Tuesday, November 13, 2007
An Ancient Form of Insult
To take the normally masculine termination of a name and make it feminine is an insult. There are probably lots of examples, but I can think of only the following.
Homer, Iliad 2.235 (tr. W. Leaf):
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Homer, Iliad 2.235 (tr. W. Leaf):
Ye women of Achaia and men no more...Vergil, Aeneid 9.617 (tr. H. Rushton Fairclough):
Ἀχαιΐδες οὐκέτ᾽ Ἀχαιοὶ...
O ye Phrygian women, indeed!—for Phrygian men are ye not...Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods 1.34.93:
o vere Phrygiae, neque enim Phryges...
He always used to call Chrysippus Chrysippa.
Chrysippum numquam nisi Chrysippam vocabat.
