- 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-grc2:4.145.1-4.145.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
As a background to the Libyan expedition, the author narrates how the descendants of the Argonauts (the Minyae) were driven from Lemnos by the Pelasgians, fled to Lacedaemon, and were received there.
οὗτος μέν νυν ταῦτα ἔπρησσε. τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τοῦτον χρόνον ἐγίνετο ἐπὶ Λιβύην ἄλλος στρατιῆς μέγας στόλος, διὰ πρόφασιν τὴν ἐγὼ ἀπηγήσομαι προδιηγησάμενος1 πρότερον τάδε.
While this man was doing these things, at this very same time another great military expedition was being prepared against Libya, for a reason which I shall relate after I have first narrated the following things.
τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀργοῦς ἐπιβατέων παίδων παῖδες2 ἐξελασθέντες ὑπὸ Πελασγῶν τῶν ἐκ Βραυρῶνος ληισαμένων τὰς Ἀθηναίων γυναῖκας, ὑπὸ τούτων ἐξελασθέντες ἐκ Λήμνου οἴχοντο πλέοντες ἐς Λακεδαίμονα, ἱζόμενοι δὲ ἐν τῷ Τηϋγέτῳ πῦρ ἀνέκαιον.
The grandchildren of the crew of the Argo, having been driven out by the Pelasgians who had carried off the Athenian women from Brauron—having been driven out by them from Lemnos, went sailing to Lacedaemon, and encamping on Mount Taygetus, they kindled a fire.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἰδόντες ἄγγελον ἔπεμπον πευσόμενοι τίνες τε καὶ ὁκόθεν εἰσί· οἳ δὲ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ εἰρωτῶντι ἔλεγον ὡς εἴησαν μὲν Μινύαι, παῖδες δὲ εἶεν τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀργοῖ πλεόντων ἡρώων, προσσχόντας δὲ τούτους ἐς Λῆμνον φυτεῦσαι σφέας.3
The Lacedaemonians, seeing this, sent a messenger to inquire who they were and where they came from; and they told the inquiring messenger that they were Minyae, children of the heroes who sailed in the Argo, and that when these latter had put in at Lemnos, they had begotten them.
οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἀκηκοότες τὸν λόγον τῆς γενεῆς τῶν Μινυέων, πέμψαντες τὸ δεύτερον εἰρώτων τί θέλοντες4 ἥκοιέν τε ἐς τὴν χώρην καὶ πῦρ αἴθοιεν. οἳ δὲ ἔφασαν ὑπὸ Πελασγῶν ἐκβληθέντες ἥκειν ἐς τοὺς πατέρας· δικαιότατον γὰρ εἶναι οὕτω τοῦτο γίνεσθαι. δέεσθαι δὲ οἰκέειν ἅμα τούτοισι μοῖράν τε τιμέων μετέχοντες καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπολαχόντες.
When the Lacedaemonians had heard the account of the lineage of the Minyae, they sent a second time to ask with what intent they had come to the land and were burning a fire. They said that they had come to their fathers, having been cast out by the Pelasgians; for it was most just that this should happen so; and they requested to dwell with them, sharing in their honors and receiving a portion of the land.
Λακεδαιμονίοισι δὲ ἕαδε δέκεσθαι τοὺς Μινύας ἐπʼ οἷσι θέλουσι5 αὐτοί. μάλιστα δὲ ἐνῆγε σφέας ὥστε ποιέειν ταῦτα τῶν Τυνδαριδέων ἡ ναυτιλίη ἐν τῇ Ἀργοῖ. δεξάμενοι δὲ τοὺς Μινύας γῆς τε μετέδοσαν καὶ ἐς φυλὰς διεδάσαντο. οἳ δὲ αὐτίκα μὲν γάμους ἔγημαν, τὰς δὲ ἐκ Λήμνου ἤγοντο ἐξέδοσαν ἄλλοισι.
The Lacedaemonians were pleased to receive the Minyae on the terms they themselves wished. What chiefly induced them to do this was the participation of the Tyndaridae in the voyage of the Argo. Having received the Minyae, they shared their land with them and distributed them among their tribes; and they immediately contracted marriages, and gave those women whom they had brought from Lemnos in marriage to others.
- 4.145.1προδιηγησάμενος
An aorist participle modifying the future main verb ἀπηγήσομαι. It functions adverbially to indicate an action that must take place prior to the main action: "after I have first narrated."
- 4.145.2παίδων παῖδες
Literally "children of children," an idiomatic way of expressing "grandchildren" or "descendants."
- 4.145.3προσσχόντας δὲ τούτους ἐς Λῆμνον φυτεῦσαι σφέας
An accusative-with-infinitive construction in indirect discourse. The subject of the infinitive φυτεῦσαι is the accusative τούτους (referring to the Argonauts), which is modified by the participle προσσχόντας. The pronoun σφέας is the direct object, referring reflexively to the speakers (the Minyae).
- 4.145.4τί θέλοντες
The combination of the neuter accusative singular interrogative pronoun τί and the present participle θέλοντες (wishing, wanting) is an idiomatic construction meaning "with what intent" or "for what purpose."
- 4.145.5ἐπʼ οἷσι θέλουσι
The relative pronoun οἷσι (Ionic dative plural, equivalent to Attic οἷς) attracted or assimilated to the dative case governed by the preposition ἐπί. It stands for ἐπὶ τούτοις ἃ θέλουσι ("on those terms which they wish"), with the antecedent omitted.