[Note: these quotes are not arranged alphabetically - I may go back at a later date and amend that.]
s.v. Ἀνθεστηριών “Anthesterion”
It is the eighth month amongst Athenians, sacred to Dionysos. It is so called because most things bloom [anthein] from the earth at that time.
s.v. ̓Ασκος ἐν “a wineskin in a frost”
David says, “I have become as a wineskin in a frost.” A wineskin when heated becomes porous and when inflated it swells, but in the frost it is hardened and frozen. Thus also the nature of the body becomes complacent with luxury and is swollen, but with ascetic training it is humbled and oppressed. Also attested is the phrase Ktesiphon’s wineskin; Aristophanes writes, “according to our customs, at the trumpet signal drink your pitchers; whoever drains his first will win Ktesiphon’s wineskin.” For in the Feast of Pitchers there was a contest concerning who could drain his pitcher first, and the winner was crowned with a wreath of leaves and got a skin of wine. At a trumpet signal they would drink. Ktesiphon was ridiculed for being fat and paunchy. An inflated wineskin was set forth in the festival of the Pitchers, on which those drinking in the competition would stand. The first one to finish his drink won, and got a wineskin. They drank a certain measure, a choa, of wine. Also attested is the verb to bear a wineskin. In the Dionysiac processions, some things were done by the townspeople, but others had been assigned to the metics to do by the lawgivers. Accordingly the metics would put on chitons which had a crimson color and carry troughs; wherefore they were called tray-bearers [skaphêphoroi]. The townspeople wore whatever clothing they wanted and carried wineskins on their shoulders, wherefore they were called “wineskin-bearers” [askophoroi]. And there is a proverb: to be spooked by a little wineskin [ἀσκωῖ μορμολύττεστηαι], in reference to those who are frightened absurdly and for no good reason. Also attested is the verb ἀσκολιάζον ["they used to dance as at the Askolia"]; the Athenians had a festival, the Askolia, in which they would hop on wineskins to the honor of Dionysos. The creature appears to be a natural enemy of the vine. In any event an epigram appears addressed to a goat that goes like this: “devour me to the root, yet all the same I will bear fruit; enough to pour a libation for you, goat, as you are being sacrificed.” But “dance on a wineskin” means dance on the other leg; strictly askôliazein is what they used to call hopping on wineskins to make people laugh. In the middle of the theatre they placed wineskins which were inflated and oiled and when they hopped onto these they slipped; just as Eubulos says in Damalia, “and in addition to these things, they put wineskins in the middle and hopped and guffawed at those who fell off the track.”
s.v. Βούχετα “Boucheta”
It is a city of Epeiros; the word is neuter and plural. Philochoros says that it got its name because Themis went there, mounted on an ox [ἐπὶ βοὸς ὀχουμένην], during the flood of Deukalion.
s.v. Χοάς “pourings”
Meaning outpourings, offerings over corpses, or libations. An oracle has been issued that it is necessary to bring choai to the deceased of the Aitolians, year on year, and hold a festival of the choai. The word is also used for sacrifices to the dead. Sophokles writes, “first, from an ever-flowing spring bring sacred drink-offerings, borne in ritually pure hands.”
s.v. Χόες “Pitchers”
It was a particular festival amongst Athenians, celebrated on the twelfth day of the month Anthesterion. But Apollodoros says that Anthesteria is the name for the festival as a whole, celebrated in honour of Dionysos, with its component parts Pithoigia ["Jar-Opening"], Choes ["Pitchers"], Chytroi ["Pots"]. And elsewhere: “Orestes arrived in Athens after the murder (it was a festival of Lenaian Dionysos), and since, having murdered his mother, he might not be able to drink with them, something along the following lines was contrived. Having set up pitchers of wine for each of the celebrants he ordered them to drink from it, with no common sharing between them; thus Orestes would not drink from the same bowl but neither would he be vexed by drinking alone. Hence the origin of the Athenian festival of the Pitchers.” Elsewhere we find the origin thus: Orestes, after the killing of his mother, came into Athens to the house of Pandion, his kinsman settled there, who happened to be king of the Athenians. He encountered him in the act of celebrating a festival at public cost. So Pandion, ashamed to send Orestes away, yet thinking it impious to share drink and table with him as he had not been purged of the murder, set out one pitcher for each of the invited guests, so that Orestes would not drink from the same bowl.
s.v. Χοᾶ “chous; pitcher”
χοᾶ means the same as χοῦς, an Attic measure, containing eight kotulai. Aristophanes writes, “come to dinner quickly, bringing your basket and your pitcher.” For those inviting people to dinner used to provide the wreaths and unguents and desserts and other such things, but those who were invited used to bring boiled vegetables and a basket and a pitcher. Concerning the basket Homer says: “his mother put in the basket meat and food to keep up his strength … such as kings reared by Zeus eat.” Those invited to dinner used to bring pitchers, so that they would not share another drinking-vessel because of the blame that befell Orestes. And there is a proverb: ‘it will hold six choas.’ In reference to those who talk nonsense. That is, his brain will hold six choas. At the same time it remained as a metaphor for a jar or wineskin: if one is cleaned out, it holds more than those that are blocked up and thrown away. And elsewhere: “Glyce swore the last of us to arrive would lose three choas of wine and a choenix of chickpeas.” Those drinking in moderation used to gobble down roasted chickpeas.
s.v. Χύτροι “Pots”
A festival at Athens; on a single day both the Pitchers and the Pots used to be held; in it they would boil every kind of seed in a pot and sacrifice it to Dionysos and to Hermes. Theopompos says that those who had been saved from the flood boiled a pot of every kind of seed, whence the festival is thus named, and that they sacrificed in the Pitchers festival to Chthonic Hermes; but that no one eats from the pot. He says those who had been saved did this, propitiating Hermes on behalf of those who died also. The Pots festival used to be celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month Anthesterion, according to Philochoros.
s.v. Νάννακος “Nannakos”
An old man who came before Deukalion. They say that this man was king before Deukalion. Foreseeing the imminent inundation, he brought everyone together into the temple and made supplication while weeping. And thus arose a proverb, “From Nannakos”, in reference to very early times.
s.v. Θύραζε “outside the door”
Meaning outside the door. There is a proverbial phrase “outdoors, Kares, the Anthesteria are over.” Some say the expression arises because of the number of Carian slaves, since during the Anthesteria they were praying and not working. Thus when the festival was finished they sent them off to their work saying “outdoors, Kares, the Anthesteria are over.” Some, however, say the expression this way: “outdoors, Keres, the Anthesteria are not in here.” On the basis that during the Anthesteria the souls [κῆρες] would be wandering throughout the city.
s.v. Θύραθεν “outdoors”
Meaning outside, nearby. “His madness was not from outside; rather it was from inside that he was raving and acting mad, a man wicked by nature though in possession of power.”
s.v. Ὑδροφορία “Hydrophoria”
A festival of mourning at Athens for those who died in the flood, according to Apollonios.
s.v. Κῆρ “Ker”
Meaning soul; also death-bringing fate. Also attested is the plural κῆρες, meaning death-bringing fates. i.e. those who bring on burning [καῆναι]. Also in a river of Hades, Pyriphlegethon and Acheron and Kokytos; the first so called from burning [φλέγειν], the second from pains [ἄχη] flowing [ρεῖν] into it, and the last from lamentations and dirges. And a dirge [κωκυτός] is an imitation of a voice of those mourning. They also say that there is a certain Dead river; it is so called because it is all dried up and does not even have λιβάς, that is moisture. And they also call vinegar “dead”, because it is wine that has expired. The spirit is a Ker, because it consists of fire. For that which is inborn warmth is a spirit. “I am a tomb-haunting Ker, and it was Koroibos who killed me.”
s.v. Κῆρας “Keras”
Beings responsible for death and destruction. “… deeming the followers of Socrates and Zeno deserving to be driven from every land and sea, as being causes of death for the cities and the community; but now crowning them with wreaths and making them an example of noble and self-controlled life-style.”
s.v. Καρικῇ Μούσῃ “with a Carian muse”
Meaning with a mournful song. For the Carians were a kind of dirge-singer and mourned the dead of others for payment. But some understood Plato to mean in a non-Greek and obscure language; because the Carians speak a barbarian language.
s.v. Πιθοιγία “Pithoigia”
The opening of the jar.
Ἠριγόνειος τάφος “Erigoneios taphos”
An Erigonian tomb.
s.v. Θέσπις “Thespis”
Of Ikarion, a city of Attica. He was, according to some, the first tragedian. Originally he performed having rubbed his face with white lead, then he covered his face with purslane in his performance, and after that he also introduced the use of masks made solely from linen. He is remembered for his plays The Funeral Games of Pelias, The Phorbas, The Priests, The Youths, and Pentheus.
s.v. Βάκχος “Bakchos”
Thus they used to call not only Dionysos, but also all those who celebrate the orgies; indeed the initiates do not also carry the branches. It is also a kind of wreath. “They wreathed their heads with bacchic flowers.” And the Pisidian writes, “it was possible to see many Bacchants willingly dancing the last dance.”
s.v. Ἀνθοσμίας “Anthosmias”
Flower-smelling, redolent of flowers. A wine with a fine bouquet. Fragrant. From a place called Anthosmion; or as if from a type of vine, or meaning sweet and fragrant and flowery. Anthosmias, a fragrant wine, wrapped in flowers and scent. By derivation Anthosmios gives rise to Anthosmias; they used to call coarse wine headache-inducing. Aristophanes in Frogs writes, “Dionysos, you’re drinking a wine which does not have a fine smell.” Meaning you’re drunk, you’re hung over from drinking strong wine. Anthos is also said to be white hair, hence phalanthos, a bald patch, a bald pate.
s.v. Βρόμιος “Bromios”
Dionysos, the birth-maker of fruits. From βορά ["food"] comes βόριμος, and by metathesis βρόμιος.
s.v. Εὐμενίδες “Eumenides”
Meaning the Erinyes, who are infernal deities. They say that they changed their name because of Orestes. For that is when they were first called Eumenides, because they became well-disposed [eumeneis] to him, who was chosen to prevail in the presence of the Athenians, and who brought as a burnt-offering for them a black sheep. But Philemon the comic poet says that the Holy Goddesses are different from the Eumenides. Sophokles writes, “for the terrible goddesses, maidens of the earth and darkness, hold them.” Aischylos in Eumenides, speaking of the trial of Orestes, says that Athena soothed the Furies so as to end their hostility to Orestes, and named them Eumenides. There were three: Alekto, Megaira, Tisiphone.
s.v. Ἄρχοντες “archons”
There are nine of them: six thesmothetes,as well as the archon eponymous, the king and the polemarch. And before the laws of Solon they were not allowed to sit in judgment together; instead, the king sat by what was called the Herdsman’s House [Boukoleion] which was near to the Prytaneion.
s.v. Ἐπιμελητὴς τῶν μυστηρίων “superintendent of the Mysteries”
Amongst Athenians the so-called king [archon] first supervises the Mysteries, together with the superintendents whom the people used to elect. There were four: two from all Athenians, one from the Eumolpidai and one from the Kerykes.
s.v. Ἡγεμονία δικαστηρίου “presidency of a jurycourt”
It was not permitted to bring all lawsuits before all of the archons. Rather, before the Archon they tried cases involving orphans and matters involving insanity and adjudications about inheritances, and the records of those who had served as archon went to the auditors. Before the King, however, they tried cases of murder and impiety and any dispute concerning a priesthood; previously also any disputes among the priests concerning holy matters; and he would make the proclamations that those at fault were forbidden access to the laws. To the War-Archon they brought any suits against a freedman for having forsaken his patron. Beyond this, all that the Archon attended to among the citizens, the Polemarch attended to among the resident aliens. The Lawgivers (θεσμοθέται) handled cases of sycophancy and bribery and assault and seduction and conspiracy. They bring before the Eleven cases involving robbery and clothes-stealing and slave dealers. They bring before the general cases involving trierarchies and property-exchange. So by arbitrating in this way these various officials are said to hold the presidency of a jurycourt. In fact the King also had charge of the mysteries together with the supervisors; but he alone also wears a crown.
s.v. Ἐγχεῖν “to pour in”
To mix in. Xenophon writes, “he commanded the young men to pour wine in and to pray to the gods.” Meaning to make a libation.
s.v. Κεκραμένη σπονδή “mixed libation”
That which they used to sacrifice to Hermes alone, because, as they say, he rules over both living and dead and receives his honors from both.
s.v. Ἀγηλατεῖν “agelatein”
Meaning to drive out as a curse and accursed people. If the breathing is rough, it means to drive out curses; but if smooth, it means to drive away. “You seem to me to be in sad shape, you and the one who arranged to drive out these things”.
s.v. Κρυμός “krumos”
Meaning coldness. “For such a one as you, queen, even the snowy frost bears fruit.”
s.v. Φαλλοί “phalloi”
A representation of genitals made from fig-wood, but later from red hides; having the appearance of male genitals. And wearing this on their necks and the middle of the thighs they used to dance, giving honor to Dionysos at his festival.
s.v. Θεωρικά “theoric payment”
They were certain monies held in common, collected from the revenues of the city; they were previously kept safe for the needs of war and were called generals-payments, but later they were paid into public projects and distributions to the citizens. The previously-agreed rate was a drachma per spectacle, which gave rise to its name, spectacle-payments. But Philinos maintains that this was the reason they were called theorika: because, when the festival of Dionysos was imminent, Eubulos distributed them for the sacrifice, so that everyone could celebrate the festival and nobody would be excluded through lack of spending-money. But elsewhere what was given for the spectacles and the sacrifices and the festivals was differently defined. It was not permitted for those abroad to draw a theoric-payment. There was also a certain office connected with the theoric-payment, as Aischines shows in the speech Against Ktesiphon.
s.v. Τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἁμαξῶν σκώμματα “the jibes from out of the carts”
A proverbial phrase in reference to those making jibes openly; for at Athens at the festival of the Choes the revellers on the carts used to make jibes and insults at those they encountered. The same used to happen later at the Lenaia. “The women of the Athenians used to ride on the cart, when they travelled to Eleusis for the great mystery-ceremonies, and insult each other on the way; for this was their custom.” “Long ago the Alexandrians used to conduct a purification of souls: for on fixed days men carried on carts assigned to this very task would progress through the whole city, take up stances wherever they liked and position themselves by any house they chose, and truly chant ‘the things out of a wagon’ — not abusing people falsely but reproaching them with the truth. For they took scrupulous care to examine the reproaches against the citizens and bring them forward impartially and with truth, so that through this everyone escaped wickedness.”
s.v Ἀγόνων χοῶν “than unfruitful drink-offerings”
It is used in two ways. Gregory the Theologian says “more pious than the offerings which are poured for the dead and are therefore unfruitful.” Also attested is ἀγονία, barrenness. “That Artemis was angered and that she attacked with sterility of the earth as punishment.”
Tagged: anthesteria, dionysos, erigone, festivals, hermes, heroes, spirits
