āAt any rate, as one goes down to the middle of the city, a statue of Hera stands in the middle of the marketplace, not as Zeus summoned her for intercourse, and not as Heracles disturbed her in his wanderings, but as even Aphrodite herself has honored in entering upon marriage to Hephaestus. And first, a covering protected her head, but it extended to the rest of her body; for her shoulders are completely covered after her head, and her chest after her shoulders. And this piece of clothing seems to me to belong to the bridal chamber, and the sculptor to be showing the goddess as conjugal, because women who have been joined in marriage are completely covered up in this manner. However, the fact that her head is covered up does not conceal her loveliness; rather, the loveliness of the covering signifies the beauty inside, and the covering both rests upon her loveliness and signifies her overall loveliness by the fact that she is covered up. And she has a sort of knot [of hair] on top of her head in the middle. Next, a braid flows down to her shoulders and hangs to the side of her chest. Her face is left bare with a view to its grace; for her eyes gaze somewhat amorously, while her cheeks, in turn, have a slight, subtle shine. Her mouth is closed and suggests the silence that comes from modesty. Her neck, in turn, does not know how to bow straight, but leans at a bit of an angle, as if leaning in the opposite direction out of modesty. But her chest is hidden by two things; for, first, a tunic covers it, and then a mantle supports it. This did not, however, conceal what her chest is like; for a girdle inside binds her beneath the chest, and her breasts, in turn, show a little bit from their covering. I would also have been able to describe both what her abdomen is like and how self-control of the body comes after that, if describing what lies beneath a womanās chest was not alien to self-control.ā (Libanios' Progymnasmata, The Exercise in Description. Description 16)
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Libanios' Progymnasmata. Speech in Character 17: What words would Medea say when Jason is marrying another woman?
(1) Now I wish that the dragon were here along with the bulls, so that I could stand beside them with the Thessalian and be judged. O Jason, the husband of another woman after me, and the fleece, and Apsyrtus! Someone dances at the wedding, making fun of my situation. Another jumps for joy, laughing at me: āWhat does a barbarian woman have to do with Argives?ā Yet another, being smitten by Dionysus, embraces me as I cry and bothers my ears, whispering that he instead of Jason is holding me.
(2)And I pass over in silence the race of the gods against which he has committed impiety by often swearing on them. In the land of the Scythians he swore on Artemis; on the sea, on Poseidon; in Greece, on Athena and Olympian Zeus. He calls all of them the bestāhow, I do not knowāgods; for he has cried out to many of them in lying to me. Look, he is acting unfairly toward them, and toward me, and toward his children.
(3) You await, O Thessalian, the evening of your desire; I watch for this, too, as one favorable for murders. You dream of the bridal chamber and the wedding fire; I, too, of the sword and the Hephaestian crown. You are eager to light the torch to the Cyprian; I, too, your bride to your Love. As a thank-offering greater than what I have given, I give you tears.
(4) The chariot of dragons stands ready. After my bold act I will flee on high. And I will ennoble the women of a single marriage and make the self-controlled man the norm in Greece; for I will show husbands, through fear of my story, that they should not wish to love other women, but should hold as their lawful wives right up until death those whose bloom of virginity they also defiled.
Libanios' Progymnasmata. Speech in Character 11: What words would a painter say when, as he is trying to paint a picture of Apollo on laurel wood, the wood will not absorb the paint?
(1) The girl of your desire, Apollo, denies your love even as far as the trees. She does not wish to make peace with you, even though transformed in nature. She cleaves to self-control, even though having become a tree. She flees even the sketch being revealed in paint, and she dishonors my art by not receiving the painting. My hand sketches the god, but the paint is dissolved as it makes war against the wood.
(2) What about this, painters? Paint no longer concurs with our wishes, but the wood battles continuously against what my right hand wishes. She was, then, even as a tree, not released from her soul. The tree dwells with the name: Daphne the girl, Daphne the tree, hatred in both. She fled, being a girl, with her running as her ally, but now, having become a tree, she again flees your fellowship. She does not welcome you, Pythian, even if you embrace her in paint, even if you enfold her in image. Again she denies your desire.
(3) Art knows how to offer this sacrifice to the gods, stamping the divine in the sketches and paintings of images. O Zeus, father of the gods, I have even painted you, and I brought a sketch of you from Olympus to men. I made no mistake in sketching Hera, the godās yoke-mate. Champion Athena, I painted you along with your father, but though delighting for a long time in wars, you did not make war against my painting. At some time in the past I even fictionalized the desire of Echo and was not distressed at sketching the bodiless goddess, and I forced the girl to display her voice in sketches, but my art served me, compelled by paint.
(4) But now one girl is conquering me by her memory and her name. And being a tree in name, her will has become a tree, as well. The tree thinks just like the girl, or rather, has become a girl; for she did not exchange her mind.
(5) And now there will be an unbelievable story for the poets. They currently tell the story of her transformation and sing the myth to children. In the future, they will also tell of the treeās flight from Apollo, and they will have some who will accept the account.
(6) O god unreconciled to the girl even in paint, O god defeated, even if he embraces the tree! Where is your bow, Apollo? Which only Daphne has beaten. Along with your defeat, my paint has been defeated, as well.
Libanios, The Exercise in Thesis. Thesis 1: Whether One Should Marry
(1) In many other areas, the majority of people seem to me to fail to have the right opinion, but those who shun marriage as being one of the most terrible things have especially suffered this. Then they pride themselves on having deliberated over it well, although they have chosen the most disastrous course of all. And because of this they make many people imitate them, injuring human life in two ways: by what they do themselves, and by what they induce the rest to do.
(2) Let us hand the matter over, if it seems best, to reasoning, and let us change some menās minds, if possible, but let us compel others to do what belongs to a man with good sense.
(3) It is just to be of one mind with the gods, not to differ from them in judgment, and not to be shown revolting against the lords of the whole universe. How, then, have Zeus and all those who hold the heavens counseled with regard to marriage? Did he himself not marry Hera, and Hephaestus marry Aphrodite, and another marry another? And were they all not called fathers and brothers?
(4) What? Are they not worshipped by epithets based on the act? Is Zeus not ābridalā (Ī³Ī±Ī¼Ī®Ī»Ī¹ĪæĻ)? And is Hera not āconjugalā (ĻĻ Ī¶Ļ Ī³ĪÆĪ±)? And Aphrodite, having relinquished everything else, spends her time on this. Marriage (Ī³Ī¬Ī¼ĪæĻ) brought forth Apollo and Artemis; marriage brought forth Ares; marriage brought forth Heracles, Helen, and the Dioscuri; for gods not only thought it worthy to lie with goddesses, but they also came right down to earth to sow the demigods.
(5) And the demigods, in imitation of their fathers, also became fathers themselves, some marrying peacefully, others even stirring up wars over wives. And we hear of children of Minos and Dardanus and Tantalus.
(6) But if marriage were not noble, the gods would never have participated in it, and they would have advised their own children completely against it. But now they have testified by their actions that intercourse for the sake of children is divine; for one cannot say that the gods do not see what is best, nor that they knowingly and purposefully choose the worse course over the better.
(7) Whoever, then, gives credence to these things on the part of the gods, but still flees marriage, is accusing the gods of honoring ignoble things and is wishing to seem to be wiser than they are, as if they have failed in what is necessary, while he himself has found what is most noble.
(8) And whenever he does this, he blatantly commits an impiety and becomes more polluted than those who tear down altars, not by depriving the gods of any honor, but by declaring that the Olympians are wicked in what they do.
I love how one of the examples used in support of marriage being a good and noble thing because the gods practice it is Zeus sleeping with the wives of Amphitryon and Tyndareos. lol
āHera hurled Hephaestus down from heaven, ashamed at her sonās lameness, but he made use of his skill. Having been rescued in the ocean by sea divinities he made many other thingsāsome for Eurynome, some for Thetis, by whom he had been savedābut he also built a throne with invisible chains and sent it as a gift to his mother. And she was very delighted with the gift, and she sat on it and found herself trapped, and there was no one to release her.
A council of the gods was held to discuss returning Hephaestus to heaven; for (as they thought) he was the only one who could release her. So while the other gods remained silent and were at a loss for a solution, Ares undertook to do something, and when he got there, he accomplished nothing, but quit in disgrace when Hephaestus threatened him with torches. Since Hera was in such great distress, Dionysus came with wine and, by making Hephaestus drunk, forced him to follow. When he came and released his mother, he made Dionysus Heraās benefactor. And she, rewarding him, convinced the heavenly gods that Dionysus, too, should be one of the heavenly gods.ā
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This is the harshest and meanest assessment of Hektor I have ever seen (not that I've seen many). Wowā¦
Libanios' Progymnasmata. Invective 2: Hector
(1)
But I would also say that Hector was not noble, even if he has seemed so to some; for he was neither a good man nor descended from such; for who does not know that he was a barbarian, and who does not know that barbarians come closest to wild animals? It was also his misfortune to be Phrygian, and speaking of this name, who does not know how great a cowardice possesses the Phrygians?
(2) And when the name of Troy comes to menās ears, it comes bringing despondency with it; for when the name is mentioned it calls to mind a great number of disasters, and in addition, whoever wishes to signify great suffering, uses the phrase āan Iliad of woes.ā To such a proverb has the fortune of that manās city come.
(3) One would not discover his ancestors to be splendid from what usually makes the rest soāby which I mean contests, battles, wars, trophies, alliances with friends, the punishment of enemies, and increasing oneās ruleāunless he would consider it splendid to despise the gods, grossly abuse oneās benefactor Heracles, and break contracts; for this is what Laomedon did, but he had nothing to complain about in the penalty; rather, he saw his city laid waste by Heracles.
(4) And his son, the father of Hector, also experienced such evils. That Priam raised the child born to him, as is likely among barbarians and in a tyranny, in drunkenness and violence and the absence of education, is evident from the wickedness he displayed when he came to manhood.
(5) For when Alexander was turning his hand to the greatest crimes and preparing to sail to the Peloponnese to kidnap Helen, and was obviously building himself a ship and bringing grievous war against the Troadāfor it was not unclear that those who had been ill-treated would also seek revengeāseeing this, Hector did not offer advice, nor did he try to turn him away from the attempt, or persuade him, or force him, nor did he do anything great or small to prevent the crime.
(6) But if the one man sailed and took her, while the other, though it was in his power to prevent it, allowed him to sail, he intentionally shared in his wicked acts; or rather, the whole misdeed is attributable to him, as the one who had the authority not to let it happen.
(7) And so, since he disregarded this, and Menelausās wife was with the Trojans, and a very great commotion arose as the were demanding her backāpolitely at first and not immediately at armsādid he correct any of what he had wrongly neglected, come forward and give the woman back, and free his city from clear destruction? By no means, no.
(8) Rather, though he saw that the embassy had come for just reasons, and though he was leading the city because of his fatherās old age, had more authority than Alexander, and was in charge of the whole state, he did not expel the reason for their misfortunes; rather, knowing that the woman remained to the detriment of the entire city, he served the pleasures of Alexander rather than taking forethought for how they might be saved.
(9) War then came, and the expedition of the Greeks was destroying their neighbors. This was bound to make the Trojan side weak. And so, was he disturbed? Was he provoked? Did he take up arms? Did he come leading a force to help those in distress? By no means, no. Rather, he sat waiting to see when the conflagration would overtake his city.
(10) And then, being carried there, they turned their attention to that manās city, and launching their ships began pillaging the nearby peoples. Again Hector learned of his neighborsā sufferings, but he came to help none of them as they were being destroyed. The Greeks filled the shore with their tents, but he watched from the walls with the very women. What he prided himself on was to peep out from the gates, not for action and battles, but so as to flee when the enemy approached.
(11) āFor great and dreadful was Achilles, by Zeus, and it was impossible to withstand the son of Peleus.ā Very well, then. But what about the period of time when that man was angry and had withdrawn from action, and the Trojans were enjoying splendidly good luck? What action involving courage did he exhibit during this time? What kind of courage? When he saw the oaths being despised and the agreements being broken by which Menelaus was fighting Alexander one-on-one, did he not remain quiet? But what should he have done? He should have dragged Helen off, given her to the victor, and ordered Alexander, being cowardly, not to hold on to other peopleās property.
(12) When Diomedes was distinguishing himself and attacking the enemy, and the crisis called for a soldier capable of stopping the disaster, did he not, abandoning his post during battle, go talk to his mother Hecabe, visit his wife, and use prayers instead of weapons?
(13) Did this man who was bold at issuing challenges but bad at fighting, and who was splendid in his words but wretched in action, did this man, barely standing up again after being knocked down by a stone thrown by Ajax, not sing a victory song over his enemy?
(14) And what need is there to mention the son of Peleus and the son of Telamon? Did he not fear the son of Atreus? For there was no sign of Hector before Agamemnon was wounded, but after this he was a leader against the Greeks, thinking himself worthy of being somebody.
(15) Well now, āsomebodyā was now unable to discover what was necessary himself, but he followed another man who had discovered it, and this was less to Hectorās credit, but it would have been sufficient to save him if he had obeyed him. But along with stupidity Hector possessed disobedience, and neither saw nor obeyed, and by despising Polydamas made that manās intelligence useless in the army, though he found out in the end that it would have been better to have obeyed.
(16) Whoever mentions the death of Patroclus among the praises of Hector does not know that he is admiring Hector in place of Euphorbus. The courageous man is not the one who tramples on the dead, but the first one to bring them down, of which the latter was done by Euphorbus, the former by Hector. Whenever I reflect on why he desired to get control of the body, I see the barbarian accurately and hate his character; for he was in a hurry to get it in order to violate it and cut off its head, and he emulated the actions of wild animals against the departed.
(17) And he revealed his intention by what he wished to do, but his weakness by what he was unable to do, and the injustice of his attempt by justly suffering something similar himself; for when he fell to Achilles, having remained outside the walls in bravery but fleeing his approach in cowardice, having been killed he was dragged and violated, suffering what he wanted but had been unable to do. And the strangest part of it all was that his corpse was sold to his father by the enemy.
(18) Let no one agree that Hector is the best of the sons of Priam; for as for the rest it is unclear how they would have used their character in exercising authority, but we have seen this manās worthlessness as a commander.
(19) And the end of these evils was that Andromache lay with Neoptolemus, the son of the man who killed Hector, but someone took Hectorās son and hurled him from the wall.
āThe rooster is a bird that used to be a man. But when he was a man, he was a spear-bearer for Ares. Ares would entrust him with the bedroom doors when he wronged Hephaestus and his marriage bed; it was his job to knock on the doors just before dawn, so that Ares would not be caught in the act of adultery. And so both of them fell asleep, both the servant and the master, and at daybreak the deed became known. So the soldier was turned into a bird, suffering this as his punishment. And many things reveal the former soldier: the crest, the temperament, the spurs. And in memory of why he suffered this, before the Sun god yokes his chariot he drives away menās sleep through song.ā
