Is she or isn't she? Philaenis I

 According to Greek lore, Philaenis was a woman author who wrote a treatise on erotic arts. Because of this, the name Philaenis was used for a stock character of a woman who exceeded Greco-Roman gender roles. Whether she showed excessive lust, same-sex desire, or had children out of wedlock, the name Philaenis was used as an umbrella-term to cover these "unladylike" behaviors.

However, several authors vehemently defended the historic Philaenis, claiming that she was not the author of the treatise:

Dear friends, I admire the Stoic icon Chrysippus for many reasons, but especially because he considered Archestratus’ Cookbook equal to Philaenis’ flirty book On Love.  However, the iambic poet Aeschrion of Samos, said that this is a lie of that the sophist Polycrates created to slander this chaste woman. He states,

“I am Philaenis, slandered among mortals,

I was brought down by blessed old age.

Foolish sailor, as you sail around the sharp promontory,

Do not laugh at me, or slander me.

For I swear by Zeus and his Sons in the Underworld

That I am not promiscuous, nor did I cavort with men lustfully.

Polycrates the Athenian, with his clever words and evil tongue

Wrote what he wrote; I am ignorant of it.

Ego vero, Viri amici, Chrysippum Stoae antistitem cum ob alia multa demiror, tum hoc nomine laudo, quod ob Obsonandi artem celebratum Archestratum semper eodem loco cum Philaenide posuerit ille, cui tribuitur lascivum DE REBUS VENERIS scriptum; quod Aeschrio quidem Samius, iambicus poeta, ait a Polycrate sophistra confectum, quo obtrectaret feminae, quae honestissima fuisset. Sunt autem (Aeschrionis) iambi huiusmodi:

"Ego Philaenis, Samosa inter mortales,

hic senio confecta iaceo.

Ne me, o stulte nauta, promontorium circumnavigans

ludibrio habe & risui opprobrioque.

Non enim, per Iovem, non, per inferos Iuvenes,

non sui in viros libidinosa, non illis me prostitui.

Sed Polycrates, genere Atheniensis

astutus blatero & lingua maligna,

scripsit quae scripsit: ego enim sum nescio.

Χρύσιππον δ᾽, ἄνδρες φίλοι, τὸν τῆς στοᾶς ἡγεμόνα κατὰ πολλὰ θαυμάζων ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπαινῶ τὸν πολυθρύλητον ἐπὶ τῇ ὀψολογίᾳ Ἀρχέστρατον αἰεί ποτε μετὰ Φιλαινίδος κατατάττοντα, εἰς ἣν ἀναφέρεται τὸ περὶ ἀφροδισίων ἀκόλαστον σύγγραμμα,  ὅπερ φησὶ ποιῆσαι Αἰσχρίων ὁ Σάμιος ἰαμβοποιὸς Πολυκράτη τὸν σοφιστὴν ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τῆς ἀνθρώπου σωφρονεστάτης γενομένης, ἔχει δὲ οὕτως τὰ ἰαμβεῖα:

 

ἐγὼ Φιλαινὶς ἡ ' πίβωτος ἀνθρώποις

ἐνταῦθα γήρᾳ τῷ μακρῷ κεκοίμημαι.

μὴ μ᾽, ὦ μάταιε ναῦτα, τὴν ἄκραν κάμπτων

χλεύην τε ποιεῦ καὶ γέλωτα καὶ λάσθην:

οὐ γὰρ μὰ τὸν Ζεῦν, οὐ μὰ τοὺς κάτω κούρους,

οὐκ ἦν ἐς ἄνδρας μάχλος οὐδὲ δημώδης:

Πολυκράτης δὲ τὴν γενῆν Ἀθηναῖος,

λόγων τι παιπάλημα καὶ κακὴ γλῶσσα,

ἔγραψεν ἅσσ᾽ ἔγραψ᾽; ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδα.

–Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 7.p.335a-c; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

This is the tomb of Philaenis of Samos.

Approach, mortal, my epitaph:

I am not the woman who wrote unladylike deeds,

Nor did I deny Modesty was a goddess.

But I was modest, as my tomb attests;

If anyone dishonors my reputation,

May time destroy his name.

May my bones rejoice in no longer being associated with that reputation.

Samiae hoc sepulcrum Philaenidis. Sed affari

sustine me, et ad-cippum prope, o vir, accede.

non sum illa quae muliebris attribuit [dura]

opera et Pudorem non reputavit deum;

sed animo-pudica, hae testor meum tumulum; si quis vero

infamans protervum finxit commentarium,

huius quidem revelet tempus nomen, sed detestabilem mea

ossa exsultent fama repelentis.

τῆς Σαμίης τὸ μνῆμα Φιλαινίδος: ἀλλὰ προσειπεῖν

τλῆθί με, καὶ στήλης πλησίον, ὦνερ, ἴθι.

οὐκ εἴμ᾽ ἡ τὰ γυναιξὶν ἀναγράψασα προσάντη

ἔργα, καὶ Αἰσχύνην οὐ νομίσασα θεὸν [p. 246]

ἀλλὰ φιλαιδήμων, ναὶ ἐμὸν τάφον εἰ δέ τις ἡμέας

αἰσχύνων λαμυρὴν ἔπλασεν ἱστορίην,

τοῦ μὲν ἀναπτύξαι χρόνος οὔνομα: τἀμὰ δὲ λυγρὴν

ὀστέα τερφθείη κληδόν᾽ ἀπωσαμένης.

--Greek Anthology 7.450; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

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. 

Boys and Girls: Grammatical Gender in Early Roman Literature

 Latin classrooms tend to teach puella / puer as binary opposites [girl / boy], but the etymology of these terms is very complex. Puer originally meant "child of any gender," and there are numerous fragments of early Roman literature that show it was used as a feminine noun: 

·          Saucia puer filia sumam  I am a wounded girl, a daughter…  [from the Carmen Nelei]  

·         sancta puer Saturni filia  sacred child, daughter of Saturn [Livius Andronicus fr. 12]

Moreover, the word puella is the diminutive form of puer, and also has masculine forms:

·         Cumque hic tam formosus homo ac te dignus puellus. This guy is a handsome man, a youth worthy of you. [Nonius 158.14; Lucilius fr. 162-163]

·         Inde venit Romam tener ipse etiam atque puellus. He came to Rome when he was still a young kid [Lucilius fr. 450-2]

·         Poeni suos soliti dis sacrificare puellos  The Carthaginians are accustomed to sacrifice their children to the gods [Ennius, fr. VII.4]

These examples show that grammatical gender was not initially rigidly fixed to either of these words, but the meanings of the words changed over time.

ENNIUS	MAP:
Name:  Quintus Ennius Date:  239 – 169 BCE Works:  Annals	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Although widely considered the father of Roman literature, little is known about the works of Ennius and even less is known about his life. It is said that he was born in Rudiae (modern Italy) and served in the Second Punic War. Although he was a prolific author, composing the Annals, (Rome’s first historical epic) and other epic poems, only fragments of these remain extant.	EARLY ROMAN LITERATURE

LIVIUS ANDRONICUS	MAP:
Name:  Livius Andronicus Date:  3rd c. BCE Works:  [fragments]	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Livius Andronicus is one of Rome’s earliest poets. He is known for translating the works of Homer into Latin, and for his numerous plays. Unfortunately, only fragments of his works remain.	EARLY ROMAN LITERATURE

LUCILIUS	MAP:
Name:  Gaius Lucilius Date:  2nd century BCE Works:  Satires	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Lucilius was an Italian poet and one of Rome’s earliest satirists. Although his works and his style deeply influenced the genre of Roman satire, most of his writings are lost to history and only fragments remain.	REPUBLICAN ROME

 

M/M: Heaven Is A Place on Earth: Greek Anthology 12.177

   Last night, when we said good night,

Moeris embraced me;

I’m not sure if it really happened, or if it were a dream;

I know all the rest, what he said to me and such,

But if it’s true, and if he kissed me, then

how can I have been made a god

And still walk upon the earth?

Vespertina Maeris me, qua nobis valedicimus hora,

nescio utrum vere, an in somnis, amplexus est.

Iam enim cetera quidem valde aperte sensi,

et quidquid mihi dixit, et quidquid sciscitatus est:

an vero me et osculatus sit, signum quaero: si enim verum est,

quomodo divus factus erro his in terris?

--Strato, Greek Anthology XII.177; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius

ἑσπερίην Μοῖρίς με, καθ᾽ ἣν ὑγιαίνομεν ὥρην,

οὐκ οἶδ᾽ εἴτε σαφῶς, εἴτ᾽ ὄναρ, ἠσπάσατο.

ἤδη γὰρ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μάλ᾽ ἀτρεκέως ἐνόησα,

χὠκόσα μοι προσέφη, χὠκός ἐπυνθάνετο

εἰ δέ με καὶ πεφίληκε τεκμαίρομαι: εἰ γὰρ ἀληθές,

πῶς ἀποθειωθεὶς πλάζομ᾽ ἐπιχθόνιος;

--Strato, Greek Anthology XII.177; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius

 

   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. 

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter: Greco-Roman Portrayals of the Myth of Hermaphroditus

Although intersex people were not treated well throughout Roman history [cf. Pliny NH vii.iii.34], Greco-Roman authors were fascinated by the concept of a person who could transcend the rigid gender roles imposed by society. The following examples show several authors' attempts to play with grammatical gender in their poems about intersex individuals /myths.

1A grammar teacher’s daughter got pregnant

And had a kid that was masculine, feminine, and neuter.

) Grammatici filia genuit amore mixta

sobole masculam, feminam, neutram.

γραμματικοῦ θυγάτηρ ἔτεκεν φιλότητι μιγεῖσα

παιδίον ἀρσενικόν, θηλυκόν, οὐδέτερον.

 --Palladas, Greek Anthology IX.489; Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner

 

 I am Hermes to men, and Aphrodite to women;

I wear the shape of both of my parents.

So it’s no wonder why they put me, the intersex Hermaphroditus,

In a bathhouse meant for all.

In Hermaphroditum in balneis stantem

Maribus Mercurius sum, feminis vero Cypris cernor:

utriusque autem fero in me signa parentis.

Ideo haud immerito me Hermaphroditum posuerunt in

communis-viris-et-feminis lavacro puerum ambiguum.

εἰς Ἑρμαφρόδιτον ἐν λουτρῷ ἱστάμενον

ἀνδράσιν Ἑρμῆς εἰμι, γυναιξὶ δὲ Κύπρις ὁρῶμαι

ἀμφοτέρων δὲ φέρω σύμβολά μοι τοκέων.

τοὔνεκεν οὐκ ἀλόγως με τὸν Ἑρμαφρόδιτον ἔθεντο

ἀνδρογύνοις λουτροῖς παῖδα τὸν ἀμφίβολον.

--Greek Anthology IX.783; Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner

It is said that when my mother bore me in her womb,

the gods debated what she would give birth to.

Phoebus said, “It’s a boy!”

Mars said, “It’s a girl!”

Juno said, “It’s neither!”

And now that I’m born, I’m Hermaphroditus.

When she asked how I would die,

The goddess said, “Death by the sword!”

Mars said, “Death by the cross!”

Phoebus said, “Death by water!”

And fate figured out the rest.

There was a tree that gave shade to the water;

I climbed it;

My sword fell;

And I fell on top of it;

My foot got caught on a branch;

My head fell into the water;

And so there I was

A man

A woman

Neither

Dying by water

Weapon

And cross.

I don’t know what the final outcome of my gender will be,

But I’ll be happy

If I understand that I was both.

Cum mea me mater gravida gestaret in alvo,

quid pareret, fertur consuluisse deos.

Phoebus ait, "puer est," Mars "femina," Iuno "neutrum,":

Iam, quom sum natus, Hermaphroditus eram.

Quaerenti letum dea sic ait "occidet armis."

Mars "cruce" Phoebus "aquis;" sors rata quaeque fuit.

Arbor obumbrat aquas: ascendo; labitur ensis,

quem tuleram, casu: labor et ipse super;

pes haesit ramis, caput incidit amne, tulique

vir mulier neutram flumina tela crucem.

Nescio quem sexum mihi sors extrema reliquit,

felix, si sciero cur utriusque fui.

--Codex Salmasianus 127

  

Together 'til the end: Greek Anthology VII.473

 

Note: This text is problematic. Earlier versions of this text state Damo & Methymna's companion is a man, Euphron, and change the text to make him a devotee of *Dionysus,* not Hera. Modern texts use feminine endings and change the name to the feminine form Euphro. We cannot know definitively if Euphron, a man, was allowed to participate in the rites of Hera, or the nature of the relationship between these three people but we do know that this event was considered important enough to preserve in literature. 

When Damo & Mathymna learned that Euphro[n], the passionate follower of Hera, had died,

They turned their girdles into nooses

And took their own lives.

Damo et Mathymna illum in triennalibus *Herae* ludis

Euphronem sacro-furore-concitum ubi-accepere mortuum

a-vita se-abdicarunt, et ex zonis lato-plexu

manibus collum pressuros suspenderunt laqueos.

 

Δαμὼ καὶ Μάθυμνα τὸν ἐν τριετηρίσιν Ἥρας

Εὔφρονα λυσσατὰν ὡς ἐπύθοντο νέκυν,

ζωὰν ἀρνήσαντο, τανυπλέκτων δ᾽ ἀπὸ μιτρᾶν

χερσὶ δεραιούχους ἐκρεμάσαντο βρόχους.

--Aristodicus, Greek Anthology VII.473; 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. 

 

In Praise of Sappho: Greek Anthology 9.189

 Ladies of Lesbos, go to the sanctuary of cow-eyed Hera,

Twirl around with delicate footstep,

and create there a blessed dance for the goddess;

The sagacious Sappho will guide you in the dance.

As she holds a golden lyre in her hands,

O Blessed troupe of dancers,

It will seem as though Calliope herself

Is performing her honey-sweet songs.

Lesbides ite simul dominae Iunonis ad aram

Suspenso tenerae moliter ite gradu:

docta chorum vobis sacrata per atria Sappho

inchoet aurata conspicienda lyra:

hac duce gaudentes saltate. Videbitur ipsa

edere mellitos Callipoea sonos.

 

ἔλθετε πρὸς τέμενος ταυρώπιδος ἀγλαὸν Ἥρης,

Λεσβίδες, ἁβρὰ ποδῶν βήμαθ᾽ ἑλισσόμεναι,

ἔνθα καλὸν στήσασθε θεῇ χορὸν ὔμμι δ᾽ ἀπάρξει

Σαπφὼ χρυσείην χερσὶν ἔχουσα λύρην,

ὄλβιαι ὀρχηθμοῦ πολυγηθέος: ἦ γλυκὺν ὕμνον

εἰσαΐειν αὐτῆς δόξετε Καλλιόπης.

--Greek Anthology IX.189; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

 

M/M: In Love With Love: Charinus the Iambic Poet, Photius, Bibl. 153b

 Charinus was an iambic poet who loved Eupator’s eunuch cupbearer Erotos [Love] to the point of desperation. Relying on the power of the Leucadian Rocks*, he leapt from them and broke his leg. As he was dying from the pain, he composed the following poem:

“Leucadian Rock, you deceiving villain,

OWWWWWWWW OWWWWWWWW

You have drowned Charinus the Iambic poet,

He believed in your myth[ical power].

May Eupator’s love for Love also die.

* According to legend, a person could be cured of their love for a person if they leapt from the Leucadian Rocks and survive. Sappho is said to have leapt from these rocks to rid herself of her love of Phaon.

Charinus quoque iamborum scriptor, eunuchum quemdem Erota, Eupatoris pincernam, perdite amavit, fabulaeque de petra illa fidem habens, praecipitavit et ille. At cum ex lapsu crure fracto, doloris iam vi exspiraret, hos versus iambicos effudit:

"Fallax peri, peri, mala o Leucas petra;

Charinon, heu, heu, me poetam iambicum

Spei adussisti inanibus quae fabulis.

In tantum Erota, o! Eupator si diligat.

Χαρίνος δε ίαμβογράφος ηράσθη Έρωτος ευνούχου του Ευπάτορος οινοχόου και πιστεύσας τω πέρι της πέτρας λόγω κατέβαλεν εαυτόν. έπει δε κατεβαλων το σκέλος κατεάγη και υπό οδύνης ετελευτα, απέρριψε τάδε τα ιαμβεία:

 

 Έρροις πλανήτη και κακή πέτρη Λευκάς. 

Χαρίνον, αί αϊ, την ιαμβικήν Μούσαν, 

Κατηθάλωσας ελπίδος κενοίς μύθοις: 

Τοιαύτ Ερωτος Ευπάτωρ ερασθείη.

--Photius, Bibliotheca 153B,  Translated into Latin by Christian Wolf et al. (1860)

 Nobleman, clergyman and author Photius led the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople during the 9^th century CE. His impact on Church history and literature is immense; he was canonized as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. His work, the Bibliotheka, preserves epitomes of works that are no longer extant.