Plutarch, Quaestiones Romanae, ed. William W. Goodwin, 86

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[86]

Question 86.

Why do they not marry wives in the month of May?

Solution. Is this the reason, that because May is between April and June,—concerning which months they have an opinion that that is sacred to Venus, this to Juno, both of them being nuptial Gods,—they either take an opportunity a little before May, or tarry till it be over? Or is it that in this month they offer the greatest expiatory sacrifice, now casting the images of men from a bridge into the river, and formerly men themselves? Moreover, it is by law required that the Flaminica, the reputed priestess of Juno, should be most sourly sullen during the time, and neither wash nor trim up herself. Or is it because many of the Latins in this month offer oblations unto the dead? And therefore perhaps they worship Mercury in this month, which from Maia derives its name? Or, as some say, is May derived from elder age (maior) and Juno from younger (iunior)? For youth is more suitable to matrimony, as Euripides hath said,

age the Cyprian queen must ever shun,

And Venus from old men in scorn doth run.

Therefore they marry not in May, but tarry till June, which is presently after May.

Quaestiones Romanae. Plutarch. ed. William W. Goodwin. Boston. 1874.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Roman Questions (English) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. II. Goodwin, William W., editor; Chauncy, Isaac translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.)

Editions (2)

Αἴτια Ῥωμαϊκά Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 86 focus

[86] διὰ τί τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς οὐκ ἄγονται γυναῖκας;

πότερον ὅτι μέσος ἐστὶ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου καὶ τοῦ 285a Ἰουνίου μηνός, ὧν τὸν μὲν Ἀφροδίτης τὸν δʼ Ἥρας, γαμηλίων θεῶν, ἱερὸν νομίζοντες προλαμβάνουσι μικρὸν ἢ περιμένουσιν;

ἢ ὅτι τῷ μηνὶ τούτῳ τὸν μέγιστον ποιοῦνται τῶν καθαρμῶν, νῦν μὲν εἴδωλα ῥιπτοῦντες ἀπὸ τῆς γεφύρας εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν πάλαι δʼ ἀνθρώπους; διὸ καὶ τὴν Φλαμινίκαν, ¹ ἱερὰν τῆς Ἥρας εἶναι δοκοῦσαν, νενόμισται σκυθρωπάζειν, μήτε λουομένην τηνικαῦτα μήτε κοσμουμένην.

ἢ ὅτι πολλοὶ Λατίνων ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τούτῳ τοῖς 285b κατοιχομένοις ἐναγίζουσι; καὶ διὰ τοῦτʼ ἴσως Ἑρμῆν ἐν αὐτῷ σέβονται καὶ Μαίας ἐπώνυμός ἐστιν.

ἤ, καθάπερ ἔνιοι λέγουσιν, ὁ μὲν Μάιος ἀπὸ τῆς πρεσβυτέρας, ὁ δʼ Ἰούνιος ἀπὸ τῆς νεωτέρας ἡλικίας ὠνόμασται; γάμῳ δὲ ἁρμοδιώτερον τὸ νέον, ὡς καὶ Εὐριπίδης φησὶν

ἀλλʼ ἦ ² τὸ γῆρας τὴν Κύπριν χαίρειν ἐᾷ,

ἥ τʼ Ἀφροδίτη τοῖς γέρουσιν ἄχθεται.

οὐ γαμοῦσιν οὖν ἐν τῷ Μαΐῳ, περιμένοντες τὸν Ἰούνιον, ὃς εὐθύς ἐστι μετὰ τὸν Μάιον.

Κεφαλαίων καταγραφή Ῥωμαϊκά Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol IΙ. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 86 focus

[86] διὰ τί τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς οὐκ ἄγονται γυναῖκας; 20 πότερον ὅτι μέσος ἐστὶ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου καὶ τοῦ 285a Ἰουνίου μηνός, ὧν τὸν μὲν Ἀφροδίτης τὸν δʼ Ἥρας, γαμηλίων θεῶν, ἱερὸν νομίζοντες προλαμβάνουσι μικρὸν ἢ περιμένουσιν ἢ ὅτι τῷ μηνὶ τούτῳ τὸν μέγιστον ποιοῦνται τῶν καθαρμῶν, νῦν μὲν εἴδωλα 25 ῥιπτοῦντες ἀπὸ τῆς γεφύρας εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν πάλαι δʼ ἀνθρώπους; διὸ καὶ τὴν Φλαμινίκαν, ἱερὰν τῆς Ἥρας εἶναι δοκοῦσαν, νενόμισται σκυθρωπάζειν, μήτε λουομένην τηνικαῦτα μήτε κοσμουμένην. ἢ ὅτι πολλοὶ Λατίνων ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τούτῳ τοῖς κατοιχομένοις 285b ἐναγίζουσι; καὶ διὰ τοῦτʼ ἴσως Ἑρμῆν ἐν αὐτῷ σέβονται καὶ Μαίας ¹ ἐπώνυμός ἐστιν. ἤ, καθάπερ ἔνιοι λέγουσιν, ὁ μὲν Μάιος ἀπὸ τῆς πρεσβυτέρας, ὁ δʼ Ἰούνιος ἀπὸ τῆς νεωτέρας ἡλικίας ὠνόμασται; 5 γάμῳ δʼ ἁρμοδιώτερον τὸ νέον, ὡς καὶ Εὐριπίδης φησὶν

ἀλλʼ ² ἢ τὸ γῆρας τὴν Κύπριν χαίρειν ἐᾷ,

ἥ τʼ Ἀφροδίτη τοῖς γέρουσιν ἄχθεται.

οὐ γαμοῦσιν οὖν ἐν τῷ Μαΐῳ, περιμένοντες τὸν 10 Ἰούνιον, ὃς εὐθύς ἐστι μετὰ τὸν Μάιον.

Translations (1)

The Roman Questions Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 86 focus

[86] Why do men not marry during the month of May?¹

Is it because this month comes between April and June, of which they regard April as sacred to Venus and June as sacred to Juno, both of them divinities of marriage: and so they put the wedding a little earlier or wait until later?

Or is it because in this month they hold their most important ceremony of purification, in which they now throw images from the bridge into the river,² but in days of old they used to throw human beings? Wherefore it is the custom that the Flaminica, reputed to be consecrate to Juno, shall wear a stern face, and refrain from bathing and wearing ornaments at this time.

Or is it because many of the Latins make offerings to the departed in this month? And it is for this reason, perhaps, that they worship Mercury in this month and that the month derives its name from Maia.³

Or is May, as some relate, named after the older ( maior) and June after the younger generation ( iunior)? For youth is better fitted for marriage, as Euripides⁴ also says:

Old age bids Love to take her leave for aye

And Aphrodite wearies of the old.

They do not, therefore, marry in May, but wait for June which comes next after May.

Plutarch Quaestiones Romanae 86

ed. William W. Goodwin

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Question 86.

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