- 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-grc2:3.87.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The text introduces another version of the story told by the Persians about Oebares' trick, in which he touched the mare's genitals, hid his hand in his trousers, and let the stallion smell it at sunrise.
οἳ μὲν δή φασι τὸν Οἰβάρεα ταῦτα μηχανήσασθαι, οἳ δὲ τοιάδε (καὶ γὰρ ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα λέγεται ὑπὸ Περσέων), ὡς τῆς ἵππου ταύτης τῶν ἄρθρων1 ἐπιψαύσας τῇ χειρὶ ἔχοι αὐτὴν2 κρύψας ἐν τῇσι ἀναξυρίσι· ὡς δὲ ἅμα τῷ ἡλίῳ ἀνιόντι ἀπίεσθαι μέλλειν3 τοὺς ἵππους, τὸν Οἰβάρεα τοῦτον ἐξείραντα τὴν χεῖρα πρὸς τοῦ Δαρείου ἵππου τοὺς μυκτῆρας προσενεῖκαι, τὸν δὲ αἰσθόμενον φριμάξασθαί τε καὶ χρεμετίσαι.
Some indeed say that Oebares devised these things, but others say as follows (for both stories are told by the Persians): namely, that he touched with his hand the genitals of this mare, and kept it hidden in his trousers; and that when at the rising of the sun the horses were about to be let go, this Oebares drew out his hand and brought it near to the nostrils of the horse of Darius, and the horse, perceiving the smell, snorted and neighed.
- 3.87.1τῶν ἄρθρων
Meaning literally "joints" or "limbs", here used as a euphemism for the genitals of the mare.
- 3.87.1αὐτὴν
Refers to τῇ χειρὶ ("the hand", feminine), rather than τῆς ἵππου ("the mare"). Interpreting it as "he kept it (the hand) hidden" is the most natural reading, since he later draws the hand out.
- 3.87.1μέλλειν
An infinitive in a subordinate temporal clause (introduced by ὡς) within indirect speech, assimilated to the infinitive construction of the main report.