APPENDIX C΄ ON DEPILATION: BODY COSMETICS IN CLASSICAL ...

546 APPENDIX C΄
is among them disguised as a woman, he is taken at first as a woman
(v. 571 sqq.); and he himself declares his affiliations in his following
speech in no ambiguous terms (notice in particular the sexual
connotation of the Á˘Ó·ÈÎÔÌ·¯á in v. 576; to his ͢ÁÁÂÓÂÖ˜ ÙÔéÌÔÜ
ÙÚfiappleÔ˘, the scholiast has: Ùa ·éÙ¿ ÌÔÈ appleÚ¿ÙÙÔ˘Û·È. But this is not
exactly correct: for if he wanted to allude to the general similarity
between his and their ways, he would have more properly expressed it
by using the formula Û˘ÁÁÂÓc˜ ÙáÓ ñÌÂÙ¤ÚˆÓ ÙÚfiappleˆÓ. Aristophanes
is exact here: their sexual behaviour is not the same, only similar to
his). He is close shaven (575, where the scholiast has: ℛψÙÔ ÁaÚ ï
KÏÂÈÛı¤Ó˘ Ùa˜ ÁÓ¿ıÔ˘˜ Á˘Ó·ÈΈ‰á˜; cf. 582-3). But in the passage
from Ranae we have depilation of the appleÚˆÎÙfi˜. In intense mourning,
plucking off of hair, naturally of the head, could take place;
Aristophanes applies the custom to where is more apposite for the
effeminate Cleisthenes: the anus. Similarly to strike and cut oneself
when bereaved of somebody close to heart were habitual forms of
extreme grief in mourning; but Aristophanes, by describing the
mourner’s convulsions by âÁÎÂ΢ÊÒ˜ and by grammatically making
this dependent on ÎàÎfiappleÙÂÙÔ, clearly alludes to quick anal coition in
desolate places, such as ancient cemeteries were. These points have
been succinctly made by the ancient scholiasts. Thus, for the last, sch.
ad v. 422 …âÓ Ù·Ö˜ âÚËÌ›·È˜ ηd appleÂÚd Ùa˜ Ù·Êa˜ ηd ÙÔf˜ Ù¿ÊÔ˘˜
ηÎᘠöapple·Û¯ÂÓ (= was suffering anal intercourse). As for the former
points, the Scholiast observes: Ùe ÔsÓ Ù›ÏÏÂÈÓ Ùa˜ ÙÚ›¯·˜ ηd ÎfiappleÙÂ-
Ûı·È ±Ì· ÌbÓ ó˜ âappled ÙÂÙÂÏ¢ÙËÎfiÙË àÓ·Áη›ˆ˜, ±Ì· ‰b Âå˜ Ì·Ï·-
Λ·ÓØ Î·d Ùe ÎfiappleÙÂÛı·È ηÎÂÌÊ¿Ùˆ˜ (sc. ϤÁÂÈ). And as for the
general point of the sexual import of bending or leaning forward or
stooping down as a preparation for all sorts of quick sexual
satisfaction, especially in isolated spots in the countryside, see on this
matter in the study òAÚÚËÙ· ^IÂÚ¿ with the there given references.
Who is, finally, the man whom Cleisthenes mourns so singularly
and for whom he calls out in tears? ‚ÖÓÔ˜ ï \AÓ·ÊχÛÙÈÔ˜, both
names being highly significant in a sexual way. For ‚ÖÓÔ˜ is clearly
fashioned from Ûb ‚ÈÓÂÖ (coire, inire te); and thus the Athenians in
Lysistrata 1092, hot with their erections, exclaim: ÔéÎ öÛı’ ¬appleˆ˜ Ôé
KÏÂÈÛı¤ÓË ‚ÈÓ‹ÛÔÌÂÓØ cf. Ranae 48 âapple‚¿Ù¢ÔÓ KÏÂÈÛı¤ÓÂÈ where
notice the word used to signify the sexual act referred to; as the
scholiast observes: apple·›˙ÂÈØ Ï¤ÁÂÙ·È ÁaÚ Î·d âappled ÓÂg˜ Ùe âappleÈ‚·Ù‡ÂÈÓ,
ηd âappled Û˘ÓÔ˘Û›·˜ ηÙa ÌÂÙ·ÊÔÚaÓ ÙáÓ àÏfiÁˆÓ ˙ˇÒˆÓ, L âappleÈ‚·›ÓÔ-