- 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-grc2:4.32.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The author examines whether the Scythians and other neighboring peoples have any lore about the Hyperboreans, and mentions references to them by poets such as Hesiod and Homer.
Ὑπερβορέων δὲ πέρι ἀνθρώπων οὔτε τι Σκύθαι λέγουσι οὐδὲν οὔτε τινὲς ἄλλοι τῶν ταύτῃ οἰκημένων, εἰ μὴ ἄρα Ἰσσηδόνες. ὡς δὲ ἐγὼ δοκέω, οὐδʼ οὗτοι λέγουσι οὐδέν· ἔλεγον γὰρ ἂν1 καὶ Σκύθαι, ὡς περὶ τῶν μουνοφθάλμων λέγουσι. ἀλλʼ Ἡσιόδῳ μὲν ἐστὶ περὶ Ὑπερβορέων εἰρημένα,2 ἔστι δὲ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ ἐν Ἐπιγόνοισι, εἰ δὴ τῷ ἐόντι γε Ὅμηρος ταῦτα τὰ ἔπεα ἐποίησε.
Concerning the Hyperborean people, neither the Scythians say anything, nor any others of those who dwell in this region, unless perhaps the Issedones do. But as I think, not even these say anything; for otherwise the Scythians also would speak of them, as they speak of the one-eyed men. Yet Hesiod has spoken of the Hyperboreans, and Homer also in the Epigoni, if indeed Homer really composed these verses.
- 4.32.1ἔλεγον γὰρ ἂν
An unreal indicative with ἄν (ἔλεγον ἂν). The protasis, 'if the Issedones spoke of them,' is omitted. It expresses what would have occurred in a contrary-to-fact scenario: 'for [otherwise] the Scythians too would speak [of them].'
- 4.32.1Ἡσιόδῳ μὲν ἐστὶ ... εἰρημένα
The dative Ἡσιόδῳ functions as a dative of agent (or possessor) with the copula ἐστὶ and the perfect passive participle εἰρημένα, meaning 'it has been spoken by Hesiod' or 'Hesiod has mentions of them.'