Phaedyme Discovers the False Smerdis Has No Ears — Herodotus, Histories Book 3 (3.69.1–3.69.6), Greek & English

§3.69.1

ἀκούοντι δὲ ταῦτα τῷ Ὀτάνῃ μᾶλλον κατεφαίνετο τὸ πρῆγμα. τρίτην δὲ ἀγγελίην ἐσπέμπει παρʼ αὐτὴν λέγουσαν ταῦτα.

When Otanes heard this, the matter became clearer to him. He sent a third message to her, saying the following:

§3.69.2

ὦ θύγατερ, δεῖ σε γεγονυῖαν εὖ κίνδυνον ἀναλαβέσθαι τὸν¹ ἂν ὁ πατὴρ ὑποδύνειν κελεύῃ. εἰ γὰρ δὴ μή ἐστι ὁ Κύρου Σμέρδις ἀλλὰ τὸν καταδοκέω ἐγώ, οὔτοι μιν σοί τε συγκοιμώμενον καὶ τὸ Περσέων κράτος ἔχοντα δεῖ χαίροντα ἀπαλλάσσειν,² ἀλλὰ δοῦναι δίκην.

“O daughter, you, being well-born, must take upon yourself the risk that your father bids you undergo. For if indeed he is not Cyrus’s Smerdis, but the one whom I suspect, surely he must not get off scot-free while sleeping with you and holding the power of the Persians, but he must pay the penalty.

§3.69.3

νῦν ὦν ποίησον τάδε· ἐπεὰν σοὶ συνεύδῃ καὶ μάθῃς αὐτὸν κατυπνωμένον, ἄφασον αὐτοῦ τὰ ὦτα· καὶ ἢν μὲν φαίνηται ἔχων ὦτα, νόμιζε σεωυτὴν Σμέρδι τῷ Κύρου συνοικέειν, ἢν δὲ μὴ ἔχων, σὺ δὲ τῷ Μάγῳ Σμέρδι.

Now therefore, do this: whenever he sleeps with you and you find him fast asleep, feel his ears; and if indeed he appears to have ears, believe that you are living with Smerdis the son of Cyrus, but if he does not have them, that you are living with Smerdis the Magian.”

§3.69.4

ἀντιπέμπει πρὸς ταῦτα ἡ Φαιδύμη φαμένη κινδυνεύσειν μεγάλως, ἢν ποιέῃ ταῦτα· εἰ γὰρ δὴ μὴ τυγχάνει τὰ ὦτα ἔχων, ἐπίλαμπτος δὲ ἀφάσσουσα ἔσται, εὖ εἰδέναι³ ὡς ἀιστώσει μιν· ὅμως μέντοι ποιήσειν ταῦτα.

Phaedyme sent back in reply to this, saying that she would run a great risk if she did this; for if indeed he happened not to have ears, and she were caught feeling them, she knew well that he would make away with her; nevertheless, however, she said she would do this.

§3.69.5

ἣ μὲν δὴ ὑπεδέξατο ταῦτα τῷ πατρὶ κατεργάσεσθαι. τοῦ δὲ Μάγου τούτου τοῦ Σμέρδιος Κῦρος ὁ Καμβύσεω ἄρχων τὰ ὦτα ἀπέταμε ἐπʼ αἰτίῃ δή τινι οὐ σμικρῇ.

She indeed promised her father to accomplish this. Now Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, when he was ruling, had cut off the ears of this Magian Smerdis for some not insignificant reason.

§3.69.6

ἡ ὦν δὴ Φαιδύμη αὕτη, ἡ τοῦ Ὀτάνεω θυγάτηρ, πάντα ἐπιτελέουσα τὰ ὑπεδέξατο τῷ πατρί, ἐπείτε αὐτῆς μέρος ἐγίνετο τῆς ἀπίξιος⁴ παρὰ τὸν Μάγον (ἐν περιτροπῇ γὰρ δὴ αἱ γυναῖκες φοιτέουσι τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι), ἐλθοῦσα παρʼ αὐτὸν ηὗδε, ὑπνωμένου δὲ καρτερῶς τοῦ Μάγου ἤφασε τὰ ὦτα. μαθοῦσα δὲ οὐ χαλεπῶς ἀλλʼ εὐπετέως οὐκ ἔχοντα τὸν ἄνδρα ὦτα, ὡς ἡμέρη τάχιστα ἐγεγόνεε, πέμψασα ἐσήμηνε τῷ πατρὶ τὰ γενόμενα.

This Phaedyme, therefore, the daughter of Otanes, fulfilling everything that she had promised to her father, when her turn came to go to the Magian (for the women go to the Persians in rotation), having come to him, slept with him, and while the Magian was sleeping soundly, she felt his ears. Having learned not with difficulty but easily that her husband did not have ears, as soon as day came, she sent and made known to her father what had happened.

Syntax notes4 items

3.69.2τὸν
Relative pronoun. In the Ionic dialect, the definite article form is used as a relative pronoun. Here, the antecedent is omitted, meaning 'the one whom I suspect.'
3.69.2χαίροντα ἀπαλλάσσειν
An idiomatic expression meaning 'to get off scot-free' or 'to escape unpunished.' Here, ἀπαλλάσσειν is used intransitively to mean 'to escape' or 'to depart.'
3.69.4εὖ εἰδέναι
Infinitive in indirect speech. It depends on the preceding participle φαμένη (saying), and contextually its subject is Phaedyme herself ('she knew well').
3.69.6αὐτῆς μέρος ἐγίνετο τῆς ἀπίξιος
Meaning 'her turn to go [to the Magian] came.' αὐτῆς is a possessive genitive, and τῆς ἀπίξιος (of going) is a genitive modifying μέρος (turn).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.69.1-3.69.6