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Women playing the bear used to celebrate a festival for Artemis dressed in saffron robes; not older than 10 years nor less than 5; appeasing the goddess. The reason was that a wild bear used to come to the deme of Phlauidoi[1] and spend time there; and it became tamed and was brought up with the humans. Some virgin was playing with it and, when the girl began acting recklessly, the bear was provoked and scratched the virgin; her brothers were angered by this and speared the bear, and because of this a pestilential sickness fell upon the Athenians. When the Athenians consulted the oracle [the god] said that there would be a release from the evils if, as blood price for the bear that died, they compelled their virgins to play the bear. And the Athenians decreed that no virgin might be given in marriage to a man if she had not previously played the bear for the goddess.

*)/arktos h)\ *braurwni/ois: a)rkteuo/menai gunai=kes th=| *)arte/midi e(orth\n e)te/loun, krokwto\n h)mfiesme/nai, ou)/te presbu/tides i# e)tw=n, ou)/te e)la/ttous e#, a)pomeilisso/menai th\n qeo/n: e)peidh\ a)/rktos a)gri/a e)pifoitw=sa die/triben e)n tw=| dh/mw| *flauidw=n: kai\ h(merwqei=san au)th\n toi=s a)nqrw/pois su/ntrofon gene/sqai. parqe/non de/ tina prospai/zein au)th=| kai\ a)selgainou/shs th=s paidi/skhs parocunqh=nai th\n a)/rkton kai\ katace/sai th=s parqe/nou: e)f' w(=| o)rgisqe/ntas tou\s a)delfou\s au)th=s katakonti/sai th\n a)/rkton, kai\ dia\ tou=to loimw/dh no/son toi=s *)aqhnai/ois e)mpesei=n. xrhsthriazome/nois de\ toi=s *)aqhnai/ois ei)=pe lu/sin tw=n kakw=n e)/sesqai, ei) th=s teleuthsa/shs a)/rktou poina\s a)rkteu/ein ta\s e(autw=n parqe/nous a)nagka/sousi. kai\ e)yhfi/santo oi( *)aqhnai=oi mh\ pro/teron sunoiki/zesqai a)ndri\ parqe/non, ei) mh\ a)rkteu/seie th=| qew=|.

The headword phrase occurs in Aristophanes, Lysistrata 645 (with h)=, "I was", not, as here, h)\, "or"), and the substance of the present entry is from the scholia on it.
See also alpha 3959.
[1] So the transmitted text, but there is no such deme; it should read Philaidai (the deme nearest to Brauron: beta 521).

Ross Scaife ✝ (Added url t bibliography) on 22 March 2000@19:10:37.
William Hutton (Minor corrections; addition of keywords; raised status to "low".) on 25 March 2000@23:16:17.
David Whitehead (modified headword and translation; added notes, bibliography, keyword) on 17 January 2001@10:31:27.
David Whitehead (added keywords; cosmetics) on 25 August 2002@05:32:59.
David Whitehead (tweaks to tr; another x-ref; more keywords) on 12 April 2012@07:49:06.
Catharine Roth (deleted link) on 19 August 2013@11:31:25.
David Whitehead (updated a ref) on 31 July 2014@03:45:25.
David Whitehead on 31 August 2015@06:33:37.

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