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μυχὸν ἰχθυόεντʼ οἰστροδόνητον,

The compound adjective οἓτροδόνητον ('gadfly-shaken' or 'stung by the gadfly') is a vivid, uniquely Aristophanic coinage. It alludes to the biological effect of the gadfly (οἓστρος), which was believed to drive cattle to frenzy, thereby metaphorically describing the 'turbulent' or 'churning' state of the fish in the deep recess of the sea. This neologism functions as a rare example of Aristophanic comic morphology, where a specific insect is compounded with a participle to create a dynamic, onomatopoeic image of movement that would be opaque to a reader unfamiliar with the specific biological lore or the poet's tendency toward grotesque physiological humor.

Thesmophoriazusae. 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)

Θεσμοφοριάζουσαι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 331 focus

Κηρύκαινα

εὔχεσθε τοῖς θεοῖσι τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις

καὶ ταῖς Ὀλυμπίαισι καὶ τοῖς Πυθίοις

καὶ ταῖσι Πυθίαισι καὶ τοῖς Δηλίοις

καὶ ταῖσι Δηλίαισι τοῖς τʼ ἄλλοις θεοῖς,

εἴ τις ἐπιβουλεύει τι τῷ δήμῳ κακὸν
335

τῷ τῶν γυναικῶν ἢ ʼπικηρυκεύεται

Εὐριπίδῃ Μήδοις τʼ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τινὶ

τῇ τῶν γυναικῶν, ἢ τυραννεῖν ἐπινοεῖ

ἢ τὸν τύραννον συγκατάγειν, ἢ παιδίον

ὑποβαλλομένης κατεῖπεν, ἢ δούλη τινὸς
340

προαγωγὸς οὖσʼ ἐνετρύλλισεν τῷ δεσπότῃ

ἢ πεμπομένη τις ἀγγελίας ψευδεῖς φέρει,

ἢ μοιχὸς εἴ τις ἐξαπατᾷ ψευδῆ λέγων

καὶ μὴ δίδωσιν ἃν ὑπόσχηταί ποτε,

ἢ δῶρά τις δίδωσι μοιχῷ γραῦς γυνή,
345

ἢ καὶ δέχεται προδιδοῦσʼ ἑταίρα τὸν φίλον,

κεἴ τις κάπηλος ἢ καπηλὶς τοῦ χοῶς

ἢ τῶν κοτυλῶν τὸ νόμισμα διαλυμαίνεται,

κακῶς ἀπολέσθαι τοῦτον αὐτὸν κᾠκίαν

ἀρᾶσθε, ταῖς δʼ ἄλλαισιν ὑμῖν τοὺς θεοὺς
350

εὔχεσθε πάσαις πολλὰ δοῦναι κἀγαθά.

Translations (2)

Thesmophoriazusae (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 331 focus

Woman Herald

Address your prayers to the gods and goddesses of Olympus , of Delphi , Delos and all other places; 335 if there be a man who is plotting against the womenfolk or who, to injure them, is proposing peace to Euripides and the Medes, or who aspires to usurping the tyranny, plots the return of a tyrant, or 340 unmasks a supposititious child; or if there be a slave who, a confidential party to a wife's intrigues, reveals them secretly to her husband, or who, entrusted with a message, does not deliver the same faithfully; if there be a lover who fulfils naught of what he has promised a woman, whom he has abused on the strength of his lies; 345 if there be an old woman who seduces the lover of a maiden by dint of her presents and treacherously receives him in her house; if there be a host or hostess who sells false measure, pray the gods that they will overwhelm them with their wrath, 350 both them and their families, and that they may reserve all their favours for you.

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.) — 331 focus

Cry: Pray to the Olympian gods!

Kerykaina: and to the Olympian games and to the Pythian games

Cryer-woman: and to the Pythian women and to the Delians.

Cryer-woman: and to the Delian women and to the other gods,

Herald-woman: if anyone plots any harm against the people.

335

Herald-woman: either she is a heraldess of the women or she is not.

Cryer-woman: To Euripides, in the Medes, on some damage.

Crykeia: for the women, or she plots to tyrannize

Herald-woman: 'Either to lead the tyrant away, or a child.'

Cryceina: She said it by suggestion, or by some slave.

340

Kerykaina: since she was a procuress, she enticed her master.

Herald-woman: Or does someone being sent bring false news,

Herald-woman: Or is an adulterer anyone who deceives by speaking falsely?

Kerykeina: and she does not give what she once promised,

Kērykaina: 'Or does an old woman give gifts to an adulterer?'

345

Cry: Or does she even accept a hetaira who betrays beforehand her lover,

Cryer-woman: If any seller or female seller of the wine-jar

Cryce: Is the currency of the cups being destroyed?

Herald-woman: May this very man be destroyed miserably with a cock's crow!

Herald-woman: Pray, and the other gods for you.

350

Herald-woman: Pray that you may give to all great and good things.

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

324. mvp-tlg0019-tlg008-sanjaya-com-eng1-2

Line 324

μυχὸν ἰχθυόεντʼ οἰστροδόνητον,

Aristophanes Thesmophoriazusae 324

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