Ivan Yefremov - Thais of Athens

“I ought to have left you in the middle of the sea,” the Lacedemonian exclaimed. “I swear by Poseidon, I will give him this sacrifice next time.”

“Are you not afraid of a revolt?” Egesikhora asked, defending her friend. “Although I am quite certain she will ride there on a dolphin and get there faster than we. Ah, there they are,” the Spartan said. She pointed at the spots of foam accompanying the glistening black bodies of the dolphins. They had been attracted by the game of their human brothers.

“Where did she learn to swim like that?” Eositeus grumbled. “And to walk the oar in the wind? That is harder than tightrope walking.”

“We were all taught the art of balance at the hetaerae school in Corinth. You can’t perform the dance of sacred triangles without it. As for the swimming, you cannot learn that. You have to be born a Nereid.”

Hesiona carefully massaged her mistress’ head and gently reproached Thais for tempting the fates. “How is it that you weren’t afraid to appear nude in front of such assembly of soldiers, Mistress? They were chasing after you as if you were a dolphin!” the girl declared, glancing around as if afraid of another attack.

“When you are surrounded by so many genuinely strong and brave men, you may rest assured that you are perfectly safe,” the hetaera replied with a laugh. “They are, after all, Helenians and Spartans to boot. Remember that. It will come in useful. And besides, remember that men are usually more shy than we are. We are much braver when following tradition, while they become embarrassed.”

“Why Spartans in particular?”

“Because Spartans are hymnophiles. They love nudity, like Thessalians. That is in contrast to hymnophobes like you, the Boeotians and the Macedonians. In this case, Spartans are as much in contrast with my fellow Athenians as Aeolians are to Lydians in Ionia.

“I have read about Aeolians. They even refer to the month of Munikhion as Pornopion.”

“In fairness, most Helenians do not consider clothes to be a sign of good manners. And Spartans and Thessalians have adopted the laws and tradition of ancient Cretans. In their case, appearing nude at feasts and celebrations was a privilege of the highest aristocracy.”

“That must be where the legend about tekhinas comes from. The legend of the demons of seduction that still live on Crete and in the wilder corners of Ionia.”

“Perhaps. I think that in Egypt, nudity was initially the lot of servants and slaves. In Ionia it was the right of the strong. On Crete it was the privilege of royalty and aristocrats, and in Hellas of gods. Let’s go into our cubbyhole. I want to rest after my swim. Clonaria shall rub me down.”

“Me, Mistress, let me!”

Thais shrugged and nodded. Still wrapped in a sheet, she headed to a tiny compartment under the deck designated for her, Egesikhora and their female slaves.

While rubbing Thais down with fragrant oil, Hesiona returned to the earlier topic. “Who are Egyptians? Are they hymnophiles or not?”

“They are hymnophiles, and the most ancient ones of all people. Have you heard of Aphrodite of Knid?”

“The one sculpted by your compatriot Praxiteles?”

Thais nodded against her pillow. “He created two statues of Aphrodite from the same model, hetaera Frina. One was dressed in a peplos and the other was nude. He displayed them both for sale at the same time. The dressed one was purchased by the stern rulers of the island of Cos, and the nude one was bought for the same price by citizens of Knid. They placed her in an open alter, in the glow of yellowish pink marble of her body. They said that Aphrodite herself descended to the temple from Olympus and, upon seeing the statue, exclaimed, ‘When did Praxiteles see me naked?’

“The transparent surface of the statue gave it a peculiar glow, surrounding the goddess with a sacred aura. For many years poets, artists, military commanders, craftsmen and farmers filled the ships going to Knid. Aphrodite of Knid is revered more than that of Cos, and her image is minted on coins. One king offered to forgive all debts of the island in exchange for the statue, but the citizens refused.

“Praxiteles’ fame was shared by his model, hetaera Frina. The grateful Helenians placed a statue of her made of bronze and covered with gold leaf, at the staircase leading to the temple of Apollo in Delphi. Such is the power of divinely beautiful nudity. You need never be afraid of hymnophiles. They are true people.”

There were many Helenians in Memphis, which the Egyptians called a Scale of Both Lands. Thais came to love the city. It was one of the oldest ones in the ancient land, located at the boundary between Delta and the Upper Egypt. Memphis was far enough away from the rainy winters typical down the Nile, as well as from the scorching summers of the southern part of the country.

Memphis Greeks, especially the young ones, were excited by the arrival of two beautiful women from Athens. Poets, artists and musicians tried to capture Thais’ heart, dedicating poems and songs to her or begging her to become their model, but the Athenian appeared everywhere either with Egesikhora or accompanied by the shy warrior, whose appearance discouraged any potential challengers.

The regal Spartan hetaera tied her destiny firmly to that of the chief of the Laconian mercenaries, and was interested in nothing but him and her incredibly swift horses. A woman driving a tetrippa had never before been seen in Memphis. Young Egyptian women revered Egesikhora almost as if she were a goddess, seeing in her the embodiment of the freedom they themselves didn’t possess even if they lived in the most aristocratic of households.

Thais sometimes agreed to perform at symposiums as a dancer, but she usually left as soon as the company turned rambunctious from the sweet Abydos wine. More often than not she left Memphis to visit other famous cities and temples, rushing to acquaint herself with the country, whose many legends and tales had attracted Helenians since childhood. Thais surprised both Egesikhora and Hesiona, who continued to consider herself Thais’ slave, by not being in a hurry to acquire a wealthy lover. She preferred to spend money on trips instead.

Mnema, mother of all muses, added wonderful memory to the gifts bestowed upon Thais by Aphrodite. Memory, which absorbed all details of the world, inevitably bred curiosity akin to that possessed by Hellenic philosophers. No matter what new and unusual things Thais encountered in Egypt, so different from the Greek world, her first impression acquired during the voyage up the river and during the first days in Memphis didn’t change.

One of the brightest memories of her childhood kept returning to Thais. Her mother had taken her to Corinth to dedicate her to the temple of Aphrodite, and bring her to the hetaerae school. Weather had been hot in the city, which sprawled at the foot of a huge mountain. Little Thais became thirsty while she and her mother climbed to the top portion of Corinth. She remembered the long, narrow gallery leading to a sacred spring, famous in all of Hellas. A light breeze blew inside the shaded gallery, while the noonday sun showered everything outside of it with a sea of light and heat. Cool, clear water burbled gently ahead, under a round roof supported by double columns. Further away, beyond the water basins, a reflected line blinded the eye at the foot of a steep slope. Heat and the smell of scorching rock surface was stronger than the moist breath of the spring.

The gallery of water and greenery that was Egypt stretched between two flaming deserts for tens of thousands of stadiums — a colossal distance compared to the small Hellenic states. It was all gardens and temples, temples and gardens, fields near water, and endless necropoli along the outside edge of this band of life. Like cities of the dead with countless tombs. There were no tombstones here, but rather homes for the departed. For the wealthy and important citizens, the homes were the size of a regular house, while those for the poor and the slaves were the size of a dog house.