L’elmo di Telesilla

Abstract

This contribution examines the poetess Telesilla of Argo, as one of the few names that came from female Greek lyric, in which we can find precise information, despite the small number of verses that have come. Through the testimonies, we focus here on the myths mentioned by the poetess as a precious documentation of the Cults practiced in the Peloponnese’s area, often linked to the Apollo. The image of the warrior woman who saves her city is contextualized, more realistically, in a frame of female ritual performances. The contribution concludes with some indications on the well-known battle of Sepeia, fought against Sparta (6th-5th century) according to different versions. The sources are Herodoto and Pausanias, as well as the entry “Telesilla” of the Suda lexicon. The historicity of the battle remains problematic, but especially compelling for the question of the Argive women, who have the protection of an armed and bearded, almost masculine Aphrodite.