Milesian Fables
Preserved but no longer current.
A Greek collec- tion of witty but obscene short stories by Antonius Diogenes, and compiled by Aristi- des, of Miletus (2nd cent. B.C.), whence the name. They were translated into Latin by Sidenna about the time of the civil wars of Marius and Sylla, and were greedily read by the luxurious Sybarites, but are no longer extant. Similar stories however, are still sometimes called Milesian Tales.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Milesian Fables” mean?
A Greek collec- tion of witty but obscene short stories by Antonius Diogenes, and compiled by Aristi- des, of Miletus (2nd cent. B.C.), whence the name. They were translated into Latin by Sidenna about the time of the civil wars of Marius and Sylla, and were greedily read by the luxurious Sybarites, but are no longer extant. Similar stories however, are still sometimes called Milesian Tales.
Is “Milesian Fables” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.