Pantagathus Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 In Strabo's Book 7, Chapter 3 he starts talking about parts of Eastern Europe where the Thracians & Scythians live and goes into a rather long treatise on what fanciful things had been passed down through the ages about these fringe areas in comparison to what is known in his day. The lead in for the quote I'm posting here begins with this general statement (though he continues to ramble for a while before the punch line): "Poseidonius goes on to say of the Mysians that in accordance with their religion they abstain from eating any living thing, and therefore from their flocks as well; and that they use as food honey and milk and cheese, living a peaceable life, and for this reason are called both "god-fearing" and "capnobatae"; and there are some of the Thracians who live apart from woman-kind; these are called "Ctistae," and because of the honour in which they are held, have been dedicated to the gods and live with freedom from every fear; accordingly, Homer speaks collectively of all these peoples as "proud Hippemolgi, Galactophagi and Abii, men most just," but he calls them "Abii" more especially for this reason, that they live apart from women, since he thinks that a life which is bereft of woman is only half-complete..." He goes on to give his more reasoned interpretation of the name "Abii" and talks about how these people (using the Getae as an example) do live with women and are in fact rather polygamous. But I just love the way he wraps up his argument: "Further, it is not reasonable to suppose that the same people regard as wretched a life without many women, and yet at the same time regard as pious and just a life that is wholly bereft of women. And of course to regard as "both god-fearing and capnobatae" those who are without women is very much opposed to the common notions on that subject; for all agree in regarding the women as the chief founders of religion, and it is the women who provoke the men to the more attentive worship of the gods, to festivals, and to supplications, and it is a rare thing for a man who lives by himself to be found addicted to these things! See again what the same poet says when he introduces as speaker the man who is vexed by the money spent by the women in connection with the sacrifices: "The gods are the undoing of us, especially us married men, for we must always be celebrating some festival;"... ...So, then, the interpretation that the wifeless men of the Getae are in a special way reverential towards the gods is clearly contrary to reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 And here I thought Hallmark was to blame for all of these retched holidays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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