Tell Me Sappho’s Story
The fourth woman featured in the Accidental Benchmark
Note: All text generated by AI is represented here without edits. The Accidental Historian offers her most profound apologies to grammarians, proofreaders, and editors for this (un?)editorial decision that may cause eyes to twitch.
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Meet Sappho, a renowned Greek poet, in the words of ChatGPT 4o, Google Gemini, and Claude3, with observations from The Accidental Historian to round things out.
The prompts are intentionally simple:
Tell me [insert woman’s name]’s story.
Describe [insert woman’s name] as a prompt.
Create an image of [insert woman’s name]
The Accidental Historian Observes:
We don’t know a lot about Sappho. We believe a lot about Sappho, though. Some of it is based on things we can know for sure, and some of it is based on junk history. So, Sappho is a really interesting subject to test AI on; please note the image results for Google Gemini, which proves the algorithm either needs to get its digital mind out of the gutter or prioritize training on some different data sets!
Most of what I know about Sappho — and most other ancient Greeks, for that matter — I learned from Natalie Haynes. Thank you, BBC 4, for continuing to not cancel her. Thank you, Natalie, for Pandora’s Jar, which is one of my very, very favorite books.
If people know who Sappho is, they almost immediately associate her with the word Lesbian. She was a Lesbian in both senses of the word. Sappho had romantic relationships with women, and Sappho lived on the island of Lesbos. The residents of Lesbos are referred to as Lesbians. Worth noting: The residents of Lesbos are STILL referred to as Lesbians.
Most people think of Sappho only as a poet. Ninety-seven percent of her poetry is lost. There are only two complete poems we have of Sappho: Ode to Aphrodite and a more recent discovery — like 2014 recent —The Brothers Poem.
Let’s discuss The Brothers Poem. This poem is about daily life and shows Sappho in a way we are not used to thinking of her…as a shipping magnate.
You did not misread that.
Sappho has an older brother, a lecherous fellow focused on conducting embarrassing affairs, and a younger brother who is absolutely determined to remain immature and unhelpful.
The Brothers Poem is a lament about her monetary woes and the fact that she’s a woman and, therefore, in a position to do almost nothing about it. Sappho pulls the thread all the way through on the shipping theme, using words like freight and cargo as a way to capture the weight of her anxieties running the family shipping business on her own, no thanks to her useless, idiot brothers.
If there’s a reference to Sappho’s livelihood, it’s frequently as something like the headmistress of a finishing school for unmarried girls. All the AI platforms explain this idea as fact.
ChatGPT: Sappho is believed to have run a thiasos, a sort of informal school or circle for young women, where they were educated in the arts, particularly poetry and music, and prepared for marriage.
Google Gemini: Established a school, possibly a thiasos, where young women learned music, poetry, and social graces.
Claude3: In her 30s, Sappho established a renowned poetry circle and school for unmarried young women on Lesbos.
Now, why would this be? Well, prudes from the past tried to explain why and how Sappho would have been able to have so many close relationships with women WITHOUT implying romance and passion. So they collectively agreed to go with school principal.
Shipping magnate with a side hustle as a creator who writes viral love poems is so much more interesting!
Ode to Aphrodite is the complete work we are most familiar with, which reveals so much about Sappho’s unique style. But even the fragments of other works tell us how much she felt in just a few relatable words like the way my husband almost always thinks of me:
…oh beautiful, oh graceful one…
You’ve almost certainly heard the song “Fever.” And if the sultry Peggy Lee jazz classic didn’t auto-play in your head (I had to google it…), here’s the chorus:
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Classic Sappho.
To be clear, that’s not written by Sappho, but love described with a clinical, medical-like quality is a hallmark of her writing. The universal human experiences of sweating or feeling like you might vomit are the relatable touchstones that make Sappho’s love poems endure and influence writers and lovers throughout the ages.
So, despite the little we know for certain, we know Sappho existed, what she wrote, and that her work stands the test of time. Frankly, this is more than we can say about so many remarkable women, no thanks to the irritating endurance of the patriarchy. Perhaps it was prophetic at the time, but the inscription on Sappho’s grave turns out to be true:
No sun will ever rise on a world that does not know the name of the lyric poet Sappho.
There is a name in the Claude3 write-up that is genuinely funny if you know about it ahead of time. Special thanks to the Classists who can translate ancient Greek and have a sense of humor, who alerted me to this important fact.
Sappho was probably married. According to a Byzantine encyclopedia, her husband’s name was Cercylas. But look this name up in the Ancient Greek Urban Dictionary (To be clear, that’s not an actual thing, but Natalie Haynes should totally publish it.), and you’ll discover that it refers to the anatomical male member.
So, either her husband’s name was Richard, but he went by a nickname. Or — and this is equally as good, and also more likely — the person who wrote the entry on Sappho worked a joke into the article about the lyric poet, who happened to be attracted to women, to reflect that she was married to… well, you get it by now.
Now that you accidentally know some mildly rude ancient Greek slang…Sappho’s story according to AI.
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ChatGPT 4o
Early Life and Background
Sappho, one of the most renowned poets of ancient Greece, was born around 630 BCE on the island of Lesbos, in the town of Eresos or Mytilene. Little is known about her early life, including her exact birthdate, parentage, and early influences. Her family was likely of the aristocratic class, giving her access to education and literary circles.
Literary Career and Themes
Sappho's poetry is celebrated for its emotional depth, personal reflections, and lyrical beauty. She wrote in the Aeolic dialect and was highly esteemed by her contemporaries. Her work predominantly explored themes of love, passion, and the relationships between women.
Lyric Poetry: Sappho is most famous for her lyric poetry, meant to be accompanied by the lyre. Her poems were often short, personal, and intensely emotional, differing from the epic poetry of Homer.
Themes of Love and Desire: Much of Sappho's poetry expresses the complexities of love and desire, often directed towards women. This focus has led to her name becoming associated with female homoeroticism, giving rise to the term "lesbian," derived from her home island of Lesbos.
Epithalamia and Hymns: Besides love poetry, Sappho composed epithalamia (wedding songs) and hymns to the gods, showcasing her versatility and the ceremonial aspects of her work.
School and Influence
Sappho is believed to have run a thiasos, a sort of informal school or circle for young women, where they were educated in the arts, particularly poetry and music, and prepared for marriage. This group fostered close relationships and is often thought to be the inspiration for much of her love poetry.
Exile and Later Life
At some point, Sappho was exiled to Sicily, possibly due to political turmoil involving her aristocratic family. The reasons for her exile are not clearly documented, but this period likely influenced her poetry, reflecting themes of longing and displacement.
Surviving Works and Legacy
While Sappho was highly prolific, composing around 10,000 lines of poetry, only fragments of her work survive today. The most complete piece is the "Ode to Aphrodite," a prayer to the goddess of love for assistance in matters of the heart. Many of her poems are known only through quotations by later authors.
Influence on Literature: Sappho's work greatly influenced later poets and writers, both in antiquity and beyond. Her style and themes resonate through the works of Roman poets like Catullus and Ovid, and she remains a significant figure in Western literary canon.
Rediscovery and Modern Reception: Interest in Sappho's poetry was revived during the Renaissance, and she has continued to be a subject of scholarly study and literary inspiration. Her portrayal of personal emotion and the female experience has made her an enduring icon in literature and LGBTQ+ history.
Summary
Sappho of Lesbos remains one of the most important and influential poets of ancient Greece. Her lyric poetry, characterized by its emotional depth and exploration of love and personal relationships, has resonated through the ages. Despite the fragmentary survival of her work, her legacy endures, highlighting the timeless nature of her themes and the beauty of her lyrical expression.
Google Gemini
Sappho's story is shrouded in some mystery, with details lost to time and legend mixing with fact. Here's what we know:
The Poet of Lesbos:
Believed to be born around 620 BCE on the Greek island of Lesbos, likely to an aristocratic family.
Famous as a poet, revered in ancient Greece as the "Tenth Muse." Her poems explored love, beauty, and the complexities of emotions.
Established a school, possibly a thiasos, where young women learned music, poetry, and social graces.
Life in Fragments:
Much of her life is pieced together from fragments of writings and later accounts.
She likely married and had a daughter named Cleis.
Some sources mention a brief exile to Sicily around 600 BCE due to political unrest.
Love and Legend:
Sappho's poems often addressed feelings of love and longing, sometimes interpreted as referencing women. This association led to the terms "Sapphic" and "Lesbian."
A later legend tells a story of unrequited love for a ferryman named Phaon, culminating in her tragic suicide by leaping from a cliff. Historians consider this tale to be unreliable.
Legacy in Poetry:
Though only fragments of her poems remain, her work continues to inspire and influence writers today.
The "Sapphic stanza," a specific meter used in her poems, is named after her.
Claude3
While the details of Sappho's life may be fuzzy, her impact on literature and the exploration of emotions is undeniable. Her work offers a window into the ancient world and continues to resonate with readers today.
Here's a summary of Sappho's story:
Early Life and Origins:
- Sappho was born around 620 BCE on the island of Lesbos, off the coast of modern-day Turkey.
- She came from an aristocratic family and is believed to have been married at a young age to a wealthy man named Cercylas. They had a daughter named Cleis.
Poetic Career and Circle:
- In her 30s, Sappho established a renowned poetry circle and school for unmarried young women on Lesbos.
- This institution provided education in writing, music, and culture, and it was likely here that Sappho composed most of her influential lyric poetry.
Poetic Style and Themes:
- Sappho's poetry is known for its emotional intensity, attention to detail, and innovative lyrical meters and forms.
- Her work often focused on themes of love, desire, passion, and relationships between women.
- She wrote about both male and female subjects, describing their physical attributes and emotional effects with sensual detail.
Innovations and Influence:
- Sappho essentially invented new genres like the lyric love poem and the epithalamium (bridal song).
- Her work was highly respected in the ancient world and has influenced Western poetry for centuries.
Controversy and Interpretation:
- The intimate nature of Sappho's writings to and about her female pupils has led to ongoing debates about whether her relationships were romantic or platonic.
- The term "lesbian" derives from Lesbos, Sappho's home, due to the homoerotic themes in her poetry.
Legacy and Survival of Works:
- Of Sappho's estimated 10,000 lines of verse, only about 650 lines survive intact today.
- Despite this, her remaining fragments powerfully demonstrate her genius and have secured her place as one of the greatest lyric poets in the Western canon.
Historical Context:
- Sappho lived during a time of political turbulence on Lesbos, and she was reportedly exiled to Sicily at one point, though details are uncertain.
Sappho's life and work continue to fascinate scholars and readers alike. Her poetry's emotional depth, technical skill, and exploration of desire have ensured her enduring reputation as the "Tenth Muse" and a pioneering voice in Western literature.
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