Αίγες (fr. 34)

153

scure rare word—“leap about” must be an extended sense referring to what
animals excited enough to snort often do. Hdt. 3.87 applies the verb to a horse
(φριμάξασθαί τε και χρεμετίσαι, “it both snorted and whinnied”); cf. Lyc. 244
'ίππων φριμαγμόν (“phrimagmos of horses”); Ael. NA 6.10; Poll. 1.216; 5.87.
Pindar, on the other hand, uses it of a goat (fr. 332 αϊξ φριμάσσεται), as do
Eupolis, Theocritus and Longus (1.12.1, 32.3 αί δέ αίγες έσκίρτων φριμασσό-
μεναι), and Herennius Philo seems to have regarded this as the proper sense
of the word (Ptolem. Gramm, de diff. vocab. p. 410.7-8; [Ammon.] Diff. 503; cf.
D.H. Comp. 16.94-5; Poll. 5.88). Despite the scholion to Theocritus, therefore,
Eupolis’ use of the verb seems to have been conventional.
Kassel-Austin print φριμάσσεο with extended spacing. But this is the
lemma from Theocritus, and all we learn about Eupolis from the scholion is
that he used the verb in one form or another, or perhaps the cognate noun.
For βληχή/βληχάομαι (“bleat”; onomatopoeic) as the sound produced by
sheep and goats, e. g. Od. 12.266; Ar. Pax 535; Pl. 293, 297; fr. 402.5; Autocr. fr. 3;
Men. Herds 73; Theoc. 16.92, and cf. fr. 112.2 βληχητά τέκνα with n. μηκάομαι
is also used (e. g. II. 4.435), more often specifically of goats (sometimes called
simply μηκάδες). Words for other animal noises are catalogued at Poll. 5.86-90.

fr. 34 K.-A. (30 K.)
Ath. 3.94f
χορδών τε μέμνηται... καί Εΰπολις έν Αίξίν
Eupolis in Aiges also ... mentions sausages
Citation context From a discussion of various boiled meats, including jaws,
heads, feet and tripe (3.94c), sausages being included because intestines and
tripe were used for their casings.
Interpretation The basic sense of χορδή (an Indo-European word) is “gut”.
For the extended sense “sausage” (i. e. meat, fat, seasonings, and often pre-
sumably various fillers, all stuffed into guts and then either dried or cooked
fresh), e.g. Cratin. fr. 205; Pherecr. fr. 137.9; Ar. Ach. 1040-1 with Olson 2002
ad loc.; Eq. 214-16 (a mock recipe); fr. 702; Axionic. fr. 8.4; Crit. 88 B 67 D.-K.
(a chorde-vendor); and see Frost 1999, esp. 246-9; Dalby 2003. 294-5. The word
is also used to refer to the strings of musical instruments, which were made
of dried and twisted gut (e.g. Od. 21.407; hHerm. 51; Pherecr. fr. 155.5, 16).