Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

MeatballDom OP t1_jakd1r8 wrote

Reply to comment by HUMINT06 in The difficulties of translating gender in ancient texts by MeatballDom

That's not really a good example: what gender is κύκνος, ταῦρος, and Ζεύς?

Edit: anyone downvoting want to tell me? Bueller?

Edit 2: Gonna have to explain this. Yes, yes it does have a gender. Everything has a gender in Ancient Greek. The swan, the bull, the Zeus, purple, Greece itself, sandals; it all has gender, and it's all important and vital to constructing a sentence in the language. This is stuff that you'll learn at the very beginning of Greek studies. It doesn't change because those are all three already masculine, the issue occurs when things that aren't already masculine or already feminine mix with those that are, as detailed well in the article.

If that's not understood you might have trouble understanding the article, but it's silly to call it stupid if you don't understand the argument.

10

HUMINT06 t1_jduec7t wrote

It is not stupid because I do not understand the problem, it is stupid because you think “avoiding cisnormativity” is more important than an accurate translation. When characters address Athena in disguise, they are not addressing Athena, they are addressing the disguised Athena. If she is disguised male, of course they address her as male. However, when Athena is mentioned as Athena, she is female even if she is in a male body because Athena is female regardless of her disguise, just like Zues is male regardless of his disguise. You are projecting your own modern assumptions into a historical text that did not have any such assumptions.

1

MeatballDom OP t1_jduelij wrote

The historical text did make those assumptions, you don't understand the argument or ancient Greek, that's fine.

1

HUMINT06 t1_jdufo7q wrote

στα αρχίδια μου

1

MeatballDom OP t1_jduk4em wrote

That's modern Greek, but thanks for proving my point. Next time maybe don't make big stands about things you have zero knowledge about. Leave it to the experts.

1