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The most famous hetaera 4 letters scanword. Ancient Greek getters

About who the getters are, most of us have a very relative idea. In ancient Greece, this was the name given to free, unmarried women who earned their living by making love to men. But they were very, very different from ordinary prostitutes.

Priestesses of free love

Getters, as a rule, were smart and quite educated, they knew how to behave in society. Their favors were sometimes sought by the most senior representatives of the stronger sex. They often became muses for poets, singers, artists ... At the same time, the hetaera herself chose her lovers and could refuse the applicant for her body if she did not like him.

In Athens, there was even a special board - Keramik, on which men wrote proposals for dates to getters. If the hetera agreed, she signed the hour of the meeting under these lines. But she might not agree.

Some Greek hetaerae were very famous, included in the highest social circles, and it was an honor to have a relationship with them. History has preserved their names.

Phryne

It was this Athenian hetaera, who lived in the 4th century BC, that served as a model for the “Aphrodite of Cnidus” and “Aphrodite of Kos”, which came out from under the chisel of the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles.

It is known about Phryne that she was born in the small town of Thespia. Her parents gave her the name Mnesareta - "Remembering the virtues." The nickname Phryne, the girl was probably awarded when she took up the love craft. By the way, in translation from ancient Greek, this word meant “toad”. According to one version, the hetaera was called so because of the yellowish skin tone, according to another, she herself appropriated this name, because she believed that it would protect her from evil spirits.

It is curious that, unlike her fellow craftsmen, Phryne led a rather modest lifestyle. She almost did not use cosmetics, avoided visiting public baths, places of entertainment and public gatherings.

As for intimate services, then Phryne's fee depended on her attitude towards the client. She didn't care if he was rich or poor. For example, from the king of Lydia, whom she did not like, she requested so much that he was subsequently forced to raise taxes in order to restore the treasury. But the famous philosopher Diogenes Laertes, whose mind she admired, was allowed to use her caresses for free.

The only one who remained indifferent to her charms was another philosopher - Xenocrates. Phryne made a bet with Diogenes that she would seduce him. But she never succeeded. “I said that I would awaken feelings in a person, and not in a statue,” the hetaera said, realizing that the bet was lost.

Like many craftswomen, Phryne worked part-time as a model. The fact is that "decent women" would hardly agree to pose naked. Therefore, artists often turned to the services of hetaerae. For the painter Apelles, who wrote “Aphrodite Anadyomene” from her for the temple of Asclete, Phryne became not only a model, but also a lover. But Praxiteles' masterpieces glorified her even more.

Once, one of the admirers rejected by Phryne, the orator Euthius, tried to accuse the getter of godlessness. He declared that it was unacceptable for a corrupt woman to portray a goddess. Phryne had to stand trial. It was defended by the famous orator Hipperides, but although his speech was brilliant, it did not make much of an impression on the judges. Then Gipperides, right in front of the public, tore off the clothes of the accused. Everyone saw how beautiful and perfect her body was, and Phryne was justified ...

Phryne was rather vain. In 336, the walls of the city of Thebes were destroyed by the army of Alexander the Great. Then Phryne, who by that time had amassed a considerable fortune at the expense of her rich and influential lovers, offered to give money for restoration. But not just like that, but with a condition. Like, let the townspeople install a memorial plaque on the gate with the following inscription: "Thebes was destroyed by Alexander and restored by Phryne." Alas, the authorities of Thebes refused. But Praxiteles sculpted a statue of a hetaera from gold, which was later installed in the Delphic temple. The inscription on the pedestal read: "Phryna, daughter of Epicles of Thespiae."

Clepsydra

The real name of this hetaera was Metikha. According to legend, her friends gave her the nickname Clepsydra. It meant "water clock". Hetaera earned it with her habit of counting the time she spent with clients using a water clock.

Clepsydra became famous for being the heroine of one of Eubulus' comedies. However, the text of the play has not survived to this day.

Thais of Athens

Tais Afinskaya is known to the Russian reader mainly from the novel of the same name by Ivan Efremov. She had a rare beauty and often posed nude for artists, including the already mentioned Apelles. Thais was considered Phryne's main rival.

The name Thais (Taids) is mentioned in many ancient sources. It is known that at one time she was the lover of Alexander the Great himself, accompanied him on military campaigns and even had some influence on state affairs. In 331 BC, after the battle of Gaugamela, the king arranged a feast in the captured Persepolis with the participation of hetaerae. As Plutarch writes, among them "... Taida, originally from Attica, a friend of the future king Ptolemy, stood out in particular."

The ancient historians Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius Rufus believe that it was Thais who, at that very feast, proposed burning the palace of Xerxes in Persepolis, wanting to take revenge on the Persians for burning their native Athens in the summer of 480 BC.

Ptolemy, one of Alexander's friends and generals, made Thais his lover and later his wife. After her husband became king of Egypt under the name of Ptolemy I Soter, she received the title of queen. True, Ptolemy had other wives. Thais bore him a son, Leontisk, and a daughter, Iranu, who later married Evnost, the ruler of the Cypriot city of Sola.

By the way, asteroid 1236, discovered on November 6, 1931 by the Soviet astronomer Grigory Neuimin, was named in honor of Thais of Athens.

Initially, the term referred to an ancient Greek social phenomenon, later figuratively spread to other cultures. In ancient Greece, the term was applied to an educated unmarried woman leading a free and independent lifestyle. Some of them played a significant role in public life. In their homes, hetaeras arranged meetings for many prominent ancient Greek political figures, poets, sculptors, etc. As a rule, a hetaera was supported by a wealthy patron. They paid a lot of money for their favor. Stone slabs have been preserved, on which men carved the price offered by one or another. But this was not prostitution in the traditional sense, because hetaerae lived sexually only with those patrons they loved, and prostitutes existed in parallel with them. The ancient Greek orator and politician Demosthenes said that a self-respecting Greek has three women: a wife for procreation, a slave for sensual pleasures and a hetera for spiritual comfort.

Hetera could marry. So, the famous hetaera Aspasia, known for her intelligence, education and beauty, became the wife of the famous military leader M. Pericles. Hetera, as a rule, was brought up by the mistress of her slave, she taught her and set her free or gave her to a worthy patron.

Ancient Greek getters

Heteras entertained, consoled and educated men. Getters did not necessarily trade in the body, but rather generously enriched them with knowledge. Although Lucian of Samosata, a famous writer of antiquity, vulgarly ridiculed many ancient customs and exposed hetaeras as vulgar harlots, hetaera could refuse to be intimate with a man if she did not like him.

In Athens, there was a special board - Keramik (according to some sources, a wall with proposals), where men wrote proposals for a date to getters. If the hetera agreed, then she signed the hour of the meeting under the proposal.

Famous getters of ancient Greece

Archeanassa - girlfriend of the philosopher Plato
Aspasia - whom, despite her profession, the head of Athens, Pericles, married
Belistikha - hetaera of Pharaoh Ptolemy II, who was given divine honors in Egypt
Bacchis - the faithful mistress of the orator Hyperides, was known for her disinterestedness and kindness
Herpilida - mistress of the philosopher Aristotle and mother of his son
Glyceria - cohabitant of the comedian Menander
Gnatena - remarkable for her mind and eloquence, for a long time was the tyrannical mistress of the poet Difil
Kleonissa - wrote several works on philosophy that did not reach us, however,
Lagiska - beloved of the rhetorician Isocrates and orator Demosthenes
Laida of Corinth (Lais of Corinth)- the object of passion of the philosopher Aristippus
Laida Sicilian (Lais of Hyccara)- the alleged model of the artist Apelles, killed in the temple of Aphrodite
Lamia of Athens - who became the mistress of Demetrius Poliorcetes in 306 BC. e., entertaining him also by playing the flute.
Lethala - Lamalion's mistress
Leana (Leaina)- she bit off her tongue so as not to betray the conspiracy of Harmodius and Aristogeiton, for which a statue was erected to her
Leena of Athens - mistress of Demetrius Poliorcetes
Mania - she was called a bee for an unusually thin waist
Megalostrata - the muse of the poet Alkman
Menateira - friend of the orator Lysias
Milto - who was called eastern Aspasia, was born in Phocis and was distinguished as much by beauty as by modesty
Neera (Neira)- against which Demosthenes spoke in court, his speech is an important source of information about sexual life in ancient Greece
Nikareta - the founder of the famous school of heterosexuals in Corinth
Pigaret - was the mistress of the famous philosopher Stilpon of Megara. An excellent mathematician herself, she had a special inclination towards everyone involved in this science.
Pityonis - famous for the royal luxury that Harpal, Alexander's representative in Babylon, surrounded her
Sappho is a poetess, she graduated from the school of heterosexuals, but did not work by profession
Thais of Athens - beloved of Alexander the Great and wife of Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter
Targelia - refused to betray her homeland to the Persian king Xerxes I. She was the mistress of almost all Greek generals and, as Plutarch writes, became the queen of Thessaly thanks to her intelligence and beauty.
Theodette - dearly loved the brilliant Athenian commander Alcibiades and reverently paid him funeral honors
Phryne is the model for the sculptor Praxiteles, who posed for a statue of Aphrodite. Due to the special profession of a model, the sculptor was subpoenaed in a matter of alleged insult to a deity. Praxitel pulled off the veil from Phryne, and the court, seeing the divine beauty of her body, dropped the charge
Elephantis - author of erotic manuals

Hetaerae of Ancient Rome

Lesbia - at Catullus (professional affiliation is assumed)
Kintia - at Propertius

Hetaerae of Byzantium

Empress Theodora (presumably, not proven).

Difference from prostitution

Hetaeras are distinguished from high education - they did not so much provide sexual services (and of their own choice), but entertained others with a conversation, song or dance, by analogy with geishas.

Other cultures

The word "getera" is also often used in describing temple prostitution, for example, in ancient India.

In ancient India, getters, who, due to their age, could no longer perform their functions, worked in royal spinning mills (Arthashastra II.23).

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Notes

Literature

// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

An excerpt characterizing Geter

When Anna Mikhailovna went with her son to Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhy, Countess Rostova sat alone for a long time, putting a handkerchief to her eyes. Finally, she called.
“What are you, dear,” she said angrily to the girl, who kept herself waiting for several minutes. You don't want to serve, do you? So I will find a place for you.
The countess was upset by the grief and humiliating poverty of her friend and therefore was not in a good mood, which was always expressed in her by the name of the maid "dear" and "you".
“Guilty with,” said the maid.
“Ask the Count for me.
The count, waddling, approached his wife with a somewhat guilty look, as always.
- Well, Countess! What a saute au madere [saute in Madeira] of grouse will be, ma chere! I tried; I gave a thousand rubles for Taraska not for nothing. Costs!
He sat down beside his wife, valiantly leaning his hands on his knees and ruffling his gray hair.
- What do you want, countess?
- Here's what, my friend - what do you have dirty here? she said, pointing to the vest. "That's sauté, right," she added, smiling. - Here's the thing, Count: I need money.
Her face became sad.
- Oh, Countess! ...
And the count began to fuss, taking out his wallet.
- I need a lot, count, I need five hundred rubles.
And she, taking out a cambric handkerchief, rubbed her husband's waistcoat with it.
- Now. Hey, who's there? he shouted in a voice that only people shout, confident that those whom they call will rush headlong to their call. - Send Mitenka to me!
Mitenka, that noble son, brought up by the count, who was now in charge of all his affairs, entered the room with quiet steps.
“That’s what, my dear,” said the count to the respectful young man who entered. “Bring me…” he thought. - Yes, 700 rubles, yes. Yes, look, don’t bring such torn and dirty ones as that time, but good ones, for the countess.
“Yes, Mitenka, please, clean ones,” said the countess, sighing sadly.
“Your Excellency, when would you like me to deliver it?” Mitenka said. “If you please, don’t worry, don’t worry,” he added, noticing that the count had already begun to breathe heavily and quickly, which was always a sign of anger. - I was and forgot ... Will you order to deliver this minute?
- Yes, yes, then bring it. Give it to the Countess.
“What gold I have this Mitenka,” added the count, smiling, when the young man left. - There is no such thing as impossible. I can't stand it. Everything is possible.
“Ah, money, count, money, how much grief they cause in the world!” said the Countess. “I really need this money.
“You, countess, are a well-known winder,” said the count, and, kissing his wife’s hand, went back into the study.
When Anna Mikhailovna returned from Bezukhoy again, the countess already had money, all in brand new paper, under a handkerchief on the table, and Anna Mikhailovna noticed that the countess was somehow disturbed.
- Well, my friend? the countess asked.
Oh, what a terrible state he is in! You can't recognize him, he's so bad, so bad; I stayed for a minute and did not say two words ...
“Annette, for God’s sake, don’t refuse me,” the countess suddenly said, blushing, which was so strange with her middle-aged, thin and important face, taking out money from under her handkerchief.
Anna Mikhaylovna instantly understood what was the matter, and already bent down to deftly embrace the countess at the right time.
- Here's Boris from me, for sewing a uniform ...
Anna Mikhaylovna was already embracing her and crying. The Countess was crying too. They wept that they were friendly; and that they are kind; and that they, girlfriends of youth, are occupied with such a low subject - money; and that their youth had passed ... But the tears of both were pleasant ...

Countess Rostova was sitting with her daughters and already with a large number of guests in the drawing room. The count ushered the male guests into his study, offering them his hunter's collection of Turkish pipes. Occasionally he would come out and ask: has she come? They were waiting for Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, nicknamed in society le terrible dragon, [a terrible dragon,] a lady famous not for wealth, not for honors, but for her directness of mind and frank simplicity of address. Marya Dmitrievna was known by the royal family, all of Moscow and all of St. Petersburg knew, and both cities, surprised at her, secretly laughed at her rudeness, told jokes about her; yet everyone, without exception, respected and feared her.
In an office full of smoke, there was a conversation about the war, which was declared by the manifesto, about recruitment. No one has yet read the Manifesto, but everyone knew about its appearance. The count was sitting on an ottoman between two smoking and talking neighbors. The count himself did not smoke or speak, but tilting his head, now to one side, then to the other, he looked with evident pleasure at the smokers and listened to the conversation of his two neighbors, whom he pitted against each other.
One of the speakers was a civilian, with a wrinkled, bilious, and shaven, thin face, a man already approaching old age, although he was dressed like the most fashionable young man; he sat with his feet on the ottoman with the air of a domestic man, and, sideways thrusting amber far into his mouth, impetuously drew in the smoke and screwed up his eyes. It was the old bachelor Shinshin, the cousin of the countess, an evil tongue, as they said about him in Moscow drawing rooms. He seemed to condescend to his interlocutor. Another, fresh, pink, officer of the Guards, impeccably washed, buttoned and combed, held amber near the middle of his mouth and with pink lips slightly pulled out the smoke, releasing it in ringlets from his beautiful mouth. It was that lieutenant Berg, an officer of the Semyonovsky regiment, with whom Boris went to the regiment together and with which Natasha teased Vera, the senior countess, calling Berg her fiancé. The Count sat between them and listened attentively. The most pleasant occupation for the count, with the exception of the game of boston, which he was very fond of, was the position of the listener, especially when he managed to play off two talkative interlocutors.
“Well, how about it, father, mon tres honorable [most respected] Alfons Karlych,” said Shinshin, chuckling and combining (which was the peculiarity of his speech) the most popular Russian expressions with exquisite French phrases. - Vous comptez vous faire des rentes sur l "etat, [Do you expect to have income from the treasury,] do you want to receive income from the company?
- No, Pyotr Nikolaevich, I only want to show that in the cavalry there are much fewer advantages against the infantry. Now consider, Pyotr Nikolaitch, my position...
Berg always spoke very precisely, calmly and courteously. His conversation always concerned only him alone; he was always calmly silent while talking about something that had no direct relation to him. And he could remain silent in this way for several hours, without experiencing or producing in others the slightest confusion. But as soon as the conversation concerned him personally, he began to speak at length and with visible pleasure.
“Consider my situation, Pyotr Nikolaevich: if I were in the cavalry, I would receive no more than two hundred rubles a third, even with the rank of lieutenant; and now I get two hundred and thirty,” he said with a joyful, pleasant smile, looking at Shinshin and the count, as if it were obvious to him that his success would always be the main goal of the desires of all other people.
“Besides, Pyotr Nikolaevich, having transferred to the guards, I am in the public eye,” Berg continued, “and vacancies in the guards infantry are much more frequent. Then, think for yourself how I could get a job out of two hundred and thirty rubles. And I’m saving and sending more to my father,” he continued, blowing the ring.
- La balance at est ... [The balance is established ...] The German threshes a loaf on the butt, comme dit le roverbe, [as the proverb says,] - shifting amber to the other side of his mouth, said Shinshin and winked at the count.

« Women, know yourself! And not every pose is good
- Pose manage to find a physique to match.
The one that has a good face, lie down, spread out on your back.
The one that is beautiful with her back, put her back on display.
Atlantis touched Milanion's shoulders with her feet
- You, whose legs are slender, can take an example from them.
To be a rider is small to face, but tall - not at all:
Hector was not a horse for his Andromache…»
Publius Ovid Nason

Hello dear! Let's talk today about such a somewhat provocative topic. My story will be about getters. Let's figure out who it is. In modern times, the word has become synonymous with a prostitute, or, to use the 19th century phrase, a fallen woman. However, this is fundamentally not true. The word Prostitute and the word Geter cannot and should not be used as synonyms. Hetaerae are a unique phenomenon, characteristic only of Ancient Greece and very limited to ancient Rome. Even their very name (from the Greek word Ethes - friend, comrade) speaks of the main purpose, often far from bed comforts.

It looked like a hetera, according to most of our contemporaries

There are a lot of differences, the art of getters has always been separated from voluntary, forced or temple prostitution. I will say even more, some of the studies of this issue in the annals of ancient texts distinguish hetaerae into separate subclasses, placing next to them also auletrids and free dicteriads. I won’t delve into the topic of differences especially today, I can only advise whoever has a similar desire for Edmond Dupuy’s book “Prostitution in Antiquity” (although there are a lot of books and studies on this topic). So we won’t delve deeply into the topic (sorry for the involuntary and frivolous pun), but in a nutshell, we should say about the features of heterosexuals.

Blessed Corinth. in the background (presumably) the famous school of heterosexuals

Getters are free women who specially studied in specialized schools (one of the best was the school in Corinth) in music, art, rhetoric, dancing, the ability to dress, science, and most importantly - the most important skill - the ability to like it. Well educated, surrounded by luxury and brilliant men, these women themselves chose their admirers, chose how to be, with whom to be and when to be. Yes, most often such a connection was of a compensatory nature, but this was not the rule - everything depended only on the getter herself - her understanding of life, the situation, and most importantly freedom. Getters also served as models for artists and sculptors; they welcomed poets in the theater and orators in the academies. They were the decoration of every holiday, every military and civil ceremony. As E. Dupuis, whom I mentioned above, wrote in his book, “ they created around themselves an atmosphere of competition in the search for beauty and goodness, ennobled tastes and, lighting the fire of love in their hearts, contributed to the development of science, literature and art; this was their strength and charm. Fascinated by them, lovers tried to become worthy of the object of their worship.". Naturally, not everything was so rosy and beautiful. Often getters were the cause of "p mischievous revelry, extravagance, and a whole host of other follies. Under their influence, morals deteriorated, civic virtues turned pale, characters relaxed, souls were corrupted.". However, some of them have become a real legend and adornment of their people. As I said, hetaera is a rare phenomenon.

In part, but only in part, some courtesans of the “gallant age” (such as Ninon de Lanclos, for example) and some of the famous Japanese geishas called tayu are similar to them, but that’s all. “Piece goods”, as they say, women who, simply by being next to a great hero, politician or orator, could either further strengthen the glory of such a great man through the ages or destroy his reputation. About some of these great getters, and specifically about 4 of them, we will talk with you, my dear reader, below.

cover of the book "Thais of Athens"

The most famous heteroa among us is, of course, a certain Thais from Athens. She is known for the talented and interesting novel by Ivan Antonovich Efremov "Tais of Athens". I see no point in retelling this book, those who have read it know, those who have not read it are never too late. Let me just say that the author read a bunch of ancient and not very ancient sources, ranging from Plutarch and Curtius Rufus to Dante Alighieri, but he composed her biography. In reality, little is known about Thais, except that she followed in the train of Alexander the Great and, apparently, was his lover and some of his diadochi (generals). She went down in history, first of all, as a “herostratic glory”. After Alexander the Great took in 330 BC. Persepolis, she de persuaded him to allow her to set fire to the palace of Darius III, so that weak women from the retinue of the Macedonian king would have the opportunity to avenge the Persians for Greece.

Diodorus Siculus describes this situation especially juicy. If you believe him, " Tais entered Persepolis, which fell under the onslaught of the Macedonian army, on a chariot. Having bared her beautiful body, covered only with precious ornaments, not in the least embarrassed by the many soldiers who greeted her with cries, she proudly rode around the courtyard, was sweet and cheerful at the royal feast, and, waiting for everyone present to drink pretty much, she suddenly grabbed a torch and began to call the king and his soldiers burn down the palace. Tipsy and heated men without further ado fulfilled her desire. The pearl of Persian culture, an amazing architectural complex - was burned to the ground and destroyed .... This act of hers could be condemned without knowing the background, but Thais really had reasons to take revenge on the Persian "barbarians": most recently, her family was forced to flee from the Persian troops , and returning back to Athens, be horrified by the charred ruins that the magnificent marble city has turned into. This resentment sunk deep into the heart of the Athenian and she could not deny herself the pleasure of revenge.". Something like this .... The caprice and revenge of a windy and immoral woman destroyed one of the most beautiful buildings of that world.

Sir Anthony Hopkins as Ptolemy in O. Stone's film "Alexander"

Subsequently, it was said that she married Ptolemy I Soter, one of the most successful Diadochi Alexander, who became the king of Egypt and the founder of the dynasty (the famous Cleopatra was his great-great-great-granddaughter), and bore him 3 children. She really gave birth to children for him - the sons of Leontisk and Lag and the daughter of Eiren, but she was not married to Ptolemy. She was a beloved and free hetero until the end of her life.

Painting by Hans Hallbein Jr. Lais of Corinth. Truth in medieval clothes ... such a vision

Next in line we have Lais (or Laisa) of Corinth. In ancient history, several hetaeras are known under the name Laisa and therefore it is accepted after their name, in order not to be confused, to write a nickname according to their place of residence, so to speak. Although in fairness this same Laisa is not from Corinth at all. She was born in Sicily and most likely was not Hellenic at all. In one of the military raids, she was captured and sold into slavery in Athens. She got to the famous artist Apelles, who was kind to her, and after a few years he let her go. Lais decided to choose the path of hetaera for herself and for this she went to the city of Corinth, in which there was the most famous school for teaching this profession. She was one of the best in philosophy and music, and Corinth captivated her so much that she decided to stay there forever.

Reconstruction of Ancient Corinth

She quickly became the city's most famous courtesan, as she was beautiful, intelligent, and valued herself very highly (in terms of money). She spent money mainly on the richest jewelry, rare clothes and ointments. It was always visible when she rode out in a richly decorated chariot for an evening exercise. Such an investment of money paid off - among her admirers were far from the last and not the poorest people not only of Corinth, but of all Greece. In her passions, Laisa was very capricious in her preferences, but she had a special passion for philosophers. Even the famous orator Demosthenes fell under her spell. Arrogant Laisa demanded payment from him. Not more nor less, but 10,000 Corinthian drachmas. Overnight. The drachma contained a little less than 3 grams of silver. In other words, the courtesan wanted 30 kilograms of silver.

obverse of a Corinthian drachma

The poor Demosthenes naturally did not have that kind of money. " I don't buy repentance at such a high price!"- the speaker answered her and left her. Demosthenes composed a famous speech against Laisa, which is still considered a model of oratory. In retaliation, Laisa herself offered her love to his rival in oratory disputes, the philosopher Xenocrates, one of the best students of Plato's school. The piquancy was in the fact that Xenophon was a strict ascetic, and also in the fact that Laisa offered her love and her art in bed for free. However, Xenocrates did not succumb. Laisa was disappointed, but came out with honor from an uncomfortable situation for her. " I undertook to arouse passion in a man, not in a statue", - she said, and this aphorism remained in history. Another well-known fiasco of her was an attempt to seduce the famous winner of the 93rd Olympic Games in the stadia (192 meters) Evbat from Cyrene. The Olympian refused to caress the hetaera.

The founder of hedonism Aristippus of Cyrene

But these situations were rather exceptions. In general and in general, Laisa's charms were difficult to resist. Her most famous lovers were certainly Aristippus of Kerena and Diogenes of Sinope. Yes, those very famous founders of the schools of hedonists and cynics (cynics). Such a great contrast was just in the taste of the crafty hetaera. History has preserved several dialogues of famous philosophers about a common lover. I liked the following better:
Once, during a philosophical debate, one of the opponents of Aristippus remarked, not without malice:
- Here you are, Aristippus, showering Lais with countless gifts, and with Diogenes she lays down for nothing.
- Yes, - calmly replied the philosopher, - I do give her many gifts, which is not forbidden to anyone else, if he so desires.
“But, Aristippus,” Diogenes intervened, “do you understand that you are pulling on the most ordinary whore? Either drop the beautiful soul and become a cynic, like me, or give up such a relationship.
“Diogenes,” Aristippus asked calmly, “do you not consider it reprehensible to live in a house where someone has already lived before you?”
“Of course not,” Diogenes replied. What difference does it make to me who lives there?
- And to sail on the ship on which others sailed?
- I'll think about it!
- Here you see. So what's wrong with bonding with a woman who has been embraced by others?"

dog (cynic) Diogenes.

And this despite the fact that Diogenes used her charms absolutely free of charge, but she was very expensive for Aristippus. They say he could only afford her company for two months a year. However, to him, a lover of women and a great connoisseur of the female sex, communication with Laisa brought the greatest satisfaction.
Laisa died a violent death and being young. She left Corinth to follow her next passion to Thessaly, but there jealous wives killed her .. After her death, the Corinthians erected a monument in her honor depicting a lioness tearing apart a lamb. On her grave, in the place where she was killed, a tomb was built with the following epitaph: " Glorious and invincible Greece was captivated by the divine beauty of Laisa. Child of love, brought up by the school of Corinth, she rests in the flowering fields of Thessaly". Such a reaction of the townspeople is not surprising. She was simply royally generous to the city - she donated gigantic money to the needy, erected monuments, gardens, glorified Corinth in every possible way, considering it the most beautiful place on Earth, and its inhabitants - the best in Hellas.

To be continued....

In different historical times, women lived in the world who stood out among others for their mental abilities and knowledge in relations with men. In Japan, they are called geishas, and in ancient Greece they used the term - getters.

Who are the getters?

The fair sex, who led a free lifestyle and became mistresses for many men, was called hetaerae. Initially, this concept was applied only towards slaves, and then, he switched to free women. Hetera became an honorary profession. For the first time, the term began to be used in Ancient Greece, and then, it moved to other territories. To better understand who these hetaeras are, consider a few facts about them:

Often such women played an important role in the social life of the city, as they had a good education, talents and intelligence.
Courtesans could influence the fate of people, for which they spent some "evenings", where noble people of various professions gathered.
Finding out who the hetaerae are, it is worth noting that such women could get married, but in most cases they themselves preferred to remain unmarried.
The courtesans had rich patrons who fully provided them with everything they needed, but it is worth noting that the favor of such women is worth a lot.

Who is a hetaera in Greek mythology?

Women, who were called getters, were independent, which gave them the opportunity to engage in self-development, learn and spend time for their own pleasure. Ancient Greek getters differed significantly from married ladies, who in those days had practically no rights in comparison with their husbands. There were special schools for courtesans, where you could get the necessary knowledge. Understanding who the getters are in mythology, it is worth noting the fact that many of these women were not only the muses of poets and artists, but also the saviors of entire nations.

How to become hetero?

Many mistakenly believe that such women are "moths of the night." The fair sex, striving to become heterosexuals, must understand that it is necessary to develop in different directions. The thing is that they were not only good in carnal pleasures, but also in communication. Hetera women were distinguished by the fact that they were able to clearly and correctly express and formulate their own thoughts. They not only seduced the representatives of the stronger sex, but also gave them important advice and consoled them in difficult times.

Heterosexual Secrets

Courtesans in ancient Greece knew their worth and did not allow anyone to belittle their dignity. It is important not to confuse this quality with inflated self-esteem.
A woman should be aware of her attractiveness, because each woman has her own unique zest.
The hetaerae of the courtesan were always well-groomed and tidy.
A woman should be cheerful and relaxed in order to serve not only as a muse, but also as a support for a man.
It is important to be versatile in order not only to listen correctly, but also.
Understanding who hetaeras are, it is worth noting that such women knew how to hook a man using compliments. The main thing is to talk about the virtues at the right time.
One must know the difference between sexuality and vulgarity, for there must always be room for the imagination.
Getters never showed all their skills and knowledge, trying to keep intrigue and be interesting.

Modern getters

Although the world is constantly changing, men still want to see a woman with them who will combine several important qualities: to be a good wife and mother of children, to be able to create comfort, maintain intellectual conversations and satisfy in bed. A modern hetaera woman is one who possesses to skillfully combine all of the indicated qualities that are important for the stronger sex. You should maintain this image throughout life and not relax so that the man is not interested in another.