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Fashions and ghosts

by Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti

Fashion and Ghosts –
There were all kind of ghosts: Also if the more unhappy ones were the ghosts of the persons who had not been buried, as well distressed were the ones that had been murdered, and the ones who violently died in some accident. With them there also were other restless phantoms: the ones of the people who for some forgetfulness had been deprived by the things that they more needed. As an example all the dead ones who, also if they had a burial in full form, had been put on the pyre and burned to ashes, while the festive dresses and all their outfit had been forgot and not been done so. Of course the dead did certainly arrive in the next world, but they got there without any dresses or outfit. Then he or she became an unhappy ghosts who never missed the opportunity to turn up by nights. We can easily understand how the spirits of very beautiful and elegant women felt when they found themselves sent to the reign of death without their toilettes. The level of their indignation could reach incredible levels and so we cannot be surprised if they never missed the occasion to disturb the nights of their disconsolate widow.
To sum it up if the survivors didn’t want to find ghosts beside their bed, they had to carefully check how their dear ones were dressed and equipped on their death bed and only after this they would set fire to the pyre. Periander, Corinth tyrant, realised it when having sent stark naked his wife Melissa in the life to come, he was obliged to do something about it. He certainly did it in a successful way, but employing a system that, also if very pleasant for him, and maybe also for all the male bystanders, was certainly not orthodox.
Herodotos tells us this story about Melissa, the dead wife of Corinth’s tyrant. She had been killed in an accident involuntarily caused by her husband. From what we read in Herodotos’s tale, Periander loved his wife, adored her and was devastated by her demise. Of course, as for death there is no remedy, after he had put Melissa’s ashes to rest, he had to concentrate on Corinth government, and for what we know he must have done a very good job of it because he is listed among the seven sages of the ancient time.
While he was so occupied one of Periander’s friends asked for something he had entrusted to him. The great man looked everywhere but he didn’t find it and he had to resign to the fact that he couldn’t have any mean to know where it was. Thus he decided to send a delegation to Thesprotia on the Acheron’s river and to ask the dead men’s oracle where this document could be. His messengers did the prescribed sacrifice and advanced their request; then they waited. After a certain time, the phantom of Melissa, Periander’s wife, appeared. As the poor woman had been killed by her husband’s it was natural to find in her a certain acrimony, so the messengers were not surprised to find her irritable, but, as she immediately explained them, it was not for having been killed that she was offended. Of course the fact that her husband had caused her demise did upset her, but it didn’t have anything to do with her indignation.
What really infuriated her was that he had sent her in the next life stark naked and so he had condemned her to suffer the icy cold of a world that warm had certainly never been. In fact the dress with which she had been prepared for the pyre had not been reduced to ashes with her, and now she didn’t have anything to cover herself. Then, to be sure that Periander wouldn’t doubt of what she was saying she told them to remember her husband of when “he had put his loaf in a cold oven”.
The moment that Periander heard the message he understood that only Melissa could have told it. In fact he was the only one who knew why his wife dresses had not been reduced to ashes and even better understood the meaning of the loaf put in a cold oven. Periander well remembered that, when he was left alone beside her deathbed and the moment to give her the ultimate kiss came, he didn’t resist the desire to possess her for the last time, so after having undressed her he had with sexual intercourse his late wife.
Now he couldn’t let her freeze in the icy reign of death and he had to find a way not only to repair his misdeed, but to do it in the most fantastic way possible.
However how could anyone send something in the next world? If ever such necessity occurred to us clearly we couldn’t know what to do, but for the men of the classic antiquity it was very simple: After having clearly specified the address where it had to be delivered, it was enough to respectfully burn the desired object on a small pyre: This method worked much better that any modern postal forwarding system. After having discovered what was happening to Melissa in the next world Periander understood that he had to mend it very quickly and send her at once dresses and outfit. He didn’t want to lose any time.
What I still can’t understand is why Periander’s didn’t solve the problem with the simplest and the least sensational solution: To wit, go to a good shop, buy a most elegant dress inclusive of embroidery and various thrills, plus a pair of elegant shoes, and finally adding tiaras, various necklaces, earrings and so on, then burn everything and send all this in the after life.
Maybe a new dress was not the right thing to send, maybe Periander didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something that would be immediately destroyed: Who knows. What happened was that he had a brilliant idea. He spread a proclaim with which he invited all Corinth’s women, rich or poor as they could be, to join up at Hera’s temple. Of course all of them took the occasion to be able to parade their best dresses and after having put them on, looking forward to a magnificent feast, they made haste to reach the fixed place. Instead, when all of them had arrived, Periander ordered to shut all the doors and to not let any of them get out. Then without caring if they were ladies or slaves, and ignoring their outraged protests and their cries he completely had them undressed until all of them were stark naked. It was the biggest strip-tease of all history.
Once so done, all their dresses were piled up in a ditch and, praying to appease Melissa’s soul, he set fire to them. Melissa was placated and, also if she was obliged to parade it in the Inferi, she had the best outfit ever seen in the world to come.
Periander sent again his messengers to the death men’s oracle, and Melissa appeared them, but this time, splendidly dressed and happy. So she immediately revealed to her husband where what he wanted was. How always has been thought and said to make peace with a woman some rich gift helps a lot.
However this story teach every male or female widow how important is not to furnish their late mates excuses to come back. By night of course and moaning how much they can. It can affect everybody peaceful sleeps.