Sappho of Lesbos: The Female Poet of Ancient Greece

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  • Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
  • Sappho of Lesbos was considered one of the greatest poets of her time. Ancient scholars included her among the illustrious Nine Lyric Poets - a list of the most important and influential poets of the age who mirrored the Nine Muses. Sappho was born on the Greek island of Lesbos and is known to have been both a musician and a poet. She invented many things, including lyric poetry, the plectron which is used to pick a lyre, a pektis which is a particular type of lyre, and the Mixolydian mode.
    Sappho's poetry survives to us mostly in fragments, with only one of her poems surviving in full. What has survived is incredibly emotive, and displays her understanding of enduring human emotion that still resonates with readers in the modern-day. Sappho of Lesbos, the Female Greek Poet of Ancient Greece so renowned in her time that she was often referred to as simply 'the Poetess,' has created works that have survived for over two thousand years, and is still revered today.
    - WANT TO KNOW MORE? -
    Sappho of Lesbos worldhistory.org/Sappho_of_Le...
    Ancient Greek Literature worldhistory.org/Greek_Litera...
    Lesbos worldhistory.org/lesbos/
    Women in Ancient Greece worldhistory.org/article/927/...
    The Lyre worldhistory.org/Lyre/
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    - CHAPTERS -
    0:00 Introduction
    0:40 Who was Sappho?
    1:16 Sappho’s remaining works and inventions
    2:05 What do we know of Sappho’s life?
    3:14 Sappho’s Legacy
    4:15 Death of Sappho
    5:49 Question and outro
    - ATTRIBUTIONS -
    You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - worldhistory.typehut.com/sapp...
    The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
    www.ancientlyre.com
    open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2v...
    / @michaellevymusic
    Thumbnail Images
    www.getty.edu/art/collection/o...
    John William Godward (British, 1861 - 1922)
    The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
    Public Domain
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
    Photographer Tate Britain
    Painter Simeon Solomon
    Public Domain
    Free Clean Transitions from LenoFX
    lenofx.com/products/10-clean-...
    Free Logo Reveal Graphics by Zhoomart
    motionarray.com/browse/produc...
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    #sappho #sapphooflesbos #greekpoetsappho

КОМЕНТАРІ • 118

  • @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia
    @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia  3 роки тому +27

    Do you know of another poet whose works have been lost to time? Who is it and what do their works mean to you? Let us know!

    • @btetschner
      @btetschner 2 роки тому +2

      Ovid, the first five-book edition of Amores were reportedly to be lost (along with potentially part of Fasti and maybe even his one tragedy). He tells the best stories through his poetry.

    • @katiewildwitch
      @katiewildwitch 2 роки тому +3

      Enheduanna an ancient Sumerian poetess and high priestess. She is the first known author and poet.

    • @TheKeeperoftheGarden
      @TheKeeperoftheGarden Рік тому +2

      Telesilla from Argos. According to other authors who lived in a later period, her poetry was of the highest quality. It can be presumed all of it was destroyed by the religious fanaticism that ravaged Ancient Greece starting from the end of the fourth century and culminating in the destruction of all temples, temple statues, libraries (!), and medical centres (the dozens of Asklepieia all over the Mediterranean world) by the troops of Theodosios II in or around 426 CE. He is usually portrayed by encyclopaedia as being a "gentle" and "well-educated" man, as that is what Christianity wants us to believe. In reality, if we read more neutral sources of information from that time, he ordered not only the destruction of a complete civilisation that had been thriving since the Late Bronze Age and in certain parts even since much earlier than that, but also the execution of anyone who refused to be converted to Christianity. He is responsible for tens of thousands of murders and for setting back science a thousand years.

    • @disneyexpress8500
      @disneyexpress8500 2 місяці тому

      Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most.
      Ozzy Osbourne

  • @nowifate
    @nowifate 2 роки тому +303

    Her sexuality does really matter to some people. She's considered to be a historical icon to the LGBT community.

    • @big1boston
      @big1boston 2 роки тому +3

      I always enjoyed the Works of PIndar, And not lesbians.

    • @rialimpe
      @rialimpe 2 роки тому +9

      @@big1boston good thing you don't represent most of the lgbt community.

    • @donttakeitpersonal8704
      @donttakeitpersonal8704 2 роки тому +6

      she was not a lesbian.

    • @rialimpe
      @rialimpe 2 роки тому +32

      @@donttakeitpersonal8704 Yes, she was.

    • @youknow7856
      @youknow7856 2 роки тому +30

      @@donttakeitpersonal8704 she most definetly was

  • @cora7889
    @cora7889 2 роки тому +208

    Her sexuality is important. A lot of her works were destroyed by the Catholic church during the 1100's because they disproved her love poems about women. It was part of her work, and her identity, as well as a reminder that lesbianism has always existed. I'd definitely work on not coming off as so dismissive on her sexuality!

    • @pablogats4627
      @pablogats4627 Рік тому +8

      Nothing in her poems suggests that she loves women in a sexual manner rather her poems are an ode to femininity I am Greek, have studied ancient Greek and have read her poems in their original forms, not the mistranslated Anglo versions

    • @cora7889
      @cora7889 Рік тому +8

      @@Whats.Next.Videos u thought u ate lol

    • @betsylalich4570
      @betsylalich4570 Рік тому +4

      @deagleninja
      You're way off !
      Who someone loves is DEFINITELY important.
      This is a pure example of how dismissive many are of Lesbian love. You've been trying to erase it for centuries. Shame on you !

    • @luisf2793
      @luisf2793 Рік тому +3

      Slight correction, I believe it was the Orthodox Church that did the book burning this time
      Also most of her work was lost not because of book burning but rather because they couldn’t be translated

    • @carmengisore7112
      @carmengisore7112 Рік тому

      @@pablogats4627shut up

  • @DailyDoseDocumentary
    @DailyDoseDocumentary 3 роки тому +91

    I didn't know Sappho invented the Mixolydian scale! It's unfortunate so little of her works remain intact, but cool that at least one full poem survives.

    • @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia
      @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia  3 роки тому +3

      It is so unfortunate, but it's wonderful that what does survive is still enjoyed by so many.

    • @Kookie-fx1rr
      @Kookie-fx1rr 3 роки тому +1

      but its not the modern mixolydian mode
      modern modes have nothing to do w ancient greek ones

  • @TontonMacoute
    @TontonMacoute 4 місяці тому +4

    😮You would think her poetry deserves to be heard instead of hearing about her history alone.

  • @michaeludeze8470
    @michaeludeze8470 Рік тому +50

    "Whether Sapho herself was a lesbian is unknown."
    It is not possible to express fiery emotion without keenly feeling it.

    • @user-vz2fj4wq7d
      @user-vz2fj4wq7d Рік тому +2

      It's poasible. It also depends on whether she had any actual exprience with women or was just craving for it.

    • @justicethedoggo3648
      @justicethedoggo3648 9 місяців тому +1

      Saphho never mentioned anything sexual with other women , and she was straight .
      Male homosexuality was there , lesbianism is American concept

  • @maddy6316
    @maddy6316 2 роки тому +57

    the debate between lesbian or straight is very indicative of how homophobic our society is... there's more than just two options people. sappho would not have written so much about wlw if there wasn't something there that resonated with her. creativity comes from inspiration and experience. her written work and her potential marriage to a man do not work against each other in any form - they can coexist. there is a lot we don't know about her but it's honestly ridiculous to claim that she's heterosexual based off of what is available to us.

    • @Tango_Mike
      @Tango_Mike Місяць тому +1

      Assumptions are all we make. Some argue she could only write what and how she did because she was homosexual, but that's saying one can only write about something one experiences. However, history shows us that is not true. My point is that there's nothing specifically stating her gender preference and tbh it doesn't really matter. She wasn't a fenomenal author because of it. There's a growing movement to find historical precedent as if it was needed to validate ones choices. In reality it doesn't matter. We should not need a reference to define how we live.

  • @donb7113
    @donb7113 3 роки тому +26

    There are not a lot of women spoken of in Ancient Greek history. She must have been very talented and had too have a strong personality to be spoken of so well and to be exiled for her political feelings.

  • @ROMA--AETERNA
    @ROMA--AETERNA 3 роки тому +21

    Your ancient-history presentations are so good; they're balanced & objective. _Thank you._
    Consider doing a video on another famous female from the ancient world, *Hypatia of Alexandria.*

    • @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia
      @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia  3 роки тому +2

      Our pleasure! We are so glad you're enjoying them. We would love to do more videos on women in the ancient world, thankyou for your suggestion!

  • @noneofyourbusinesslove1445
    @noneofyourbusinesslove1445 3 роки тому +19

    Oh, I love it! So professional but still full of passion. Thank you very much!

  • @HanParker
    @HanParker 3 роки тому +21

    I really loved this! Kelly is fascinating to listen to!!

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner 2 роки тому +7

    Sappho is amazing. Thank you for the video.

  • @pagano60
    @pagano60 2 роки тому +28

    Given that Sappho lived so long ago, we can't be 100% certain about any aspect of her life. Is she speaking as herself in her poems or in the voice of a character? We'll probably never know for sure. But given that her one surviving complete poem and a few fragments name herself as being in love with a woman, and knowing some of her other poems (such as the recently discovered "Brothers Poem") were apparently autobiographical, it's not unreasonable to conclude that Sappho herself was sexually and romantically attracted to women, even if she may have been married to a man.

  • @starbysims9715
    @starbysims9715 2 роки тому +35

    I mean…as a lesbian, the fact that people say that her sexuality doesn’t really matter is kind of annoying. There have been so many examples of straight washing throughout history. It matters to me that I’m a lesbian and it matters to other queer people that they are queer. We can’t just say that our queerness is not important and make it go away because cishet people don’t want to talk about it. That’s just how I felt watching that. It’s just kind of frustrating to see someone say that it doesn’t matter that one of the only examples of a wlw figure in history is wlw, especially that it does matter to so many wlw and LGBT+ people in general. Please don’t take the is personally. This isn’t an attack. This is just a commentary as a queer person of what I noticed in this video about someone who is a big part of queer history.

    • @betsylalich4570
      @betsylalich4570 Рік тому +1

      @deagleninja
      Well, it is quite clear you are heterosexual and more than happy to deny the importance of identity.
      If none of it is important, why not say you are a girl?

    • @justicethedoggo3648
      @justicethedoggo3648 9 місяців тому

      Sappho wasn't a lesbian ,

    • @CulturedCarlo
      @CulturedCarlo 4 місяці тому

      Who cares.

  • @EricaStevenson
    @EricaStevenson 3 роки тому +4

    Would genuinely be lost without this channel 😍

  • @artinpoetsoulnature
    @artinpoetsoulnature 2 роки тому

    Great poetry! Excellent reading📖 with information 🌹
    Thanks lots for beautiful sharing🌹 my dear friend💐🌹best wishes🌹 💞🌿

  • @imperishablestuff8758
    @imperishablestuff8758 2 роки тому

    I love the content, channel, and presenter :)

  • @Izabely31
    @Izabely31 2 роки тому +1

    Great video!

  • @artworld9799
    @artworld9799 Рік тому +2

    Thanks for great sharing!!

  • @estherreyes8423
    @estherreyes8423 3 роки тому +3

    Thank you 🙏🏾🌸 It has been difficult finding clear information about Sappho.

  • @rumpelstillkills8036
    @rumpelstillkills8036 2 роки тому +39

    "Whether Sappho was a lesbian is unknown" lmfao!

    • @camis433
      @camis433 2 роки тому +6

      i felt so offended by this !

    • @brawlpoint696
      @brawlpoint696 Рік тому

      Ngl this sounds stupid

    • @betsylalich4570
      @betsylalich4570 Рік тому +1

      @camis
      You SHOULD feel offended. It is a direct attack on Sappho, Lesbos and lesbians.
      It's absolutely shocking ! It is quite similar to the biblical story of Lilith. Because she insisted upon being equal to Adam, a "new" replacement, "Eve" was created from ADAM'S RIB ! She was "obedient." Does this all sound sexist ? It surely does. Notice that even the words his story are indeed not HEŔ story.

    • @joeswanson432
      @joeswanson432 8 місяців тому

      stay mad @@camis433

  • @chloedumas8158
    @chloedumas8158 3 роки тому +5

    Im french , i didn’t understand all what you were talking about but it stilled interesting

    • @jomanda6876
      @jomanda6876 2 роки тому

      you can click the cc button on the lower right of the video to get the subtitles/sous-titres, and auto translate to english to french. i hope that helps. :)

  • @mimiburnsband
    @mimiburnsband 11 місяців тому +2

    I love her already

  • @txexmxiii9561
    @txexmxiii9561 3 місяці тому +1

    💚

  • @ad6449
    @ad6449 2 роки тому +3

    Thank you for an informative video. Wasn’t Enheduanna of Sumer another ancient poetess? I think she predated Sappho.

    • @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia
      @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks for watching! Yes, Enheduanna was the first known author and we have a video featuring her, Sappho and Zhuo Wenjun ua-cam.com/video/7hRrBcWyb98/v-deo.html

  • @onyxstone4618
    @onyxstone4618 2 роки тому

    This is cool bra

  • @annietobin2049
    @annietobin2049 2 роки тому +37

    I enjoyed much of this, but I’m curious why so much energy was spent trying to disprove her lesbianism. Poets do take on other personas from time to time, but where is any evidence that she was doing this.

  • @IceGoddessRukia
    @IceGoddessRukia 2 роки тому +2

    This may be the tinfoil hat talking but I don't think she killed herself...I think she was murdered!!
    It's an absolute shame we can't read any more of her poetry...what we know of so far is lovely!

  • @MikeRBurch
    @MikeRBurch Рік тому +3

    Ancient poets I recommend include: Enheduanna, Ono no Komachi, Ō no Yasumaro, Matsuo Basho and Charles d'Orleans. I have modern English translations of their poems if you're interested. If so, please leave me a note here and I can provide some examples.

    • @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia
      @WorldHistoryEncyclopedia  Рік тому +1

      Thanks, Michael. We do have another video on ancient female poets that we did for World Poetry Day.

    • @betsylalich4570
      @betsylalich4570 Рік тому

      The subject is SAPPHO...get it?

    • @MikeRBurch
      @MikeRBurch Рік тому +1

      @@betsylalich4570 My, you sound snappy. I don't get "it" but I grok you.

    • @MikeRBurch
      @MikeRBurch Рік тому

      You might want to read what you said, if you want to hear snappy. Get it?

  • @Kookie-fx1rr
    @Kookie-fx1rr 3 роки тому +2

    the modern mixolydian mode has nothing to do with ancient greek modes.
    They share a name but nothing more

  • @camis433
    @camis433 2 роки тому +13

    the "her sexuality doesn't matter" clearly meant some homophobic offended opinion inside the discorse. most of her poems are about loving woman and the sexual desire on it, how can people say she might after all be straight??????????? WHY PEOPLE STILL WANT TO ERASE LESBIAN EXISTENCE FOR FUCKING SAKE

  •  11 місяців тому +1

    Well, simply all of ancient Atlantean poets and poetesses.

  • @punsrinmybi-ology5933
    @punsrinmybi-ology5933 9 місяців тому +1

    Um there are 3 remaining poems of hers i think

    • @punsrinmybi-ology5933
      @punsrinmybi-ology5933 9 місяців тому

      Oops I didn’t mean to respond to this I meant to make my own comment 😅

  • @EfrenMendozaswan
    @EfrenMendozaswan 3 роки тому

    ENGLISH SUBTITLE PLEASE 😭😭

  • @konstantinosstamatopoulos425
    @konstantinosstamatopoulos425 22 дні тому

    Sexuality in Ancient Greek world was different from now, it was more free and without labels that are modern

  • @rachelgale4710
    @rachelgale4710 Рік тому +7

    The whole "it's unknown if Sappho was a lesbian" thing is wildly insensitive to Sappho's own sexuality as well as the impact that has had on queer people throughout history and to this day. Fr. 1 has Aphrodite address the speaker directly as Sappho and in that same poem she speaks of the one she loves with feminine participles. Stop trying to please people uncomfortable with queer sexuality because claiming Sappho's sexuality is "unknown" is not the neutral statement you think you're making. Nothing about the ancient world and its sources is 100% known, but it's widely accepted and heavily implied that Sappho had romantic and sexual encounters with women.

    • @pvp6077
      @pvp6077 20 днів тому +1

      💯💯💯

  • @petergaskin1811
    @petergaskin1811 7 місяців тому +1

    Simonides, the Lyric and Dithyrambic poet from Ceos.
    Ω ξείν', αγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ότι τήδε
    κείμεθα, τοις κείνων ρήμασι πειθόμενοι.
    O xein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tede
    keimetha tois keinon rhemasi peithomenoi.
    Tell them in Lakedaemon, passerby, that here, according to their laws we lie.

  • @Tekmirion
    @Tekmirion 3 роки тому +2

    Informative as always! :) I read somewhere but for the moment i am missing who claimed it that Sapfo indeed suicide but because she had sex with a man, Faion for the first time in her life and found it so sweet and fantastic that she couldn`t live without it so when he abandoned her she suicide (and i think that they just made love once and then he left). Also there is a fact somewhere that she is the first who made the soaps. Not exactly the same way we have today or the natural oiled once but the first to create the soaps as a soap with natural incredience and ofcourse difficult to find how she did it.

    • @betsylalich4570
      @betsylalich4570 Рік тому

      Soap and sex with a man...does this have any significance?

    • @Tekmirion
      @Tekmirion Рік тому

      @@betsylalich4570 ...what are you mambling about on researchers ? Dont you have anything better to say or just talking nonsense is the new shith for you around the net ?

  • @EfrenMendozaswan
    @EfrenMendozaswan 3 роки тому +1

    SUBTITLE PLEASE :((

  • @n.y.x....
    @n.y.x.... Рік тому

    One of famous line of her poem is
    O Zeus why is it so that i m granted body of a woman and soul of a man
    Ancoent greeks did not distinguish between soul and mind

  • @LobGamer
    @LobGamer 2 роки тому +14

    She was literally the original Lesbian

  • @Semilovesherself
    @Semilovesherself 7 місяців тому +1

    Anybody ever thought… she may have been bi….

  • @yourstepdad1632
    @yourstepdad1632 2 роки тому +2

    Deez nuts

  • @xiaomizoli-mx6fu
    @xiaomizoli-mx6fu 7 місяців тому

    Comedy of a theme for the degenerated society

  • @JoelAdamson
    @JoelAdamson 2 місяці тому

    If she was born and lived on Lesbos, why is it debatable that she was a Lesbian? 😂

  • @big1boston
    @big1boston 2 роки тому

    I always enjoyed the Works of PIndar, And not lesbians.