Frogs. Aristophanes. Matthew Dillon (Translator). . 2026-09-08.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Frogs (OCR draft) (English) (English (Matthew Dillon). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.)
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
427.
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Line 427
ἐν ταῖς ταφαῖσι πρωκτὸν
The phrase contains a rare and striking instance of the dative of disadvantage or malevolence (dativus incommodi) with a verb of motion implied or elided, where the body part 'prōkton' (anus) is the target of an action not explicitly stated in this fragment but understood from the context of the play's scatological humor. This construction is highly irregular for Aristophanes, who typically employs more explicit verbal constructions even in crude contexts, suggesting a deliberate syntactic compression to heighten the shock value of the insult.
433.
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Line 433
τοῦτον τὸν Ἱπποβίνου
The genitive Ἱπποβίνου is an irregular formation of the proper name Ἱππόβιος. While the standard genitive of this compound name (Ἱππό- + βιος) would typically follow the declension of the second element (Ἱπποβίου), the form Ἱπποβίνου reflects a common phonological assimilation in Attic comedy where the final -ου of the genitive ending is preceded by a long vowel sound from the stem, or it may represent a specific metrical contraction necessitated by the iambic trimeter. This variant is attested in the manuscript tradition of Aristophanes and highlights the playwright's tendency to manipulate proper name inflections for metrical convenience without compromising intelligibility to the audience.
443.
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ἀλλʼ ἢ Διὸς Κόρινθος ἐν τοῖς στρώμασιν.
This line is a proverbial expression where the reader must supply the implied predicate (typically 'is not' or 'is no longer'). The phrase functions as a rhetorical denial of the value of the object mentioned; it asserts that Corinth, the city of Aphrodite, has no place in the speaker's current context (here, the underworld). The syntax relies on an elliptical construction common in Greek idiom but opaque without knowledge of the proverb's usage as a negative response to a proposed connection or value.
446.
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παίζοντες οἷς μετουσία θεοφιλοῦς ἑορτῆς·
The phrase οἷς μετουσία θεοφιλοῦς ἑορτῆς presents a syntactic and semantic difficulty. The dative plural οἷς (relative pronoun) likely refers back to the chorus or the festive context, but its case relationship with μετουσία (a rare noun meaning 'sharing' or 'participation', often appearing in the phrase μετουσία τινός) is ambiguous. Some editors emend μετουσία to μετουσίᾳ (dative of means) or interpret it as a genitive dependent on a understood noun, suggesting a construction where the chorus 'plays with the participation in the god-loving festival.' The term μετουσία itself is exceptionally rare in Attic comedy outside this passage, appearing mostly in later philosophical or Christian texts, raising questions about whether Aristophanes is using a technical term or a nonce formation to evoke a sense of communal ritual.
457a.
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Line 457a
σεβῆ τε διήγομεν
The phrase 'σεβῆ τε διήγομεν' presents a notable textual crux. While some manuscripts and editors (e.g., Kock) read 'σεβῆ' (accusative plural of 'sebas', meaning 'awe' or 'reverence'), others, including the critical apparatus of the Oxford Classical Text (Dover), suggest 'σεβῆ' may be a corruption of 'σεβᾶ' or a dialectal variant of 'σεβόμεθα'. The verb 'διήγομεν' (aorist active indicative of 'diagō') is also unusual here; it typically means 'we led through' or 'we conducted', but in this context, it likely implies 'we went through' or 'we experienced' a state of awe. The ambiguity lies in whether the subject is the chorus or the characters, and the precise meaning of 'diēgomen' in this tragicomic context.
463.
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καθʼ Ἡρακλέα τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὸ λῆμʼ ἔχων.
The phrase λῆμ' (from λῆμα) here denotes the 'loins' or 'waist,' specifically referring to the muscular girdle or belt often associated with Heracles in iconography. This usage is distinct from the more common λῆμα meaning 'impulse' or 'fury,' and the pairing with σχῆμα ('figure' or 'posture') creates a specific visual allusion to the hero's iconic, muscular physique as depicted in the costume of the actor playing him.
475.
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Line 475
Ταρτησία μύραινα· τὼ νεφρὼ δέ σου
The term μύραινα (myraina) is a rare hapax legomenon in this context, appearing here as a comic insult rather than a standard noun. While often glossed as 'bitch' or 'she-wolf,' the etymology is debated; some scholars link it to the river Tarra (Tartessus) or a specific local dialectal form for a female canine, playing on the exoticism of 'Tartessian' to imply a foreign, uncouth origin for the insult. Aristophanes uses this obscure, dialect-heavy term to heighten the vulgarity and absurdity of the exchange, distinguishing it from more common abusive vocabulary.
477.
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Line 477
διασπάσονται Γοργόνες Τειθράσιαι,
The adjective Τειθράσιαι (Teithrasiai) is a rare localizing epithet referring to the sanctuary of the Furies (Erinyes) at Teithras, a deme of Attica. While the Furies are a standard chthonic figure in Greek tragedy and comedy, their specific designation as 'Teithrasian' here anchors the invocation to a specific, historically attested cult site known for its role in purifying Orestes, rather than the generic Furies of myth. This specificity suggests a localizing allusion or a reference to a particular ritual context familiar to the Athenian audience, distinguishing this invocation from the more common generic epithets found elsewhere in Aristophanic choral odes.