α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ ς σ τ υ φ χ ψ ω Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ C Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω ἀ ἁ ά ὰ ᾶ ἄ ἅ ἂ ἃ ἆ ἇ ᾳ ᾷ Ἀ Ἁ Ἄ Ἅ Ἂ Ἃ Ἆ Ἇ ἐ ἑ έ ὲ ἔ ἕ ἒ ἓ Ἐ Ἑ Ἔ Ἕ ἠ ἡ ή ὴ ῆ ἤ ἥ ἢ ἣ ἦ ἧ ῃ ῇ ᾗ Ἠ Ἡ Ἤ Ἥ Ἦ Ἧ ἰ ἱ ί ὶ ἴ ἵ ἲ ἳ ἶ ἷ ῖ Ἰ Ἱ Ἴ Ἵ Ἶ Ἷ ὀ ὁ ό ὸ ὄ ὅ ὂ ὃ Ὀ Ὁ Ὄ Ὅ Ὂ Ὃ ῥ ὐ ὑ ύ ὺ ὔ ὕ ὒ ὓ ὖ ὗ ῦ Ὑ Ὓ Ὕ Ὗ Ῠ Ῡ Ὺ Ύ ὠ ὡ ώ ὼ ὤ ὥ ὢ ὣ ὦ ὧ ῳ ῶ ῷ ᾧ ᾤ Ὠ Ὡ Ὤ Ὥ Ὢ Ὣ Ὦ Ὧ Schließen Bewegen ?
Altgriechisch Wörterbuch - Forum
Forumübersicht / Neuer Beitrag / Zurück zum Wörterbuch
Ein Elefanten-Auftritt in Rom (251 Aufrufe)
Γραικύλος schrieb am 16.08.2024 um 00:06 Uhr (Zitieren)
Aelian, Über die Natur der Tiere II 11:
[...]
The Elephant when once tamed is the gentlest of creatures and is easily induced to do whatever one wants. Now keeping due eye on the time, I shall state the earliest events first. Germanicus Caesar was about to give some shows for the Romans. (He would be the nephew of Tiberius.)

There were in Rome several full-grown male and female elephants, and there were calves born of them in the country; and when their limbs began to grow firm, a man who was clever at dealing with such beats trained them and instructed them with uncanny and astounding dexterity. To begin with he introduced them in a quiet, gentle fashion to his instructions, supplying them with delicacies and the most appetising food, varied so as to allure and entice them into abandoning all trace of ferocity and into becoming renegades, that is tame and to some degree human.

So what they learnt was not to go wild at the sound of flutes, not to be alarmed at the beating of drums, to be charmed by the pipe and to endure discordant notes, the beat of marching feet, and the singing of crowds. Moreover they were thoroughly trained not to be afraid of men in masses. And further their disciplining was manly in the following respects: they were not to get angry at the infliction of a blow, nor, when obliged to move some limb and to sway in time to dance or song, to burst into a rage, even though they had attained to such strength and courage. Now to refrain by instinct from misbehaving and from flouting the instruction given by a man is a virtue and a mark of nobility.

When therefore the dancing-master had brought them to a high degree of proficiency, and they performed accurately what he had taught them, they did not disappoint the labour spent on their training (so they say) in the place where in due time the occasion demanded that they should display what they had been taught.

Now this troupe was twelve in number, and they advanced in two groups from the right and the left sides of the theatre. They entered with a mincing gait, swaying their whole body in a delicate manner, and they were clothed in the flowered garments of dancers. And at no more than a word from the conductor they formed into line (so we are told) – supposing that to have been their teacher’s order.

Then again they wheeled into a circle when he so ordered them, and if they had to deploy, that also they did. And then they sprinkled flowers to deck the floor, but with moderation and economy, and now and again they stamped, keeping time in a rhythmical dance.
[...]

But what followed was enough to send the spectator wild with delight. On the sand of the theatre were placed mattresses of low couches, and on these in turn cushions, and over them embroidered coverlets, clear evidence of a house of great prosperity and ancestral wealth. And close at hand were sat costly goblets and bowls of gold and of silver, and in them a large quantity of water; and beside them were placed tables of citrus wood and of ivory, of great magnificence, and they were laden with meat and bread enough to satisfy the stomachs of the most voracious animals.

So as soon as the preparations were completed in all their abundance, the banqueters came on, six males and an equal number of females; the former were clad in masculine garb, the latter in feminine; and they took their places in orderly fashion in pairs, a male and a female. And at a signal they reached forward their trunks modestly, as though they were hands, and ate with great decorum. And not one of them gave the impression of being a glutton nor yet of trying to forestall others or of being inclined to snatch too large a portion, as the Persian did who occurs in Xenophon the golden (1).

And when they wanted to drink, a bowl was placed by each one, from which they sucked up the water with their trunks and drank it in an orderly manner, and then proceeded to squirt <the attendants> (2) in fun, not by way of insult.

Many similar stories have been recorded showing the astounding ingenuity of these animals. And I myself have seen one actually with its trunk writing Roman letters on a tablet in a straight line without any deviation. The only thing was that the instructor’s hand was laid upon it, directing it to the writing; and it looked intently down. You would have said that the animal’s eyes had been taught and knew the letters.

[Aelian: On the Characteristics of Animals. 3 Vls. Ed. by A. F. Scholfield. Cambridge (Mass.)/London 1958-59; Vol. I, pp. 102-109]

(1) Xenophon: Anabasis VII 3, 23
(2) oder: each other?
Re: Ein Elefanten-Auftritt in Rom
Patroklos schrieb am 16.08.2024 um 16:08 Uhr (Zitieren)
Im 3. Abschnitt heißt es „manly“. Ein Typo für „mainly“? Nein, ich erfahre: ἀνδρικά, männlich. Doch die Elefantentruppe besteht aus Bullen, Kühen und Kälbern. Weiß im Forum ein Elefantendompteur (im Nebenberuf) mehr? Ein früher Fall von Transgender? Oder gar: Aelian ein Sexist?
Re: Ein Elefanten-Auftritt in Rom
Γραικύλος schrieb am 17.08.2024 um 00:46 Uhr (Zitieren)
Ich verstehe das jetzt so, daß auch das Verhalten der weiblichen Elefanten in den erwähnten Disziplinen als "mannhaft" charakterisiert werden soll.
So wie bei den Menschen die Amazonen und andere tapfere Frauen?
Re: Ein Elefanten-Auftritt in Rom
Patroklos schrieb am 17.08.2024 um 08:57 Uhr (Zitieren)
Freilich dient hier die quasi amazonische, generell mannhafte Dressur einem Auftritt in den leichtlebigen Folies Bergère avant la lettre.
Re: Ein Elefanten-Auftritt in Rom
Γραικύλος schrieb am 17.08.2024 um 17:20 Uhr (Zitieren)
Das stimmt, und ich bin mir meiner Deutung auch nicht sicher.
 
Antwort
Titel:
Name:
E-Mail:
Eintrag:
Spamschutz - klicken Sie auf folgendes Bild: Pyramiden von Gizeh

Aktivieren Sie JavaScript, falls Sie kein Bild auswählen können.
Forum Code:   [b]fett[/b]   [i]kursiv[/i]   [u]unterstrichen[/u]   [strike]durchgestrichen[/strike]   [sup]hochgestellt[/sup]   [sub]tiefgestellt[/sub]   [quote]Text zitieren[/quote]   [wb]Wörterbuch-Link[/wb]