This parchment, from around the 6th century, is the oldest surviving copy of the poem Sappho's Confession. The one she wrote to an ex lover.
For many crowns of violets
and roses ...
and many woven garlands
made of flowers
around your soft neck
And with sweet oil
costly
you anointed yourself
and on a soft bed
delicate
you quenched your desire
In other words, if not for this poem, we wouldn't have the words sapphic or lesbian, and violets wouldn't be a wlw symbol.
In case anyone's wondering, I found this because, well, if you're writing stories which characters who are immortal and/or time travellers, you need to consider that they might know how the rest of this poem might go!
@InvaderXan I'm more interested in the things an immortal doesn't know. there was a clever film about a guy who claims he's immortal among a gathering of friends and they spend the evening trying to find out if he's crazy, just having a laugh, or the real deal. he just had a normal human memory though, so he found out about major events in his life from history books and documentary
