Claudius Aelianus, De Natura Animalium 11.8: ban of women from the Olympic Games

Claudius Aelianus, De Natura Animalium 11.8: ban of women from the Olympic Games

2nd/3rd century CE

Natural history

Literary source

I have mentioned somewhere earlier on how on the occasion of the festival at Olympia , the flies absent themselves of their own free will and, so to speak, depart along with the women to the opposite bank of the Alpheius. And in the island of Leucas there is a high promontory on which a temple of Apollo has been built, and worshippers style him Apollo of Actium. Now when the festival is about to be held there in which they make the Leap in honour of the god, men sacrifice an ox to the flies, and when the latter have sated themselves with the blood they disappear. Yes, but they are bribed to depart, whereas the flies at Pisa need no bribe. So the latter are superior because they do what is required out of reverence for the god and not for a reward.

Alwyn F. Scholfield, Aelian, On Animals, vol. 1: Books 1-5 (= Loeb Classical Library; 446), London 1958.

ἄνω που λέλεκταί μοι τὰς μυίας τὰς ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τῇ τῆς πανηγύρεως ἐπιδημίᾳ ἑκούσας ἀφίστασθαι καὶ ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀντιπέρας ὄχθην τοῦ Ἀλφειοῦ ἀπιέναι. ἐν δὲ τῇ Λευκάδι ἄκρα μέν ἐστιν ὑψηλή, νεὼς δὲ Ἀπόλλωνι ἵδρυται, καὶ Ἄκτιόν γε αὐτὸν οἱ τιμῶντες ὀνομάζουσιν. οὐκοῦν τῆς πανηγύρεως ἐπιδημεῖν μελλούσης, καθ᾽ ἣν καὶ τὸ πήδημα πηδῶσι τῷ θεῷ, θύουσι βοῦν ταῖς μυίαις, αἳ δὲ ἐμπλησθεῖσαι τοῦ αἵματος ἀφανίζονται. δεκασθεῖσαι μὲν οὖν ἀπαλλάττονται αὗται, αἱ δὲ Πισαῖαι ἀδέκαστοι. κρείττους ἄρα ἐκεῖναι, αἰδοῖ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ μισθοῦ τὰ δέοντα πράττουσαι

Rudolf Hercher (ed.), Claudii Aeliani de natura animalium libri xvii, varia historia, epistolae, fragmenta, vol. 1, Leipzig 1864.