned in the ocean from far away and leapt into the waves, becoming a halcyon bird? Isn’t the greatest example of love Ceyx’s love for Halcyone, even in death he could feel his transformed wife’s kisses, and was himself transformed into the same type of bird? Don’t we see this mutual love shared among spouses in this couple?  [cf. Ovid’s Metamorphoses book 2, story 10]

2. Hermaphroditus [the son of Venus and Mercury] and Smilax [the nymph of the Salmacian spring] loved each other so much that they are said to have merged into one body. [Cf. book 4, story 2]  

3. Orpheus is known for his love of Eurydice. He descended into the Underworld when he was still alive to restore his dead wife back to life. [book 10, story 1]

4. There was so much spousal love between Philemon and Baucis that they lived a long life together in poverty and never argued. [book 8, story 7]

5. Procne could not live without her sister Philomela. When she found out that her husband had attacked her, she took revenge on her husband and forced him to devour [the body of] their son Itys. [book 6, story 29]

6. The Babylonian couple Pyramus and Thisbe loved each other so much, that Pyramus killed himself when he believed that his Thisbe had died, and Thisbe killed herself with the same sword that he used. [book 4. Story 4]

7. The Sirens held such love for Proserpina that they demanded wings from the gods in order to more easily find Proserpina on land & sea [after she had been abducted]. Because of this, they were transformed into birds, but retained their women’s faces and voices. [book 5, story 16]

8. Phaeton’s sisters wept so many tears when he fell from the sky* that they were transformed into trees. [book 2, story 2]

 

Marco Antonio Tritonio, Those Who Had The Power To Change Their Forms

Qui in Varias Se Formas Convertendi Potestaem Habuerunt.

Achelous

Caenis

Metra

Morpheus

Periclymenus

Protheus

Scython

Tethys

Vertmnus

ACHELOUS in multas se commutare figuras consueverat. [lib.ix.fab.1]

CAENIS puella a Neptuno adamata obtinuit, ut in virum cum vellet, mutaretur, qui Caeneus dictus est. [lib.xii.fab.iiii]

METRA Erisichthonis filia, in quascunque voluisset formas convertendi se a Neptuno potestatem impetravit. [lib.viii.fab.ix]

MORPHEUS Somni filius omnium figuraarum erat imitator [lib.ii.fab.x]

PERICLYMENUS a Neptuno quoque potestatem accepit, ut se in quas optaret, figuras verteret. [lib.xii.fab.v]

PROTHEUS Oceani & Tethyos filius eam a Diis habuit potestatem, ut in quas vellet formas se commutaret. [lib.viii.fab.vii]

SCYTHON modo in virum, modo in feminam potuit converti. [lib.iiii.fab.viii]

TETHYS idem efficere consuverat, [lib.ii.fab.vii]

VERTUMNUS Deus vel ipso nomne demosntrat, ut in varias potuerit verti figuras. [lib.xiiiifab.xvi]

--M. Antonii Tritonii Utinenis, Mythologia, 1560 p. 65-66

 

THOSE WHO HAD THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THEIR FORMS.

• Achelous
• Caenis
• Metra
• Morpheus
• Periclymenus
• Protheus
• Scython
• Tethys
• Vertmnus

*ACHELOUS used to change into many different forms [cf. Ovid’s Metamorphoses, book 9, story 1]

* CAENIS born a girl, beloved by Neptune, and was granted the ability to change into a man because he wanted to do so, and was called Caeneus [cf. book 12, story 4]

* METRA was the daughter of Erisichthon, whom Neptune granted the ability to change into whatever form she wanted  [cf book 8, story 9]

* MORPHEUS was the son of Somnus who could imitate any shape [cf. book 2, story 10]

* PERICLYMENUS: Neptune gave him the ability to turn into whatever shape he wanted [cf. book 12, story 5]

* PROTHEUS was the son of Oceanus and Tethys who had the ability to change shape into whatever shape they wanted [book 8 story 7]

* SCYTHON could alternate between man and woman  [book 4 story 8 ]

* TETHYS could also do that [book 2, story 7 ]

* VERTUMNUS was a god who lived up to his name, in that he could change into various shapes [book 14 story 16 ]

 

A Mother's Prayers for her Trans Son: Marco Antonio Tritonio on Telethusa

TELETHUSA: Ligdi cuiusdam uxor ob immensam certe pietatem potuit ab Iside Dea impetrare, ut Iphis filius ex femina in marem converteretur. [lib.ix.fab.x]

--M. Antonii Tritonii Utinenis, Mythologia, 1560

TELETHUSA: was the wife of a man named Ligdus. Because of her steadfast piety, she was able to get the goddess Isis to transform her son Iphis from a woman into a man. [cf. Ovid's Metamorphosis book 9, story 10]

 

A List of Those Who Boldly Rejected Romantic Love: M. Antonii Tritonii Utinensis, Mythologia

Content Warning: Attempted Rape, suicide

This author uses Ovid's myths to showcase his own medieval Christian beliefs.   The topic "protervi," ["bold, shameful, wanton"] lists women (and one man) who brazenly reject romantic love. Their one connecting attribute--an unapologetic demand for bodily autonomy--is seen as a vice instead of a virtue in the eyes of this medieval author.  

 

PROTERVI

• Anaxarete
• Arethusa
• Daphne
• Eperie
• Lotos
• Narcissus
• Scylla
• Syrinx

ANAXARETE Cypria sua protervitate fuit in causa, ut amator Iphis laqueo se strangularet, sed illa quoque protervitatis suae meritas poenas dedit, nam Veneris voluntate in saxum versa est.[lib.xiiii.fab.xvii] 

ARETHUSA nympha Alpheum amantem fugiens merito in fontem abiit. [l.v.f.xvii]

DAPHNE Penei fl[uminis] filia ab Apolline amata nunquam voluit amanti assentiri. unde in laurum versa est [lib.i.fab.ix]

 EPERIE nympha Aesacum amantem fugiens serpentis ictu interiit. [lib.ii.fab.ii]

LOTOS quoque Priapum evitans in arborem transfigurata est. [lib.ix.fab.6] 

NARCISSUS protervus extitit, cum Echo nympham aufugeret. [lib.iii.fab.viii] 

SCYLLA nympha quotiens a Glauco Deo marino blandis vocabatur verbis, toties se sub undas abscondebat, unde in saxum postremo nautis periculosum conversa fuit. [lib.xiiii.fa.i]

SYRINX Naiadum pulcherrima a Pane adamata flecti nunquam potuit, ob quam protervitatem in arundinem fuit commutata [lbi.i.fab.xii]

--M. Antonii Tritonii Utinenis, Mythologia, 1560

THE BOLD

Includes:

• Anaxarete
• Arethusa
• Daphne
• Eperie
• Lotos
• Narcissus 
• Scylla  
• Syrinx

·       ANAXARETE: In the case of her own boldness in regards to love, since she caused her suitor Iphis* to hang himself. But she also paid the penalty for her own boldness, for Venus turned her into a boulder because of this. [cf. Ovid’s Metamorphoses book 14, story 17]

ARETHUSA: a nymph who was deservedly transformed into a spring while fleeing her suitor Alpheus  [book 5, story 17]

DAPHNE: The daughter of the river god Peneus, who never caved in to her suitor [Apollo]. She was transformed into a laurel / bay tree. [book 1, story 9]  

EPERIE: a nymph who while fleeing her suitor Aesacus, was killed by a snake bite.  [book ii, story ii]

LOTOS: running away from Priapus, she was transformed into a tree [book 9, story 6]

NARCISSUS: displayed his boldness when he fled from the nymph Echo’s advances [book 3, story 8]

SCYLLA: a nymph who hid under the waves every time the sea god Glaucus flirted with her. Finally she was transformed into an underwater rock that was dangerous to sailors [book 14, story 1]

SYRINX: an exceedingly pretty Naiad whom Pan loved, who could never shake off Pan’s advances. Because of her boldness, she was transformed into a reed. [book 1, story 12]

* Iphis is a common name in the ancient world; this is not the same Iphis from the myth of Iphis & Ianthe

 

 

Caeneus Tells His Story: Andrea Dugonicius, Argonauticorum book 8

Caeneus and Tiresias were seen as the archetypal trans heroes of Greek myth, and occasionally their stories would be conflated. In this account of Caeneus, the author here is using elements from the myths of both Tiresias [who transforms back into a man after 7 years] and the myth of Iphis & Ianthe [who is transformed into a man on his wedding day]. 

Vix e conspectu Deli discessimus, illico variae cogitationes mortalium animos occuparunt. Non alia potior cogitandi materies, quam edita in Fano oracula. Suam quisque fortunam aut amabat in iis, aut metuebat. Sed Caeneo magis nemo angebatur, quem iterum foeminam futurum Apollo praedixerat. Quid vero est, inquiebam, mi Caeneu, hoc ne ego ignorare adhuc potui, olim te fuisse foeminam? Fui, reposuit ille, foemina, at nunc Neptuni beneficio virum noveris. Cum dein nihil reponeret, ego socium, uti rem aperiat, rogare; tum ille ita recensere historiam:

            "Pater meus Elatus, nescio, quo Deorum responso certior redditus: fore, uti a filia, quam primam sustulisset, necaretur, diu a mulierum societate penitus abstinuit; tandem multis Amicorum suasionibus inductus Antippo genitam in coniugem adlegit, quae cum me in lucem ederet, et puellam videret, eorum, quae Patri responsa erant, non immemor, sexum occultavit, atque adepllavit Caeneum. Post, ubi ad eam aetatem perveni, qua uxor e civibus deligenda erat, ego Matris Hippeae monitu omne coniugium respuere, aversari omnes virgines; cum Iuvenibus libenter conversari, contra urgere coniugium Pater, et, ni voluntati obsequerer, mala comminari omnia. Vicit obstinatam. Despondi unam e magnesiis invita, simulque Neptunum, uti nunc demum miserae succureret, voto precata, et suppliciis. Tam fervens oratio fuit, ut penetrare in maria potuerit. Cum enim ad Aras accederem, virum me esse sensi, quo cum sexu omnia mihi pariter bona contigerunt: mens praestantior, et ratio; sollers cura Reipublicae; fervor in amando purior, et decoctus magis; adhoc arctum cum amicis vinculum; postremo gloriae adpetitus verae, atque solidae. His ego omnibus, si sexum mutavero, orbus, quid agam? quo me vertam socii? Haec de sua sorte Caeneus."

 --Andrea Dugonicius, Argonauticorum, sive de Vellere Aureo  Libri XXIV, Book 8, p. 203 (1778)

We had scarcely left sight of Delos, and were contemplating what we’d learned. I wasn’t the only one who was worried about the prophecies we’d been given in the shrine. Everyone was either really happy or really terrified about it, but nobody was more worried than Caeneus--for Apollo predicted that he would again become a woman.

I told him, “Hey Caeneus, buddy, what’s going on? Fill me in so I’m not still in the dark—you used to be a woman?”

He replied, “I was a woman, but now, thanks to the blessings of Neptune, you know me as a man.”

When he didn’t respond anything else, I asked him, friend-to-friend, to tell me more, and then Caeneus told me everything:

“My dad Elatus got a prophecy from the gods, I guess, that he’d be killed by his firstborn daughter, so he avoided getting married. Finally, a bunch of his friends convinced him to do so, so he married the daughter of Antippus. When she gave birth to me and saw she’d birthed a girl, she ignored my father’s prophecy and hid my gender and called me Caeneus. Later on, when I became old enough to get married, I listened to my mother Hippea’s advice and put off getting married. I kept rejecting all of the girls, and really liked hanging out with guys. My father kept hounding me about getting married, and even threatened me with terrible things if I didn’t obey his will. Well, he finally got his way (even though I didn’t want to). I was betrothed to one of the Magnesian girls, and I kept praying and giving offerings to Neptune to save me.

My prayers were so desperate, that they even found their way underwater. For when I approached the altar on my wedding day, I felt that I had become a man—and that everything got better when I had the body of a man. My mind was now sharper, as well as my reasoning powers; my civic duty was more productive; my romantic love was more purified, and more mellow; my relationships with my friends were stronger, finally, I gained a yearning for true and wholesome glory. If I change back to a girl, if I lose all of this, what will I do? What friends will I have? Where will I turn?”

This was what Caeneus was worried about.

Ace Champion Atalanta: Hyginus, Fab. 185

 Trigger Warning: execution, rape

It is said that Schoeneus had a beautiful daughter named Atalanta who surpassed men on the racetrack with her own athletic ability. She asked her father to remain unmarried, so whenever one of her many suitors asked for her hand in marriage, her father would set up a contest. A suitor who wanted to marry his daughter had to first run a race with Atalanta, but he would run the track unarmed, while she pursued him with a spear. After she hunted him down and killed him, she would put his head on display on the racetrack. After Atalanta had defeated and killed many suitors this way, she was finally defeated by Hippomenes [the son of Megareus and Merope]. Venus gave Hippomenes three special apples, and told him how to use them. During the race, he tossed the apples to the girl to slow down the race. She slowed down while she collected them and marveled at their golden appearance, and so the youth ended up winning the race. Schoeneus was impressed by the trick and happily married off his daughter to Hippomenes. But while he led her back to his homeland, Hippomenes forgot that he only won the race by Venus’ help, and did not thank her. Venus grew angry at that, and while Hippomenes was sacrificing to Jupiter the Winner on Mount Parnassus, he became overcome with lust and slept with Atalanta in the god’s sacred shrine. Because of this act, Jupiter turned them into lions, so they could no longer sleep together again*.

* According to ancient superstition, lions and lionesses could not mate with each other.

--Hyginus, Fabulae 185 

Schoeneus filiam Atalantam virginem formosissimam dicitur habuisse, quae virtute sua cursu viros superabat. ea petiit a patre ut se virginem servaret. itaque cum a pluribus in coniugium peteretur, pater eius simultatem constituit, qui eam ducere vellet prius in certamine cursu cum ea contenderet, termino constituto, ut ille inermis fugeret haec cum telo insequeretur; quem intra finem termini constituta fuisset interficeret, cuius caput in stadio figeret. plerosque cum superasset et ocidisset novissime ab Hippomene Megarei et Meropes filio victa est. hic enim a Venere mala tria insignis formae acceperat, edoctus quis usus in eis esset. qui in ipso certamine iactando puellae impetum alligavit. illa enim dum colligit et ammiratur aurum, declinavit et iuveni victoriam tradidit. cui Schoeneus ob industriam libens filiam suam dedit uxorem. Hanc cum in patriam duceret, oblitus beneficio Veneris se vicisse, grates ei non egit. irata Venere in monte Parnasso cum sacrificaret Iovi Victori, cupiditate incensus cum ea in fano concubuit. quos Iupiter ob id factum in leonem et leam convertit,  quibus dii concubitum Veneris denegant.

HYGINUS

MAP:

Name: Gaius Julius Hyginus

Date: 64 BCE – 17 CE

Works: Fabulae*

               De Astronomica

REGION 1 / 4*

 

BIO:

Timeline:

Hyginus was a freedman of the Roman emperor Augustus who was in charge of the Imperial library on the Palatine Hill in Rome. His work, the Fabulae, are a sourcebook for Greek and Roman myths. Although there is quite a bit of overlap between his writings and his contemporary and friend Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Hyginus’ works are much more succinct.

GOLDEN AGE ROME

 

 

 

* There is evidence that Hyginus may have been from Alexandria, Egypt (Suetonius, de Gramm. 20)

 

I Will Never Be Yours: An Ace Daphne Confronts Apollo, M. Marullus

I am now safe from your divinity,

as a newly transformed bay tree;

I, a maiden who was mean to her stalker.

And now he hugs my naked branches and tells me to rejoice that I am now his.

I may be yours, but I’ll not be your spouse.

--M. Marullus, Picta Poesis Ovidiana (1580) 

 

Tuta suis monstris, et iam nova Laurea Daphne:

Aspera amatori sic quoque virgo suo:

Nunc ait, exulta ramos complexus inanes:

Ut tua sim, coniunx non ero nempe tua.

 

 

Aeneas Says Trans Rights: Chloreus, Vergil, Aen.11.768-789

Galli were worshippers of the goddess Cybele who renounced their masculinity by voluntarily undergoing castration. They lived as women, and held a separate legal status from men in ancient Rome. In the Aeneid, one of Aeneas' warriors is a gallus named Chloreus, whom the Amazon warrior Camilla intends to fight. The author Vergil uses this scene to play with gender roles in the epic genre, but it is uncomfortably easy to note the author's use of stereotyping here (particularly the fixation on the warrior's clothing instead of their valor).

CONTENT WARNING: misogyny

It happened that Chloreus,

a sacred retired priest of Cybele,

Was sparkling conspicuously in Phrygian armor

As they rode their horse onward. Their horse

Was covered in gilded bronze adornments

The way feathers adorn a bird.

Chloreus was equally conspicuous

Wearing bright purple armor

Shooting Gortynian arrows from a Lycian bow.

There was a golden ceremonial bow on their shoulders

And they wore a priest’s helmet, also golden;

They tied their purple cloak with a golden tie;

They even wore pants—how barbaric!—embroidered with a needle.

Camilla spotted them from far away,

And wanted to seize the Trojan armor

Either to dedicate it as an offering in a temple

Or perhaps she wanted to wear the golden outfit herself.

The Amazon hunter blindly targeted Chloreus   

For single combat, and,

While she burned with a womanly love of treasure

And was caught off guard,

Arruns used the advantage to brandish his weapon deceitfully…

--Vergil, Aeneid 11.768-789

Forte sacer Cybelo Chloreus olimque sacerdos
insignis longe Phrygiis fulgebat in armis
spumantemque agitabat equum, quem pellis aenis              
in plumam squamis auro conserta tegebat.
ipse peregrina ferrugine clarus et ostro
spicula torquebat Lycio Gortynia cornu;
aureus ex umeris erat arcus et aurea vati
cassida; tum croceam chlamydemque sinusque crepantis   
carbaseos fulvo in nodum collegerat auro
pictus acu tunicas et barbara tegmina crurum.
hunc virgo, sive ut templis praefigeret arma
Troia, captivo sive ut se ferret in auro
venatrix, unum ex omni certamine pugnae              
caeca sequebatur totumque incauta per agmen
femineo praedae et spoliorum ardebat amore,
telum ex insidiis cum tandem tempore capto
concitat …

VERGIL / VIRGIL	MAP:
Name:  Publius Vergilius Maro Date:  70 BCE – 21 BCE Works:  Aeneid*               Eclogues              Georgics	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Vergil was born in Mantua (Cisalpine Gaul, located in northern Italy) and lived during the tumultuous transition of Roman government from republic to monarchy. His masterpiece, the Aeneid, tells the story of Aeneas’ migration from Troy to Italy; it was used for centuries as the pinnacle of Roman literature.	GOLDEN AGE ROME