Βρουμάλια
Brumalia
Translated by William Hutton · 19 Oct 2002 · Vetting: high · 11 revisions
Translation
This was devised by Romus,1 since he and his brother Remus, having been born as a result of fornication, were exposed and reared by a woman. It was [considered] disgraceful among the Romans to eat someone else's food. At drinking parties each guest would bring his own food and drink in order not to gain the reputation of being feeders-off-others. On account of this Romus invented the Brumalia, having declared that it was necessary for the king to feed his senate in the winter, when they enjoyed respite from war, starting with the alpha up to the omega,2 and he ordered the senate likewise to invite the soldiers. And when the soldiers were ready to leave, they used to play pipes starting in the evening so they would know where they would find their meal. And Romus devised this in atonement for his own outrage, giving the meal the name "Brumalium", which is 'to feed off another's goods' in the Roman language.3
Greek original
Βρουμάλια· ταῦτα ἐπενόησε Ῥῶμος, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ Ῥῆμος ἐκ πορνείας γενόμενοι ἐξερρίφησαν καὶ παρὰ γυναικὸς ἀνετράφησαν. ὄνειδος δὲ ἦν Ῥωμαίοις τὸ ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων ἐσθίειν. ἕκαστος ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις τὸ ἴδιον βρῶμα καὶ πόμα ἐκόμιζε, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀκούειν ἀλλοτριοφάγοι. οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐπενόησε Ῥῶμος τὰ Βρουμάλια, εἰρηκὼς ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τρέφειν τὸν βασιλέα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σύγκλητον ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι, ὅτε ἠρεμοῦσιν ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ αʹ ἕως τοῦ ωʹ, κελεύσας καὶ τὴν σύγκλητον καλεῖν τοὺς στρατιώτας. καὶ μέλλοντες οἱ στρατιῶται ἀπιέναι, ηὔλουν ἀφ' ἑσπέρας πρὸς τὸ γνῶναι ὅπου τραφήσονται. καὶ τοῦτο ἐπενόησε πρὸς τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ὕβρεως ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Ῥῶμος καλέσας τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀρίστου Βρουμαλιούμ, ὅ ἐστι Ῥωμαϊστὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τραφῆναι.
Betacode
*brouma/lia: tau=ta e)peno/hse *(rw=mos, e)peidh\ au)to\s kai\ o( a)delfo\s au)tou= *(rh=mos e)k pornei/as geno/menoi e)cerri/fhsan kai\ para\ gunaiko\s a)netra/fhsan. o)/neidos de\ h)=n *(rwmai/ois to\ e)c a)llotri/wn e)sqi/ein. e(/kastos e)n toi=s sumposi/ois to\ i)/dion brw=ma kai\ po/ma e)ko/mize, pro\s to\ mh\ a)kou/ein a)llotriofa/goi. ou(= dh\ xa/rin e)peno/hse *(rw=mos ta\ *brouma/lia, ei)rhkw\s a)nagkai=on ei)=nai tre/fein to\n basile/a th\n e(autou= su/gklhton e)n tw=| xeimw=ni, o(/te h)remou=sin e)k tou= pole/mou, a)rca/menos a)po\ tou= a# e(/ws tou= w#, keleu/sas kai\ th\n su/gklhton kalei=n tou\s stratiw/tas. kai\ me/llontes oi( stratiw=tai a)pie/nai, hu)/loun a)f' e(spe/ras pro\s to\ gnw=nai o(/pou trafh/sontai. kai\ tou=to e)peno/hse pro\s to\ a)pallagh=nai th=s u(/brews e(autou= o( *(rw=mos kale/sas to\ o)/noma tou= a)ri/stou *broumaliou/m, o(/ e)sti *(rwmai+sti\ e)k tw=n a)llotri/wn trafh=nai.
Notes (3)
- George the Monk, Chronicon 1.22.23-1.23.19. An account of the origin of the Brumalia, with virtually the same details, is given by John Malalas, Chronographia VII.7 Thurn(137-138); cf. Jeffreys, et al.(95-96). It is repeated in the Chronicon Paschale 211.12-213.4.↩
- 1i.e. Romulus; cf. rho 133, rho 251. ↩
- 2The Suda's excerpting loses the sense of the source text. George wrote
tou\s a)po\ tou= a)/lfa e)/xontas o)/noma kai\ a)kolou/qws e(/ws tou= w : "from those with a name having an alpha, and so forth, right up to the omega". The Latin alphabet has no omega; Malalas in fact describes the alphabetical ordering ase(/ws tou= teleutai/ou gra/mmatos : "right up to the last letter". ↩- 3A false statement, as the name of the festival is clearly related to Latin bruma (shortest day, winter solstice) [from brevis] 'winter', 'storm'). The author is perhaps thinking of Greek homophones:
brw=ma ('food') +a)/llos ('another').
References
J. Thurn, ed., Ioannis Malalae Chronographia, (Berlin 2000)
E. Jeffreys, M. Jeffreys, and R. Scott, trans., The Chronicle of John Malalas, (Leiden 1986)
E. Jeffreys, M. Jeffreys, and R. Scott, trans., The Chronicle of John Malalas, (Leiden 1986)
Neighbours in Adler order
Revisions (11)
- Ronald Allenadded note after discussion with Catharine Roth
- Ronald Allenexpanded primary note, added bibliography
- Catharine Rothcosmetics
- David Whiteheadanother keyword
- Catharine Rothcoding
- Catharine Rothtweak
- David Whiteheadcosmetics
- David Whiteheadmore keywords
- David Whiteheadadded note, x-refs, keyword; cosmetics
- William Huttontranslated