Τεττίγων ἀνάμεστοι
full of cicadas
Translated by Catharine Roth7 Nov 2008Vetting: high3 revisions
Translation
Aristophanes employed cicadas because the ancients used to use [sc. an ornament in the form of] a cicada in fastening up their hair -- a sign that the Athenians are autochthonous, just like cicadas.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Τεττίγων ἀνάμεστοι· τοὺς τέττιγας παρέλαβεν Ἀριστοφάνης, ἐπειδὴ οἱ παλαιοὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀναπλοκὴν τῶν τριχῶν χρυσῷ ἐχρῶντο τέττιγι, τεκμήριον ὅτι αὐτόχθονές εἰσιν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, ὡς καὶ οἱ τέττιγες.
Betacode
*tetti/gwn a)na/mestoi: tou\s te/ttigas pare/laben *)aristofa/nhs, e)peidh\ oi( palaioi\ kata\ th\n a)naplokh\n tw=n trixw=n xrusw=| e)xrw=nto te/ttigi, tekmh/rion o(/ti au)to/xqone/s ei)sin oi( *)aqhnai=oi, w(s kai\ oi( te/ttiges.
Notes
- From a scholion on Aristophanes, Clouds 984, where the headword phrase occurs in the neuter plural instead of this masculine. See web address 1.
See also tau 377, kappa 1349.
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from4 entries
- κ1500ΚηκίδιοςKekidiosA poet of dithyrambs, very ancient. Cratinus mentions him in Panoptai. And Aristophanes [says]: "old-fashioned and Diipolieia-like and full of cicada hair-pieces and of Kekidios [and of the Bouphonia]".
- κ2191Κουρόσυνονyouthful [hair][Meaning] that which is sacrificed on the occasion of cutting the hair. In the Epigrams: "with a lovely cicada, Christheneos [dedicated] this lock of youthful hair."
- τ377Τεττιγοφόροιcicada-wearersThe Athenians, for they used to wear golden cicadas -- a symbol of their being earth-born. Thucydides in [book] 1 [writes]: "and with the hair of their head tied up in a knot with a fastener of golden cicadas ..." Or…
- τ578Τιθωνοῦ γῆραςTithonus' old ageA proverb. It is applied to the long-lived and very old. The story goes that Tithonus, keen to shed his old age, was turned into a cicada. Aristophanes [writes]: 'tearing and harassing and confounding a Tithonus-man'.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history3 revisions · last 16 Aug 2011
- upgraded link — Catharine Roth
- cosmetics — David Whitehead
- more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Catharine Roth