- 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-grc2:4.10.1-4.10.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Heracles departs after leaving a bow and a belt with a golden cup. Among the three grown sons, only the youngest, Scythes, completes the task and remains to become the king of the Scythians.
τὸν μὲν δὴ εἰρύσαντα τῶν τόξων τὸ ἕτερον (δύο γὰρ δὴ φορέειν1 τέως Ἡρακλέα) καὶ τὸν ζωστῆρα προδέξαντα, παραδοῦναι τὸ τόξον τε καὶ τὸν ζωστῆρα ἔχοντα2 ἐπʼ ἄκρης τῆς συμβολῆς φιάλην χρυσέην, δόντα δὲ ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. τὴν δʼ, ἐπεὶ οἱ γενομένους τοὺς παῖδας ἀνδρωθῆναι,3 τοῦτο μὲν σφι οὐνόματα θέσθαι, τῷ μὲν Ἀγάθυρσον αὐτῶν, τῷ δʼ ἑπομένῳ Γελωνόν, Σκύθην δὲ τῷ νεωτάτῳ, τοῦτο δὲ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς μεμνημένην αὐτὴν ποιῆσαι τά ἐντεταλμένα.
He (Heracles) drew one of his bows (for up to that time Heracles used to carry two) and showed her the belt, and then handed over both the bow and the belt, which had a golden cup on the end of its clasp, and having given them, he departed. As for her, when the children born to her had grown to manhood, she first gave them names, calling one of them Agathyrsus, the next Gelonus, and the youngest Scythes; and secondly, remembering the instructions, she performed what had been commanded.
καὶ δὴ δύο μὲν οἱ τῶν παίδων, τόν τε Ἀγάθυρσον καὶ τὸν Γελωνόν, οὐκ οἵους τε γενομένους4 ἐξικέσθαι πρὸς τὸν προκείμενον ἄεθλον, οἴχεσθαι ἐκ τῆς χώρης ἐκβληθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς γειναμένης, τὸν δὲ νεώτατον αὐτῶν Σκύθην ἐπιτελέσαντα καταμεῖναι ἐν τῇ χωρῇ.
And indeed, two of her sons, Agathyrsus and Gelonus, since they were not able to accomplish the proposed task, departed from the land, being cast out by their mother; but Scythes, the youngest of them, having completed it, remained in the land.
καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν Σκύθεω τοῦ Ἡρακλέος γενέσθαι τοὺς αἰεὶ βασιλέας γινομένους Σκυθέων, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς φιάλης ἔτι καὶ ἐς τόδε φιάλας ἐκ τῶν ζωστήρων φορέειν Σκύθας· τὸ δὴ μοῦνον5 μηχανήσασθαι τὴν μητέρα Σκύθῃ. ταῦτα δὲ Ἑλλήνων οἱ τὸν Πόντον οἰκέοντες λέγουσι.
And from Scythes, the son of Heracles, came all those who have since become kings of the Scythians; and because of that cup, even to this day the Scythians wear cups from their belts. This was the only thing that his mother contrived for Scythes. This is the story told by the Greeks who inhabit the Pontus.
- 4.10.1φορέειν
An infinitive of indirect discourse in a clause introduced by γάρ, with Ἡρακλέα as its subject accusative. The infinitive construction is maintained even in this explanatory parenthetical clause under the influence of the governing verb of reporting (λέγουσι).
- 4.10.1ἔχοντα
Accusative masculine singular of the present participle, agreeing with the preceding accusative noun τὸν ζωστῆρα ('the belt'). It describes the structure of the belt which features a golden cup on its clasp (συμβολή).
- 4.10.1ἀνδρωθῆναι
An infinitive used in the temporal subordinate clause introduced by ἐπεί, standing for an indicative past/aorist verb under the influence of indirect discourse. The subject is the accusative τοὺς παῖδας, with which the aorist participle γενομένους agrees.
- 4.10.2οὐκ οἵους τε γενομένους
Accusative masculine plural of the aorist participle of οἷός τέ εἰμι ('to be able'), agreeing with the accusative subjects of the indirect discourse (τόν τε Ἀγάθυρσον καὶ τὸν Γελωνόν). It takes the infinitive ἐξικέσθαι, expressing the reason why they departed.
- 4.10.3τὸ δὴ μοῦνον
An accusative noun phrase taking the infinitive clause μηχανήσασθαι τὴν μητέρα (with the dative of advantage Σκύθῃ) in apposition. It stands in apposition to the preceding fact, explaining the origin of the custom: 'this indeed was the only thing that the mother contrived for Scythes.'