Occasionally, "Magister" is overcome by his emotions, at which point he retreats into speaking Homeric Greek. It's a dead language that almost nobody knows, so in his perception, it's safer for him to use when he utters things that expose his vulnerabilities and passions. I've included a rough translation. It's rough because my Greek grammar is terrible. I never studied the language; I cobbled together "Magister's" utterances with the help of Google Translate and an online Liddell and Scott dictionary.
First, two words of classical Latin (ground that I find far more comfortable and familiar):
Magister – teacher, tutor. Ironically, most teachers of this sort in ancient Rome were slaves.
Ancilla – This one's complicated. In ancient Rome, an ancilla was an enslaved handmaiden to the lady of a large house. The word got frequent use in medieval times because nuns saw themselves as servants of God and the church, married to Christ; in the Latin translations of the New Testament, Mary called herself an ancilla of the Lord when Gabriel announced her pregnancy to her. Heloise called herself Abelard's ancilla in one of her more famous letters to him, so naturally I couldn't leave the word alone! In modern times, an ancilla can refer to an appendage, an aid to learning, or a helper.
On to the Greek. Literae humaniores scholars who read this book were probably screaming over my mistakes.
Erastes – Lover. There is a strong implication that the lover is dominant.
Eromene – Beloved. The understanding is that the beloved is the submissive or passive partner. This word has, furthermore, been feminized from its originally masculine form, eromenos.
Se agapo – I love you (unconditionally, absolutely).
Se philo – I love you (deeply, as a friend, affectionately).
S'ero – I love you (passionately, lustily); I desire you.
Livomai pou se pligosa – I'm sorry this hurt you.
Sinkhorese me – I regret this/I'm sorry.
Enupniazomai – Sleep and heal/have healing dreams.
Gnothi sauton – Know thyself. This one's famous. You've probably heard of it.
Hypnotte – Fall asleep. (This is a command).
Anapnei – You can breathe. More literally: You are not unable to breathe. You are not not breathing.
Anastaso – Revive; come back to life; don't die. (This is a command. It is also, of course, a plea).
YOU ARE READING
Ancilla
RomanceThings an autistic, bisexual bookworm can find in a library: Books. Periodicals. Kinky vampire librarians... Wait. Stop. KINKY VAMPIRE LIBRARIANS? Yes. And the most profound love she has ever known. A shy public reference librarian, and a college...
