Λυκόποδες
wolf-feet, white-feet
Translated by David Whitehead15 Jul 2001Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
This is what they used to call the bodyguards of the [Peisistratid] tyrants; for they used to thrust1 the pick of the slaves into bodyguarding service. They were called "wolf-feet" because they always had their feet covered with wolf-skins, to prevent frostbite; alternatively because they had a wolf symbol on their shields. But Aristophanes in Lysistrata is speaking of the Alkmaionids. For these men declared war on Hippias the tyrant and the Peisistratids2 and fortified Leipsydrion, above [Mount] Parnes; and certain people from the City faction gathered there, as Aristotle [says] in Athenian Constitution.3
Greek original · Adler’s text
Λυκόποδες· οὕτως ἐκάλουν τοὺς τῶν τυράννων δορυφόρους· τοὺς γὰρ ἀκμάζοντας τῶν οἰκετῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος φυλακῇ ἔβαλλον. λυκόποδες δὲ ἐκαλοῦντο, ὅτι διὰ παντὸς εἶχον τοὺς πόδας λύκων δέρμασι κεκαλυμμένους, ὥστε μὴ ἐπικαίεσθαι ἐκ τοῦ περιέχοντος· ἢ διὰ τὸ ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσπίδων ἐπίσημον λύκον. ὁ δὲ Ἀριστοφάνης ἐν Λυσιστράτῃ τοὺς Ἀλκμαιονίδας φησίν. οὗτοι γὰρ πόλεμον ἀράμενοι πρὸς Ἱππίαν τὸν τύραννον καὶ τοὺς Πεισιστράτους ἐτείχισαν Λειψύδριον τὸ ὑπὲρ Πάρνηθος· εἰς ὃ συνῆλθόν τινες τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεος, ὥς φησιν Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν Ἀθηναίων πολιτείᾳ.
Betacode
*luko/podes: ou(/tws e)ka/loun tou\s tw=n tura/nnwn dorufo/rous: tou\s ga\r a)kma/zontas tw=n oi)ketw=n e)pi\ th=| tou= sw/matos fulakh=| e)/ballon. luko/podes de\ e)kalou=nto, o(/ti dia\ panto\s ei)=xon tou\s po/das lu/kwn de/rmasi kekalumme/nous, w(/ste mh\ e)pikai/esqai e)k tou= perie/xontos: h)\ dia\ to\ e)/xein e)pi\ tw=n a)spi/dwn e)pi/shmon lu/kon. o( de\ *)aristofa/nhs e)n *lusistra/th| tou\s *)alkmaioni/das fhsi/n. ou(=toi ga\r po/lemon a)ra/menoi pro\s *(ippi/an to\n tu/rannon kai\ tou\s *peisistra/tous e)tei/xisan *leiyu/drion to\ u(pe\r *pa/rnhqos: ei)s o(\ sunh=lqo/n tines tw=n e)k tou= a)/steos, w(/s fhsin *)aristote/lhs e)n *)aqhnai/wn politei/a|.
Notes (3)
- From the scholia to Aristophanes, Lysistrata 667, where the headword occurs (web address 1) -- but not as
luko/podes (metrically impossible); rather, asleuko/podes , "White-feet", which is probably "an honorific way of referring to foot-soldiers generally, bare-/dusty-/nimble-footed, designating the manly endurance of hardship" (Henderson ad loc.). - 1The mss read
e)/ballon ;e)/labon ore)la/mbanon is needed ("take"). ↩ - 2The mss read (nonsensically) "Peisistratoi". ↩
- 3?Aristotle, Athenaion Politeia 19.2; cf. epsilon 2440. ↩
References
Aristophanes, Lysistrata, edited with introduction and commentary by Jeffrey Henderson (Oxford 1987)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from1 entry
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 17 May 2016
- Revised — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- another keyword — David Whitehead
- another keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- cosmetics, link, status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead