Νύμφαι
nymphs
Translated by Ross Scaife ✝24 Mar 2004Vetting: high3 revisions
Translation
[A term for] worms, which [live] in the cells of bees' honeycombs, when they begin to grow their wings. Some people simply [call them] winged worms. Samians1 also call nymph the upper middle part of the female genitalia.2 Also the closed-up buds of roses [are called] nymphs. Also newly-married women [are called] as nymphs. And the Muses [are called] nymphs by Lydians. That the offshoots of all fruits [are described] in this way [is] clear. Concerning the gods an entire history has been composed by Dionysios in thirty three books.3
Greek original · Adler’s text
Νύμφαι· σκώληκες οἱ ἐν τοῖς τῶν μελισσῶν κυττάροις, ὅταν ἤδη πτεροποιεῖν ἄρξωνται. οἱ δ' ἁπλῶς τοὺς πτερωτοὺς σκώληκας, Σάμιοι. καὶ τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν γυναικείων αἰδοίων νύμφην καλοῦσι. καὶ τῶν ῥόδων αἱ κάλυκες αἱ μεμυκυῖαι νύμφαι. καὶ αἱ νεόγαμοι κόραι νύμφαι. καὶ αἱ Μοῦσαι δὲ ὑπὸ Λυδῶν νύμφαι. ὅτι δὲ πάντων τῶν καρπῶν αἱ ἐκφύσεις οὕτω, δῆλον. περὶ δὲ τῶν θεῶν Διονυσίῳ πᾶσα ἱστορία συνῆκται ἐν τριάκοντα καὶ τρισὶ βιβλίοις.
Betacode
*nu/mfai: skw/lhkes oi( e)n toi=s tw=n melissw=n kutta/rois, o(/tan h)/dh pteropoiei=n a)/rcwntai. oi( d' a(plw=s tou\s pterwtou\s skw/lhkas, *sa/mioi. kai\ to\ a)na\ me/son tw=n gunaikei/wn ai)doi/wn nu/mfhn kalou=si. kai\ tw=n r(o/dwn ai( ka/lukes ai( memukui=ai nu/mfai. kai\ ai( neo/gamoi ko/rai nu/mfai. kai\ ai( *mou=sai de\ u(po\ *ludw=n nu/mfai. o(/ti de\ pa/ntwn tw=n karpw=n ai( e)kfu/seis ou(/tw, dh=lon. peri\ de\ tw=n qew=n *dionusi/w| pa=sa i(stori/a sunh=ktai e)n tria/konta kai\ trisi\ bibli/ois.
Notes (3)
- Same entry in Photius (nu286 Theodoridis, with other references), apparently from Pausanias the Atticist. See further, next note.
- 1Whether by accident or design, Adler punctuated with a full stop after 'Samians'. The present translation follows Photius, where (more intelligibly) 'Samians' begins the next clause. ↩
- 2Repeated at nu 594. For this meaning of nymph as clitoris, LSJ s.v. cites Rufus,
peri\ o)nomasi/as 112 (*to\ de\ muw=des e)n me/sw| sarki/on, nu/mfh, kai\ mu/rton: oi( de\ u(podermi/da, oi( de\ kleitori/da o)noma/zousi, kai\ to\ a)kola/stws tou/tou a(/ptesqai kleitoria/zein le/gousin. ) and Galen, de Usu Partium 15.3. ↩ - 3Dionysius of Samos, fr. 11 ↩
Linked from3 entries
- ει156Εἰνάτηρsister-in-law[Meaning] a nubile young woman.
- κ2393Κρήνηspring[Meaning] a fountain. kara ["head"], [gives] karene, [whence] krene. For [it is] a head of the stream or a nymph [kore] of the spring; for they call these [nymphs] daughters.
- ν594Νύμφηnymph[A term for a] spring. Also a newly married woman. Aelian [writes]: "the wrath of the Nymphs was apparent in the difficulty of crossing the streams." And they call the upper middle part of the female genitals the nymph.…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history3 revisions · last 3 Dec 2020
- added a note — Catharine Roth
- augmented notes and keywords; tweaking — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ross Scaife ✝