On another thread there has been some discussion about the personification of inanimate objects (there water, air and blood) as witnesses. It reminded me of the following From Wasps 936-939.
αὐτὸς καθελοῦ: τοὺς μάρτυρας γὰρ ἐσκαλῶ.
Λάβητι μάρτυρας παρεῖναι τρύβλιον
δοίδυκα τυρόκνηστιν ἐσχάραν χύτραν,
καὶ τἄλλα, τὰ σκεύη τὰ προσκεκαυμένα.
Whilst it is not an exact parallel I thought it amusing and worth mentioning. There were indeed other aspects of that thread which were reminiscent of Aristophanes’ parody of an Athenian court.
I am posting here, where I hope it makes sense on its own, as I have no desire to prolong the other thread.
This is actually a very good parallel! I haven’t read this play, but I suspect I’ve seen these lines before, as that other thread gave me a strange feeling of déjà vu…
What form is λάβητι?
What form is λάβητι?
Dative of λάβησ (a silent character , a dog) with παρεῖναι infinitive used as an imperative. “Witnesses for Labes stand at hand.” There is a lot of woofing in this scene from various dogs and their puppies. The cheesegrater has a crucial role. Although it appears only Bdelycleon can understand her. There is I am sure a semi(di)otic joke in here but I will refrain for fear of upsetting mwh.
Ah! Thanks.
Cheesegrater! Those a very handy every time I need a drink (κυκεών).
I guess the name of the dog derives from λάπτω.
Sorry, I’m veering even more off topic, but for everyone who finds Licker amusing, the Batrachomyomachy is a must. Every character there – frogs and mice – has a name in this vein.
