The Severe Winter and Peculiar Climate of Scythia — Herodotus, Histories Book 4 (4.28.1–4.28.4), Greek & English

§4.28.1

δυσχείμερος δὲ αὕτη ἡ καταλεχθεῖσα πᾶσα χώρη οὕτω δή τι ἐστί, ἔνθα τοὺς μὲν ὀκτὼ τῶν μηνῶν ἀφόρητος οἷος¹ γίνεται κρυμός, ἐν τοῖσι² ὕδωρ ἐκχέας πηλὸν οὐ ποιήσεις, πῦρ δὲ ἀνακαίων ποιήσεις πηλόν·ἡ δὲ θάλασσα πήγνυται καὶ ὁ Βόσπορος πᾶς ὁ Κιμμέριος, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κρυστάλλου οἱ ἐντὸς τάφρου Σκύθαι κατοικημένοι στρατεύονται καὶ τὰς ἁμάξας ἐπελαύνουσι πέρην ἐς τοὺς Σίνδους.

This entire country that has been described is of such an extremely cold climate, where for eight of the months there arises a frost so unbearable, during which if you pour out water you will not make mud, but by burning a fire you will make mud. The sea freezes, as does the whole Cimmerian Bosporus, and upon the ice the Scythians who dwell within the trench make military expeditions and drive their wagons across to the Sindi.

§4.28.2

οὕτω μὲν δὴ τοὺς ὀκτὼ μῆνας διατελέει χειμὼν ἐών,³ τοὺς δʼ ἐπιλοίπους τέσσερας ψύχεα αὐτόθι ἐστί. κεχώρισται δὲ οὗτος ὁ χειμὼν τοὺς τρόπους πᾶσι τοῖσι ἐν ἄλλοισι χωρίοισι γινομένοισι χειμῶσι, ἐν τῷ τὴν μὲν ὡραίην⁴ οὐκ ὕει λόγου ἄξιον οὐδέν, τὸ δὲ θέρος ὕων οὐκ ἀνιεῖ·

Thus indeed for eight months it continues to be winter, and for the remaining four months there is cold there. This winter is different in its character from all the winters that occur in other places, in that during the proper season it does not rain anything worth mentioning, but in summer it rains without ceasing.

§4.28.3

βρονταί τε ἦμος τῇ ἄλλῃ γίνονται, τηνικαῦτα μὲν οὐ γίνονται, θέρεος δὲ ἀμφιλαφέες· ἢν δὲ χειμῶνος βροντὴ γένηται, ὡς τέρας νενόμισται θωμάζεσθαι. ὣς δὲ καὶ ἢν σεισμὸς γένηται ἤν τε θέρεος ἤν τε χειμῶνος ἐν τῇ Σκυθικῇ, τέρας νενόμισται.

And while thunder does not occur at the time when it occurs elsewhere, in summer it is abundant; and if thunder occurs in winter, it is regarded with wonder as a portent. So too, if an earthquake occurs, whether in summer or in winter, in the Scythian land, it is regarded as a portent.

§4.28.4

ἵπποι δὲ ἀνεχόμενοι φέρουσι τὸν χειμῶνα τοῦτον, ἡμίονοι δὲ οὐδὲ ὄνοι οὐκ ἀνέχονται ἀρχήν·⁵ τῇ δὲ ἄλλῃ ἵπποι μὲν ἐν κρυμῷ ἑστεῶτες ἀποσφακελίζουσι, ὄνοι δὲ καὶ ἡμίονοι ἀνέχονται.

Horses, by enduring it, bear this winter, but mules and asses cannot endure it at all; whereas elsewhere, horses standing in the frost suffer from frostbite, but asses and mules endure it.

Syntax notes5 items

4.28.1ἀφόρητος οἷος
The relative pronoun/adjective οἷος, when combined with the adjective ἀφόρητος, functions as an intensive or exclamatory idiom meaning "so unbearable as to be...". This is derived from the omission of the demonstrative in the correlative construction τοιοῦτος οἷος, which became a tight idiomatic expression.
4.28.1ἐν τοῖσι
The dative plural of the relative pronoun in the Ionic dialect, corresponding to ἐν οἷς in Attic. It refers back to the antecedent "eight of the months" (τοὺς μὲν ὀκτὼ τῶν μηνῶν) and functions as a temporal qualification meaning "during which (eight months)" within the relative clause.
4.28.2διατελέει χειμὼν ἐών
The verb διατελέω ("to continue") is constructed with the supplementary participle ἐών (Attic ὤν) as its complement. Here, "winter" (χειμὼν) is the subject, meaning "it continues to be winter" or "winter persists".
4.28.2τὴν μὲν ὡραίην
An accusative phrase with the feminine noun ὥρην (Attic ὥραν) omitted. It refers to "the proper season" (meaning the usual rainy season of winter/autumn), contrasting with "summer" (τὸ δὲ θέρος).
4.28.4ἀρχήν
The accusative of the noun ἀρχή used adverbially with the negative οὐκ. This is a common idiom meaning "not at all" or "at all" in negative contexts, expressing strong total negation.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.28.1-4.28.4