Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

MARRIAGE CUSTOMS

of the noble bride who has fallen to his lot. But we know nothing more of the contents of these older hymenzi. They were artistically developed and thereby introduced into literature by Alcman in the second half of the seventh century; he seems to have elevated this class of poetry to high perfection, at least Leonidas of Tarentum calls him “ the singing swan of wedding songs ”’ (Anth. Pal., vii, I9: vuyyrip tpuevatwv xvxvov), Further progress in their history is perhaps indicated by the name of Stesichorus (about 640-555), to whom an Epithalamium of Helen is attributed (Stesichorus, frag. 31, PLG). Yet nothing more is known about this, indeed the notice itself is so doubtful that we cannot even say with certainty that Stesichorus ever composed such an epithalamium.

Thus the oldest marriage-songs of the Greeks have disappeared, except for a bare mention. No information of their contents is given us, and even of the epithalamia of Sappho, who brought this class of poetry to its highest perfection, only miserable fragments are preserved. This is the more regrettable as, according to the testimony of antiquity, it is just the epithalamia that are the pearls of Sapphic poetry ; Himerius (Orationes, 14; 16; 19), the sophist, describes in particular the beauties of this branch of Sapphic composition with glowing enthusiasm: ‘‘She enters the bridal chamber, prepares the bed for the bridegroom, praises the beauty of the maidens, makes Aphrodite, sitting in the car of the Graces, descend from heaven surrounded by a host of Loves to play with her ; she twines the bride’s hair with hyacinth blossoms, and lets it wave freely round her temples, a sport of the winds, while the Loves with gold-bedecked wings and tresses guide the car, swinging over their head the wedding torches.”

These are evidently all allusions to passages occurring in the Epithalamia of Sappho, which Himerius puts forward as specially characteristic.

47