Athena, Unswayed by Aphrodite. Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 7 - 15

Athena, Unswayed by Aphrodite

Name:    Unknown Date:    7th – 5th century BCE Region:    [modern Greece] Citation:   Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, 7 – 15

But Aphrodite is not able to persuade three goddesses, nor can she beguile them.

One is the aegis-wearing daughter of Zeus, the bright-eyed Athena.

She doesn’t enjoy the works of golden Aphrodite;

Instead she runs after battles and Ares’ sphere of influence—

Conflicts and skirmishes and the equipment that goes with it.

She was the first to teach men the art of woodcraft outdoors,

And how to make chariots and carriages out of different types of metal.

Yet she also taught tender maidens splendid works indoors,

Granting a different type of knowledge to each person.

τρισσὰς δ᾽ οὐ δύναται πεπιθεῖν φρένας οὐδ᾽ ἀπατῆσαι: κούρην τ᾽ αἰγιόχοιο Διός, γλαυκῶπιν Ἀθήνην: οὐ γὰρ οἱ εὔαδεν ἔργα πολυχρύσου Ἀφροδίτης, ἀλλ᾽ ἄρα οἱ πόλεμοί τε ἅδον καὶ ἔργον Ἄρηος ὑσμῖναί τε μάχαι τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργ᾽ ἀλεγύνειν. πρώτη τέκτονας ἄνδρας ἐπιχθονίους ἐδίδαξε ποιῆσαι σατίνας τε καὶ ἅρματα ποικίλα χαλκῷ. ἣ δέ τε παρθενικὰς ἁπαλόχροας ἐν μεγάροισιν ἀγλαὰ ἔργ᾽ ἐδίδαξεν ἐπὶ φρεσὶ θεῖσα ἑκάστῃ.

Verum tres sunt deae, quarum animum flectere, suaque; fraude convellere haudquaquam potis est: nempe caesiam Minervam Jovis Filiam. Non enim illi aureae Veneris placuere opera: sed bella semper ac Martis opera grata sunt, praeliaque et pugnae, acres tractare splendidas. Prima enim artifices in terra docuit viros scuta construere, variosque ferro currus. Haec quoque teneras virgines intra limen docuit praeclara illa opera conficere, unicuique inflammans animum. Translated into Latin by Raphael Regio Volterranus (1541)

Artemis: Unswayed by Aphrodite's Power, Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 15-20

Name:    Unknown Date:    7th – 5th century BCE Region:    [modern Greece] Citation:   Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, 15-20

 …Furthermore, laughter-loving Aphrodite has never made golden-arrowed Artemis settle down in love. For she loves her bow and slaying beasts in the mountains, the lyre and dancing and war cries, shady groves and cities of just men.

οὐδέ ποτ᾽ Ἀρτέμιδα χρυσηλάκατον, κελαδεινὴν

δάμναται ἐν φιλότητι φιλομμειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη.

καὶ γὰρ τῇ ἅδε τόξα καὶ οὔρεσι θῆρας ἐναίρειν,

φόρμιγγές τε χοροί τε διαπρύσιοί τ᾽ ὀλολυγαὶ

ἄλσεά τε σκιόεντα δικαίων τε πτόλις ἀνδρῶν.

 

Neque unquam venatoriam atque aureo insignem arcu Dianae in amore domat ridens Venus. Etenim hanc iuvat arcus montesque ferarum caede inficere, et citharae choreaeque atque sublati clamores, et opaca nemora, et iustis civitas virorum.  Translated into Latin by Raphael Regio Volterranus (1541)

 

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

Apollo, Unlucky in Love: Faustus Sabaeus

Name: Faustus Sabaeus Date: 16th century CE   Region:  Brixia [Brescia, modern Italy] Citation:   Illustrated Myths of Ovid

While darling Venus was weeping over her slain Adonis,

Pretty Apollo wandered over and told her,

“Oh sister, one loss pains you, but

I suffer twice as much.

Although I appear happy, I am still grieving them.

My darling loves will forever live on,

Daphne, who had too much pride

And Hyacinthus, who had too little luck."

Extinctum preciosa Venus plorabat Adonim;

quum super accessit pulcher Apollo & ait,

Una, soror, te cura angit; me bina remordet,

usque adeo, laetus sim licet, ut doleam.

cari inquam semper vivetis amores,

dura nimis Daphne; fauste Hyacinthe parum.

Faustus Sabaeus [16th century, modern Italy] was a librarian of the Vatican library who composed numerous poems on mythology-based themes.

The Marriage of Iphis & Ianthe: Faustus Sabaeus (1580)

Name: Faustus Sabaeus Date: 16th century CE   Region:  Brixia [Brescia, modern Italy] Citation:   Illustrated Myths of Ovid

 Note: The last line is not published here, as it uses a bodily humor pun 

Iphis was a woman. By hiding in a man’s clothing

Even her father believed she was a man.

Her father promised her in marriage to pretty Ianthe,

A bride for a bride, a woman marrying a woman.

The day of the wedding draws near…

The bride approaches…

Venus was there

And Juno was there 

And Hymen was there...

and Iphis ended up marrying Ianthe.

 

De Iphide

Iphis erat mulier: latitantem in veste virili

vicini, immo pater credidit esse marem.

Deceptus genitor pulcram huic despondet Ianthem:

cum sponsa sponsa ut virgine virgo cubet.

Taede accenduntur: procedit nupta, Cythere,

Et Iuno praesens...et Hymen...

[et] potitur namque Iphis Ianthe.

Faustus Sabaeus [16th century, modern Italy] was a librarian of the Vatican library who composed numerous poems on mythology-based themes.

The Avenger of Achilles: Martial, Epig.2.84.1-2

Name: Martial Date: c. 40 – 100 CE Region: Bilbilis, Hispania [modern Spain] Citation: Epigrams 2.84.1-2

Note: Only the first half of the poem is printed here. In the second half, Martial makes an obscene comparison to this myth and one of his peers.

Philoctetes was gay, and openly flirty with men;

This is how Venus avenged the wounds of Paris*.

*In this version of the myth, Paris shoots and kills Achilles, and in turn is slain by Philoctetes' bow.

Mollis erat facilisque viris Poeantius heros:

     vulnera sic Paridis dicitur ulta Venus.

Martial [Marcus Valerius Martialis; 38 BCE – 102 CE, modern Spain] Originally from Bilbilis, Hispania, the poet Martial moved to Rome in the 60s CE to advance his career. His two extant works include de Spectaculis, a collection of poems written to commemorate the opening of the Colosseum, and a fifteen volume collection of epigrams. These poems provide valuable insight into the private lives of Romans from all of the city’s social classes.

Atalanta's End: Lactantius Placidius 10.11

Ace Champion Atalanta

Name: Lactantius Placidus Date:  5th or 6th century CE Region:    Unknown Citation:  Plots of Ovid’s Myths, Book 10, Story 11

When Atalanta learned about marriage and was warned to never marry, she set up a test for all of her suitors. Since she was the fastest woman alive, she said that she would marry anyone who won a race against her, but would kill anyone she outran.

Ace Chamption Atalanta

Atalanta, Schoenei filia, cum de coniugio sciscitata esset et monita nulli iungeretur, quia omnium virginum pernicissima erat, petentibus procris legem posuit, eius coniugem futuram, qui se cursu pedum antecessisset, victo autem necem statuit.

Lactantius Placidus [5^th or 6^th century CE] is the name of the author attributed to a prose summary of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, but little is known about the author or his time period.

M/M: Our Hearts Will Light the Way, A Fragment from Valerius Aedituus

Our Hearts Will Light the Way: An Early Roman Poet to His Boyfriend

Name: Valerius Aedituus Date:  1st century BCE Region: Rome [modern Italy]  Citation: Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 19.9.12

Phileros, you hold up a torch,

But we don’t need it.

The flame that shines in our hearts

Will produce enough light for us as we travel.

No raging wind can extinguish it;

Nor can the sudden rainstorm quench it.

Only Venus herself, if she is willing, can.

No other force can quench this fire between us.

Our Hearts Will Light the Way: An Early Roman Poet to his Boyfriend

 

Qui faculam praefers, Phileros, quae nil opus nobis?

Ibimus sic, lucet pectore flamma satis.

Istam nam potis est vis saeva extinguere venti

Aut imber caelo candidus praecipitans,

At contra hunc ignem Veneris, nisi si Venus ipsa,

Nullast quae possit vis alia opprimere.

Valerius Aedituus [1st century BCE] Little is known about the life of the Roman poet Valerius Aedituus except that he lived during the 1st century BCE. Only fragments remain of his poetry.

I'm Getting To Old For This: Horace, Carm. 4.1

I’m Getting Too Old For This

Name:  Horace Date:  65 – 8 BCE Region: Venosa / Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  Songs 4.1.29-40

Neither a girlfriend

Or a boyfriend

Can tempt me now,

Nor does the hope of a mutual affection thrill me.

I’m no longer in the mood for partying

I’m too old to put springtime flowers on this old forehead of mine.

But why, Ligurinus, tell me why

I’m crying right now?

Why is my tongue tied suddenly?

At night, 

in my dreams, I hold you next to me.

I follow you through the Campus Martius,

I follow you through the waters,

As you fly from me, you cruel bird.

I’m Getting Too Old For This

Me nec femina nec puer

iam nec spes animi credula mutui               

nec certare iuvat mero

nec vincire novis tempora floribus.

Sed cur heu, Ligurine, cur

manat rara meas lacrima per genas?

Cur facunda parum decoro               

inter verba cadit lingua silentio?

Nocturnis ego somniis

iam captum teneo, iam volucrem sequor

te per gramina Martii

campi, te per aquas, dure, volubilis.         

 

Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus; 65 – 8 BCE, modern Italy] is known for his famous line, “Carpe Diem.” He was an Italian-born poet who lived during the rise and reign of Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Although his life began with civil unrest and uncertainty (his father was enslaved and later freed during the civil wars of the 1st century BCE), Horace became friends with the influential entrepreneur Maecenas and earned the position in Augustus’ literary circle.  His poetry provides valuable insight into social changes that occurred during the transition from republic to empire.  

M/M: A Heart Has Found Its Home, Quintus Lutatius Catullus

Name:  Quintus Lutatius Catulus Date:  2nd century BCE Region:     [modern Italy] Citation:    Preserved in Aulus Gellius' Attic Nights, 19.10.14

These were the lyrics of Quintus Catulus:

My heart has left me:

I think it’s gone to Theotimus

(that’s what it usually does).

That’s how it goes: that’s its home.

Even if I had put my foot down, forcing my heart to come home,

It’s used to staying at his place.

I’ll go out looking for it,

But I’m afraid that I’ll be caught up in Theotimus’ charms, too.

What’ll I do? Help me, Venus!

 Quinti Catuli versus illi fuerunt: [14]

Aufugit mi animus; credo, ut solet, ad Theotimum

Devenit. Sic est: perfugium illud habet.

Qui, si non interdixem, ne illunc fugitivum

Mitteret ad se intro, sed magis eiceret?

Ibimus quaesitum. Verum, ne ipsi teneamur,

Formido. Quid ago? Da Venus consilium.

 

 

Quintus Lutatius Catulus was a prominent figure in the wars against the Cimbri and the Teutones in the 2^nd century BCE. Although he was a prolific author, only fragments remain of his works.

  

The Most Beautiful Thing of All, Sappho fr. 16

The Most Beautiful Thing of All

Name: Sappho Date: d. 570 BCE Region: Lesbos [modern Greece] Citation: Fragment 16

Some say that the prettiest thing

In all the world

Is cavalry;

Other say it is infantry;

Others say it is ships;

But I say that it is whatever you love.

You can easily see why:

For Helen, the prettiest woman in the world,

Left her courageous husband,

And sailed to Troy.

She didn’t care about her father or her own children;

She was overwhelmed by Aphrodite [Love].

Thinking of all this, I’m reminded of Anactoria,

Whose lovely gait and glorious face

I’d rather watch

Than all the Lydian armies.

Οἰ μὲν ἰππήων στρότον, οἰ δὲ πέσδων, οἰ δὲ νάων φαῖσ’ ἐπὶ γᾶν μέλαιναν ἔμμεναι κάλλιστον, ἔγω δὲ κῆν’ ὄτ- τω τις ἔραται  πάγχυ δ’ εὔμαρες σύνετον πόησαι πάντι τοῦτ’· ἀ γὰρ πολὺ περσκέθοισα κάλλος ἀνθρώπων Ἐλένα τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν πανάριστον  καλλίποισ’ ἔβα ‘ς Τροίαν πλέοισα κωὐδὲ παῖδος οὐδὲ φίλων τοκήων πάμπαν ἐμνάσθη, ἀλλὰ παράγαγ’ αὔταν ...[1] κἄμε νῦν Ἀνακτορίας ὀνέμναι- σ’ οὐ παρεοίσας  τᾶς κε βολλοίμαν ἔρατόν τε βᾶμα κἀμάρυχμα λάμπρον ἴδην προσώπω ἢ τὰ Λύδων ἄρματα κἀν ὄπλοισι πεσδομάχεντας.

Alii aciem equitum ex omnibus pulcherrimum esse dicunt; alii, peditum; alii, naves; sed mihi est, quod quisque amat! Hoc perfacile cognosci potest. Nam Tyndaris, pulcherrima ex omnibus feminis, maritum optimum relinquit et Troiam tetendit. Nec memor infantis patrisque, immo ea a Venere deducta est … Haec mecum meditans, Anactoriam (illa absente), contemplor, cuius gradum gracilem et vultum mirari velim quam omnes Lydorum curros et acies dimicantes. Translated into Latin by Kris Masters

---

[1] Three lines are missing due to damage.

Sappho [d. 570 BCE, modern Greece] was universally applauded by the ancient world as the “Tenth Muse.” Because she was one of the earliest Greek lyric poets, there is very little definitive information on Sappho’s life.  It is generally agreed that Sappho was a wealthy noblewoman from the island of Lesbos who had three brothers and a daughter named Kleis. She used her prominent social position to support a cohort of other women artists, and composed many poems about them, expressing her love for them, praising their beauty, and celebrating their marriages. Whereas earlier Greek poetry was epic poetry with serious themes of gods, warfare, and the state, Sappho’s lyric poetry was emotional, intimate and personal. Her poetry centered around womanhood and womanly love, providing rare insight into the time period. The modern terms “sapphic” and “lesbian” reveal the longevity of her impact upon modern culture. Unfortunately, although her poetry was universally revered by the Greeks and Romans alike, Sappho’s works only exist as fragments, adding mysterious allure to her larger-than-life status but unfortunately hindering our understanding of her life and thoughts.

Women Supporting Women: Nossis' Trip to the Temple, Greek Anthology IX.332.1-3

In this poem, the Greek poet Nossis advertises the accomplishments of Polyarchis, a woman who was wealthy enough to purchase a gilded statue of Aphrodite to her local temple.

 Let’s go to the Temple of Aphrodite

And see her golden statue there.

Polyarchis provided it...

Ingressae templum spectemus Veneris

signum, ut auro fabrefactum exstat.

Statuit hoc Polyarchis...

Ἐλθοῖσαι ποτὶ ναὸν ἰδώμεθα τᾶς Ἀφροδίτας

τὸ βρέτας, ὡς χρυσῷ διαδαλόεν τελέθει.

εἵσατό μιν Πολυαρχίς, ...

--Nossis, Greek Anthology 9.332.1-3; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius  (1872)

 

 

 Nossis was considered among the famous nine women poets of ancient Greek literature. She lived in Locris (southern Italy) during the 3^rd century. Several of her poems are preserved in the Greek Anthology; like that of her literary predecessor Sappho, Nossis’ poetry provides great insight into the lives of women in the ancient world.

  

In Praise of Sappho: Greek Anthology, VII.407

 O Sappho, sweetest support of young people in love,

Whom Pieria & ivy-covered Helicon revere alongside the Muses,

(you breathe* the same inspirational air)

O Muse of Aeolian Eresus.

O Sappho, you who stand beside Hymen & Hymenaeus,

Presiding over wedding ceremonies with a brilliantly shining pine torch**.

O Sappho, you who watch over the glade sacred to the gods

Grieving with Aphrodite as she mourns the Cinyras’ sprout,***

Hail, my Queen! Equal in every way to the gods,

We count your songs among the children of the Divine.

 

*  πνέω can refer to both inhaling and exhaling; this is a reference to the literal meaning of inspiration (in + spiro / ἐμ + πνέω)

** torches are symbols of wedding ceremonies, similar to modern bouquets

*** a reference to Venus' lover Adonis, whose death is recounted in Sappho's poetry

Dulcissimum amantibus iuvenibus levamentum amorum,

O Sappho, cum Musis sane te Pieria

aut Helicon hederosus, paria spirantem illis,

ornat, te Eresi Musam in Aeolide;

aut etiam Hymen Hymenaeus habens bene-fulgidam picam,

tecum sponsalibus stat super thalamis;

aut Cinyrae novum germen ploranti Veneri

congemens, caelicolarum sacrum lucum vides:

ubique, veneranda, salve aeque ac dii! tuas enim cautiones

immortalium ducimus nunc adhuc filias.

ἥδιστον φιλέουσι νέοις προσανάκλιμ᾽ ἐρώτων,

Σαπφώ, σὺν Μούσαις ἦ ῥά σε Πιερίη

ἢ Ἑλικὼν εὔκισσος, ἴσα πνείουσαν ἐκείναις,

κοσμεῖ, τὴν Ἐρέσῳ Μοῦσαν ἐν Αἰολίδι,

ἢ καὶ Ὑμὴν Ὑμέναιος ἔχων εὐφεγγέα πεύκην

σὺν σοὶ νυμφιδίων ἵσταθ᾽ ὑπὲρ θαλάμων

ἢ Κινύρεω νέον ἔρνος ὀδυρομένῃ Ἀφροδίτῃ

σύνθρηνος, μακάρων ἱερὸν ἄλσος ὁρῇς:

πάντῃ, πότνια, χαῖρε θεοῖς ἴσα: σὰς γὰρ ἀοιδὰς

ἀθανάτων ἄγομεν νῦν ἔτι θυγατέρας.

--Dioscorides, Greek Anthology VII.407; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10^th century CE and one from the 14^th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.