Difference between revisions of "Partenis"

Latest revision as of 09:20, 29 August 2016

Partenis prius arthemisia vocabatur secundum Plinium vel partemis ut puto.

Apparatus:

Partenis (Partẽis A) ABC fp | Parthenis j Pliny | Parthenis uel Parthenus ms. e
{Partenis} ut puto add. p
arthemisia AC p | artemixia B | arthimesia ms. e | arthemesia f | athimesia j
vocabatur | dicebatur f
partemis C p | parthemis ms. e | p…temis A f {abbreviation used is ambiguous} | parthenis j | paternus B

Translation:

Partenis is the name previously given to arthemisia according to Pliny or rather partemis as I believe.

Commentary:

Simon is here alluding to Pliny, Natural History, 25,36,73, ed. W.H.S.Jones (1938-63: VII. 188).
N.b. This brief excerpt is also found in Simon’s entry Artemisia.

In this chapter Pliny has been saying that kings often like to have plants named after them, and he continues:
Mulieres quoque hanc gloriam adfectavere, in quibus Artemisia uxor Mausoli adoptata herba, quae antea parthenis vocabatur - "Women too hanker after this kind of fame, among them Artemisia the wife of Mausolus, she adopted the plant which before was known by the name of parthenis".
For Queen Artemisia and her brother/husband Mausolus cf. [[1]].

Partenis:
from Greek παρθενίς /parthenís/ which is related to παρθένος /parthénos/ “virgin”, a name often associated with the goddess Ἄρτεμις /Ártemis/ as the goddess of virginity. The epithet ἡ Παρθένος /hē Parthénos/ "the virgin" is also given to the goddess Athena, cf. Partemon (2).

Simon seems to think that the word Partenis must somehow incorporate the word Artemis, which leads him to the erroneous conclusion that partemis is a more correct form.

WilfGunther (talk) 14:37, 20 June 2016 (BST)

For further information and the botanical identification see Artemisia.