The Sphinx, the Octopus, and the Pathways of Genre

Margaret Foster, University of Michigan

fostermc@umich.edu

March 11, 2021

Cornell University

1. Pythian 8. 95-100

ἐπάμεροι· τί δέ τις; τί δ᾽ οὔ τις; σκιᾶς ὄναρ

ἄνθρωπος. ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν αἴγλα διόσδοτος ἔλθῃ,
λαμπρὸν φέγγος ἔπεστιν ἀνδρῶν καὶ μείλιχος αἰών.
Αἴγινα φίλα μᾶτερ, ἐλευθέρῳ στόλῳ
πόλιν τάνδε κόμιζε Δὶ καὶ κρέοντι σὺν Αἰακῷ
Πηλεῖ τε κἀγαθῷ Τελαμῶνι σύν τ᾽ Ἀχιλλεῖ.

Creatures whose mind varies as the day! What is someone? What is no one? A dream of a shade, man.
But whenever god-given radiance comes, there is upon mortals a shining light and a gentle lifetime. Dear
mother Aegina, take this city safely home by a free-sailing voyage, together with Zeus, and Lord Aiakos,
and Peleus, and noble Telamon, and Achilles.

2. Pythian 8.38-45

αὔξων δὲ πάτραν Μειδυλιδᾶν λόγον φέρεις,

τὸν ὅνπερ ποτ᾽ Ὀϊκλέος παῖς ἐν ἑπταπύλοις ἰδὼν
υἱοὺς Θήβαις αἰνίξατο παρμένοντας αἰχμᾷ,
ὁπότ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Ἄργεος ἤλυθον
δευτέραν ὁδὸν Ἐπίγονοι.
ὧδ᾽ εἶπε μαρναμένων·
“φυᾷ τὸ γενναῖον ἐπιπρέπει
ἐκ πατέρων παισὶ λῆμα.”

…but exalting the clan of the Meidylidae, you [the victor Aristomenes] bear the word, the very one which
once the song of Oikles riddles when he saw at seven-gated Thebes the songs standing fast in battle, when
they came from Argos on a second road, the Epigonoi. Thus he spoke as they were fighting: “By nature,
noble determination from fathers is conspicuous in sons.”

3. Odyssey 18.124-36

Odysseus replied, his wits about him,

“Amphinomus, you seem intelligent,
like Nisus of Dulichium, your father;
I heard about his wealth and excellence,
and that you are his son. You are well-spoken.
Take note of what I say. Of all the creatures
that live and breathe and creep on earth, we humans
are weakest. When the gods bestow on us
good fortune, and our legs are spry and limber,
we think that nothing can ever go wrong;
but when the gods bring misery and pain,
we have to bear our suffering with calm.

1
Our mood depends on what Zeus sends each day
(τοῖος γὰρ νόος ἐστὶν ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων
οἷον ἐπ᾽ ἦμαρ ἄγησι πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε).” (Wilson trans.)

4. Archilochus fr. 68 Diehl

τοῖος ἀνθρώποισι θυμός, Γλαῦκε Λεπτίνεω πάϊ,

γίνεται θνητοῖς, ὁποίην Ζεὺς ἐφ᾿ ἡμέρην ἄγῃ.
καὶ φρονέουσι τοῖ᾿ ὁποίοις ἐγκυρέωσιν ἔργμασιν.

Glaucus, son of Leptines, the mood of mortals varies with the day that Zeus brings on
and their thoughts match whatever events they encounter (Gerber trans.)

5. Theognis 963-70

μήποτ᾿ ἐπαινήσῃς, πρὶν ἂν εἰδῇς ἄνδρα

σαφηνέως,
ὀργὴν καὶ ῥυθμὸν καὶ τρόπον ὅστις ἂν ᾖ.
πολλοί τοι κίβδηλον ἐπίκλοπον ἦθος ἔχοντες
κρύπτουσ᾿, ἐνθέμενοι θυμὸν ἐφημέριον·
τούτων δ᾿ ἐκφαίνει πάντως χρόνος ἦθος ἑκάστου.
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼν γνώμης πολλὸν ἄρ᾿ ἐκτὸς ἔβην·
ἔφθην αἰνήσας πρὶν σοῦ κατὰ πάντα δαῆναι
ἤθεα· νῦν δ᾿ ἤδη νηῦς ἅθ᾿ ἑκὰς διέχω.

Never praise a man until you know clearly what he is in temperament, disposition, and way of life. Many
indeed have a false, thievish character and keep it hidden, taking on an attitude appropriate to the day. But
time assuredly reveals the character of each of them. In fact, I myself went far astray in my judgement. I
praised you too soon, before I knew all your ways; but now I keep a wide berth like a ship. (Gerber trans).

6. Theognis 213-218

θυμέ, φίλους κατὰ πάντας ἐπίστρεφε ποικίλον

ἦθος,
ὀργὴν συμμίσγων ἥντιν᾿ ἕκαστος ἔχει.
πουλύπου ὀργὴν ἴσχε πολυπλόκου, ὃς ποτὶ πέτρηι,
τῆι προσομιλήσηι, τοῖος ἰδεῖν ἐφάνη.
νῦν μὲν τῆιδ’ ἐφέπου, τοτὲ δ’ ἀλλοῖος χρόα γίνου.
κρέσσων τοι σοφίη γίνεται ἀτροπίης.

My heart, keep turning a versatile disposition in accordance with all your friends, mingling with it the
mood which each one has. Adopt the mood of the cunning octopus which seems to resemble the rock to
which it clings. Now follow along in this direction, now take on a different complexion. Cleverness is in
truth superior to inflexibility. (Gerber trans.)

7. Pindar fr. 43 SM

ὦ τέκνον, ποντίου θηρὸς πετραίου

χρωτὶ μάλιστα νόον
προσφέρων πάσαις πολίεσσιν ὁμίλει·
τῷ παρεόντι δ’ ἐπαινήσαις ἑκών

2
ἄλλοτ’ ἀλλοῖα φρόνει.’

Child, make your mind resemble especially the skin of the rocky creature of the sea as you visit all the
cities; readily praising the one who is present, keep different moods for different times.

8. Thebaid fr. 8 West

πουλύποδός μοι, τέκνον, ἔχων νόον, Ἀμφίλοχ᾿ ἥρως,

τοῖσιν ἐφαρμόζειν, τῶν κεν κατὰ δῆμον ἵκηαι,
ἄλλοτε δ᾿ ἀλλοῖος τελέθειν καὶ χροιῆι/χώρηι ἕπεσθαι.

Keep the intent of the octopus, hero Amphilochus, and adapt it to whatever people you come among; be
changeable and go along with the color/land. (West trans. [adapted])

9. Sophocles Ajax 121-33

Odysseus
I know of none, and I pity him in his misery, though he is my enemy, because he is bound fast by a cruel
affliction, not thinking of his fate, but my own; because I see that all of us who live are nothing but
ghosts, or a fleeting shadow (ὁρῶ γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ὄντας ἄλλο πλὴν / εἴδωλ᾿ ὅσοιπερ ζῶμεν ἢ κούφην
σκιάν).

Athena
Look, then, at such things, and never yourself utter an arrogant word against the gods, nor assume conceit
because you outweigh another in strength or in profusion of great wealth. Know that a single day brings
down or raises up again all mortal things (ὡς ἡμέρα κλίνει τε κἀνάγει πάλιν / ἅπαντα τἀνθρώπεια), and
the gods love those who think sensibly and detest offenders! (Lloyd-Jones trans.)

10. Aristophanes Wasps 186-92

ΒΔΕΛΥΚΛΕΩΝ
Οὖτις μὰ τὸν Δί᾿ οὔτι χαιρήσων γε σύ.
ὕφελκε θᾶττον αὐτόν. ὢ μιαρώτατος,
ἵν᾿ ὑποδέδυκεν· ὥστ᾿ ἔμοιγ᾿ ἰνδάλλεται
ὁμοιότατος κλητῆρος εἶναι πωλίῳ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΛΕΩΝ
εἰ μή μ᾿ ἐάσεθ᾿ ἥσυχον, μαχούμεθα.

ΒΔΕΛΥΚΛΕΩΝ
περὶ τοῦ μαχεῖ νῷν δῆτα;

ΦΙΛΟΚΛΕΩΝ
περὶ ὄνου σκιᾶς.

Loathecleon
Well, you’re one Noman who’ll be enjoying no manner of success. Quick, drag him out from under there.
The skunk, look what he’s crawled under! If you ask me, he’s just like a burro-crat’s hack!

Lovecleon
Leave me alone or we’ll soon be fighting

3
Loathecleon
Fighting about what?

Lovecleon
The donkey’s shadow!
(Henderson trans.)

11. Athenaeus 10.46

καὶ τὸ τῆς Σφιγγὸς δὲ αἴνιγμα Ἀσκληπιάδης ἐν τοῖς Τραγῳδουμένοις τοιοῦτον εἶναί φησιν·

ἔστι δίπουν ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ τετράπον, οὗ μία φωνή,

καὶ τρίπον, ἀλλάσσει δὲ φύσιν μόνον ὅσσ᾿ ἐπὶ
γαῖαν
ἑρπετὰ γίνονται καὶ ἀν᾿ αἰθέρα καὶ κατὰ πόντον.
ἀλλ᾿ ὁπόταν πλείστοισιν ἐρειδόμενον ποσὶ βαίνῃ,
ἔνθα τάχος γυίοισιν ἀφαυρότατον πέλει αὑτοῦ.

Asclepiades in his Stories Told in Tragedy (FGrH 12 F 7a = AP 14.64) claims that the riddle of the
Sphinx went as follows:

There is a creature upon the earth that has two feet and four, a single voice, and three feet as well; of all
that moves on land, and through the air, and in the sea, it alone alters its nature. But when it makes its way
propped on the largest number of feet, then the swiftness in its limbs is the weakest. (Olson Trans.)

12. Aeschylus Agamemnon 72-82

ἡμεῖς δ᾿ ἀτίται σαρκὶ παλαιᾷ

τῆς τότ᾿ ἀρωγῆς ὑπολειφθέντες
μίμνομεν ἰσχὺν
ἰσόπαιδα νέμοντες ἐπὶ σκήπτροις·
ὅ τε γὰρ νεαρὸς μυελὸς στέρνων
ἐντὸς ἀνάσσων
ἰσόπρεσβυς, Ἄρης δ᾿ οὐκ ἔνι χώρᾳ,
τό θ᾿ ὑπεργήρων, φυλλάδος ἤδη
κατακαρφομένης, τρίποδας μὲν ὁδούς
στείχει, παιδὸς δ᾿ οὐδὲν ἀρείων
ὄναρ ἡμερόφαντον ἀλαίνει.

But we, who because of our ancient flesh could not then contribute to the force in support, and were left
behind, remain here, guiding our childlike strength upon staffs. For the immature marrow that rules in a
child’s breast is like that of an old man, and there is no Ares in that realm; while extreme old age, its
leaves already withering, walks its way on three feet, no stronger than a child, a dream-vision wandering
through the day. (Sommerstein trans.)

4
Works Cited
Ahmed, S. 2006. Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others. Durham, NC.
Debiasi, A. 2013. “The ‘Norm of the Polyp,’ the Alcmeonis and the Oracle of Amphiaraus.”
Trends in Classics 5.2: 195-207.
Detienne, M. and J.-P. Vernant. 1991. Cunning Intelligence in Greek Culture and Society. Trans.
J. Lloyd. Chicago.
Dufallo, B. 2021. Disorienting Empire. Republican Latin Poetry’s Wanderers. Oxford.
Foster, M. 2017. “Fathers and Sons in War: Seven Against Thebes, Pythian 8, and the Polemics
of Genre.” In I. Torrance, ed. Aeschylus and War: Comparative Perspectives on Seven Against
Thebes: 150-172. Routledge.
----------. 2020. “Athens and Apolline Polyphony in Bacchylides Ode 16.” In In M. Foster, L.
Kurke, and N. Weiss, eds. Genre in Archaic and Classical Greek Poetry: Theories and Models,
191-230. Brill.
Fränkel, H. 1946. “Man’s ‘Ephemeros’ Nature Accord to Pindar and Others.” TAPA 77: 131-45.
Kowalzig, B. 2007. “And Now All the World Shall Dance! (Eur. Bacch. 114): Dionysus’ Choroi
between Drama and Ritual.” In E. Csapo and M. C. Miller, eds. The Origins of Theater
in Ancient Greece and Beyond: From Ritual to Drama, 221-251. Cambridge.
Kurke, L. 2013. “Pythian 11 and the Oresteia: Contestatory Ritual Poetics in the 5th c. BCE.”
ClAnt 32: 101-75.
Martin, R. P. 2004. “Home is the Hero: Deixis and Semantics in Pindar Pythian 8.” Arethusa 37:
343-63.
Nagy, G. 2000. “The Dream of a Shade.” HSCP 100: 97-118.
Rusten, J. 1996. “Oedipus and Triviality.” CP 91: 97-112.
Segal, C. 1981. Tragedy and Civilization: An Interpretation of Sophocles. Harvard.
Silk, M. 2001. “Pindar Meets Plato: Theory, Language, Value, and the Classics.” In S. J. Harrison, ed.,
Texts, Ideas, and the Classics. Scholarship, Theory, and Classical Literature. Oxford, 26-45.

5
6