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Grecia - The parasites

by Eugenia Prina Ricotti

The parasites.
As we have already said in our previous exposition, during the dinners men of a certain social standing consumed their meal laying on tricliniar couches; all the others – women, children and dependants – did it sitting, Among the others sat also the parasites, typical characters of the ancient Greek banquets and very often used as comic roles by comedy writers. Parasites were usually males. There were also female parasites but the little we know of them is that they were called “ladder girls” because, to ingratiate themselves with their women patrons, they ran after their carriages and, the moment that those stopped, they precipitated in front of the coach’s door to put themselves on all fours and offer their back to the lady’s dainty little foot.
Also the male parasites were given to the vilest flattery, but they were more interesting people. And among them there were many outstanding characters, which became famous and were always received to all banquets with pleasure because they were witty and always bright and kind. On the other hand those qualities were essential if one wanted to keep oneself well scrounging dinners and gifts from the not too intelligent good family’s young men. It is clear that a sad and prone to complain parasite or even worse a rude one wouldn’t go too far. On the contrary once that his qualities as a pleasant companion and an amusingly clever messmate succeed to gain to a parasite a generous patron, he was settled for the rest of his life or better for the rest of his patron’s life. Of course in this case it was normal that the protégée was always very preoccupied about his patron health: thus in the Steel, a comedy by Alexis, when a munificent young man wanted to know if his parasite was praying for him and desired that he could have a very long life, the scrounger, a certain Agony, replied fervently “Good heavens! Of course. I pray for you all the gods I know. Can’t you imagine if something occurred to you? How could you think that I could survive?”
However the Greek scrounger never had a secondary role in a banquet. He was the real star, he was the person who made lively the meeting and made it memorable... Atheneus dedicate a good part of his sixth book to the most celebrated parasites of Greece, men that were apt to do anything just to participate in a splendid banquet, a dinner that they would certainly make a merry and successful event. The writer lists many of them citing each one by his nickname: Tithimallos (the Voracious); Corido (the Lark) Callimedonte, alias the Lobster, because he was at such a point fond of this crustacean, that Athens fishmongers were planning to erect a bronze statue of him with a sumptuous lobster closed in his fist. Other notable parasites were the Kobios (the Goby); the Pod; the Mackerel; the Flour and many others.
When there were no places on the tricliniar couches all of them didn’t disdain to sit at the guest’s feet. Thus when an unlucky young man tried to shrug off a parasite who wanted to be brought to a banquet, and told him that the dinner was absolutely complete and there was no more place for anyone, the scrounger replied merrily that this was not important: “It doesn’t matter” said him calmly ”I am a stool man”