# murtos = myrtle and clitoris?



## susanna76

Hi,

I read in a book online (Vestal Virgins, Sibyls, and Matrons: Women in Roman Religion by Sarolta A. Takács)

that murtos in Greek means not only myrtle, but "also the female pudendum, more especially the clitoris." Is that true? I checked it in the WR forum and only found myrtle. Also, the word in Greek seems to be murtis, not murtos.

So, what's the correct word for myrtle and does that word or murtos mean clitoris?

Thank you!


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## apmoy70

The word is μύρτος (fem.) and it describes the myrtle. Aristophanes uses its neuter form μύρτον (which in Attic Greek was the myrtleberry) to describe the female pudenda (probably the clitoris); Aristophanes came up with some creative ways to describe the pudenda muliebria, he also uses σάκανδρος = bag of man (Lysistrata), πύλη = gate/door (Lysistrata), among others


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## susanna76

Hi apmoy, thank you so very much. Can you tell me where he uses μύρτον? I would also appreciate it if you gave me the sentence in translation, so I can find the larger context.


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## apmoy70

Aristophanes' Lysistrata, Act II, verses 1000-1006 (translation by George Theodoridis):

Κινησίας: ἀπὸ τοῦ δὲ τουτὶ τὸ κακὸν ὑμῖν ἐνέπεσεν; ἀπὸ Πανός;
Cinesias: And who do you think is to blame for this suffering, Pan?
Κῆρυξ: οὔκ, ἀλλ᾽ ἆρχεν οἰῶ Λαμπιτώ, ἔπειτα τἄλλαι ταὶ κατὰ Σπάρταν ἅμα γυναῖκες περ ἀπὸ μιᾶς ὑσπλαγίδος ἀπήλααν τὼς ἄνδρας ἀπὸ τῶν ὑσσάκων
Herald: Nah, I don’t think it’s Pan at all. I think it was that Lampito who started it all. Then all the other women in town got together with her and they are keeping us out of their cunts
Κινησίας: πῶς οὖν ἔχετε;
Cinesias: How are you coping with all this then?
Κῆρυξ: μογίομες. ἂν γὰρ τὰν πόλιν περ λυχνοφορίοντες ἐπικεκύφαμες. ταὶ γὰρ γυναῖκες οὐδὲ *τῷ μύρτῳ* σιγεῖν
Herald: We’re all solid stiff! We’re all wondering around the city bent-over like lantern carriers. And the women just won’t let us get anywhere near their *myrtle bush*.


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## susanna76

The myrtle plant was associated with Aphrodite and I also read that it symbolized fidelity, so the pun works. You made my day!


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## susanna76

P.S. Did he also write about the myrtleberry?


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## apmoy70

A couple of points:
1-Aristophanes uses for the pudenda muliebria (in fact for the vulgarity c*nt) another variant, the masculine ὕσσακος (the last word, sixth line from the end in my previous post) which is the σάκος (Attic for σάκκος, the cloak, bag) that receives the ὑσσός (javelin); Beekes also adds "perhaps alludes to ὕς as a substitute for χοῖρος (swine) which is often used for 'cunnus' in comedy"
2-I think τῷ μύρτῳ is a typo, the correct is τῶ μύρτω (without the iota subscript, Attic for the genitive τοῦ μύρτου)


susanna76 said:


> The myrtle plant was associated with Aphrodite and I also read that it symbolized fidelity, so the pun works. You made my day!


Interesting observation, thanks


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## susanna76

Thank you, too!


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## sotos

susanna76 said:


> So, what's the correct word for myrtle and does that word or murtos mean clitoris?


The Gr. word is μύρτος but is possible that latin writers transcribed it as _murtos _in their works . The metaphor to female genitalia is not a standard meaning. This metaphorical meaning  is mentioned by Rufus of Ephesus, Onomasticon, 112, and Pollux, 2.174.


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## susanna76

Thank you sotos!


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