Myia (; , literally "Fly"; fl. c. 500 BC) was a
Pythagorean philosopher and, according to later tradition, one of the daughters of
Theano and
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos (; BC) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher, polymath, and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His political and religious teachings were well known in Magna Graecia and influenced the philosophies of P ...
.
Life
Myia was married to
Milo of Croton
Milo or Milon of Croton () was a famous Ancient Greece, ancient Greek athlete from Crotone, Croton, which is today in the Magna Graecia region of southern Italy.
Milo was a six-time winner at the Ancient Olympic Games, Olympics, once for boys' w ...
, the famous athlete. She was a choir leader as a girl, and as a woman she was noted for her exemplary religious behaviour.
Lucian
Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανὸς ὁ Σαμοσατεύς, 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with which he frequently ridi ...
, in his ''In Praise of a Fly'', states that he could say many things about Myia the Pythagorean were it not for the fact that her history is known to everyone.
[Lucian, ''In Praise of a Fly'', 11]
One letter attributed to Myia is still extant. It is spurious, and probably dates from the 3rd or 2nd century BC.
[Ian Michael Plant, (2004), ''Women writers of ancient Greece and London: an anthology'', University of Oklahoma Press, p. 79.] The letter is addressed to a certain Phyllis, and discusses the importance of fulfilling the needs of a newborn baby according to the principle of harmony. According to the writer, a baby naturally desires moderation in all things, such as food, clothing, heating, etc., and a
nurse
Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
of that baby must be moderate also.
[Mary Ellen Waithe, (1987), ''A History of Women Philosophers. Volume 1, 600 BC-500 AD'', Springer, pp. 15–17.]
Notes
External links
*
{{AncientGreece-philosopher-stub
5th-century BC Greek people
6th-century BC Greek women
5th-century BC Greek women
6th-century BC Greek philosophers
Ancient Greek women philosophers
Presocratic philosophers
Ancient Crotonians
Pythagoreans of Magna Graecia