Στροφαῖος
Strophaios, Strophaeus
Translated by David Whitehead10 Feb 2014Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
This what they used to call the spirit who lived beside the door, but at the same time [the term comes] from manipulating matters; those doing this are said to be scoundrels. Aristophanes in Wealth [writes]: "set me up as Strophaios beside the door." It is an epithet of Hermes, from the [practice of] setting [him] up by the doors to guard against the other [sic] thieves; for these men are in the habit of shrinking back behind the doors and making all sorts of mischief.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Στροφαῖος· οὕτως ἐκάλουν τὸν παρὰ τῇ θύρᾳ ἱδρυμένον δαίμονα, ἅμα δὲ παρὰ τὸ στρέφειν τὰ πράγματα· οἱ δὲ τοῦτο ποιοῦντες πανοῦργοι λέγονται. Ἀριστοφάνης Πλούτῳ· παρὰ τὴν θύραν Στροφαῖον ἱδρύσασθέ με. ἐπωνυμία δέ ἐστιν Ἑρμοῦ, παρὰ τὸ ταῖς θύραις ἱδρύσθαι ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τῶν ἄλλων κλεπτῶν· οὗτοι γὰρ ὀπίσω τῶν θυρῶν εἰώθασι καὶ ἀναδύεσθαι καὶ ὅλως πανουργεύεσθαι.
Betacode
*strofai=os: ou(/tws e)ka/loun to\n para\ th=| qu/ra| i(drume/non dai/mona, a(/ma de\ para\ to\ stre/fein ta\ pra/gmata: oi( de\ tou=to poiou=ntes panou=rgoi le/gontai. *)aristofa/nhs *plou/tw|: para\ th\n qu/ran *strofai=on i(dru/sasqe/ me. e)pwnumi/a de/ e)stin *(ermou=, para\ to\ tai=s qu/rais i(dru/sqai e)pi\ fulakh=| tw=n a)/llwn kleptw=n: ou(=toi ga\r o)pi/sw tw=n qurw=n ei)w/qasi kai\ a)nadu/esqai kai\ o(/lws panourgeu/esqai.
Notes
- Aristophanes, Plutus [Wealth] 1153, with scholion; cf. e.g. Pollux 8.72, Pausanias the Atticist epsilon70, Hesychius epsilon5954 and sigma2036, and Photius sigma637 Theodoridis. Some scholiasts and lexicographers derive the epithet from the word for door-hinge (
stro/figc , sigma 1220).
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 17 Apr 2022
- cross-reference — Catharine Roth
- my typo — David Whitehead
- tweaked headword, augmented note, added keyword. — William Hutton
- augmented note — David Whitehead
- coding, status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead