- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.65.1-2.65.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
On the practice of animal worship in Egypt. All animals are considered sacred, with hereditary keepers appointed for each. People pay silver in fulfillment of vows to feed them, and penalties are set for killing any animal.
Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ θρησκεύουσι περισσῶς τά τε ἄλλα περὶ τὰ ἱρὰ καὶ δὴ καὶ τάδε.
The Egyptians are excessively religious both in other matters concerning sacred things and especially in the following.
ἐοῦσα ἡ Αἴγυπτος ὅμουρος τῇ Λιβύῃ οὐ μάλα θηριώδης ἐστί· τὰ δὲ ἐόντα σφι ἅπαντα ἱρὰ νενόμισται, καὶ τὰ μὲν σύντροφα αὐτοῖσι τοῖσι ἀνθρώποισι, τὰ δὲ οὔ. τῶν δὲ εἵνεκεν ἀνεῖται1 τὰ θηρία ἱρὰ εἰ λέγοιμι, καταβαίην ἂν2 τῷ λόγῳ ἐς τὰ θεῖα πρήγματα, τὰ ἐγὼ φεύγω μάλιστα ἀπηγέεσθαι· τὰ δὲ καὶ εἴρηκα αὐτῶν ἐπιψαύσας, ἀναγκαίῃ καταλαμβανόμενος εἶπον.
Egypt, though bordering on Libya, is not very rich in wild beasts; but all those that exist there are held sacred, some being associated with humans and others not. If I were to explain the reasons why the beasts are consecrated as sacred, my discourse would descend into divine matters, which I am most anxious to avoid narrating. Even the things of this kind that I have mentioned by touching upon them, I have spoken of only under the pressure of necessity.
νόμος δὲ ἐστὶ περὶ τῶν θηρίων ὧδε ἔχων· μελεδωνοὶ ἀποδεδέχαται τῆς τροφῆς χωρὶς ἑκάστων καὶ ἔρσενες καὶ θήλεαι τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, τῶν παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς ἐκδέκεται τὴν τιμήν.
There is a law concerning the wild beasts which runs thus: keepers are appointed for the feeding of each kind, both men and women of the Egyptians, whose office is inherited from father to son.
οἳ δὲ ἐν τῇσι πόλισι ἕκαστοι εὐχὰς τάσδε σφι ἀποτελέουσι· εὐχόμενοι τῷ θεῷ τοῦ ἂν ᾖ τὸ θηρίον, ξυρῶντες τῶν παιδίων ἢ πᾶσαν τὴν κεφαλὴν ἢ τὸ ἥμισυ ἢ τὸ τρίτον μέρος τῆς κεφαλῆς, ἱστᾶσι σταθμῷ πρὸς ἀργύριον τὰς τρίχας· τὸ δʼ ἂν ἑλκύσῃ,3 τοῦτο τῇ μελεδωνῷ τῶν θηρίων διδοῖ, ἣ δὲ ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ τάμνουσα ἰχθῦς παρέχει βορὴν τοῖσι θηρίοισι.
And the inhabitants of the cities, each of them, pay their vows to them in the following manner: praying to the god to whom the beast belongs, they shave either the whole head of their children, or the half, or the third part of the head, and then weigh the hair in a balance against silver; and whatever weight it draws, this they give to the keeper of the beasts, who in return cuts up fish and provides it as food for the beasts.
τροφὴ μὲν δὴ αὐτοῖσι τοιαύτη ἀποδέδεκται· τὸ δʼ ἄν τις τῶν θηρίων τούτων ἀποκτείνῃ,4 ἢν μὲν ἑκών, θάνατος ἡ ζημίη, ἢν δὲ ἀέκων, ἀποτίνει ζημίην τὴν ἂν οἱ ἱρέες τάξωνται. ὃς δʼ ἂν ἶβιν ἢ ἴρηκα ἀποκτείνῃ, ἤν τε ἑκὼν ἤν τε ἀέκων, τεθνάναι ἀνάγκη.
Such, then, is the food appointed for them. And if anyone kills one of these beasts, if he does so voluntarily, the penalty is death, but if involuntarily, he pays such a penalty as the priests may ordain. But whoever kills an ibis or a hawk, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, must die.
- 2.65.2ἀνεῖται
Third-person singular perfect passive of ἀνίημι (to let go, dedicate). It refers to the state where animals are consecrated and 'let loose' in sacred domains.
- 2.65.2εἰ λέγοιμι, καταβαίην ἂν
A future less vivid (potential optative) construction with εἰ + optative in the protasis and ἄν + optative in the apodosis, expressing Herodotus's cautious reluctance to delve deep (καταβαίην) into religious secrets.
- 2.65.4τὸ δʼ ἂν ἑλκύσῃ
An Ionic equivalent of ὃ ἄν + subjunctive (relative conditional clause), meaning 'whatever weight it draws' (i.e., the silver equal in weight to the shaved hair). The verb ἕλκω is used here in the sense of pulling down the scale or weighing.
- 2.65.5τὸ δʼ ἄν τις τῶν θηρίων τούτων ἀποκτείνῃ
The phrase τὸ δʼ ἄν functions as the Ionic form of ὃ δʼ ἄν (relative pronoun + ἄν with subjunctive), introducing a general conditional relative clause: 'whoever/whatever of these beasts one might kill,' functioning parallel to the masculine ὃς δʼ ἂν in the subsequent sentence.