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Line 844b

χοιροκομεῖον Ἑστίας.

The phrase χοιροκομεῖον Ἑστίας ('the pig-shearing of Hestia') is a rare and jarring collocation. While χοιροκομεῖον (literally a place for shearing pigs, or perhaps a specific ritual cutting) appears elsewhere in comedy as a nonsense word or a pun, its attribution to Hestia is highly irregular. Hestia is the goddess of the hearth and domestic order, typically associated with the sacrificial fire and the domestic hearth itself, not the slaughter or shearing of pigs. This likely represents a comic distortion of the ritual of the 'Hestia' festival or a specific, perhaps local, sacrifice where a pig was offered, twisted by Aristophanes to sound like a bureaucratic or absurdly technical term for a specific, perhaps illicit, domestic activity. The phrase may also be a pun on the word χοιροκομεῖον as a place where pigs are 'shorn' (i.e., killed) for the hearth, playing on the double meaning of 'shearing' as both cutting wool and slaughtering animals in a comic, euphemistic sense.

Wasps. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Σφῆκες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 863-890a focus

Χορός

καὶ μὴν ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς σπονδαῖς

καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς

φήμην ἀγαθὴν λέξομεν ὑμῖν,
865

ὅτι γενναίως ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου

καὶ τοῦ νείκους ξυνεβήτην.

868

Βδελυκλέων

εὐφημία μὲν πρῶτα νῦν ὑπαρχέτω.

Χορός

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Πύθιʼ ἐπʼ ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ

τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ὃ μηχανᾶται
870

ἔμπροσθεν οὗτος τῶν θυρῶν,

ἅπασιν ἡμῖν ἁρμόσαι

παυσαμένοις πλάνων.

ἰήιε Παιάν.

875

Βδελυκλέων

ὦ δέσποτʼ ἄναξ γεῖτον ἀγυιεῦ προθύρου προπύλαιε,
875

δέξαι τελετὴν καινὴν ὦναξ, ἣν τῷ πατρὶ καινοτομοῦμεν,

παῦσόν τʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦτο τὸ λίαν στρυφνὸν καὶ πρίνινον ἦθος,

ἀντὶ σιραίου μέλιτος μικρὸν τῷ θυμιδίῳ παραμείξας·

ἤδη δʼ εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις

ἤπιον αὐτόν,

τοὺς φεύγοντάς τʼ ἐλεεῖν μᾶλλον
880

τῶν γραψαμένων

κἀπιδακρύειν ἀντιβολούντων,

καὶ παυσάμενον τῆς δυσκολίας

ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς

τὴν ἀκαλήφην ἀφελέσθαι.

885

Χορός

ξυνευχόμεσθα ταὐτά σοι κἀπᾴδομεν
885

νέαισιν ἀρχαῖς ἕνεκα τῶν προλελεγμένων.

εὖνοι γάρ ἐσμεν ἐξ οὗ

τὸν δῆμον ᾐσθόμεσθά σου

φιλοῦντος ὡς οὐδεὶς ἀνὴρ

τῶν γε νεωτέρων.
890

ἰήιε Παιάν.

Translations (2)

Wasps (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 826 focus

Bdelycleon

Let us see. What case shall we bring up first? Is there a slave who has done something wrong? Ah! you Thracian there, you burnt the stew-pot the other day.

Philocleon

Wait, wait! This is a fine state of affairs! 830 You almost made me judge without a bar, and that is the most sacred thing of all for us.

Bdelycleon

There isn't any, by Zeus.

Philocleon

I'll run indoors and get one myself. Exit

Bdelycleon

What does it matter? Terrible thing, the force of habit.

Sosias
coming out of the house

835 Damn that animal! How can anyone keep such a dog?

Bdelycleon

Hullo! what's the matter?

Sosias

Oh, it's Labes, who has just rushed into the kitchen and seized a whole Sicilian cheese and gobbled it up.

Bdelycleon

Good! this will be the first offence I shall make my father try. To Xanthias 840 Come along and lay your accusation.

Sosias

No, not I; the other dog vows he will be accuser, if the matter is brought up for trial.

Bdelycleon

Well then, bring them both along.

Sosias

That's what we'll have to do.

He goes back into the house. A moment later Philocleon comes out.

Bdelycleon

What is this?

Philocleon

The pig-trough of the swine dedicated to Hestia.

Bdelycleon

845 Did you steal it from a shrine?

Philocleon

No, no, by addressing Hestia first, I might, thanks to her, crush an adversary. But put an end to delay by calling up the case. My verdict is already settled.

Bdelycleon

Wait! I still have to bring out the tablets and the scrolls.

He goes into the house.

Philocleon

Oh! I am boiling, I am dying with impatience at your delays. 850 I could have traced the sentence in the dust.

Bdelycleon
coming out with tablets and scrolls

There you are.

Philocleon

Then call the case.

Bdelycleon

Right. Who is first on the docket?

Philocleon

My god! This is unbearable! I have forgotten the urns.

Bdelycleon

Now where are you going?

Philocleon

To look for the urns.

Bdelycleon

855 Don't bother, I have these pots.

Philocleon

Very well, then we have all we need, except the clepsydra.

Bdelycleon
pointing to the thunder-mug

What is this if it is not a clepsydra?

Philocleon

You know how to supply everything.

Bdelycleon

860 Let fire be brought quickly from the house with myrtle boughs and incense, and let us invoke the gods before opening the sitting.

English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 826 focus

Bdelycléon: Well then, what lawsuit should I bring against him first?

Bdelucleon: Who has done some evil in the house?

Bdelycleon: The Thracian woman, having burned the pot yesterday—

Philocleon: Hold this one! You almost destroyed me.

Philocleon: You are about to call the trial without a thorn-bush.

830

Philokleon: What first seemed to us from the sacred rites?

Bdelucléon: By Zeus, he is not present.

Philocleon: but I, having run

Philocleon: I myself will fetch it immediately from inside.

Bdelucléon: What in the world is the matter? What a terrible thing is love of litigation.

Sosias: Kick them to the crows. To raise such a dog!

835

Bdelycleon: And what is it truly?

Sosias: for Labes is not yet

Sosias: The dog, sneaking into the oven, snatched it.

Sosias: Has he eaten a Sicilian cheese rind?

Bdelycleon: Is this then the first injustice towards my father?

Bdelycleon: I must be admitted; but you were accusing while present.

840

Sosias: By Zeus, not I; but another says it is a dog.

Sosias: He will prosecute, if someone brings a public suit.

Bdelycléon: Go now, bring him here.

Sosias: This must be done.

Bdelycleon: What is this?

Philocleon: a pig-sty of Hestia.

Bdelycles: Then, after having committed sacrilege, do you bring [it]?

845

Philocleon: No, but so that

Philocleon: Starting from Hestia, I will rub someone.

Philocleon: But bring him in, having finished. As I see, he honors.

Bdelycleon: Now, bring the boards and the paintings.

Philocleon: Alas, you are wasting your time and will lose the three-day trial.

Philocleon: But I was wanting to thresh the threshing floor.

850

Bdelycleon: Look!

Philocleon: Call him now.

Bdelycleon: This is indeed so. Who is this man here?

Bdelycleon: Is the first one here?

Philocleon: 'To the crows, how I'm fed up!'

Philocleon: because I forgot to carry out the jars.

Bdelycleon: You, where are you running?

Philocleon: onto the baskets.

Bdelyclēon: may it not be tamed.

Bdelycleon: for I had these verses written in anapests.

855

Philokleon: Very well then; for everything is available to us.

Philocleon: Of all the things we need, except, to be sure, the hourglass.

Bdelycleon: But who is sweet now? Is it not the water-clock?

Philokleon: You produce them very well and in a local manner.

Bdelycleon: But let someone carry out fire as quickly as possible.

860

Bdelycleon: and myrrh and the incense inside,

Bdelycleon: so that we may first pray to the gods.

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

844b. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-41

Line 844b

χοιροκομεῖον Ἑστίας.

Aristophanes Wasps 844b

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 844b

Current edition Experimental

Χορός

καὶ μὴν ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς σπονδαῖς

καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς

φήμην ἀγαθὴν λέξομεν ὑμῖν,
865

ὅτι γενναίως ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου

καὶ τοῦ νείκους ξυνεβήτην.

Βδελυκλέων

εὐφημία μὲν πρῶτα νῦν ὑπαρχέτω.

Χορός

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Πύθιʼ ἐπʼ ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ

τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ὃ μηχανᾶται
870

ἔμπροσθεν οὗτος τῶν θυρῶν,

ἅπασιν ἡμῖν ἁρμόσαι

παυσαμένοις πλάνων.

ἰήιε Παιάν.

Bdelycleon

Let us see. What case shall we bring up first? Is there a slave who has done something wrong? Ah! you Thracian there, you burnt the stew-pot the other day.

Philocleon

Wait, wait! This is a fine state of affairs! 830 You almost made me judge without a bar, and that is the most sacred thing of all for us.

Bdelycleon

There isn't any, by Zeus.

Philocleon

I'll run indoors and get one myself. Exit

Bdelycleon

What does it matter? Terrible thing, the force of habit.

Sosias
coming out of the house

835 Damn that animal! How can anyone keep such a dog?

Bdelycleon

Hullo! what's the matter?

Sosias

Oh, it's Labes, who has just rushed into the kitchen and seized a whole Sicilian cheese and gobbled it up.

Bdelycleon

Good! this will be the first offence I shall make my father try. To Xanthias 840 Come along and lay your accusation.

Sosias

No, not I; the other dog vows he will be accuser, if the matter is brought up for trial.

Bdelycleon

Well then, bring them both along.

Sosias

That's what we'll have to do.

Bdelycleon

What is this?

Philocleon

The pig-trough of the swine dedicated to Hestia.

Bdelycleon

845 Did you steal it from a shrine?

Philocleon

No, no, by addressing Hestia first, I might, thanks to her, crush an adversary. But put an end to delay by calling up the case. My verdict is already settled.

Bdelycleon

Wait! I still have to bring out the tablets and the scrolls.

Philocleon

Oh! I am boiling, I am dying with impatience at your delays. 850 I could have traced the sentence in the dust.

Bdelycleon
coming out with tablets and scrolls

There you are.

Philocleon

Then call the case.

Bdelycleon

Right. Who is first on the docket?

Philocleon

My god! This is unbearable! I have forgotten the urns.

Bdelycleon

Now where are you going?

Philocleon

To look for the urns.

Bdelycleon

855 Don't bother, I have these pots.

Philocleon

Very well, then we have all we need, except the clepsydra.

Bdelycleon
pointing to the thunder-mug

What is this if it is not a clepsydra?

Philocleon

You know how to supply everything.

Bdelycleon

860 Let fire be brought quickly from the house with myrtle boughs and incense, and let us invoke the gods before opening the sitting.

Commentary

Line 844b

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 844b

Current edition Experimental

Χορός καὶ μὴν ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς σπονδαῖς καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς φήμην ἀγαθὴν λέξομεν ὑμῖν, 865 ὅτι γενναίως ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τοῦ νείκους ξυνεβήτην.

Βδελυκλέων εὐφημία μὲν πρῶτα νῦν ὑπαρχέτω.

Χορός ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Πύθιʼ ἐπʼ ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ὃ μηχανᾶται 870 ἔμπροσθεν οὗτος τῶν θυρῶν, ἅπασιν ἡμῖν ἁρμόσαι παυσαμένοις πλάνων. ἰήιε Παιάν.

Bdelycleon Let us see. What case shall we bring up first? Is there a slave who has done something wrong? Ah! you Thracian there, you burnt the stew-pot the other day.

Philocleon Wait, wait! This is a fine state of affairs! 830 You almost made me judge without a bar, and that is the most sacred thing of all for us.

Bdelycleon There isn't any, by Zeus.

Philocleon I'll run indoors and get one myself. Exit

Bdelycleon What does it matter? Terrible thing, the force of habit.

Sosias coming out of the house 835 Damn that animal! How can anyone keep such a dog?

Bdelycleon Hullo! what's the matter?

Sosias Oh, it's Labes, who has just rushed into the kitchen and seized a whole Sicilian cheese and gobbled it up.

Bdelycleon Good! this will be the first offence I shall make my father try. To Xanthias 840 Come along and lay your accusation.

Sosias No, not I; the other dog vows he will be accuser, if the matter is brought up for trial.

Bdelycleon Well then, bring them both along.

Sosias That's what we'll have to do.

Bdelycleon What is this?

Philocleon The pig-trough of the swine dedicated to Hestia.

Bdelycleon 845 Did you steal it from a shrine?

Philocleon No, no, by addressing Hestia first, I might, thanks to her, crush an adversary. But put an end to delay by calling up the case. My verdict is already settled.

Bdelycleon Wait! I still have to bring out the tablets and the scrolls.

Philocleon Oh! I am boiling, I am dying with impatience at your delays. 850 I could have traced the sentence in the dust.

Bdelycleon coming out with tablets and scrolls There you are.

Philocleon Then call the case.

Bdelycleon Right. Who is first on the docket?

Philocleon My god! This is unbearable! I have forgotten the urns.

Bdelycleon Now where are you going?

Philocleon To look for the urns.

Bdelycleon 855 Don't bother, I have these pots.

Philocleon Very well, then we have all we need, except the clepsydra.

Bdelycleon pointing to the thunder-mug What is this if it is not a clepsydra?

Philocleon You know how to supply everything.

Bdelycleon 860 Let fire be brought quickly from the house with myrtle boughs and incense, and let us invoke the gods before opening the sitting.

Commentary

Line 844b

Stable identifiers

Χορός

καὶ μὴν ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς σπονδαῖς

καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς

φήμην ἀγαθὴν λέξομεν ὑμῖν,
865

ὅτι γενναίως ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου

καὶ τοῦ νείκους ξυνεβήτην.

Βδελυκλέων

εὐφημία μὲν πρῶτα νῦν ὑπαρχέτω.

Χορός

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Πύθιʼ ἐπʼ ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ

τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ὃ μηχανᾶται
870

ἔμπροσθεν οὗτος τῶν θυρῶν,

ἅπασιν ἡμῖν ἁρμόσαι

παυσαμένοις πλάνων.

ἰήιε Παιάν.

Bdelycleon

Let us see. What case shall we bring up first? Is there a slave who has done something wrong? Ah! you Thracian there, you burnt the stew-pot the other day.

Philocleon

Wait, wait! This is a fine state of affairs! 830 You almost made me judge without a bar, and that is the most sacred thing of all for us.

Bdelycleon

There isn't any, by Zeus.

Philocleon

I'll run indoors and get one myself. Exit

Bdelycleon

What does it matter? Terrible thing, the force of habit.

Sosias
coming out of the house

835 Damn that animal! How can anyone keep such a dog?

Bdelycleon

Hullo! what's the matter?

Sosias

Oh, it's Labes, who has just rushed into the kitchen and seized a whole Sicilian cheese and gobbled it up.

Bdelycleon

Good! this will be the first offence I shall make my father try. To Xanthias 840 Come along and lay your accusation.

Sosias

No, not I; the other dog vows he will be accuser, if the matter is brought up for trial.

Bdelycleon

Well then, bring them both along.

Sosias

That's what we'll have to do.

Bdelycleon

What is this?

Philocleon

The pig-trough of the swine dedicated to Hestia.

Bdelycleon

845 Did you steal it from a shrine?

Philocleon

No, no, by addressing Hestia first, I might, thanks to her, crush an adversary. But put an end to delay by calling up the case. My verdict is already settled.

Bdelycleon

Wait! I still have to bring out the tablets and the scrolls.

Philocleon

Oh! I am boiling, I am dying with impatience at your delays. 850 I could have traced the sentence in the dust.

Bdelycleon
coming out with tablets and scrolls

There you are.

Philocleon

Then call the case.

Bdelycleon

Right. Who is first on the docket?

Philocleon

My god! This is unbearable! I have forgotten the urns.

Bdelycleon

Now where are you going?

Philocleon

To look for the urns.

Bdelycleon

855 Don't bother, I have these pots.

Philocleon

Very well, then we have all we need, except the clepsydra.

Bdelycleon
pointing to the thunder-mug

What is this if it is not a clepsydra?

Philocleon

You know how to supply everything.

Bdelycleon

860 Let fire be brought quickly from the house with myrtle boughs and incense, and let us invoke the gods before opening the sitting.