Cairns, Douglas

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     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Mixing with Men and Nausicaa's NemesisCitation for published version:Cairns, D 1990, 'Mixing with Men and Nausicaa's Nemesis' The Classical Quarterly, vol 40, pp. 263-6.,10.1017/S0009838800026963Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1017/S0009838800026963Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Publisher final version (usually the publisher pdf)Published In:The Classical QuarterlyPublisher Rights Statement:© Cairns, D. (1990). Mixing with Men and Nausicaa's Nemesis. The Classical Quarterly, 40, 263-6doi:10.1017/S0009838800026963General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 20. Feb. 2015The Classical Quarterlyhttp://journals.cambridge.org/CAQAdditional services for The Classical Quarterly:Email alerts: Click hereSubscriptions: Click hereCommercial reprints: Click hereTerms of use : Click hereMixing with Men and Nausicaa's NemesisDouglas L. CairnsThe Classical Quarterly / Volume 40 / Issue 01 / May 1990, pp 263 - 266DOI: 10.1017/S0009838800026963, Published online: 11 February 2009Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0009838800026963How to cite this article:Douglas L. Cairns (1990). Mixing with Men and Nausicaa's Nemesis. The ClassicalQuarterly, 40, pp 263-266 doi:10.1017/S0009838800026963Request Permissions : Click hereDownloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/CAQ, IP address: 129.215.19.187 on 19 Dec 2013Classical Quarterly 40 (i) 263-287 (1990) Printed in Great Britain 263SHORTER NOTESMIXING WITH MEN AND NAUSICAA'S NEMESIS*At Odyssey 6.273-88 Nausicaa explains to Odysseus that, out of concern for herreputation, she is unwilling to have him accompany herself and her maidservants allthe way to town:T<OV [sc. the Phaeacians] dXeeivw ^yf/fiiv dSfvKf'a, fiij TIS Siriaawixojfievrj- /xaAa 8' elalv VTrtfxj>iaXoi Kara 8rjiiov/cat vv TK <I>8' eiirrjoi KaKcbrepos aWijSoAijaay"TI'S 8' 58e NavoiKaq eTrerai KaXos re jidyas re£eivos; irov 8e /uv fvpt; iroais vv ol eaaerat avrff77 TWO. TTOV irXayxOevra KOIXIOOOLTO rjs amo vr)6sav&pojf rqkt&aTiiJjv, fTrei ov rives eyyvdev elaivij rn- ol €v(a/j.€vri TroXvapr/Tos Otos rjXdevovpavodev icara/Say, e^et 8e /u.iv 17/iOTa iravra.fif'Xrepov, ei Kavrq TTtp irroi)(Ofievji irdoiv evpevaXXodev 17 yap rovaSf y' d.Tip.d^€i Kara Srjfxov&air)Kas, roi fiiv fivwvrai iroXees re Kal iaOXoi."<bs ipdovaiv, ifioi &€ K' ovei&ea ravra yivono.KOX 8' dXXrj v€fj.€aw, f} TIS Toiavrd ye pe£oi,17 T' deVrjTt (j>CXnov narpos xal p^rpos iovrwvavSpdoi fiiayr]Tai npiv y' a/ji.<j>d8iov ydfiov iXdfiv.This discussion concentrates on the meaning of Nausicaa's words in lines 286-8, inparticular on the force of the phrase Kal S' aXXrj KTX. and the sense of the verblj.iayrjTai. On the latter Hainsworth1 comments, '-In later usage the simple verb insuch a context is used as a euphemism for the sexual act. The line must have soundedmost odd to the classical age.' Thus he translates 'associate with', citing Odyssey7.247 as an exact parallel; since, in that place, the verb refers to nothing more thanordinary human intercourse (neither gods nor men 'have anything to do with'Calypso), with no further connotations, one must conclude that Hainsworth sees noinnuendo whatever in 6.288.It is clear that a neutral sense of (iioyeodai is quite possible in the poem,2 but theverb is also, and more frequently, found in the context of sexual relationships. In mostof these passages the sexual reference is conveyed not by the use of (iiayeadai alone,but by the addition of specific terms such as <f>iX6i~r)s and evvrj;3 even this, however,is enough to raise the possibility of a sexual connotation in 6.288. This possibility isstrengthened when we note that there does exist a number of passages in which theverb is used without qualification as a simple euphemism for sexual intimacy.Admittedly, in a great many of these cases some other reference to sex or childbirthin the immediate context makes the application of fiiayeadai clear,4 but thesenonetheless remain instances of the simple verb, unqualified, in a specifically sexualsense; and in one passage of Book 20 it is the verb ixtayeaOai itself, alone and* I should like to thank Mr A. F. Garvie for his comments on an earlier draft of this note.1 A Commentary on Homer's Odyssey, Vol. 1 (Oxford, 1988), ad loc.2 See 1.209, 4.178, 24.314, as well as 7.247. The verb can also mean as little as 'come intocontact with', 'be in/enter the company of ; 5.378, 386, 6.136 etc.3 1.433, 5.125-6, 10.334, 15.420-1, 19.266, 23.219; cf. //. 2.232, 3.445, 6.25, 161, 165, 9.133,275, 14.295, 19.176, 24.131.4 1.73, 7.61, 8.268 (the story described as one of ^lAoVqy in 267), 11.268, 306-7, 15.430,18.325, 22.445; cf.//. 21.142-3.264 SHORTER NOTESunaided, which conveys the sexual connotation.5 So it is not only the classical agewhich might, in the light of its familiarity with the euphemistic sense of fiiayeadai,have found the passage odd; the possibility of a sexual connotation is raised by theusage of the Odyssey itself.I do not wish to suggest, however, that there is any specifically sexual sense inNausicaa's use of pioyr/rat in 288 - it would be superfluous for a well-brought-upyoung woman like Nausicaa to express her disapproval of a girl who has sex with men(pi.) before marriage; but I do wish to show that an entirely neutral sense of the verbcould lead to a significant misunderstanding. Clearly fiiayeadai can be used over awide range of senses; let us assume a polarity of two extremes, one of entirelyinnocent social intercourse and one of sexual intercourse; my contention is thatNausicaa's use of the verb lies somewhere between these extremes, and drawssomething of its connotation, but not its denotation, from the latter, sexual context.Properly to determine the connotation of iiioyrjrai in 288 is not a matter of merelyphilological importance; rather it will contribute significantly to our view of thepassage as a whole, and will even have implications for the study of Homeric valuesin general. The crux of the problem is this; if Nausicaa's vifxeois is directed at any girlwho merely associates with men before marriage, then she herself has been guilty ofbreaking the standard whose breach she is ready to criticize in others, for she is notmarried and she has been in Odysseus' company for some time. Quite natural, somemay say; Homeric society is a shame culture and it is not the offence which matters,but its discovery; Nausicaa can readily countenance association with Odysseus, butcannot bear that her indiscretion should be discovered. Her response is purelycalculative, based on fear of detection.6Such a view, however, ignores the significance of the phrase nai 8' dXXrj ve^iead),f) TIS roiavrd ye /5e'£oi in 286. Similar locutions elsewhere provide important evidenceof the falsity of the thesis that appropriate behaviour in Homer is motivated by fearof external sanctions alone. Thus at Odyssey 15.69-71 Menelaus assures Telemachusthat he need have no fear of incurring his resentment by wishing to leave:£ oy K ^ ^ P8' ixdaiprjaiv iifj.€ivw 8'Menelaus, then, is saying that he would not dream of acting in a manner which hewould criticize in another. To say that one would feel ve'/xeaty against another is thusto express one's agreement with standards by which one is liable to be criticized.7Similarly, when Achilles, intervening in the quarrel between the lesser Ajax andIdomeneus in Iliad 23, points out that they themselves would feel vepeais againstanyone who behaved as they do (23.494), he is making it clear (a) that he is notapplying standards any more censorious than those to which the two antagonistsnormally subscribe and (b) that Ajax and Idomeneus should not persist in conduct5 20.7 and 12, of the maidservants' intimacy with the suitors.6 A shame culture is defined by its earliest proponents as one in which concern for externalsanctions, for punishment and disgrace, is the force which promotes socially approvedbehaviour; its members are thus supposed not to possess standards of their own; see M. Mead(ed.), Co-operation and Competition among Primitive Peoples (New York, 1937), pp. 493-5, andR.Benedict, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword (London, 1947), p. 223; that the shameculture-guilt culture antithesis is, at least in its original formulation, untenable is shown by G.Piers and M. B. Singer, Shame and Guilt: A Psychoanalytic and a Cultural Study (Springfield,IL, 1953, 2New York, 1971), yet it is still found, without explicit modification, in classicalcontexts.7 cf. M. Dickie, 'DIKE as a Moral Term in Homer and Hesiod', CP 73 (1978), 91-101, at 94.SHORTER NOTES 265which they would recognize as reprehensible in others.8 These locutions, then, appealto the ideas that individuals possess standards of their own and that one does not dooneself that which one would criticize in another.So Nausicaa is saying that she possesses standards of her own; but if fiiay-qraimeans simply ' associate with' with no further connotations, she is already in breachof these standards. We can accept that Nausicaa might act against her own principles,but that she should enunciate those principles in explanation not of their observance,but merely of her concern that their breach should not be discovered would bestrange, and would mean that the xal 8' aXXio... phrase behaves anomalously in thispassage; whereas the other passages appeal to the idea that one should not do whatone criticizes in others, Nausicaa, while using the same language, apparentlyabandons conduct which she regards as inappropriate in others only when it is indanger of becoming public. The significance of the other passages as indications ofHomeric man's commitment to personal standards might be undercut by one in whichthe personal standard is enunciated, but ignored. But we should look further beforeaccepting such an anomaly.We can allow the phrase Kal 8' aXXr/ vtfj.ead> KTX. to bear the same force asanalogous locutions only if we regard the conduct described as worthy of vefieoCs asdifferent from Nausicaa's own. There are, in fact, clear signs that this is the case. In 286roiavra refers not to Nausicaa's own future behaviour (entering the city in thecompany of a man) but to the criticisms made by TIS KaKtorepos in 274-84. Nausicaawould feel ve^eai?, then, at someone who acted in the manner attacked by thechurlish elements in these lines; and these churlish elements do not simply criticize thefact of her presence in Odysseus' company. Rather they infer that the stranger willbe her husband, implying that the relationship has already advanced beyond simpleassociation; they picture, maliciously, Odysseus as a god who has arrived in answerto the maiden's prayers and who will 'have her forever', an allusion to the type oferotic encounter which is frequent between gods and virgins; and they conclude thatit is good that Nausicaa has found a husband from elsewhere, since she has suchobvious contempt for her local suitors - a typical male remark, by which a womanwho has no interest in the group of males with which the speakers identify themselvesis credited with amorous adventures elsewhere. In short, the reproaches whichNausicaa fears are full of innuendo, and imply much more than simple association.Accordingly, her application of fiLoyqrai to the behaviour of one who deserves thesereproaches has the same overtones as the language of TIS KaKwrepos- Nausicaa doesnot use the word specifically to mean 'have sex with', but she is using it in fullknowledge of its euphemistic sense; the rest of the line in which the verb occurs -' before open marriage takes place' - itself suggests by contrast some covert form ofintimacy.To take Nausicaa's ve/xeais as directed at transgressions she does not see herself ashaving committed, then, preserves the coherence of the passage; it also fits better withthe attitude of her father at 7.299-301, where he reproaches her for not bringingOdysseus back to the city along with her attendants; Alcinous has not given specificpermission for Nausicaa to associate with this stranger, yet he clearly does not feel thatthere is anything wrong in her doing so, provided the situation is innocent" and8 cf. //. 6.329-30, where Hector argues that Paris himself would fight or fall out with anyonewhom he caught slacking -ov &' av /xaxeaaio xal aAAoj...On these two second-personformulations see I. M. Hohendahl-Zoetelief, Manners in the Homeric Epic (Mnem. Suppl. 63,Leiden, 1980), pp. 11-13." The situation in this case is innocent in that Nausicaa has a duty to Odysseus as a guest, aduty to which she herself refers (6.206-8).266 SHORTER NOTESprovided she is attended. It is extremely unlikely, then, that Nausicaa could, in6.286-8, be referring to an absolute prohibition on the presence of unmarried girlsamong men without their parents' permission.10 Where parental permission isrequired is in the forming of attachments leading to marriage; this is what the gossipof the citizens suggests Nausicaa has done, and it is to this that her use of the verb/it'oyijTot refers. Outwardly, at least,11 it is not her own behaviour which Nausicaarecognizes as improper or which she describes as 'mixing with men', but that whichis conjured up as a pejorative construction placed on her own conduct by the churlishelements in the polis.To show that Nausicaa's vefj-eais is not directed at behaviour which could becompared with her own it is sufficient that her own behaviour should be innocent, andthat this is so is suggested by the context of guest-friendship and by Alcinous'remarks; accordingly, it may be argued, I do not need a pejorative sense of ^ lay-qraito prove my case. By the same token, however, if the behaviour which Nausicaacriticizes is not her own, there is no need for a neutral sense of fiiay-qrai, and if'mixing with men' is to paraphrase the taunts of the citizens and contrast with 'openmarriage', a neutral sense, I submit, is impossible.12Nausicaa's expression of her principles thus makes perfect sense; rather thanenunciating principles which she is actively engaged in flouting, she is explaining toOdysseus exactly why the criticisms of the churlish elements, unjustified as they are,matter to her. The use of the KCU S'dXXw... formula in this passage therefore does notdetract from, but reinforces the importance of the locution as an indication ofHomeric man's awareness that he possesses standards of his own.University of Otago DOUGLAS L.CAIRNS10 On the sense of line 287 and the difficulty in construing the genitives see Hainsworth, adhe.11 The meeting between Nausicaa and Odysseus is very subtly handled, and, in particular, ourknowledge of N.'s readiness for marriage is consistently exploited to colour our interpretation;it is possible that N. is so sensitive to criticism of her having found a husband from elsewhereprecisely because she hopes to do just that; thus she may feel rather more vulnerable to criticismthan might a girl with no thought of marriage in her mind. This does not entail, however, thatN. should regard herself as guilty of 'mixing with men' in the manner which she would criticizein others, and any hidden anxieties she may feel do not affect the logic of her explicit remarks.18 Rieu's (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1946 etc.) 'consorts with' is on the right lines.PARMENIDES' REFERENCEFirst in the aether Parmenides places the morning star, which he believes to be the same as theevening star...1[the moon] always looking towards the sunshine2I shall not be concerned with the truth or falsity of these ascriptions, only with thefact that they are just the sort of thing that Parmenides could have said. Nor is an1 Diels-Kranz A40a (Aetius 2.15.4 [Dox. Gr. 345]) tr. Gallop. See Diogenes Laertius 8.14(Diels-Kranz A40a also), where the same discovery is said to have been attributed byParmenides to Pythagoras (but for two opinions, see Diels-Kranz Al, Diogenes Laertius 9.21-3).2 Diels-Kranz B15. See also Diels-Kranz A42 for direct statements that, according toParmenides, the moon gets its light from the sun.

See Diogenes Laertius 8.14 (Diels-Kranz A40a also), where the same discovery is said to have been attributed by Parmenides to Pythagoras (but for two opinions, see Diels-Kranz Al, Diogenes Laertius 9.21-3).

Mixing with Men and Nausicaa's Nemesis

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