Totelin, Laurence M. V. ![]() |
Abstract
In this chapter, I analyse passages that refer to water features, such as rivers and wells, in the Hippocratic gynaecological treatises. I suggest that the Hippocratic authors drew analogies between the vessels of the female body and riverbeds, thereby pointing to a form of holism in which the female body was a microcosm of the earth, furrowed by watery channels. A young woman’s vessels were narrow and prone to blockages, but they widened and became more easy-flowing as a woman gave birth. The transition from parthenos to gynē, then, was one associated with fluidity. To understand better the context of the Hippocratic texts, I discuss ancient rituals involving water that marked a woman’s transition into adulthood. These rituals often involved the Nymphs who resided in rivers and wells.
Item Type: | Book Section |
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Date Type: | Publication |
Status: | Published |
Schools: | History, Archaeology and Religion |
Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World |
Publisher: | Brill |
ISBN: | 9789004443082 |
Last Modified: | 09 Nov 2022 09:55 |
URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/137600 |
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