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CEDASUS. Scedasus lived in Leuctra, a village in Boeotia. He had two daughters, Hippo and Miletia, also called Theano and Eutupe, who were raped and killed by two Spartans. When Scedasus went to Sparta seeking satisfaction, he got none. He then killed himself. Plutarch tells the story in Amatoriae narrationes III, and Jerome gives a brief account, Epistola adversus Jovinianum (Letter Against Jovinian), I.41 (PL 23: 272-273).

Dorigen thinks the daughters of Cedasus are exemplary figures of maidenly virtue, FranklT 1428. [Dorigen]

Cedasus, the ME variant, is derived through OF rendering of Latin /sc/ as /c/ before e or i. It appears in medial position.

K. Hume, "The Pagan Setting of the Franklin's Tale and the Sources of Dorigen's Cosmology." SN 44 (1942): 289-294; Plutarch, Moralia, ed. and trans. H.N. Fowler, X: 10-17; J. Sledd, "Dorigen's Complaint." MP 45 (1947): 36-45.
From CHAUCER NAME DICTIONARY
Copyright © 1988, 1996 Jacqueline de Weever
Published by Garland Publishing, Inc., New York and London.
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