THE TWO SYMPOSIUM MYTHS

CONTEXT

THE subject of the Symposium, like that of its companion Dialogue, the Phaedrus, is Love.

The subject is treated, from various points of view, in speeches made, in succession, by those present at a Banquet in the house of Agathon the tragedian-by Phaedrus, by Pausanias, by Eryximachus, by Aristophanes, by Agathon himself, by Socrates reporting the Discourse of Diotima the Woman of Mantinea, and lastly by Alcibiades.

Two of these speeches that of Aristophanes, and that of Diotima, reported by Socrates-are Myths.

189 C

Symposium 189 c-193 D.

Ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι παντάπασι τὴν τοῦ ἔρωτος δύναμιν οὐκ ᾔσθῆσθαι, ἐπεὶ αἰσθανόμενοί γε μέγιστ ̓ ἂν αὐτοῦ ἱερὰ κατασκευάσαι καὶ βωμοὺς καὶ θυσίας ἂν ποιεῖν μεγίστας, οὐχ ὥσπερ νῦν τούτων οὐδὲν γίγνεται περὶ αὐτόν Ο δέον πάντων μάλιστα γίγνεσθαι. ἔστι γὰρ θεῶν φιλανθρωπότατος, ἐπίκουρός τε ὢν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἰατρὸς τούτων, ὧν ἰαθέντων μεγίστη εὐδαιμονία ἂν τῷ ἀνθρωπείῳ γένει εἴη. ἐγὼ οὖν πειράσομαι ὑμῖν εἰσηγήσασθαι τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ, ὑμεῖς δὲ τῶν ἄλλων διδάσκαλοι ἔσεσθε. δεῖ δὲ πρῶτον ὑμᾶς μαθεῖν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν καὶ τὰ παθήματα αὐτῆς. Ἡ γὰρ πάλαι ἡμῶν φύσις οὐχ αὕτη ἦν ἵπερ νῦν, ἀλλ ̓ ἀλλοία. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τρία ἦν τὰ γένη τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐχ ὥσπερ νῦν δύο, ἄρρεν και θήλυ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ε τρίτον προσήν κοινὸν ἂν ἀμφοτέρων τούτων, οὗ νῦν ὄνομα λοιπόν, αὐτὸ δὲ ἠφάνισται· ἀνδρόγυνον γὰρ ἓν τότε μὲν ἦν καὶ εἶδος καὶ ὄνομα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων κοινὸν τοῦ τε ἄρρενος καὶ θήλεος, νῦν δ ̓ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλ ̓ ἢ ἐν ὀνείδει ὄνομα κείμενον. ἔπειτα ὅλον ἦν ἑκάστου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ εἶδος στρογγύλον, νῶτον καὶ πλευρὰς κύκλῳ ἔχον. χεῖρας δὲ τέτταρας εἶχε, καὶ σκέλη τὰ ἴσα ταῖς χερσί, καὶ πρόσωπα 190 δύο ἐπ' αὐχένι κυκλοτερεῖ, ὅμοια πάντῃ· κεφαλὴν δ ̓ ἐπ ̓ ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς προσώποις ἐναντίοις κειμένοις μίαν, καὶ ὦτα τέτταρα, καὶ αἰδοῖα δύο, καὶ τἆλλα πάντα ὡς ἀπὸ τούτων ἄν τις εἰκάσειεν. ἐπορεύετο δὲ καὶ ὀρθὸν ὥσπερ νῦν, ὁποτέρωσε βουληθείη· καὶ ὁπότε ταχὺ ὁρμήσειε θεῖν, ὥσπερ οἱ κυβιστῶντες εἰς ὀρθὸν τὰ σκέλη περιφερόμενοι κυβιστῶσι κύκλῳ, ὀκτὼ τότε οὖσι τοῖς μέλεσιν ἀπερειδόμενοι ταχὺ ἐφέροντο κύκλῳ. ἦν δὲ διὰ ταῦτα τρία τὰ γένη καὶ Β τοιαῦτα, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἄρρεν ἦν τοῦ ἡλίου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔκγονον, τὸ δὲ θῆλυ τῆς γῆς, τὸ δὲ ἀμφοτέρων μετέχον τῆς σελήνης, ὅτι καὶ ἡ σελήνη ἀμφοτέρων μετέχει. περιφερῆ δὲ δὴ ἦν καὶ αὐτὰ καὶ ἡ πορεία αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὅμοια

TRANSLATION OF THE MYTH TOLD BY ARISTOPHANES

Men, methinks, have altogether failed of apprehending the power of Love; for had they apprehended it, for him would they have builded the greatest temples and the greatest altars, and unto him would bring the greatest burnt offerings; whereas now no such honours are paid unto him-honours meet for him above all other gods; for he is that one of them all who loveth men most; he is the helper of mankind, and our physician where healing bringeth the greatest happiness. I will therefore endeavour to instruct you in his power; and you shall teach others.

First must be told what Human Nature is, and what are the affections thereof.

Human Nature was not originally what it now is, but different; for, in the first place, there were three genders of mankind,—not as now, two-male and female, but a third in addition thereto-a common gender composite of the two. This gender itself is clean gone, and only the name thereof remaineth, Man-Woman, as a name of reproach. Secondly, the whole form of every human creature was round, whereof the back and sides made one circumference; and it had four hands, and likewise four legs; and two faces, altogether similar to each other, upon a round neck; and on the top of these faces, which were set opposite to each other, one head; and four ears; and there were two privy members; and all the other parts after the same manner; and these people walked upright, as men do now, whithersoever they would; and also, when they desired to go quickly, they rolled quickly round, pushing off with their eight limbs, like tumblers who tumble over and over with their legs going round in the air.

Now the genders were three, and of this sort, because the male gender was in the beginning sprung from the Sun, and the female gender from the Earth, and that which partook of both from the Moon-for the Moon partaketh of both Sun and Earth so it came to pass that they themselves and their manner of progression were circular after the likeness of

εἶναι. ἣν οὖν τὴν ἰσχὺν δεινὰ καὶ τὴν ῥώμην, καὶ τὰ φρονήματα μεγάλα εἶχον, ἐπεχείρησαν δὲ τοῖς θεοῖς, καὶ ὃ λέγει "Ομηρος περὶ Ἐφιάλτου τε καὶ Ὤτου, περὶ ἐκείνων C λέγεται, τὸ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνάβασιν ἐπιχειρεῖν ποιεῖν, ὡς ἐπιθησομένων τοῖς θεοῖς.

Ὁ οὖν Ζεὺς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι θεοὶ ἐβουλεύοντο, ὅ τι χρὴ αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι, καὶ ἠπόρουν· οὔτε γὰρ ὅπως ἀποκτείναιεν εἶχον καὶ ὥσπερ τοὺς γίγαντας κεραυνώσαντες τὸ γένος ἀφανίσαιεν—αἱ τιμαὶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἱερὰ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠφανίζετο—οὔθ ̓ ὅπως ἐῷεν ἀσελγαίνειν. μόγις δὴ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐννοήσας λέγει, ὅτι Δοκῶ μοι, ἔφη, ἔχειν μηχανήν, ὡς ἂν εἰέν τε ἄνθρωποι καὶ παύσαιντο τῆς D ἀκολασίας ἀσθενέστεροι γενόμενοι. νῦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτούς, ἔφη, διατεμῶ δίχα ἕκαστον, καὶ ἅμα μὲν ἀσθενέστεροι ἔσονται, ἅμα δὲ χρησιμώτεροι ἡμῖν διὰ τὸ πλείους τὸν ἀριθμὸν γεγονέναι· καὶ βαδιοῦνται ὀρθοὶ ἐπὶ δυοῖν σκελοῖν. ἐὰν δ ̓ ἔτι δοκῶσιν ἀσελγαίνειν καὶ μὴ ἐθέλωσιν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, πάλιν αὖ, ἔφη, τεμῶ δίχα, ὥστ ̓ ἐφ ̓ ἑνὸς πορεύσονται σκέλους ἀσκωλίζοντες. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἔτεμνε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους Ε δίχα, ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ ὄα τέμνοντες καὶ μέλλοντες ταριχεύειν, ἢ ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ ὠὰ ταῖς θριξίν. ὅντινα δὲ τέμοι, τὸν ̓Απόλλω ἐκέλευε τό τε πρόσωπον μεταστρέφειν καὶ τὸ τοῦ αὐχένος ἥμισυ πρὸς τὴν τομήν, ἵνα θεώμενος τὴν αὑτοῦ τμῆσιν κοσμιώτερος εἴη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τἆλλα ἰᾶσθαι ἐκέλευεν. ὁ δὲ τό τε πρόσωπον μετέστρεφε, καὶ συνέλκων πανταχόθεν τὸ δέρμα ἐπὶ τὴν γαστέρα νῦν καλουμένην, ὥσπερ τὰ σύσπαστα βαλάντια, ἓν στόμα ποιῶν ἀπέδει κατὰ μέσην τὴν γαστέρα, ὃ δὴ τὸν ὀμφαλὸν καλοῦσι. καὶ 191 τὰς μὲν ἄλλας ῥυτίδας τὰς πολλὰς ἐξελέαινε καὶ τὰ στήθη διήρθρου, ἔχων τι τοιοῦτον ὄργανον, οἷον οἱ σκυτοτόμοι, περὶ τὸν καλόποδα λεαίνοντες τὰς τῶν σκυτῶν ῥυτίδας· ὀλίγας δὲ κατέλιπε, τὰς περὶ αὐτὴν τὴν γαστέρα καὶ τὸν ὀμφαλόν, μνημεῖον εἶναι τοῦ παλαιοῦ πάθους. ἐπειδὴ οὖν

their parents: and they were terrible by reason of their strength and valour; and their hearts were proud, and they made assault upon the Gods; for that which Homer telleth concerning Ephialtes and Otus is told concerning them-that they essayed to go up into Heaven for to lay hands on the Gods.

Wherefore Zeus and the other Gods took counsel what they should do, and were in doubt; for they were not minded to slay them, as they slew the giants, with thunderbolts, and to make men to cease utterly from the Earth, for then would the worship and the sacrifices which men render unto the Gods also cease; nor were they minded to let them go on in their iniquities. At last after a long while Zeus bethought him of this that followeth, and said: "I have found out a way, methinks, of keeping men alive, and yet making them weaker, so that they shall cease from their wickedness: I will cut each one of them in twain; and so shall they be made weaker, and also more serviceable for us, having been increased in number; and they shall walk upright on two legs; and if I see them again behaving themselves frowardly and not willing to live peaceably, I will cut them yet again in twain," he said, "so that they shall go hopping on one leg."

Having spoken thus, he straightway began to cut men in twain, as one cutteth apples for pickling, or eggs with hairs; and each one whom he cut in twain he delivered unto Apollo, and commanded him to turn round the face and half of the neck towards the cut, so that the fellow, beholding it, might behave himself more seemly; likewise the other parts did he command Apollo to dress and Apollo turned the face round, and pulled the skin together from all parts over that which is now called the belly, even as one draweth together a purse, and the one opening which was left he closed and made fast in the middle of the belly-this is that which they now call the navel; and smoothing out all the other wrinkles everywhere, he fashioned the breasts with an instrument like unto that wherewith cobblers smooth out the wrinkles of the leather round the last; but he left a few wrinkles about the belly itself and the navel, to be for a memorial of that which had been done of old.