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Headword: Philoxenos
Adler number: phi,395
Translated headword: Philoxenus, Philoxenos
Vetting Status: high
Translation:
Son of Leucadius. Name of a parasite.[1] It is said[2] that this man, having first bathed and anointed himself, would go around the houses in his own country and in other states accompanied by slaves carrying olive oil, fish sauce, vinegar and other condiments. Once he had gained admittance to these unfamiliar houses on the pretext of seasoning the food that was cooking for others, he would toss in the necessary ingredients and then (if you can believe it) bend forward greedily to gratify his own appetite and so enjoyed a fine meal. This man, therefore, being an epicure, sailed to Ephesus where he found the fishmarket empty and asked the reason for this. When he learnt that everything had been bought up for a wedding, he bathed and presented himself there uninvited and after dinner he captivated everybody by singing a wedding song. The bridegroom said, "Will you dine here tomorrow also?" "Yes", he replied, "if no one sells me fish." The same fellow prayed that he might have the throat of a crane, so as to enjoy longer the pleasure of swallowing.[3] The same Philoxenus was passionate about fish. On one occasion when he was dining at the table of the tyrant Dionysius he saw that a large red mullet had been placed before his host while he had received a small one. He lifted the fish up and put it to his ear, since he wanted to learn from it certain things concerning the affairs of Nereus.[4] The fish replied that she was too young when caught and so could not understand his request, but that the fish set before Dionysius was older and knew all the things he wished to learn. Dionysius laughed at this and sent him the mullet.[5]
This fellow was an epicure; [the man] from whom we also get Philoxenus cakes.[6]
Greek Original:
Philoxenos, Leukadiou. onoma parasitou. touton phasin prolouomenon en têi patridi kan allais polesi perierchesthai tas oikias, akolouthountôn autôi paidôn, pherontôn elaion, garon, oxos kai alla tôn hêdusmatôn. eisionta de eis tas allotrias oikias ta hepsomena tois allois artuein, emballonta hôn ên chreia, kaith' houtôs eis heauton kupsanta euôcheisthai. houtos oun opsophagos ôn kai pleusas eis Epheson heure tên opsopôlin kenên kai eputheto tên aitian: kai mathôn hoti pan eis gamous sunêgorastai, lousamenos parên aklêtos kai aisas humenaion meta to deipnon pantas epsuchagôgêse. kai ho numphios eipe, kai aurion hôde deipnêseis: ho de ephê, an opson mê pôlêi tis. ho autos êuxato geranou trachêlon echein, hin' epi polun chronon katapinôn hêdêtai. ho autos Philoxenos peripathês ôn tois opsois, kai deipnôn pote para Dionusiôi tôi turannôi, hôs eiden ekeinôi megalên triglan paratetheimenên, hautôi de mikran, analabôn autên pros to ous prosênenken, hôs bouloito tina par' ekeinês tôn kata ton Nêrea puthesthai: tên de eromenên apokekristhai, hoti neôtera ousa haloiê dio mê parakolouthein: tên de para Dionusiôi keimenên, presbuteran ousan, panta eidenai, ha bouletai mathein. ton oun Dionusion gelasanta aposteilai autôi tên triglan. houtos ên opsophagos: aph' hou kai Philoxeneioi plakountes.
Notes:
Probably the author of a poem in hexameters entitled Deipnon or The Banquet. Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 4.146F [4.28 Kaibel] was unsure whether to identify the author of the Deipnon with this man or with Philoxenus of Cythera (phi 393). See Dalby (below) 246 n.5, and 114-116 on the poem in general. D.A. Campbell (below) has recently edited and translated the poem. This Philoxenus -- usually called "the Leucadian", for which "son of Leucadius" in this entry is probably an error -- is also to be distinguished from the glutton Philoxenus of Eryxis (see sigma 1192 n. 2; cf. Campbell pp. 177-79).
[1] See generally pi 433. LSJ defines para/sitos as "one who eats at the table of another and repays him with flattery and buffoonery". Athenaeus enlarges on the subject of parasites in the sixth book of his Deipnosophists: 234C-248C [6.26-52 Kaibel].
[2] The story is taken almost verbatim from Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 1.5F-6B [1.9 Kaibel], where it is attributed to Clearchus of Soli (c.340-c.250 BCE: kappa 1714).
[3] Athenaeus (Deipnosophists 8.341D [8.26 Kaibel], cf. 6B) attributed this story to the comic poet Machon (fl.250 BCE).
[4] A sea-god: nu 328.
[5] Athenaeus (Deipnosophists 1.6E-F [1.11 Kaibel]) attributed the story to Phaenias of Eresus (fl. 320 BCE), who wrote a work On the Sicilian Tyrants.
[6] From phi 398. See also omicron 1091, tau 599.
References:
D.A. Campbell, Greek Lyric (LCL) v.5, pp. 176-197
Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts. A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, Lond.; N.Y.: Routledge, 1996
Keywords: aetiology; biography; daily life; dialects, grammar, and etymology; ethics; food; geography; history; meter and music; mythology; poetry; zoology
Translated by: Tony Natoli on 27 June 2000@18:50:19.
Vetted by:
Robert Dyer (Cosmetics, added keyword and cross-references, extended first note, raised status) on 14 December 2002@07:15:00.
David Whitehead (augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics) on 14 December 2002@09:11:57.
David Whitehead (more keywords; cosmetics) on 11 December 2013@05:41:40.
David Whitehead (expanded Athenaeus refs) on 16 January 2015@03:03:26.

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