LHMP #495 Cassio 1983 Post-Classical Λεσβίας

This is a very brief philological note about the appearance and context of the Greek word “lesbiai” (lesbians) after the classical period. It begins by noting usage of the verbs “lesbizo” and “lesbiazo” that refer to fellatio, not to same-sex relations. He also notes Lucian’s reference connecting women from Lesbos with same-sex relations (in the Dialogues of the Courtesans). He discounts a claim (which I reviewed at one point and discarded as irrelevant) that there is a reference to “lesbizo” referring to tribadism in the 15th century. But then he claims that French and Italian uses of “lesbian” in a (same-sex) sexual sense “do not seem to occur before the nineteenth century” evidently overlooking or silently discounting Brantôme and others. And (as usual) claims the same for English, citing the OED.

But the meat of this note is the 10th century commentary by Arethas on Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Paedagogus. The base text by Clement reads:

Γυναΐκες άνδρίζονται παρά φύσιν

“women act as men against nature”

[Note: I’m transcribing this from a badly pixelated scan of a xerox and I’m not at all certain that the diacritic marks are correct. Corrections welcome.]

And Arethas’ commentary reads:

Τάς μιαράς τριβάδας λέγει, ‘άς και ‘εταιριστρίας και Λεσβίας καλοΰσιν

“the unclean tribades (tribadas) who are also called hetairistriai (hetairistrias) and lesbians (lesbias)”

[Note: Cassio declines to give translations, being of a generation who believes that if you can’t read Greek and Latin directly you have no business calling yourself an academic. I’ve drafted these translations by comparing a number of online sources.]

Cassio notes “There are strong reasons for believing that Arethas was not drawing on ancient sources for his comments…except for one instance; so his note is likely to reflect current [i.e., 10th century] Byzantine usage.” He concludes, “Clearly the ill repute of Lesbian women in antiquity was not exclusively due to their alleged propensity to fellatio, and female homosexuality may well have been regarded as typical of Lesbos, though tribads from other parts of the Greek world are also known.” He cites Lucian as a potential inspiration for this association, given its unambiguous reference to women from Lesbos having same-sex relations.