Plutarch, De sollertia animalium, Harold Cherniss (Translator), William C. Helmbold (Translator), 18

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[18] The loves of some animals are wild and furious, while others have a refinement which is not far from human and an intercourse conducted with much grace. Such was the elephant which at Alexandria played the rival to Aristophanes¹ the grammarian. They were, in fact, in love with the same flower-girl; nor was the elephant’s love the less manifest: as he passed by the market, he always brought her fruit and stood beside her for a long time and would insert his trunk, like a hand,² within her garments and gently caress her fair breasts.

The serpent that fell in love with an Aetolian woman³ used to visit her at night and slip under some part of her body next the skin and coil about her without doing her any harm at all, either intentional or accidental; but always at daybreak it was decent enough to glide away. And this it did constantly until the kinsmen of the woman removed her to a house at some distance. The serpent did not come to her for three or four nights; but all the time, we may suppose, it was going about in search of her and missing its goal. At last, when it had somehow found her with difficulty, it embraced her, not with that former gentleness it had used, but rather more roughly, its coils binding her hands to her body, and with the end of its tail it lashed the calves of her legs, displaying a light and tender anger that had in it more indulgence than punishment.

As for the goose in Aegium that loved a boy and the ram that set his heart on Glauce⁴ the harp-player, since these are famous tales and I rather imagine you have had enough of such to spoil your appetite for more,⁵ I omit them.

De sollertia animalium. Plutarch. Harold Cherniss (Translator), William C. Helmbold (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1957.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Whether land or sea animals are cleverer (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. XII. Cherniss, Harold, and Helmbold, William C., translators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1957 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Πότερα τῶν ζῴων φρονιμώτερα τὰ χερσαῖα ἢ τὰ ἔνυδρα Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. VI. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1895.) — 18 focus

[18] ἔρωτες δὲ πολλῶν οἱ μὲν ἄγριοι καὶ περιμανεῖς 5 γεγόνασιν, οἱ δʼ ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀπάνθρωπον ὡραϊσμὸν οὐδʼ ἀναφρόδιτον ὁμιλίαν. οἷος ἦν ὁ τοῦ ἐλέφαντος ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ τοῦ ἀντερῶντος Ἀριστοφάνει τῷ γραμματικῷ· τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς ἤρων στεφανοπώλιδος, καὶ οὐχ ἧττον ἦν ὁ ἐλέφας διάδηλος· 10 ἔφερε γὰρ αὐτῇ τῆς ὀπώρας ἀεὶ τὰ πρατήρια παραπορευόμενος, καὶ χρόνον πολὺν ὑφίστατο καὶ τὴν προβοσκίδα τῶν χιτωνίων ἐντὸς ὥσπερ χεῖρα 972e παραβαλὼν ἀτρέμα τῆς περὶ τὸ στῆθος ὥρας ἔψαυεν. ὁ δὲ δράκων ὁ τῆς Αἰτωλίδος ἐρασθεὶς; ἐφοίτα 15 νύκτωρ παρʼ αὐτὴν καὶ τοῦ σώματος; ὑποδυόμενος ἐν χρῷ καὶ περιπλεκόμενος οὐδὲν οὔθʼ ἑκὼν οὔτʼ ἄκων ἔβλαψεν ἀλλὰ καὶ κοσμίως ἀεὶ περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον ἀπηλλάττετο. συνεχῶς δὲ τοῦτο ποιοῦντος αὐτοῦ, μετῴκισαν οἱ προσοικοῦντες ἀπωτέρω τὴν 20 ἄνθρωπον· ὁ δὲ τρεῖς μὲν ἢ τέτταρας ἡμέρας οὐκ ἦλθεν ἀλλʼ ὡς ἔοικε περιῄει ζητῶν καὶ πλανώμενος· 972f μόλις δέ πως ἐξανευρὼν καὶ περιπεσὼν οὐ πρᾶος ὥσπερ εἰώθει ἀλλὰ τραχύτερος 1, τῷ μὲν ἄλλῳ σπειράματι τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς ἔδησε πρὸς τὸ σῶμα, τῷ 25 δʼ ἀπολήγοντι τῆς οὐρᾶς ἐμαστίγου τὰς κνήμας, ἐλαφράν τινα καὶ φιλόστοργον καὶ πλέον ἔχουσαν τοῦ κολάζοντος τὸ φειδόμενον ὀργὴν ἀποδεικνύμενος. τὸν δʼ ἐν Αἰγίῳ παιδεραστοῦντα χῆνα καὶ τὸν ἐπιθυμήσαντα Γλαύκης τῆς κιθαρῳδοῦ κριόν· περιβόητοι γάρ εἰσι καὶ πολλῶν οἶμαι διηγημάτων τοιούτων διακορεῖς ὑμᾶς εἶναι· διὸ ταῦτα μὲν 5 ἀφίημι.

Translations (1)

Which are the most crafty, water-animals or those creatures that breed upon the land? Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. V. Goodwin, William W., editor; Philips, John, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1874.) — 18 focus

[18] In the amours of many animals there is much variety. Some are furious and mad; others observe a kind of human decency, and tricking of themselves to set off their beauty, not without a courtly kind of conversation. Such was the amour of the elephant at Alexandria, that rivalled Aristophanes the grammarian. For they were both in love with a girl that sold garlands; nor was the elephant’s courtship less conspicuous than the other’s. For as he passed through the fruit-market, he always brought her apples, and stayed with her for some time, and thrusting his proboscis within her waistcoat, instead of a hand, took great delight in gently feeling her breasts.

No less remarkable was the serpent in love with the Aetolian woman. He came to her in the night, and getting under her garments to her very skin, embraced her naked body; and never either willingly or unwillingly did he do her any harm, but always about break of day departed; which the kindred of the woman observing to be the common custom of the animal, removed her a great way off. After that, the serpent came not again for three or four days together, being all the while, as it seemed, wandering about in search of her. But at length, having with much ado found her out, he did not approach her with that mildness as he was wont to do, but after a rougher manner; with his folds having first bound her hands to her body, with the end of his tail he lashed the calves of her legs; expressing thereby a gentle and loving anger, which had more in it of indulgent expostulation than punishment.

I say nothing of a goose in Egypt in love with a boy, nor of the ram in love with Glauce who played on the harp; for the stories are in all people’s mouths. And besides, I am apt to think you are satiated with examples of this nature.

Notes on the current edition

Whether land or sea animals are cleverer

1. Cf. Aelian, De Natura Animal. i. 38 ( Cf. vii. 43); Pliny, Nat. Hist. viii. 13.

2. Cf. Mair on Oppian, Cyn. ii. 524 for additional authorities.

3. Told somewhat differently, and of a Jewish woman, in Aelian, De Natura Animal. vi. 17.

4. Also a goose in Pliny, Nat. Hist. x. 51. Both stories are in Aelian, De Natura Animal. v. 29 ( cf. i. 6; viii. 11); for Glauce see also Gow’s note on Theocritus, iv. 31.

5. More in Aelian, De Natura Animal. xii. 37; al.

Plutarch De sollertia animalium 18

Harold Cherniss (Translator), William C. Helmbold (Translator)

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