Tiresias: The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Source Database

1200

Aristophanes, Birds, 688-702

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τίκτει πρώτιστον ὑπηνέμιον Νὺξ ἡ μελανόπτερος ᾠόν

At the beginning there was only Chaos, Night, dark Erebus, and deep Tartarus. Earth, the air and heaven had no existence. Firstly, black-winged Night laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebus, and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros with his glittering golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated in deep Tartarus with dark Chaos, winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race, which was the first to see the light. That of the Immortals did not exist until Eros had brought together all the ingredients of the world, and from their marriage Heaven, Ocean, Earth and the imperishable race of blessed gods sprang into being. Thus our origin is very much older than that of the dwellers in Olympus. We are the offspring of Eros; there are a thousand proofs to show it. We have wings and we lend assistance to lovers. How many handsome youths, who had sworn to remain insensible, have not been vanquished by our power and have yielded themselves to their lovers when almost at the end of their youth, being led away by the gift of a quail, a waterfowl, a goose, or a cock. And what important services do not the birds render to mortals! First of all, they mark the seasons for them, springtime, winter, and autumn. Does the screaming crane migrate to Libya, — it warns the husbandman to sow, the pilot to take his ease beside his tiller hung up in his dwelling, and Orestes to weave a tunic, so that the rigorous cold may not drive him any more to strip other folk. When the kite reappears, he tells of the return of spring and of the period when the fleece of the sheep must be clipped. Is the swallow in sight? All hasten to sell their warm tunic and to buy some light clothing. We are your Ammon, Delphi, Dodona, your Phoebus Apollo.

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Intertexts (texts cited often on the same page as the searched text):

7 results

1. Homer, Odyssey, 8.487-8.491, 11.365-11.368 (8th cent. BCE - 7th cent. BCE)

2. Aristophanes, Birds, 1584-1585, 466, 471, 520-521, 685-687, 689-704, 707, 712, 716, 719, 724, 736, 1583 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)

1583. τὰ δὲ κρέα τοῦ ταῦτ' ἐστίν; ὄρνιθές τινες

3. Aristophanes, Clouds, 359-362, 358 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)

358. χαῖρ' ὦ πρεσβῦτα παλαιογενὲς θηρατὰ λόγων φιλομούσων

4. Plato, Protagoras, 320d (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)

320d. And when to these also came their destined time to be created, the gods moulded their forms within the earth, of a mixture made of earth and fire and all substances that are compounded with fire and earth. When they were about to bring these creatures to light, they charged Prometheus and Epimetheus to deal to each the equipment of his proper faculty. Epimetheus besought Prometheus that he might do the dealing himself; And when I have dealt, he said, you shall examine.

5. Plato, Symposium, 177b (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)

177b. has had no song of praise composed for him by a single one of all the many poets that ever have been? And again, pray consider our worthy professors, and the eulogies they frame of Hercules and others in prose,—for example, the excellent Prodicus. This indeed is not so surprising but I recollect coming across a book by somebody, in which I found Salt superbly lauded for its usefulness, and many more such matter

6. Thucydides, The History of The Peloponnesian War, 1.2, 6.2 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)

7. Xenophon, Memoirs, 2.1.21-2.1.34 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)

2.1.21. Aye, and Prodicus the wise expresses himself to the like effect concerning Virtue in the essay On Heracles that he recites to throngs of listeners. This, so far as I remember, is how he puts it: When Heracles was passing from boyhood to youth’s estate, wherein the young, now becoming their own masters, show whether they will approach life by the path of virtue or the path of vice, he went out into a quiet place 2.1.22. and sat pondering which road to take. And there appeared two women of great stature making towards him. The one was fair to see and of high bearing; and her limbs were adorned with purity, her eyes with modesty; sober was her figure, and her robe was white. The other was plump and soft, with high feeding. Her face was made up to heighten its natural white and pink, her figure to exaggerate her height. Open-eyed was she; and dressed so as to disclose all her charms. Now she eyed herself; anon looked whether any noticed her; and often stole a glance at her own shadow. 2.1.23. When they drew nigh to Heracles, the first pursued the even tenor of her way: but the other, all eager to outdo her, ran to meet him, crying: Heracles, I see that you are in doubt which path to take towards life. Make me your friend; follow me, and I will lead you along the pleasantest and easiest road. You shall taste all the sweets of life; and hardship you shall never know. 2.1.24. First, of wars and worries you shall not think, but shall ever be considering what choice food or drink you can find, what sight or sound will delight you, what touch or perfume; what tender love can give you most joy, what bed the softest slumbers; and how to come by all these pleasures with least trouble. 2.1.25. And should there arise misgiving that lack of means may stint your enjoyments, never fear that I may lead you into winning them by toil and anguish of body and soul. Nay; you shall have the fruits of others’ toil, and refrain from nothing that can bring you gain. For to my companions I give authority to pluck advantage where they will. 2.1.26. Now when Heracles heard this, he asked, Lady, pray what is your name? My friends call me Happiness, she said, but among those that hate me I am nicknamed Vice. 2.1.27. Meantime the other had drawn near, and she said: I, too, am come to you, Heracles: I know your parents and I have taken note of your character during the time of your education. Therefore I hope that, if you take the road that leads to me, you will turn out a right good doer of high and noble deeds, and I shall be yet more highly honoured and more illustrious for the blessings I bestow. But I will not deceive you by a pleasant prelude: I will rather tell you truly the things that are, as the gods have ordained them. 2.1.28. For of all things good and fair, the gods give nothing to man without toil and effort. If you want the favour of the gods, you must worship the gods: if you desire the love of friends, you must do good to your friends: if you covet honour from a city, you must aid that city: if you are fain to win the admiration of all Hellas for virtue, you must strive to do good to Hellas : if you want land to yield you fruits in abundance, you must cultivate that land: if you are resolved to get wealth from flocks, you must care for those flocks: if you essay to grow great through war and want power to liberate your friends and subdue your foes, you must learn the arts of war from those who know them and must practise their right use: and if you want your body to be strong, you must accustom your body to be the servant of your mind, and train it with toil and sweat. 2.1.29. And Vice, as Prodicus tells, answered and said: Heracles, mark you how hard and long is that road to joy, of which this woman tells? but I will lead you by a short and easy road to happiness. And Virtue said: 2.1.30. What good thing is thine, poor wretch, or what pleasant thing dost thou know, if thou wilt do nought to win them? Thou dost not even tarry for the desire of pleasant things, but fillest thyself with all things before thou desirest them, eating before thou art hungry, drinking before thou art thirsty, getting thee cooks, to give zest to eating, buying thee costly wines and running to and fro in search of snow in summer, to give zest to drinking; to soothe thy slumbers it is not enough for thee to buy soft coverlets, but thou must have frames for thy beds. For not toil, but the tedium of having nothing to do, makes thee long for sleep. Thou dost rouse lust by many a trick, when there is no need, using men as women: thus thou trainest thy friends, waxing wanton by night, consuming in sleep the best hours of day. 2.1.31. Immortal art thou, yet the outcast of the gods, the scorn of good men. Praise, sweetest of all things to hear, thou hearest not: the sweetest of all sights thou beholdest not, for never yet hast thou beheld a good work wrought by thyself. Who will believe what thou dost say? who will grant what thou dost ask? Or what sane man will dare join thy throng? While thy votaries are young their bodies are weak, when they wax old, their souls are without sense; idle and sleek they thrive in youth, withered and weary they journey through old age, and their past deeds bring them shame, their present deeds distress. Pleasure they ran through in their youth: hardship they laid up for their old age. 2.1.32. But I company with gods and good men, and no fair deed of god or man is done without my aid. I am first in honour among the gods and among men that are akin to me: to craftsmen a beloved fellow-worker, to masters a faithful guardian of the house, to servants a kindly protector: good helpmate in the toils of peace, staunch ally in the deeds of war, best partner in friendship. 2.1.33. To my friends meat and drink bring sweet and simple enjoyment: for they wait till they crave them. And a sweeter sleep falls on them than on idle folk: they are not vexed at awaking from it, nor for its sake do they neglect to do their duties. The young rejoice to win the praise of the old; the elders are glad to be honoured by the young; with joy they recall their deeds past, and their present well-doing is joy to them, for through me they are dear to the gods, lovely to friends, precious to their native land. And when comes the appointed end, they lie not forgotten and dishonoured, but live on, sung and remembered for all time. O Heracles, thou son of goodly parents, if thou wilt labour earnestly on this wise, thou mayest have for thine own the most blessed happiness. 2.1.34. Such, in outline, is Prodicus’ story of the training of Heracles by Virtue; only he has clothed the thoughts in even finer phrases than I have done now. But anyhow, Aristippus, it were well that you should think on these things and try to show some regard for the life that lies before you.

Subjects of this text:

subject	book bibliographic info
abuse	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 125
adaptation	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 125
aeschylus	Walter, Time in Ancient Stories of Origin (2020) 10
aesop	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 125
aetiology	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
alliteration	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108
aretē/-a (virtue, excellence), in prodicus heracles story	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198, 199
aristippus of cyrene, xenophons portrayal	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198
aristophanes, clouds	Bowie, Essays on Ancient Greek Literature and Culture, Volume 2: Comedy, Herodotus, Hellenistic and Imperial Greek Poetry, the Novels (2023) 80
aristophanes	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107; Walter, Time in Ancient Stories of Origin (2020) 10
athenian exceptionalism	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
athens	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
audience, theatre	Bowie, Essays on Ancient Greek Literature and Culture, Volume 2: Comedy, Herodotus, Hellenistic and Imperial Greek Poetry, the Novels (2023) 80
autochthony, athenian	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
callimachus, as child	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
charites, child, poet as	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
crow	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
dance	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108
democracy	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
electra	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 125
erōs/eros	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108
euripides	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
hecaleius, dialogue of the birds	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
hecaleius, narrative structure	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
heracles	Bowie, Essays on Ancient Greek Literature and Culture, Volume 2: Comedy, Herodotus, Hellenistic and Imperial Greek Poetry, the Novels (2023) 80
heracles myth	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198
hesiod	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 107, 108
intellectual	Bowie, Essays on Ancient Greek Literature and Culture, Volume 2: Comedy, Herodotus, Hellenistic and Imperial Greek Poetry, the Novels (2023) 80
intentionality/poetological intention/purpose	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108, 125
intratextual/intradramatic	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 125
justice	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
marriage	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
mayhew, robert	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 199
migration	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
mythological cycles, theseus'	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
novelty/innovation/invention	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108
oratory/rhetoric	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 107
parabasis	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 107
peisetaerus	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
peloponnesian war, the	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
phonology	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108
political geography	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
prodicus, heracles choice story	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198, 199
prodicus, life	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198
prodicus	Bowie, Essays on Ancient Greek Literature and Culture, Volume 2: Comedy, Herodotus, Hellenistic and Imperial Greek Poetry, the Novels (2023) 80; Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198, 199
pun	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108
sansone, d.	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 199
satire	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 107
satyr play	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 125
sex/sexual humour	Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 108, 125
socrates, and prodicus	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198
socrates	Bowie, Essays on Ancient Greek Literature and Culture, Volume 2: Comedy, Herodotus, Hellenistic and Imperial Greek Poetry, the Novels (2023) 80; Kanellakis, Aristophanes and the Poetics of Surprise (2020) 107
theseus, reception at house of hecale	Acosta-Hughes Lehnus and Stephens, Brill's Companion to Callimachus (2011) 419
tragedy	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
tyranny	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
utopia	Kirichenko, Greek Literature and the Ideal: The Pragmatics of Space from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Age (2022) 107
xenophon, as source for prodicus	Wolfsdorf, Early Greek Ethics (2020) 198, 199