The text contains a critical crux at †ἐρατοῖσ†. The manuscript tradition is divided between the dative plural feminine ἐρατοῖσ(ι) ('lovely') and the conjecture ἁγνοῖσ(ι) ('chaste/pure'), proposed by editors such as Meineke and adopted by some modern editions. The choice significantly alters the semantic field of the nymphs' hymns: 'lovely hymns' is a standard, albeit somewhat generic, epithet for poetic praise, whereas 'chaste hymns' would carry a specific ritual connotation appropriate to the Thesmophoria festival, contrasting the 'lovely' (erotic) connotation of the noun ὕμνοις with the moral purity required of the priestesses. The variant ἐρατοῖσ(ι) is the lectio difficilior regarding the festival context, as the festival was dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, not the erotic sphere, making the insertion of 'lovely' a potential ironic or subversive marker by Aristophanes, whereas ἁγνοῖσ(ι) aligns with conventional piety.