Marco Antonio Tritonio: A List of the Chaste

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

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

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]

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.  

Free from Cupid's Influence: The Muses, Greek Anthology 9.39

The Muses, Free of Love’s Influence

Name:   Musicius Date:    Unknown Region:  Unknown Citation: Greek Anthology 9.39

Aphrodite told the Muses: “Little girls, worship me,

Or I will make Eros attack you.”

The Muses replied: “Tell that chit-chat to Ares;

Your kid has no authority among us!”

ἁ Κύπρις Μούσαισι: κοράσια, τὰν Ἀφροδίταν τιμᾶτ᾽, ἢ τὸν Ἔρων ὔμμιν ἐφοπλίσομαι. χαἰ Μοῦσαι ποτὶ Κύπριν Ἄρει τὰ στωμύλα ταῦτα: ἡμῖν δ᾽ οὐ πέτεται τοῦτο τὸ παιδάριον.

Cypris Musis: “Puellulae, ait, Venerem Colite, aut Amorem ego in-vos amabo.” Et Musae ad Cyprin: “Marti dic pulchella ista; nobis vero non volat iste puerulus.” Translated into Latin by Johann Friedrich Duebner (1871)

Musicius [unknown] is one of the ancient poets preserved in the Greek Anthology, but unfortunately, nothing is known of this author beyond his name. 

In Praise of Sappho: Greek Anthology 9.66 & 9.506

Antipater of Sidon (ix.66):

When Mnemosyne heard Sappho's sweet voice, 

she wondered if there were a tenth Muse.

Mnemosyne Sapphus* audit dum carmina, dixit,

unde novem Musis additur una soror?

 

Μναμοσύναν ἕλε θάμβος, ὅτ᾽ ἔκλυε τᾶς μελιφώνου

Σαπφοῦς, μὴ δεκάταν Μοῦσαν ἔχουσι βροτοί.

Plato (ix.506): 

They say there are nine Muses: nope!

Sappho of Lesbos is the tenth!

Novem Musas dicunt quidam: quam negligenter!

ecce et Sappho e Lexbo decima.

ἐννέα τὰς Μούσας φασίν τινες: ὡς ὀλιγώρως:

ἠνίδε καὶ Σαπφὼ Λεσβόθεν ἡ δεκάτη.

--Antipater of Sidon, Greek Anthology ix.66 and Plato, Greek Anthology ix.506; translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner, 1872

 Antipater of Sidon was a Greek poet who lived during the 2nd century BCE.  Little is known about him, and only a handful of his poetry was preserved in the Greek Anthology.

Minerva, Diana, and the Muses: Free of Cupid's Influence, Lucian, Dialogi Deorum 19

Cupid Fleeing Artemis, Athena, and the Muses

Name: Lucian Date: 125 – 180 CE Region: [modern Turkey] Citation:  Dialogues of the Gods 19

Venus: Cupid, why have you stalked and conquered all of the other gods—Jupiter, Neptune, Apollo, Juno—and even me, your own mother!—but you hold off from attacking Minerva? Your torch holds no power over her; your quiver is  

empty of love-darts for her. You don’t even carry your bow around her, you don’t even know how to aim?

Cupid: I’m afraid of her, Mom! She is frightening! She has a ferocious scowl, and a manly intensity. Whenever I aim my bow at her, the rustling of her helmet’s crest terrifies me, and then my hands shake so much I drop my weapons.

Venus: But isn’t Mars more frightening to you than her? You were able to overpower him.

Cupid:  Yeah, but he likes me, and welcomes me to his side. Minerva always gives me an angry frown. One time, I rashly rushed her, brandishing my torch, but as soon as I approached her, she yelled at me, “I swear by my father Jupiter, I’ll either stab you with my spear, or grab you by your foot and toss you into Tartarus, or pluck your feathers off myself.” She threatened me with even more threats like this. She watches me with a discerning gaze. And finally, she carries that fear-inspiring Gorgon face on her chest [1]  with its snaky-hair. I’m incredibly afraid of her. I run every time I see her.

Venus: Okay, I get it: you’re afraid of Minerva, and her aegis, too. But yet you’re not afraid of Jupiter’s lightning bolt? And why don’t you go after the Muses? Why are they safe from your love darts? Do they shake their helmet crests at you, or show you their own aegis?

Cupid: Mom, I respect them. They’re demure and chaste. And they love what they do; their hearts are full of their art, and I get enchanted by their alluring songs.

Venus: Okay, I get it. You don’t go after them, because of their dedication to their art. But what about Diana? Why don’t you go after her?

Cupid: Well, to put it succinctly, I can’t go after her, because she’s always wandering over the mountains. She’s lovestruck by a desire [2] of her own.

Venus: OOOH! WHO?!!!!

Cupid:   She’s lovestruck by hunting deer, of tracking them and shooting them. That’s her one and only love. But her brother Apollo, an archer too (and not half bad!). He...

 Venus: Yes, I know, son. You’ve wounded him a bunch of times with your love darts. 

---

[1] A reference to her armor, the aegis.

[2] A pun on Cupid’s name.

Ἀφροδίτη: τί δήποτε, ὦ Ἔρως, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους θεοὺς κατηγωνίσω ἅπαντας, τὸν Δία, τὸν Ποσειδῶ, τὸν Ἀπόλλω, τὴν Ῥέαν, ἐμὲ τὴν μητέρα, μόνης δὲ ἀπέχῃ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἐκείνης ἄπυρος μέν σοι ἡ δᾴς, κενὴ δὲ οἰστῶν ἡ φαρέτρα, σὺ δὲ ἄτοξος εἶ καὶ ἄστοχος;

VENUS: Quid tandem in causa est, Cupido, ut quum reliquos Deos omnes adortus expugnaris, Jovem ipsum, Neptunum, Apollinem, Junonem, me denique matrem, ab una Minerva temperes, utque adversus hanc nec ullum habeat incendium tua fax, et iaculis vacua sit pharetra, tum et ipse arcu careas, neque iaculari noris?

Ἔρως: δέδια, ὦ μῆτερ, αὐτήν: φοβερὰ γάρ ἐστι καὶ χαροπὴ καὶ δεινῶς ἀνδρική: ὁπόταν γοῦν ἐντεινάμενος τὸ τόξον ἴω ἐπ᾽ αὐτήν, ἐπισείουσα τὸν λόφον ἐκπλήττει με καὶ ὑπότρομος γίνομαι καὶ ἀπορρεῖ μου τὰ τοξεύματα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν. Ἀ: ὁ Ἄρης γὰρ οὐ φοβερώτερος ἦν; καὶ ὅμως ἀφώπλισας αὐτὸν καὶ νενίκηκας. Ἔ:  ἀλλὰ ἐκεῖνος ἑκὼν προσίεταί με καὶ προσκαλεῖται, ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ ὑφορᾶται ἀεί, καί ποτε ἐγὼ μὲν ἄλλως παρέπτην πλησίον ἔχων τὴν λαμπάδα, ἡ δέ, εἴ μοι πρόσει, φησί, νὴ τὸν πατέρα, τῷ δορατίῳ σε διαπείρασα ἢ τοῦ ποδὸς λαβομένη καὶ ἐς τὸν Τάρταρον ἐμβαλοῦσα ἢ αὐτὴ διασπασαμένη διαφθερῶ. πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἠπείλησε: καὶ ὁρᾷ δὲ δριμὺ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους ἔχει πρόσωπόν τι φοβερὸν ἐχίδναις κατάκομον, ὅπερ ἐγὼ μάλιστα δέδια: μορμολύττεται γάρ με καὶ φεύγω, ὅταν ἴδω αὐτό.

CUPIDO: Equidem hanc metuo, mater: est enim formidabilis, truculentoque aspectu, ac ferocitate quadam supra modum virili: proinde siquando tenso arcu petam illam, galeae cristam quatiens expavefacit me, moxque, formidine tremere occipio, sic ut arma mihi e manibus excidant. V: Atqui Mars an non erat hac formidabilior: et hunc tamen superatum exarmasti. C: Imo ille cupide me recipit, atque ultro etiam invitat: verum Minerva semper adductis superciliis observat. Quin aliquando temere ad illam advolavi, facem propius admovens: at illa, si quidem ad me accesseris, inquit, “per parentem Jovem, quovis modo te confecero, aut lancea te transfigam, aut pedibus arreptum in tartara dabo praecipitem, aut ipsa te discerpam!” Plurima item id genus cominabatur. Ad haec acribus obtuetur oculis: postremo & in pectore faciem quandam gestat horrendam, viperis capillorum vice comatam. Hanc nimirum magnopere formido. Territat enim me, fugioque quoties eam aspicio.

Ἀ: ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν Ἀθηνᾶν δέδιας, ὡς φής, καὶ τὴν Γοργόνα, καὶ ταῦτα μὴ φοβηθεὶς τὸν κεραυνὸν τοῦ Διός. αἱ δὲ Μοῦσαι διὰ τί σοι ἄτρωτοι καὶ ἔξω βελῶν εἰσιν; ἢ κἀκεῖναι λόφους ἐπισείουσι καὶ Γοργόνας προφαίνουσιν; Ἔ: αἰδοῦμαι αὐτάς, ὦ μῆτερ: σεμναὶ γάρ εἰσι καὶ ἀεί τι φροντίζουσι καὶ περὶ ᾠδὴν ἔχουσι καὶ ἐγὼ παρίσταμαι πολλάκις αὐταῖς κηλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ μέλους. Ἀ: ἔα καὶ ταύτας, ὅτι σεμναί: τὴν δὲ Ἄρτεμιν τίνος ἕνεκα οὐ τιτρώσκεις; Ἔ: τὸ μὲν ὅλον οὐδὲ καταλαβεῖν αὐτὴν οἷόν τε φεύγουσαν ἀεὶ διὰ τῶν ὀρῶν: εἶτα καὶ ἴδιόν τινα ἔρωτα ἤδη ἐρᾷ. Ἀ: τίνος, ὦ τέκνον; Ἔ: θήρας καὶ ἐλάφων καὶ νεβρῶν, αἱρεῖν τε διώκουσα καὶ κατατοξεύειν, καὶ ὅλως πρὸς τῷ τοιούτῳ ἐστίν: ἐπεὶ τόν γε ἀδελφὸν αὐτῆς, καίτοι τοξότην καὶ αὐτὸν ὄντα καὶ ἑκηβόλον — Ἀ: οἶδα, ὦ τέκνον, πολλὰ ἐκεῖνον ἐτόξευσας.

V: Esto sane, Minervam metuis, ut ais, atque huius gestamen Gorgona reformidas, idque quum Jovis ipsius fulmen non formidaveris: caeterum Musae quam ob causam abs te non feriuntur, atque a tuis iaculis tutae agunt? Num & hae cristas quatiunt, aut Gorgonas praetendunt? C: Has quidem revereor mater: sunt enim vultu pudico ac reverendo: praeterea semper aliquo tenentur studio, semper cantionibus animum intentum gerunt: quin ipse etiam non raro illis assisto, carminis suavitate delinitus. V: Esto, nec has adoriris, propterea quod sint reverendae: at Dianam, quo tandem gratia non vulneras? C: Ut breviter dicam, hanc ne deprehendere quidem usquam sum potis, quippe perpetuo per montes fugitantem. Ad haec alterius cuiusdam sui Cupidinis illa tenetur cupidine.

Ἀ: οἶδα, ὦ τέκνον, πολλὰ ἐκεῖνον ἐτόξευσας.

V: Cuius o gnate? C: Nempe venatu cervorum et hinnulorum, quos insectatur ut capiat, ac iaculo figat. Ac prorsum tota rerum huiusmodi studio tenetur: tametsi fratrem eius, qui nimirum arcu valet et ipse, feritque eminus. V: Teneo gnate, eum saepenumero sagitta vulnerasti. Translated into Latin by Desiderius Erasmus

Lucian [Lucianus Samosatensis; 125 – 180 CE, modern Turkey] was a Roman satirist from Samosata [modern Turkey] who wrote in ancient Greek. His works are a mixture of sarcasm, wit, and biting social criticism. He is without a doubt one of the most popular authors of the later Roman empire.