A Note on ἅρπη in Nicander's Theriaca 567

This note challenges the interpretation in the Greek-English Lexicon of the word ἅρπη, "sickle," in line 567 of Nicander's Theriaca, arguing that it refers to the jaw of the hippopotamus rather than its tooth. A survey of usage from the Archaic through the Hellenistic period suggests an association in Greek literature between jaws and sickles that is also found in the languages and archaeological records of other discrete cultures.