Pythagoras and the Bean

Williams, Kate Garnons, Pythagoras and the Bean , Contemporary Review, 263:1533 (1993:Oct.) PYTHAGORAS AND THE BEAN 209 PYTHAGORAS AND THE BEAN by Kate Garnons Williams F you ever wondered what Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician, had to do with Vicia Fava, the humble broad bean, the answer is, absolutely nothing — on principle. His apparent aversion to the harmless legume was not, however, simply a matter of personal preference — for all we know he may have been quite partial to the bean; it was a question, believe it or not, of profound philosophical conviction. Pythagoras is chiefly remembered, with varying degrees of pleasure or pain, for his theorem concerning the right-angled triangle — ‘with’, as W. S. Gilbert put it, ‘many cheerful facts about the square on the hypotenuse’. But in the sixth century B.C. he attracted more attention as an eccentric, even cranky, philosopher. Driven as a trouble-maker from his native island of Samos, he eventually found his way to Crotona, a Greek colony in southern Italy, but not before he stopped off for a brief stay in Egypt. And it was here, almost certainly, that he picked up many of those decidedly un-Greek ideas on which he based his philosophy and lifestyle. The Egyptians were an endless source of fascination to the Greeks who felt something of an inferiority complex towards the older and more sophisticated civilisation on the Nile. Herodotus, that much-travelled Greek historian of the fifth century B.C., further stimulated interest in the country with his traveller’s tales. And concerning the broad bean, he reveals an interesting snippet of information: the Egyptian priests of his day, he tells us, could not bear even to look at the vegetable, ‘because’, he deduces, ‘they imagined it to be unclean’. Herodotus does not elaborate on this statement; nor does he offer any explanation for the fact that traces of broad beans are to be found in a number of Egyptian tombs dating from earlier times than his own, What, we may wonder, had the poor benighted bean done, to become all of a sudden taboo? The answer is, of course, that it had done nothing. Herodotus had simply got it all wrong. Believing as they did in the transmigration of the soul after death from one species of life to another, animal or vegetable depending on the owner’s spiritual state of health, the Egyptians considered the broad bean a more than likely candidate for temporary residence. And why the broad bean? Aristotle suggests the most plausible answer, when he points out the resemblance between the shape of Vicia Fava and the human testicles. What better accommodation could Nature afford the soul of man-in-transition, so to speak — offering him, as it did, a remembrance of times past! The reluctance, then, of the Egyptian priests to come in contact with the broad bean, which Herodotus observed, can be understood in terms rather of excessive respect than disdain: to paraphrase Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, they believed, ‘the soul of our grandam might haply inhabit’ — not a ‘bird’, but a bean. The transmigration of souls was only one of the ideas Pythagoras took with him from Egypt to southern Italy. Not surprisingly he soon attracted

PYTHAGORAS AND THE BEAN | pyTHAGORAS AND THE BEAN py Kate Garnons Williams mathematician, had I: you ever wondered what Pythagoras, the Greek r is, absolutely answe the bean, broad e humbl to do with Vicia Fava, the ss legume harmle the to on aversi nt appare nothing — on principle. His all we for — preference was not, however, simply a matter of personal on, questi a was it bean; the to know he may have been quite partial relieve it or not, of profound philosophical conviction. of pleasure or Pythagoras is chiefly remembered, with varying degrees ‘with’, as W. — gle trian angled rightthe ning concer in, for his theorem hypotenuse’, the on 5 Gilbert put it, ‘many cheerful facts about the square But in the sixth century B.C. he attracted more attention as an eccentric, wen cranky, philosopher. Driven as a trouble-maker from his native a, a Greek colony land of Samos, he eventually found his way to Croton stay in Egypt. brief a for off d stoppe he before not but in southern Italy, of those many up And it was here, almost certainly, that he picked lifestyle. and ophy philos his based decidedy un-Greek ideas on which he s who Greek the to ation fascin of The Egyptians were an endless source more and older the s toward ex compl rity felt something of an inferio ed sophisicated civilisation on the Nile. Herodotus, that much-travell in Greek historian of the fifth century B.C., further stimulated interest he bean, broad the ning concer the cuntry with his traveller’s tales. And reveas an interesting snippet of information: the Egyptian priests of his day, k tells us, could not bear even to look at the vegetable, ‘because’, elaborate he dduces, ‘they imagined it to be unclean’. Herodotus does not +3. on tis statement; nor does he offer any explanation for the fact that tracs of broad beans are to be found in a number of Egyptian tombs datig from earlier times than his own, What, we may wonder, had the id Id er 1g ns ne poobenighted bean done, to become all of a sudden taboo? D answer is, of course, that it had done nothing. Herodotus had simply got! all wrong. Believing as they did in the transmigration of the “soul aft death from one species of life to another, animal or vegetable dending on the owner’s spiritual state of health, the Egyptians consiëd the broad bean a more than likely candidate for temporary reence, And why the broad bean? Aristotle suggests the most plausible aver, when he points out the resemblance between the shape of Vicia Fi and the human testicles. What better accommodation could Nature k offering him, as it did, afd the soul of man-in-transition, so to spea— amembrance of times past! The reluctance, then, of the Egyptian priests tome in contact with the broad bean, which Herodotus observed, can hnderstood in terms rather of excessive respect than disdain: to paranse Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, they believed, ‘the soul vur grandam might haply inhabit’ — not a ‘bird’, but a bean. ‘he transmigration of souls was only one of the ideas Pythagoras took him from Egypt to southern Italy. Not surprisingly he soon attracted

CONTEMPORARY REVIEW a body of curious followers, but in the course of time many of them decided to live permanently under his guidance and in accordance with his rules, Although the community, or the Brotherhood as it was called, en oe ee en pe silence and chastit y, which was part of the rule, may well have acted as a deterre nt to the more frivolous-minded. Vegetarianism was another feature of the Brotherhood’ s way of life, though it seems to have been of a rather selective kin — only d the heart and brains of an animal were absolutely forbidden. The reasoning behind this very specific prohibition looks to have been based more on ritualistic than philosophical grounds, it must be said. Mathematical principles, as one might suspect, also figured strongly in Pythagoras’s teachings, ‘All is number’, was his startin g point, and on the basis of this he worked out some sensible schemes, like the numerical tatio between the notes of the musical scale, but also some less sensible, like the idea that the planets were arranged in a musical relationship to each other — the so-called ‘harmony of the spheres’, And where did the broad bean fit into his scheme of things? Since he had taken on board the Egyptian attitude to the vegetab le, the unsurprising answer is — not at all. Indeed, so great a distance was Pythagoras prepared to keep between himself and the bean, that one literary source claims he actually met his death as a result. According to this source, he was being pursued by his enemie — one s can imagine he made not a few — when, directly in his path, he saw a bean field; rather than cross the field and tisk touching the beans, he chose death at the hands of his pursuers. Philosophy apart, however, there may also have been practical reasons why Pythagoras warned his close-knit commun ity off the bea—ns they are, after all, well-known promoters of stomac h-rumblings and flatulence, There is an interesting piece of evidence support ing this line of thinking that comes from another closed society in the Greek world, Initiates into the Mysteries of the goddess Demeter, which were celebrated at Eleuss not far from Athens, were required to abstain from broad beans for some days before their initiation. As the ceremony is known to have taken place in an underground and crowded chambe r, rumbling abdominal and gascous emissions would hardly have been conduc ive of the atmosphere and the solemnity of the occasio to the salubriousness n, Though not normally squeamish about any bodily function, if the plays of Aristophanes are anything to go by, the Greeks were ever a practical people! Generally, it must be said, breaking wind was encouraged, in public as much as in private, as a healthful measure; otherwise, it was feared, the excess gases would rise to the brain where they would cause nightmares or, worse, disturb the reasoning powers altogether. Another purely practical consideration that may have weighed with Pythagoras when he banned the bean from his community’s diet concerned the widely-held belief among the Greeks that the broad bean was an aphrodisiac. Given that the Brotherhood embrac ed both men and women, every sensible precaution needed to be taken to preserve amity and order: accepted women as well as men, the observance of

PYTHAGORAS AND THE BEAN chastity and silence both made good sense; nothing should be allowed to discourage either, For a more unexpected explanation of the prohibition, we must return to Aristotle, the fount of so much knowledge, philosophical as well as scientific. He explains it, somewhat surprisingly, in terms of politics. Pythagoras, he argues, in forbidding his followers to associate with the bean, was in fact forbidding them to participate in the democratic process of voting as it was practised in many Greek cities. Approval or disapproval of a candidate for public office was registered by the voter, depending on whether he placed a dark or a light coloured broad bean in a large urn. Pythagoras’s rejection of the democratic process, if that is what it was, was all of a piece with the exclusivity he enjoined on the Brotherhood. Aristotle probably got it right. One final, if less convincing, interpretation of Pythagoras’s embargo on beans has to do with the Greek practice of consulting oracles for advice and guidance. Since ‘paging the Oracle’ at Delphi and the other shrines of Apollo, the god of prophecy, was an expensive and time-consuming business, people often preferred to use cheaper and more readily-available options. Among these latter were ‘bean oracles’, to use which you paid a fee to draw from a jar, lucky-dip fashion, a single bean on which was inscribed a sign, For a translation of the sign, you could refer to a ready-reckoner, usually on display in a public place, to discover there the sort of advice you can today pick up in any newspaper horoscope: basically, variants of ‘Go ahead’ or ‘Wait and see’. It’s just possible that Pythagoras was issuing a health warning against relying overmuch on the gods to make the important decisions, when he voted against the bean. But this interpretation is unlikely in view of his known reverence for the god Apollo. Whatever the true explanation for Pythagoras’s fixation about the broad bean, something of his attitude towards it persisted well into Roman times, long after his Brotherhood was dispersed and many other of his theories were discredited. The Romans even added refinements to the taboo: the black spot, so often visible on the bean’s pale skin, became for them an omen of death, so the bean itself became associated with bad luck. Sceptical though we too may remain about much of Pythagoras’s philosophy, perhaps he was on to something when he banished Vicia Fava t his motive might have been. He did, it must — whatever from his die be remembered, live to the age of 80. Not bad going for an anicent Greek; though bad news, maybe, for modern consumers of the broad bean.