Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §123.1

Unmixed Wine for the Good Daimon and Ritual Moderation

Passage 128 of 196 · Greek

Summary

In his On Drunkenness, Theophrastus describes the ritualistic consumption of the unmixed wine of the Good Daimon served at dinner, and the supplication made to the god to maintain moderation.

§123.1Fr. 123 Θ. ἐν τῷ περὶ μέθης τὸν ἄκρατον φησὶν οἶνον τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ δείπνῳ διδόμενον, ὃν δὴ λέγουσιν ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος εἶναι πρόποσιν, ὀλίγον τε προσφέρουσιν ὥσπερ ἀναμιμνήσκοντες μόνον τῇ γεύσει τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῦ καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δωρεάν· καὶ μετὰ τὴν πλήρωσιν διδόασιν ὅπως ἐλάχιστον ᾖ τὸ πινόμενον· καὶ τρίτον προσκυνήσαντες λαμβάνουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης καὶ ὥσπερ ἱκετείαν τινὰ ποιούμενοι τοῦ θεοῦ μηδὲν ἀσχημονεῖν μηδὲ ἔχειν ἰσχυρὰν ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ πότου. . . καὶ λαμβάνειν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὰ καλὰ καὶ χρήσιμα.
Theophrastus, in his work On Drunkenness, says of the unmixed wine given at dinner—which they indeed call the toast of the Good Daimon—that they offer only a little of it, as if reminding them by the taste alone of its strength and the gift of the god; and after being filled, they give it so that what is drunk may be as little as possible; and thirdly, after making obeisance, they take it from the table and, making as it were a kind of supplication to the god, they pray that they may do nothing unseemly nor have a strong desire for drink... and may receive from it what is beautiful and useful.

Notes

  1. 123.1τὸν ἄκρατον ... οἶνον — Although placed as an accusative immediately after the verb φησίν, it functions as the object of the subsequent main verb προσφέρουσιν, acting as a proleptic or hanging accusative at the beginning of the clause.
  2. 123.1τοῦ θεοῦ — Objective genitive dependent on the noun ἱκετείαν (supplication), meaning 'supplication to the god.'
  3. 123.1μηδὲν ἀσχημονεῖν — An infinitive clause of explanation (epexegetical infinitive) expressing the specific content of the supplication (ἱκετείαν).

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §123.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:123.1

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