Euripdes fr. 382 = Athen. 10.454b

[porphyry]

I am not acquainted with letters but will tell you their shapes and identify them clearly: a circle as is measured out with compasses, that has in its center a conspicuous mark, the second, first of all a pair of lines, and another one holding these apart at their middles; third something like a curly lock of hair, and then the fourth has one part standing upright, and three more are fastened crosswise on it; the fifth is not an easy one to explain—there are two lines that begin from separate points, and these run together into a single base; and the last of all is similar to the third.

Comments

[leopold-paula-b.livejournal.com]

ΘΗΣΕΥΣ?

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

I of course took an immediate liking to that "curly lock of hair" but don´t get all the lines nor their supposed directions, though it sounds a lot like Kepler to me. Fine atomic theory. And is it really about letters or about;) letters?

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

Its a description of Greek letters (forming the name Theseus as the redoubtable Leopold Paula surmised) by a Greek character who is illiterate.

I though it was fascinating because it raises so many questions. Is this something invented out of whole cloth by Euripides? Did illiterate Greeks really talk in this manner? Would this have seemed elegant to the audience, or buffoonish?

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

It did indeed intrigue me too, yes; though I didn´t get it. Rosetta stonewise. At first, I thought this was like a dramatic book of rules on how to write a letter to a friend, but couldn´t fathom the lines... And leopold_paula_b should be protected from being summoned by someone´s anti-Enigma league! We need him over here...to answer those Q.