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The Life of Sappho...
Have you ever wondered where the term "lesbian" originates, and why some people refer to lesbians as "Sapphists" or use the word Sappho when speaking of lesbianism?
Interestingly, Sappho was a Greek poet/musician who resided on the island of Lesvos (Lesbos) in around 600 BC. She was described as "petite and dark" by a third century philosopher. The fact that no paintings of Sappho can be found has not deterred artists from portraying Sappho as a classic beauty with long beautiful locks, womanly curves, tawny skin and deeply enigmatic eyes.
Sappho is often shown with a lyre in her hand, a very plain stringed instrument which might be considered as the electric guitar of the time. She is portrayed in this way because she wrote "lyrical" poetry composed to music.
In present day terms you could consider Sappho as a Greek rock star. Sappho sang about love and beauty (referencing both genders), created scandal, drew crowds of followers, but sadly she died young. Some think her death was a result of suicide as there is still a veil of mystery over her death.
Unfortunately, only one poem and several incomplete editions have remained. The remainder of her work is shreds of papyrus on which lines, verses, or just a couple of words are written.
Inconsistent stories surround the references to Sappho. Some people doubt she was truly a lesbian but according to the definition in use at the time, she certainly was a lesbian, since the word meant anyone—male or female—who lived on Lesbos.
The terminology only came to be defined as a woman having love for another woman when (male) artists and poets began to portray sexual scenes between two females, using Sappho as a symbol on which to affix their fantasies.
Some say that Sappho was married although there is no foundation on which to support this idea. Other speculation surrounds a possible daughter named Cleis. It is not known if Cleis was Sappho's daughter or her servant, as the name in the Greek culture was synonymous with a young slave-girl.
One thing that is certain is that Sappho had a romantic heart as her poetry affirms her love and deep admiration for women. It is believed that young women came to visit Sappho to be tutored after completing their formal schooling but before being married and Sappho's poetry refers to these women.
There are a number of Sappho's poems that make reference to individual women so we can assume that she felt love for more than one girl although there is still debate whether this love was of a sexual nature, and whether Sappho in fact ran a formal all-girls "finishing school," inviting paying guests. Great debate surrounded Sappho, prompted by male philosophers and historians, as well as by the Victorians, who loved a spicy romance.
Sappho apparently died by jumping off a cliff over her love of a man named Phaon (or Fawn). Skeptics insist that this is fabricated as a means of asserting Sappho's heterosexuality but since there isn't a record that supports her marriage and not one bit of evidence of the man named Fawn, the facts remain in doubt.
What ever the case may be, Sappho will certainly always be associated with mystery and romance, and will forever be synonymous with two women who share love for one another.
Learn some of today's popular lesbian terminology...
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