Shepherdess

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Emerita
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Shepherdess

Post by Emerita »

Is there a Latin word for shepherdess, perhaps from a medieval or renaissance source? I’m in pastoral mode and want to talk about a shepherd who loves a shepherdess. I’m guessing that women didn’t act as shepherds in classical times because the only words I can find are the masculine pastor and upilio. However, by the renaissance, surely they came up with a solution (pastora? upilia?). I suppose I could refer to her as pastor muliebris, but that’s awful clunky, and might, I suspect, be construed as an "effeminate shepherd."

Alatius
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Re: Shepherdess

Post by Alatius »

The word "pastrix" is evidently attested in medieval sources as a female counterpart to "pastor" in ecclesiastic circumstances: http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/PASTRIX1

adrianus
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Re: Shepherdess

Post by adrianus »

Classically you have "Amaryllis" (proper noun used conventionally) for a shepherdess (in Vergil's Eclogues and in Ovid)
Et classicè "Amaryllis -idis" (nomen proprium feminae quae oves custodit in eclogis Vergili et apud Ovidium)
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Emerita
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Re: Shepherdess

Post by Emerita »

Thanks, Alatius and Adrianus. I did wonder about Amaryllis as a sort of generic shepherdess. However, the second definition for pastrix, pastricis in the Glossarium seems to refer to an actual shepherdess –puella gregis custos, with the French definition of bergère. Works for me!

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thesaurus
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Re: Shepherdess

Post by thesaurus »

Alatius wrote:The word "pastrix" is evidently attested in medieval sources as a female counterpart to "pastor" in ecclesiastic circumstances: http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/PASTRIX1
I just wanted to say thank you for this very useful website. I knew about Ducagne, but I didn't know there was such a handy hypertext version available.
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum tempus umquam revertitur nec quid sequatur sciri potest. Quod cuique temporis ad vivendum datur, eo debet esse contentus. --Cicero, De Senectute

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