{"id":1670,"date":"2021-01-03T18:15:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-03T15:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2021-01-03T18:15:12","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T15:15:12","slug":"sappho-the-tenth-muse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/sappho-the-tenth-muse\/","title":{"rendered":"Sappho: The Tenth Muse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0<\/span>ancient<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Greek<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>lyric <\/span>poet<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Sappho<\/span>, was <\/span>born<\/span> in Lesbos in <\/span>the<\/span>\u00a07th\u00a0<\/span>century<\/span> BC. Here we <\/span>shed some<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>light<\/span>\u00a0on her\u00a0<\/span>period<\/span> as one of the greatest lyric poets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Although<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>information<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>about<\/span> her life is <\/span>limited<\/span>, it is\u00a0<\/span>known\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span> she <\/span>was<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>born<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>into\u00a0an\u00a0<\/span>aristocratic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>family<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span> she had <\/span>three<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>brothers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>mentioned<\/span> in her <\/span>poems<\/span>. As far as\u00a0<\/span>we<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>know<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>from<\/span> her <\/span>own<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>poems<\/span>, she has a daughter<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>named<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Kleis<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>There<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>no<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>information<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>about<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>education<\/span> she <\/span>received<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>regarding<\/span> her poetry<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>which<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>would<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>cause<\/span>\u00a0Plato\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0be\u00a0<\/span>called<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>tenth<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Muse<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Unlike<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Athens<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Aeolian<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>cultural<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>region<\/span>\u2019s perspective<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>towards<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>women<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>positive<\/span>.<\/span> Women<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>could\u00a0<\/span>participate<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>competitions<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0men in\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>arts<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>other<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>fields. They<\/span> were also <\/span>considered<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>have<\/span> as many <\/span>privileges<\/span> as men.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sappho\"
Sappho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sappho<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>also<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>gained<\/span>\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>reputation<\/span> as a <\/span>teacher<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>school<\/span>\u00a0she\u00a0<\/span>opened<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>unmarried<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>young<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>girls<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>It<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>believed\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>this<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>school<\/span> (called\u00a0<\/span>Thiasos),\u00a0students\u00a0were\u00a0given\u00a0training\u00a0and\u00a0celebrations\u00a0in\u00a0search\u00a0of\u00a0dances,\u00a0songs,\u00a0wine,\u00a0grace\u00a0and\u00a0beauty.(How Would You Die If You Were A Greek Hero<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The famous poet wrote poems with four lines (Sapphic stanza)\u00a0and it is assumed that the total number of her quatrains from her\u00a0poems is 182. Her poems are still mentioned today with the\u00a0candidness in her\u00a0style and the realities\u00a0she displays without being bound to anything.(Where is your Star of Bethlehem?) <\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

There are rumours that\u00a0she was homosexual, with the spiritual and bodily descriptions\u00a0she uses in her poems written in Aeolian dialect and the quatrains in which the names of the girls (Attis,\u00a0<\/span>Anaktoria<\/span>\u00a0…)\u00a0in the school she\u00a0<\/span>founded\u00a0.<\/span> In addition, the poet, known for her admiration for Aphrodite, attracted attention with the metaphors in her poems to Aphrodite. This admiration made her the target of various criticisms of Sappho’s sexual preference by some people.<\/span><\/p>\n

(1)<\/em><\/p>\n

Immortal Aphrodite, on your intricately brocaded throne,<\/em><\/p>\n

child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, this I pray:<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Lady, don\u2019t crush my heart<\/em><\/p>\n

with pains and sorrows.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sappho left Lesbos and settled in Sicily, and continued her poetry studies out of sight. There is even a statue in Sicily.\u00a0 Although other allegations have been made about her death,\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0is known that there is a romantic story about Sappho’s death that has been valid since the Greek playwright Menander. According to the story, Sappho committed suicide by jumping off the Leucadian cliffs because of her love for a boatman named\u00a0<\/span>Phaon<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

…they say that Sappho was the first,<\/em><\/p>\n

hunting down the proud\u00a0Phaon,<\/em><\/p>\n

to throw herself, in her goading desire, from the rock<\/em><\/p>\n

that shines from afar.<\/em><\/p>\n

But now, in accordance with your sacred utterance,<\/em><\/p>\n

lord king, let there be silence<\/em><\/p>\n

throughout the sacred precinct of the headland of the White Rock<\/em><\/p>\n

Menander F 258K<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: \u015ear \u0130\u015fbi\u0307len, E , \u00c7\u0131\u011f\u0131r Di\u0307kyol, D . (2020). Antik Yunan D\u00fcnyas\u0131nda Bir Kad\u0131n Olarak Sappho\u2019nun Yeri . Dumlup\u0131nar \u00dcniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi , (66) , 147-161 . Retrieved from https:\/\/dergipark.org.tr\/tr\/pub\/dpusbe\/issue\/57463\/736459<\/p>\n

Picture Source: Lawrence Alma-Tadema – Sappho and Alcaeus (1881)by the Walters Art Museum<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0ancient\u00a0Greek\u00a0lyric poet\u00a0Sappho, was born in Lesbos in the\u00a07th\u00a0century BC. Here we shed some\u00a0light\u00a0on her\u00a0period as one of the greatest lyric poets.\u00a0Although\u00a0information\u00a0about her life is limited, it is\u00a0known\u00a0that she was\u00a0born\u00a0into\u00a0an\u00a0aristocratic\u00a0family,\u00a0and she had three\u00a0brothers\u00a0mentioned in her poems. As far as\u00a0we\u00a0know\u00a0from her own\u00a0poems, she has a daughter\u00a0named\u00a0Kleis.\u00a0There\u00a0is\u00a0no\u00a0information\u00a0about\u00a0the\u00a0education she received\u00a0regarding her poetry,\u00a0which\u00a0would\u00a0cause\u00a0Plato\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0called\u00a0the\u00a0tenth\u00a0Muse.\u00a0Unlike\u00a0Athens,\u00a0the\u00a0Aeolian\u00a0cultural\u00a0region\u2019s perspective\u00a0towards\u00a0women\u00a0is\u00a0positive. Women\u00a0could\u00a0participate\u00a0in\u00a0competitions\u00a0with\u00a0men in\u00a0the\u00a0arts\u00a0and\u00a0other\u00a0fields. They were also considered\u00a0to\u00a0have<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":1668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,13],"tags":[27,232,231],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-1670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-history","tag-literature","tag-poet","tag-sappho"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1670"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mozartcultures.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=1670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}