Ariadne

Topic for Discussion,  Word Study

Hair, part 2 | Female hair: descriptions

"But the mane of the other one, my kinswoman Hagesikhora, blossoms on her head like imperishable gold" How did the ancient Greeks view women's hair? In this second post of the series, we are looking at physical descriptions of women's hair: is it depicted as an object of attraction for others, and how do women themselves use it as a means of seduction? Read more

Texts

Ariadne: Abandonment and Transformation

In this passage by Nonnos, Ariadne has been deserted on Naxos by the hero Theseus. As she lies on the lonely shore sleeping, she is discovered by the god Dionysus who transfigures the human woman into the goddess that defines Ariadne. "Bacchus [=Dionysus] now leaving Ilissos’ honey-sweet watercourse [in Attica], comes in joyous procession with his reveling troop to the vine-clad island of Naxos." Read more