Gendered Curses: Aulus Gellius, Att. Noct. 11.6

Name: Valerius Aedituus Date:  1st century BCE Region: Rome [modern Italy]  Citation: Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 11.6

That Roman Women Never Swear to Hercules, and that Roman Men Never Swear to Castor*

In ancient texts, Roman women never swear to Hercules, and Roman men never swear to Castor. It’s not surprising that women never swear to Hercules, for they are forbidden to sacrifice to him. It’s not as easy to figure out why men do not swear to Castor. But it’s found nowhere in literature where a woman says “By Hercules!” or a man says, “By Castor!”  “Edepol” (swearing by Pollux’s name) is common among men and women. But M. Varro asserts that ancient men used to use neither Castor nor Pollux’s name in vain, but that it was just used by women (and used in the Eleusinian mysteries). Over time, that gender role was forgotten, and men began to say edepol, and so the custom changed. But “By Castor!” is still never found said by a man in any ancient text.

* Castor and Pollux / Polydeuces were twin demigod sons of Zeus and Leda, and siblings of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. They are memorialized in the Zodiac constellation Gemini

Quod mulieres Romae per Herculem non iuraverint neque viri per Castorem.

In veteribus scriptis neque mulieres Romanae per Herculem deiurant neque viri per Castorem.  Sed cur illae non iuraverint Herculem non obscurum est, nam Herculaneo sacrificio abstinent. Cur autem viri Castorem iurantes non appellaverint non facile dictu est. Nusquam igitur scriptum invenire est, apud idoneos quidem scriptores, aut “me hercle” feminam dicere aut “me castor” virum;“edepol” autem, quod iusiurandum per Pollucem est, et viro et feminae commune est. Sed M. Varro adseverat antiquissimos viros neque per Castorem neque per Pollucem deiurare solitos, sed id iusiurandum fuisse tantum feminarum, ex initiis Eleusinis acceptum; paulatim tamen inscitia antiquitatis viros dicere “edepol” coepisse factumque esse ita dicendi morem, sed “me castor” a viro dici in nullo vetere scripto inveniri.

 

 

Aulus Gellius [125 – 180 CE] lived during the 2nd century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes about literature, history, and grammar.  From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus and Fronto.

Challenging Gender Roles: Alexander the Great's Gender-Bending Outfits, Athenaeus, Deipnos. 12.53

 

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists  12.53

Ephippus also states that Alexander the Great also wore sacred garments to dinner. Sometime he wore Ammon’s sacred purple garb, open-toe sandals, and horns, just like the god would. Sometimes he dressed in Artemis’ garb; he usually did this when he was riding in a chariot, with the Persian cloak, wearing the goddess’ bow on his shoulders and brandishing her spear in his hand. Sometimes he dressed like Hermes; but on most days, he would wear a purple cloak, a tunic with white stripes, and a royal miter, with a crown on top. When he was hanging out with his entourage, he would wear Hermes' iconic sandals and hat, with the god's Caduceus in his hand. Sometimes he wore even Hercules’ lion pelt and club.”

Ephippus vero scribit: "Etiam sacras vestes in cenis gestasse Alexandrum: nunc quidem Hammonis purpuram, & fissiles soleas & cornua, velut ipse Deus; nunc vero Dianae, cuius cultum saepe etiam sumebat quum curru veheretur, Persica quidem stola indutus, sed ita ut supra humeros arcus Deae & spiculum emineret. Subinde etiam Mercurii cultum; alias quidem fere ac quotidie chlamydem purpueram & tunicam medio albo intertexto & causiam cui diadema regium circum positum; ubi vero cum amicis una esset, talaria, & petasum in capite, & caduceum in manu: saepe vero etiam leoninam pellem & clavam, veluti Hercules."

ἔφιππος δέ φησιν ὡς Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς  ἐσθῆτας ἐφόρει ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις, ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν τοῦ Ἄμμωνος πορφυρίδα καὶ περισχιδεῖς καὶ κέρατα καθάπερ ὁ θεός, ὁτὲ δὲ τὴν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, ἣν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἅρματος ἐφόρει πολλάκις, ἔχων τὴν Περσικὴν στολήν, ὑποφαίνων ἄνωθεν τῶν ὤμων τό τε τόξον καὶ τὴν σιβύνην, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ: τὰ μὲν ἄλλα σχεδὸν καὶ καθ᾽ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν χλαμύδα τε πορφυρᾶν καὶ χιτῶνα μεσόλευκον καὶ τὴν καυσίαν ἔχουσαν τὸ διάδημα τὸ βασιλικόν, ἐν δὲ τῇ συνουσίᾳ τά τε πέδιλα καὶ τὸν πέτασον ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ καὶ τὸ κηρύκειον ἐν τῇ χειρί, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ λεοντῆν καὶ ῥόπαλον ὥσπερ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς.

 Translated into Latin by Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1804)

 

 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.

 

W/W: Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty: Galinthias, Antoninus Liberalis, Metam. 29

Name:  Antoninus Liberalis Date:  2nd – 3rd century CE Region:  Unknown Citation:    Metamorphoses 29

The Theban Proteus had a daughter named Galinthias, who was inseparable from her dear friend Alcmena (Electrion's daughter). When Alcmena was pregnant with Hercules, Juno's henchmen Lucina [goddess of childbirth] and the Fates beset her limbs to keep her from giving birth.  Fearing that Alcmena would die in childbirth, Galinthias ran up to the goddesses and thanked them, proclaiming that Alcmena had already given birth by the will of Jupiter. Hearing this, the goddesses were thunderstruck, and released Alcmena in their daze. Once she was free from their control, Alcmena was able to give birth to Hercules.  Angered that a mortal had deceived them, the goddesses smote Galinthias, stripping her of her womanly shape and turning her into a [pole]cat. 

Thebis Proteus filiam habuit Galinthiadem, ludi et vitae soliditate iunctam virginem Alcumenae, filiae Electrionis. Cum parturiret Alcmena Herculem, Parcae et Lucina in gratiam Iunonis eam in doloribus detinuerunt, manibus suis constrictis sedentes. Ibi Galinthias verita ne ex doloribus moreretur Alcmena, ad Parcas et Lucinam accurrit, nuncians Iovis voluntate puerum ab Alcmena partu editum, actumqe esse de ipsarum honoribus. Ad hoc obstupuerunt Parcae, statimque manus dimiserunt. Illico etiam Alcmena soluta doloribus, Herculem est enixa. Ad hoc Parcae luctum instituerunt: et Galinthiadi, quod mortalis deas decepisset, virginitatem ademerunt, inque fraudulentam mutaverunt felem.

Translated from the Greek by Wilhelm Xylander

Antoninus Liberalis [2nd – 3rd century CE] Little is known about the life of the Greek author Antoninus Liberalis. His work, Metamorphoses, is similar to the works of Hyginus in that they provide brief summaries of Greek and Roman myths.