September 24, 2011
September 23, 2011
Sappho's "Like the very gods in my sight is he"
Born about 630 B.C on the
Greek island of Lesbos, Sappho was one of the most prominent and recognized poets
of ancient Greece. Her work contains themes of marriage, love, sexuality,
and most notably, lesbianism between young girls. The word “lesbian” is
actually derived from Lesbos, her homeland. Many find surprising that a woman
in ancient Greece could be able to achieve muse status
writing works of high eroticism;
additionally, if she, a woman, became so widespread, then how come she is one
of the only ones? Well, much of Sappho’s
work remains lost; all of what we can gather from her life is taken from the
fragments of her recovered poetry, and comments made by critics and historians.
Athenaeus, a Greek rhetorician, wrote that Sappho often praised Larichus (her
youngest brother) for pouring wine in the town hall of Mytilene, an office held
by boys of the best families;[1]
this would indicate that Sappho was born in aristocracy, making it easier for
her to become recognized by the masses, and winning priority over the common
people.
writing works of high eroticism;
additionally, if she, a woman, became so widespread, then how come she is one
of the only ones? Well, much of Sappho’s
work remains lost; all of what we can gather from her life is taken from the
fragments of her recovered poetry, and comments made by critics and historians.
Athenaeus, a Greek rhetorician, wrote that Sappho often praised Larichus (her
youngest brother) for pouring wine in the town hall of Mytilene, an office held
by boys of the best families;[1]
this would indicate that Sappho was born in aristocracy, making it easier for
her to become recognized by the masses, and winning priority over the common
people.
Despite being well known
for her homoerotic work, Sappho wrote about men as well, as seen in the
following fragment of a recovered poem.