Μύωψ
horse-fly; goad, spur
Translated by Ronald Allen11 Aug 2009Vetting: high11 revisions
Translation
[Meaning] the gadfly.1
A kind of fly which irritates cattle.2
The word occurs in Callimachus in Hecale, "a horse-fly certain [with] cattle"; [meaning] a horse-fly scaring away and pursuing the cattle.3
Also called amu/wy is the horse's spur, the iron thing which they wear on the foot and goad horses.
Polybius [writes]: "but he applied the spurs from both sides [sc. of his horse] and drove on triumphant."4
Also in the Epigrams: "Lysidice [sc. dedicates] to you, o Cyprian,5 her horse-training spur, the golden goad she wore on her well-shaped leg."6 And elsewhere: "[sc. he dedicates] his ox-guiding, sharp-ironed, threatening goad."7 And elsewhere: "[sc. he dedicates] the bloodied points of his horse-driving goad."8
A kind of fly which irritates cattle.2
The word occurs in Callimachus in Hecale, "a horse-fly certain [with] cattle"; [meaning] a horse-fly scaring away and pursuing the cattle.3
Also called a
Polybius [writes]: "but he applied the spurs from both sides [sc. of his horse] and drove on triumphant."4
Also in the Epigrams: "Lysidice [sc. dedicates] to you, o Cyprian,5 her horse-training spur, the golden goad she wore on her well-shaped leg."6 And elsewhere: "[sc. he dedicates] his ox-guiding, sharp-ironed, threatening goad."7 And elsewhere: "[sc. he dedicates] the bloodied points of his horse-driving goad."8
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μύωψ· ὁ οἶστρος. μυῖά τις ἐρεθίζουσα τὰς βοῦς. λέγεται παρὰ Καλλιμάχῳ ἐν Ἑκάλῃ, βοῦς σῶος μύωψ· τοὺς βοῦς σοβῶν καὶ διώκων μύωψ. λέγεται Μύωψ καὶ ἡ μάστιξ τοῦ ἵππου, τὸ σιδήριον, ὃ ἐπὶ τοῦ ποδὸς φοροῦσι κεντοῦντες τοὺς ἵππους. Πολύβιος· ὁ δὲ προσθεὶς τοὺς μύωπας ἐξ ἀμφοτέροιν τοῖν μεροῖν ἤλαυνε κατακράτος. καὶ ἐν Ἐπιγράμμασι· Λυσιδίκη σοι, Κύπρι, τὸν ἱππαστῆρα μύωπα, χρύσεον εὐκνήμου κέντρον ἔθηκε ποδός. καὶ αὖθις· βουστρόφον ἀκροσίδαρον ἀπειλητῆρα μύωπα. καὶ αὖθις· κέντρα τ' ἐναιμόεντα διωξίπποιο μύωπος.
Betacode
*mu/wy: o( oi)=stros. mui=a/ tis e)reqi/zousa ta\s bou=s. le/getai para\ *kallima/xw| e)n *(eka/lh|, bou=s sw=os mu/wy: tou\s bou=s sobw=n kai\ diw/kwn mu/wy. le/getai *mu/wy kai\ h( ma/stic tou= i(/ppou, to\ sidh/rion, o(\ e)pi\ tou= podo\s forou=si kentou=ntes tou\s i(/ppous. *polu/bios: o( de\ prosqei\s tou\s mu/wpas e)c a)mfote/roin toi=n meroi=n h)/laune katakra/tos. kai\ e)n *)epigra/mmasi: *lusidi/kh soi, *ku/pri, to\n i(ppasth=ra mu/wpa, xru/seon eu)knh/mou ke/ntron e)/qhke podo/s. kai\ au)=qis: boustro/fon a)krosi/daron a)peilhth=ra mu/wpa. kai\ au)=qis: ke/ntra t' e)naimo/enta diwci/ppoio mu/wpos.
Notes (8)
- The headword is a masculine noun in the nominative (and vocative) singular. It has three meanings according to LSJ s.v.: (1) a species of biting fly, probably from the genus Tabanus, that pesters livestock; (2) a spur; and (3) metaphorically, an incentive; cf. Chantraine s.v. (1).
- 1The first gloss is a masculine noun in the nominative singular; see LSJ s.v., which tentatively identifies it as Tabanus bovinus. Also see the scholia to Homer, Odyssey 22.299 (web address 1); Hesychius mu2017; Etymologicum Gudianum s.v.; omicroniota 180; and omicroniota 181. The
mu/wy is distinguished from theoi)=stros at Aristotle, History of Animals 490a20 and 596b14. [In her critical apparatus, Adler notes that mss AGF omit this gloss and that ms M inserts it above the passage.] ↩ - 2Same glossing of the headword in Photius' Lexicon (mu641 Theodoridis), Hesychius mu2017, and the Synagoge; cf. Lexica Segueriana 305.16, ps.-Zonaras 1380.3, and Etymologicum Magnum 596.21 (Kallierges). Adler also cites Etymologicum Genuinum. ↩
- 3A garbling of a phrase in Callimachus, Hecale fr. 301 Pfeiffer (accusative case there), with comment from the scholia there. ↩
- 4Polybius fr. 61 Büttner-Wobst. An example of the headword's sense as a spur also occurs at Polybius 11.18.4 (web address 2):
prosqe/nta tou\s mu/wpas (having applied the spurs). [Adler notes that mss GM preferred the genitive plurala)mfote/rwn tw=n merw=n (from either of the sides) for the Suda's dual number; cf. Büttner-Wobst, p. 523.] ↩ - 5Epithet of the goddess Aphrodite, born in the east, and traditionally linked to the island of Cyprus, where her most prominent cults were located; see OCD(4) s.v. Aphrodite, kappa 2738, and alpha 974 (end). ↩
- 6Greek Anthology 5.203.1-2 (Asclepiades), the hetaera Lysidice dedicates a golden spur to Aphrodite; cf. Gow and Page (Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, 45-46), (Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, 120-1), and another extract from this epigram at upsilon 659. As Gow and Page note (ibid.), by way of its references to equestrian practice the epigram plays on allusions to Lysidice's professional techniques. [This and the next two excerpts from the Greek Anthology were omitted by ms. F (so Adler).] ↩
- 7Greek Anthology 6.95.1, Antiphilus' epigram to the plowman Parmis (Gow and Page, The Garland of Philip, vol. I, pp. 100-1; vol. II, pp. 126-7). Cf. pi 1842. ↩
- 8Greek Anthology 6.233.5 (Maikios/Maecius/Maccius), the horseman Stratius's dedication of equestrian equipment to Poseidon; cf. Gow and Page (Garland of Philip, vol. I, 282-283 and vol. II, 314-6), and further excerpts from this epigram at gamma 373, kappa 1520, mu 266, and psi 66. ↩
References
P. Chantraine, Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque, ed. 2. Paris 2009.
T. Büttner-Wobst, ed., Polybii Historiae, vol. IV, (Leipzig, 1904)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: The Garland of Philip and Some Contemporary Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1968)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: The Garland of Philip and Some Contemporary Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge, 1968)
T. Büttner-Wobst, ed., Polybii Historiae, vol. IV, (Leipzig, 1904)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: The Garland of Philip and Some Contemporary Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1968)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: The Garland of Philip and Some Contemporary Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge, 1968)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from4 entries
- γ54Γαμψόνcrooked[Meaning something that is] bending/bent. "And a crooked fish-hook bound to horse hairs, a hidden snare for fishes." In the Epigrams: "and a crooked sickle, corn-cutting tool of the field." And again: "curved…
- γ373Γομφίουςmolars[Meaning] teeth, fastenings. Also [sc. attested is the phrase] gomfio/doupa xalina/ ["molar-rattling bits"]; [it occurs] in the Epigrams: [it means] those which ring against the molars, that is the jaws.
- κ1520Κημόςfunnel, muzzle[An item of] conical wickerwork, through which the jurors deposit their vote into the urn. Aristophanes [writes]: "and I would stand by the funnels". Also, what is put on horses, and a woman's front ornament, and piping…
- μ266Μάστιξwhip[That] with which we hit the horse. In the Epigrams: "and a well-stitched binding of jaws [and this ...] a whip."
Neighbouring entries
Revision history11 revisions · last 25 Sep 2021
- cross-reference — Catharine Roth
- tweaked translation in consultation with Managing Editor Catharine Roth, further expanded n.6 — Ronald Allen
- augmented n.6, corrected Anthology reference, added cross-reference — Ronald Allen
- tweaked links — Catharine Roth
- updated bibliography — Catharine Roth
- expanded n.8, added cross-references, cosmetics — Ronald Allen
- coding — David Whitehead
- coding — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaking — David Whitehead
- more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ronald Allen