Στυγάνωρ

I am not your friend. We are not ‘allies’. I am against pornography because I care about women not getting raped or tortured. You are against pornography because you see the women forced into those scenes as whores, dirtied and going to hell.

The most celebrated female poet of Ancient Greece after Sappho, Erinna (fl. c. 350 BCE) left behind only a small body of work. Yet her surviving verses offer a rare glimpse into the emotions and experiences of a young woman in the ancient world.

Inspired by the Muses

Little is known about Erinna apart from what she reveals in her poem The Distaff. At the time she wrote it, she was nineteen years old, unmarried, and mourning her friend Baucis, who had died shortly after her wedding.

One scholar once suggested that Erinna never existed and that The Distaff had instead been written by a man impersonating an uneducated young woman. Today, this hypothesis has been largely rejected. Women did have access to education, particularly in the region of Teos, one of Erinna's possible birthplaces. Moreover, although literary forgeries certainly existed, a male author would have had little to gain from attributing his work to an otherwise unknown woman.

One notable feature of Erinna's poetry is her use of the Doric dialect, something uncommon in literary poetry. This choice makes the emotions expressed in her verses more poignant and intimate.

Although most of her writings have been lost, Erinna's poetry circulated widely throughout the ancient world. Poets and anthologists praised her work, comparing her to the greatest authors of antiquity. Meleager included her in his Garland of poets, likening her poetry to a sweet, maiden colored crocus.

Erinna's voice still echoes today. Mangaka Satou Futaba made her the heroine of the manga Utae! Erinna (Sing! Erinna), portraying her as a young woman determined to rival the greatest poets of her age.

The Distaff

Erinna's best-known work is The Distaff. Only about fifty-four lines of the original three hundred survive, preserved on a badly damaged papyrus. In this poem, Erinna mourns the death of her friend Baucis. The text offers a rare window into the life of a young woman through timeless themes of grief, friendship, family, and domestic life.

She recalls the games she played with Baucis as a child and remembers being frightened by the monster Morpho. Looking back on those memories with tenderness, she draws a parallel between marriage and death. Throughout the poem, Erinna skillfully develops the image of weaving. Weaving was not only a traditional female occupation but also a metaphor for poetry, while simultaneously evoking the thread of life spun by the Fates.

In addition to The Distaff, and three epigrams are attributed to Erinna. All are dedicated to female friends: two to Baucis and one to a woman named Agatharchis.

If you enjoy this blog, consider supporting me on Ko-fi!

Further reading: 

Karanika Andromache, Wedding, Gender, and Performance in Ancient Greece

Natoli Bartolo, Pitts Angela, Hallett Judith P. (eds.), Ancient Women Writers of Greece and Rome

Plant Ian Michael (ed.), Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome : An Anthology

Read Erinna's poetry below:

The most celebrated female poet of Ancient Greece after Sappho, Erinna (fl. c. 350 BCE) left behind only a small body of work. Yet her surviving verses offer a rare glimpse into the emotions and experiences of a young woman in the ancient world.

Inspired by the Muses

Little is known about Erinna apart from what she reveals in her poem The Distaff. At the time she wrote it, she was nineteen years old, unmarried, and mourning her friend Baucis, who had died shortly after her wedding.

One scholar once suggested that Erinna never existed and that The Distaff had instead been written by a man impersonating an uneducated young woman. Today, this hypothesis has been largely rejected. Women did have access to education, particularly in the region of Teos, one of Erinna's possible birthplaces. Moreover, although literary forgeries certainly existed, a male author would have had little to gain from attributing his work to an otherwise unknown woman.

One notable feature of Erinna's poetry is her use of the Doric dialect, something uncommon in literary poetry. This choice makes the emotions expressed in her verses more poignant and intimate.

Although most of her writings have been lost, Erinna's poetry circulated widely throughout the ancient world. Poets and anthologists praised her work, comparing her to the greatest authors of antiquity. Meleager included her in his Garland of poets, likening her poetry to a sweet, maiden colored crocus.

Erinna's voice still echoes today. Mangaka Satou Futaba made her the heroine of the manga Utae! Erinna (Sing! Erinna), portraying her as a young woman determined to rival the greatest poets of her age.

The Distaff

Erinna's best-known work is The Distaff. Only about fifty-four lines of the original three hundred survive, preserved on a badly damaged papyrus. In this poem, Erinna mourns the death of her friend Baucis. The text offers a rare window into the life of a young woman through timeless themes of grief, friendship, family, and domestic life.

She recalls the games she played with Baucis as a child and remembers being frightened by the monster Morpho. Looking back on those memories with tenderness, she draws a parallel between marriage and death. Throughout the poem, Erinna skillfully develops the image of weaving. Weaving was not only a traditional female occupation but also a metaphor for poetry, while simultaneously evoking the thread of life spun by the Fates.

In addition to The Distaff, and three epigrams are attributed to Erinna. All are dedicated to female friends: two to Baucis and one to a woman named Agatharchis.

If you enjoy this blog, consider supporting me on Ko-fi!

Further reading: 

Karanika Andromache, Wedding, Gender, and Performance in Ancient Greece

Natoli Bartolo, Pitts Angela, Hallett Judith P. (eds.), Ancient Women Writers of Greece and Rome

Plant Ian Michael (ed.), Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome : An Anthology

Read Erinna's poetry below:

Αίθρα - Aethra (10th - 9th century BC), daughter of the king of Troizina Pitthea and mother of Theseus, knew mathematics in another capacity unknown to many. So sacred to the beginnings of the most cerebral science, Aethra taught arithmetic to the children of Troizina, with that complex awe-inspiring method, since there was no zero… and the numbers were symbolically complex, as their symbols required many repetitions.

Πολυγνώτη - Polygnoti (7th - 6th century BC) The historian Lovon Argeios mentions Polygnotis as a companion and student of Thalis. A scholar of many geometric theorems, it is said in Vitruvius' testimony, that she contributed to the simplification of arithmetic symbols by introducing the principle of acrophony. She managed this by introducing alphabetic letters that corresponded to each in the initial letter of the name of the number. Thus, Δ, the initial of Δέκα (ΤΕΝ), represents the number 10. X, the initial of Χίλια (Thousand), represents the number 1000 etc. According to Vitruvius, Polygnoti formulated and first proved the proposition "Εν κύκλω η εν τω ημικυκλίω γωνία ορθή εστίν" - "In the circle the angle in the hemi-circle is right angle."

Θεμιστόκλεια - Themistoklia (6th century BC). Diogenes the Laertius scholar-writer mentions it as Αριστόκλεια - Aristoclia or Θεόκλεια - Theoclia. Pythagoras took most of his moral principles from the Delphic priestess Themistoclia, who at the same time introduced him to the principles of arithmetic and geometry. According to the philosopher Aristoxenos (4th century BC), Themistoclia taught mathematics to those of the visitors of Delphi who had the relevant appeal. Legend has it that Themistoclia decorated the altar of Apollo with geometric shapes. According to Aristoxenos, Pythagoras admired the knowledge and wisdom of Themistoclia, a fact that prompted him to accept women later in his School.

Μελίσσα - Melissa (6th century BC). Pupil of Pythagoras. She was involved in the construction of regular polygons. Lovon Argeios writes about an unknown work of hers: "Ο Κύκλος Φυσίν - η Μελίσσα - Των Εγγραφομένων Πολυγώνων Απάντων Εστί". (The title translates to "The circle is always the basis of the written polygons" or so.)

Τυμίχα - Tymicha (6th century BC). Thymiha, wife of Crotonian Millios, was (according to Diogenes Laertius) a Spartan, born in Croton. From a very early age, she became a member of the Pythagorean community. Iamblichus mentions a book about "friend numbers". After the destruction of the school by the Democrats of Croton, Tymicha took refuge in Syracuse. The tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysios, demanded that Tymicha reveal to him the secrets of the Pythagorean teaching for a great reward. She flatly refused and even cut her own tongue with her teeth and spat in Dionysius' face. This fact is reported by Hippobotus and Neanthis.

Βιτάλη - Vitali or Vistala (6th – 5th century BC). Vitali was the daughter of Damos and granddaughter of Pythagoras, and an expert in Pythagorean mathematics. Before Pythagoras died, he entrusted her with the "memoirs", that is, the philosophical texts of her father.

Πανδροσίων ή Πάνδροσος - Pandrosion or Pandrossos (4th century AD). Alexandrian geometer, probably a student of Pappos, who dedicates to her the third book of the "Synagogue". Pandrosion divides geometric problems into three categories:" Three genera are of the problems in Geometry and these, levels are called, and the other linear ones."

Πυθαΐς - Pythais (2nd century BC). Geometer, daughter of the mathematician Zenodoros.

Αξιόθεα - Axiothea (4th century BC). She is also a student, like Lasthenia, of Plato's academy. She came to Athens from the Peloponnesian city of Fliounda. She showed a special interest in mathematics and natural philosophy, and later taught these sciences in Corinth and Athens.

Περικτιόνη - Periktioni (5th century BC). Pythagorean philosopher, writer, and mathematician. Various sources identify her with Perictioni, Plato's mother and Critius' daughter. Plato owes his first acquaintance with mathematics and philosophy to Perictioni.

Διοτίμα - Diotima from Mantineia (6th-5th century BC). In Plato's "Symposium", Socrates refers to the Teacher of Diotima, a priestess in Mantineia, who was a Pythagorean and a connoisseur of Pythagorean numerology. According to Xenophon, Diotima had no difficulty in understanding the most complex geometric theorems.

Iamblichos, in his work "On Pythagorean Life", saved the names of Pythagorean women who were connoisseurs of Pythagorean philosophy and Pythagorean mathematics. We have already mentioned some of them. The rest:

Ρυνδακώ - Rynthako

Οκκελώ - Okkelo

Χειλωνίς - Chilonis

Κρατησίκλεια - Kratisiklia

Λασθένια - Lasthenia

Αβροτέλεια - Avrotelia

Εχεκράτεια - Ehekratia

Θεανώ - Theano

Τυρσηνίς - Tyrsinis

Πεισιρρόδη - Pisirrodi

Θεαδούσα - Theathousa

Βοιώ - Voio

Βαβέλυκα - Vavelyka

Κλεαίχμα - Cleaihma

Νισθαιαδούσα - Nistheathousa

Νικαρέτη - Nikareti from Corinth

By Sophie Shugrue September 19, 2025

The news outlet Wired posted an article on Wednesday, Sept. 3, titled “The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It?”, detailing the relationship between Cindy Bi, a venture capitalist based in California, and her surrogate, who she is suing. Why? Because Bi’s surrogate gave birth to a stillborn baby, and Bi thinks she did it intentionally. Bi even told Emi Nietfeld, the journalist behind the article, “I hope she goes to jail.” 

There are several factors that can result in a stillborn baby, and things like genetic abnormalities and placental problems may result in a stillbirth. However, up to 50% of the time, the cause of a stillbirth is completely unknown, according to Mount Sinai. In the case of Bi’s surrogate, who chose to use the pseudonym Rebecca Smith, the stillbirth resulted from the placenta separating from Smith’s uterine wall, depriving the baby of oxygen. 

Nietfeld was as objective as any journalist can possibly be in a situation like this, interviewing both Bi and Smith, who was distraught at the death of the baby. Even so, there are facets of the story Bi told that just do not add up. If the stillbirth was a result of placental disruption, something that is completely dictated by the genetics of the fetus, why did Bi almost immediately place the blame for her baby’s death on Smith? Why did she request Smith’s private medical information? Why did she thereafter hire psychics who convinced her that Smith had somehow turned against her baby? Why is she even pursuing litigation against her? 

That is the issue with surrogacy and the fertility industry as a whole. When people like Bi treat surrogacy as a business transaction and babies like commodities, they forget that there is an actual person growing the baby inside her body. The result is a power imbalance so extreme that it proves detrimental to the body and mind of the surrogate. Surrogacy and the fertility industry commodify women’s bodies to the point of dehumanization and there is no point in pretending that the industry is ethical anymore. 

Despite the problems with the fertility industry, many still believe in its practices. According to a study conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 61% of married same-sex couples under the age of 50 surveyed viewed “biological pathways to parenthood, such as insemination, surrogacy, and in vitro fertilization, as ideal compared to non-biological options like adoption.” Kim Kardashian has used surrogacy to have her two most recent children because she experienced placenta accreta in her own pregnancies. If surrogacy is an ideal pathway for same-sex couples to start their own families and for women experiencing unhealthy pregnancies to have biological children, how could it possibly be unethical? 

But there is a hidden side to surrogacy. The fertility industry is worth billions of dollars and women who work for surrogacy industries are often increasingly desperate for money, selling off their bodies for nine months, while those who hire them tend to be wealthy. What it culminates in is an unbalanced power dynamic, with those who hire surrogates able to hold anything and everything over the women they hire knowing they are desperate for money. 

Surrogacy can result in infertility or even death for surrogates, and those who hire them do not care as long as they receive a perfect baby. In fact, at the same time as Bi hired Smith to carry her son, she hired another surrogate to carry a daughter. This pregnancy was extremely unhealthy and resulted in an emergency hysterectomy. When asked how her second experience with surrogacy turned out, however, Bi described it as “perfect”. But it was only perfect because in the end, her daughter did not die. There is a complete disregard for the health and safety of the women who must go through the emotional and physical labor to bring the child into the world. In that sense, surrogates are essentially walking, talking incubators. 

Additionally, the lines between commercial gestation and human trafficking are extremely blurred. Any other sale of children is regarded as human trafficking, but for whatever reason, paying a woman to carry a baby and then hand it over is not perceived as trafficking. 

We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the biodiversity in the neighborhood since. We have birds that we haven’t seen since we moved into the city from living rurally and those birds are starting to nest in the trees and gardens in spring. The swallows and bats are back at night. The single woodpecker we would only occasionally see visits daily and even has a friend that has joined it. We have more squirrels and rabbits and shockingly fewer moles and voles. We heard an owl outside last fall.

additional article:

but then with disabled people, there are a lot of objective truths to the discrimination we face. people with IDs/LDs do fall behind and struggle with certain concepts. physically disabled people are often weaker and less capable of performing demanding tasks than able bodied people. many of us with mental illnesses are more reckless and less responsible. a lot of us are dependent on others and do not contribute much "worth".

and guess what? disabled people still deserve a place in the world. disabled people still deserve the supports they need. because they are people, and that should be enough to support them and believe they deserve a place at the table.

if your only rebuttal against discrimination is its objective inaccuracies, you are meeting bigots where they are at. you are validating the very concept that if and when people are truly incapable of being equal to the majority, that means they are worth less. this causes some leftists to then try to deny the objective realities of disabled people and/or become ableist themselves.

Colourful paint pigments preserved in their original pots.

"In the 1970s and 1980s, archaeologists excavating near a Roman fort at Vindolanda (located in northern England near Hadrian’s Wall) discovered a cache of more than 500 thin, post-card sized, wooden tablets in various states of fragmentation. To their surprise, these tablets had been folded in half to form into diptychs, and the facing sides of the tablets were covered with messages written in Latin in ink. The writing was on a variety of topics from military matters to personal messages between family members, friends, and slaves. Since the fort at Vindolanda was first constructed c. 85–92 CE and was occupied consistently until c. 104 CE, at which time there was a brief hiatus followed by a reoccupation, the majority of the tablets discovered are dated to the last decade of the 1st century CE.

Among these tablets are two letters that may constitute the oldest extant example of writing in Latin by a woman. The two letters were written by a certain Claudia Severa, identified as the wife of a Roman soldier Gaius Aelius Brocchus, to another woman by the name of Sulpicia Lepidina, the wife of the military prefect Flavius Cerealis. In the first letter, Severa sends Lepidina an invitation to her birthday party. The relationship between the two women is described in intimate terms, and Severa even goes so far as to call Lepidina her sister (soror). Yet, due to the differences in their family names, we can be fairly certain that they are not biological sisters and that soror is meant as a term of endearment. The second message, rare because more than one diptych survive from the letter, is again from Severa to Lepidina. The letter relates that Severa has asked permission from her husband Brocchus to visit Lepidina, which he seems to have granted. She then states that she will remain in a place called Briga for the time being. Since this second letter is not written for a particular occasion, it is thought to be evidence that the two women engaged in regular correspondence. There is a third letter attributed to Severa (Tab. Vindol. II 293), but it is in fragments.

Another interesting aspect of the letters is the handwriting in which they are written. Both letters are written in the same elegant Latin cursive script, except for two three-line portions at the end of each letter. This second handwriting is less elegant than the first, and it is believed that it belongs to Claudia Severa herself. For in Roman epistolography, it was commonplace for a letter writer to dictate a letter for a scribe to write and then include a small section at the end of the letter written in one’s own hand. This was done as a mark of intimacy and as a sign that the letter writer placed a high value on their relationship with the addressee. If these three-line portions are, indeed, written in the hand of Claudia Severa herself, then they are among the earliest examples of writing in Latin by a woman."

Hallett Judith, Natoli Bartolo, Pitts Angela, Ancient Women Writers of Greece and Rome

Birthday invitation of Sulpicia Lepidina: