Ἴϋγξ
Iunx, Jynx, charm
Translated by Jennifer Benedict14 Mar 2001Vetting: high8 revisions
Translation
That which attracts the spirit into desire and love.1
In the Epigrams: "the charm of Niko, which knows how [to drag] a man across the sea and boys from their chambers."2
"Now it is necessary that you be clever, good, frank, solemn, lenient, versatile; as the first men of the Greeks captivated by your charms turned everything over by common consent [to you]."3 ["By your charm"] meaning by your desire, by your favour. Some, because it is a bird suited to the evils of love charms, say that it was the daughter of Echo, some [say] of Peitho.4
Also [sc. attested is the dative plural] 'by charms'. "Cleopatra thought that by those same charms by which [she had overpowered] Caesar and Antony she would also overpower Augustus as the third."5
And elsewhere: "so powerful was the charm of the words of Diogenes the Cynic."6
In the Epigrams: "the charm of Niko, which knows how [to drag] a man across the sea and boys from their chambers."2
"Now it is necessary that you be clever, good, frank, solemn, lenient, versatile; as the first men of the Greeks captivated by your charms turned everything over by common consent [to you]."3 ["By your charm"] meaning by your desire, by your favour. Some, because it is a bird suited to the evils of love charms, say that it was the daughter of Echo, some [say] of Peitho.4
Also [sc. attested is the dative plural] 'by charms'. "Cleopatra thought that by those same charms by which [she had overpowered] Caesar and Antony she would also overpower Augustus as the third."5
And elsewhere: "so powerful was the charm of the words of Diogenes the Cynic."6
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἴϋγξ· τὸ ἐφέλκον τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ ἔρωτα. ἐν Ἐπιγράμμασι· ἴϋγξ, ἡ Νικοῦς, ἡ καὶ διαπόντιον ἄνδρα καὶ ἐκ θαλάμων παῖδας ἐπισταμένη. δεῖ δή σε νυνὶ γενέσθαι δεινήν, ἀγαθήν, φαύλην, σεμνήν, ἀγανήν, πολύπειρον· ὡς οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων τῇ σῇ ληφθέντες ἴϋγγι κοινῇ πάντ' ἐπέτρεψαν. ἀντὶ τοῦ τῷ σῷ πόθῳ, τῇ σῇ θελήσει. οἱ δέ, ὅτι ὄρνεόν ἐστιν ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς τὰς τῶν φίλτρων κακίας, ἥν φασιν Ἠχοῦς εἶναι θυγατέρα, ἔνιοι δὲ Πειθοῦς. καὶ Ἴϋγξιν. ἡ δὲ Κλεοπάτρα ᾤετο ταῖς αὐταῖς ἴϋγξιν, αἷσπερ οὖν Καίσαρος καὶ Ἀντωνίου, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ κρατήσειν τρίτου. καὶ αὖθις· τοιαύτη τις προσῆν ἴϋγξ Διογένους τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ Κυνός.
Betacode
*)/iu+gc: to\ e)fe/lkon th\n dia/noian ei)s e)piqumi/an kai\ e)/rwta. e)n *)epigra/mmasi: i)/u+gc, h( *nikou=s, h( kai\ diapo/ntion a)/ndra kai\ e)k qala/mwn pai=das e)pistame/nh. dei= dh/ se nuni\ gene/sqai deinh/n, a)gaqh/n, fau/lhn, semnh/n, a)ganh/n, polu/peiron: w(s oi( prw=toi tw=n *(ellh/nwn th=| sh=| lhfqe/ntes i)/u+ggi koinh=| pa/nt' e)pe/treyan. a)nti\ tou= tw=| sw=| po/qw|, th=| sh=| qelh/sei. oi( de/, o(/ti o)/rneo/n e)stin e)pith/deion pro\s ta\s tw=n fi/ltrwn kaki/as, h(/n fasin *)hxou=s ei)=nai qugate/ra, e)/nioi de\ *peiqou=s. kai\ *)/iu+gcin. h( de\ *kleopa/tra w)/|eto tai=s au)tai=s i)/u+gcin, ai(=sper ou)=n *kai/saros kai\ *)antwni/ou, kai\ me/ntoi kai\ tou= *sebastou= krath/sein tri/tou. kai\ au)=qis: toiau/th tis prosh=n i)/u+gc *dioge/nous toi=s lo/gois tou= *kuno/s.
Notes (6)
- 1In Greek magic, the "iunx" wheel was a wooden disk with two strings running through the center. It was spun and used in the aid of love spells. ↩
- 2Greek Anthology 5.205.1-2 (anonymous). The infinitive
e(/lkein , "to drag", is omitted here. ↩ - 3Aristophanes, Lysistrata 1108-1111 (web address 1 below), followed by comment from the scholia there. ↩
- 4Iunx or Jynx also means "wryneck", which presumably is the bird referred to here; cf. iota 759, iota 760. ↩
- 5Aelian fr. 60a Domingo-Forasté (57 Hercher). ↩
- 6Diogenes Laertius 6.76. ↩
References
Eugene Tavenner, "Iynx and Rhombus," Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 64, (1933), pp. 109-127
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from4 entries
- ι758Ἴϋγγεςwrynecks, iynges[Meaning] narrow passages, and pleasures.
- ι759ἼϋγξJynx, IunxA daughter of Echo or Peitho [Persuasion], conqueror-in-the-games and of Aphrodite; bewitching Zeus with drugs she was turned to stone for such things by Hera. And she was called kinaidion ['little pervert'] by some.…
- ι760Ἴϋγξwryneck[Meaning] the bird [of that name], the so-called butt-shaker.
- κ1728ΚλεοπάτραKleopatra, Cleopatra[no gloss]
Neighbouring entries
Revision history8 revisions · last 1 Mar 2019
- tweaked note — Catharine Roth
- tweaked reference — Catharine Roth
- tweaking — David Whitehead
- updated reference, upgraded link, added betacode — Catharine Roth
- added bibliography, tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- another x-ref — David Whitehead
- adjustments (and a supplement) to tr; added x-ref and another keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Modified translation, added keywords, raised status — William Hutton
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict