Μορμώ
Mormo
Translated by Richard Rodriguez11 Jun 2009Vetting: high2 revisions
Translation
One says [nominative] *mormw/ , [genitive] *mormou=s , like Sappho.1. Also [nominative] *mormw/n , [genitive] *mormo/nos . Aristophanes [writes]: "I beg you, take the Mormo away from me." [Meaning] away the frightening things; for Mormo was frightening.2 And elsewhere Aristophanes [writes]: "a Mormo for his courage!" [sc. This refers to] a mormolukeion, which they call Lamia; and thus also they would call frightening things. The [word] w(s is omitted, [i.e.] 'as Mormo', or it is formed adverbially, as if one said, 'Alas for courage!'3
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μορμώ· λέγεται καὶ Μορμώ, Μορμοῦς, ὡς Σαπφώ. καὶ Μορμών, Μορμόνος. Ἀριστοφάνης· ἀντιβολῶ σ', ἀπένεγκέ μου τὴν Μορμόνα. ἄπο τὰ φοβερά· φοβερὰ γὰρ ὑπῆρχεν ἡ Μορμώ. καὶ αὖθις Ἀριστοφάνης· Μορμὼ τοῦ θράσους. μορμολύκειον, ἣν λέγουσι Λαμίαν· ἔλεγον δὲ οὕτω καὶ τὰ φοβερά. λείπει δὲ τὸ ὡς, ὡς Μορμώ, ἢ ἐπιρρηματικῶς ἐξενήνεκται, ὡς εἰ ἔλεγε, φεῦ τοῦ θράσους.
Betacode
*mormw/: le/getai kai\ *mormw/, *mormou=s, w(s *sapfw/. kai\ *mormw/n, *mormo/nos. *)aristofa/nhs: a)ntibolw= s', a)pe/negke/ mou th\n *mormo/na. a)/po ta\ fobera/: fobera\ ga\r u(ph=rxen h( *mormw/. kai\ au)=qis *)aristofa/nhs: *mormw\ tou= qra/sous. mormolu/keion, h(\n le/gousi *lami/an: e)/legon de\ ou(/tw kai\ ta\ fobera/. lei/pei de\ to\ w(s, w(s *mormw/, h)\ e)pirrhmatikw=s e)cenh/nektai, w(s ei) e)/lege, feu= tou= qra/sous.
Notes (3)
- See LSJ s.v.
*mormw/ ("she-monster, bogey ... used by nurses to frighten children"), and cf. already mu 1250, mu 1251. - 1For Sappho see sigma 107, sigma 108 (and e.g. chi 99 for the genitive of her name). ↩
- 2Aristophanes, Acharnians 582, with scholion. ↩
- 3Aristophanes, Knights 693, with scholion. For Lamia see lambda 84. ↩
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Revision history2 revisions · last 27 May 2013
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Richard Rodriguez