- 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-grc2:4.33.1-4.33.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
This section describes the Delians' account of how offerings from the Hyperboreans travel to Delos via Scythia, Dodona, and Euboea, the transition to a relay system after their first messengers failed to return, and a similar ritual practiced by Thracian and Paeonian women.
πολλῷ δέ τι πλεῖστα περὶ αὐτῶν Δήλιοι λέγουσι, φάμενοι ἱρὰ ἐνδεδεμένα ἐν καλάμῃ πυρῶν ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων φερόμενα ἀπικνέεσθαι ἐς Σκύθας, ἀπὸ δὲ Σκυθέων ἤδη δεκομένους αἰεὶ τοὺς πλησιοχώρους ἑκάστους κομίζειν αὐτὰ τὸ πρὸς ἑσπέρης ἑκαστάτω ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδρίην, ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ πρὸς μεσαμβρίην προπεμπόμενα πρώτους Δωδωναίους Ἑλλήνων δέκεσθαι, ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων καταβαίνειν ἐπὶ τὸν Μηλιέα κόλπον καὶ διαπορεύεσθαι ἐς Εὔβοιαν, πόλιν τε ἐς πόλιν πέμπειν μέχρι Καρύστου, τὸ δʼ ἀπὸ ταύτης ἐκλιπεῖν Ἄνδρον·1 Καρυστίους γὰρ εἶναι τοὺς κομίζοντας ἐς Τῆνον, Τηνίους δὲ ἐς Δῆλον.
But the Delians say by far the most about them, claiming that sacred offerings wrapped in wheat-straw, carried from the Hyperboreans, arrive among the Scythians, and from the Scythians, the neighboring peoples, each receiving them in turn, always carry them as far west as possible to the Adriatic, and thence being sent forward to the south, the Dodonaeans are the first of the Greeks to receive them, and from them they descend to the Malian Gulf and cross over to Euboea, and they are sent from city to city as far as Carystus, but from there they pass by Andros; for the Carystians are those who carry them to Tenos, and the Tenians to Delos.
ἀπικνέεσθαι μέν νυν οὕτω ταῦτα τὰ ἱρὰ λέγουσι ἐς Δῆλον· πρῶτον δὲ τοὺς Ὑπερβορέους πέμψαι φερούσας τὰ ἱρὰ δὺο κόρας, τὰς ὀνομάζουσι Δήλιοι εἶναι Ὑπερόχην τε καὶ Λαοδίκην· ἅμα δὲ αὐτῇσι ἀσφαλείης εἵνεκεν πέμψαι τοὺς Ὑπερβορέους τῶν ἀστῶν ἄνδρας πέντε πομπούς, τούτους οἳ νῦν Περφερέες καλέονται τιμὰς μεγάλας ἐν Δήλῳ ἔχοντες.
In this way, then, they say these sacred offerings arrive in Delos; and at first, the Hyperboreans sent two maidens carrying the offerings, whom the Delians name Hyperoche and Laodice; and together with them, for safety’s sake, the Hyperboreans sent five men of their citizens as escorts, those who are now called Perpherees, holding great honors in Delos.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖσι Ὑπερβορέοισι τοὺς ἀποπεμφθέντας ὀπίσω οὐκ ἀπονοστέειν,2 δεινὰ ποιευμένους εἰ σφέας αἰεὶ καταλάμψεται ἀποστέλλοντας μὴ ἀποδέκεσθαι,3 οὕτω δὴ φέροντας ἐς τοὺς οὔρους τὰ ἱρὰ ἐνδεδεμένα ἐν πυρῶν καλάμῃ τοὺς πλησιοχώρους ἐπισκήπτειν κελεύοντας προπέμπειν σφέα ἀπὸ ἑωυτῶν ἐς ἄλλο ἔθνος.
But when those who had been sent out did not return back to the Hyperboreans, regarding it as a terrible thing if it should always happen to them that they send messengers and never receive them back, and so they carried the sacred offerings wrapped in wheat-straw to their borders and charged their neighbors, ordering them to send them forward from themselves to another nation.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω προπεμπόμενα ἀπικνέεσθαι λέγουσι ἐς Δῆλον. οἶδα δὲ αὐτὸς τούτοισι τοῖσι ἱροῖσι τόδε ποιεύμενον προσφερές,4 τὰς Θρηικίας καὶ τὰς Παιονίδας γυναῖκας, ἐπεὰν θύωσι τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι τῇ βασιλείῃ, οὐκ ἄνευ πυρῶν καλάμης ἐχούσας τὰ ἱρά.
And these things, they say, arrive in Delos being thus sent forward. For my own part, I know of something similar to these offerings being done, namely that the Thracian and Paeonian women, when they sacrifice to Artemis the Queen, do not hold their offerings without wheat-straw.
- 4.33.2τὸ δʼ ἀπὸ ταύτης ἐκλιπεῖν Ἄνδρον
Meaning "from this point (Carystus) it leaves out Andros." The phrase τὸ ἀπὸ ταύτης ("what is after this") acts as a neuter singular accusative subject (or adverbial expression) followed by the infinitive ἐκλιπεῖν ("to omit" or "to leave out"). It explains that Andros is bypassed in the route, with the offerings going directly from Carystus to Tenos.
- 4.33.4ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖσι Ὑπερβορέοισι τοὺς ἀποπεμφθέντας ὀπίσω οὐκ ἀπονοστέειν
In the subordinate clause (the ἐπεί clause) within indirect discourse, the infinitive (ἀπονοστέειν) is used instead of the usual indicative mood. This is a classic example of "assimilation of mood" in indirect speech, a characteristic feature of Herodotus' prose style.
- 4.33.4δεινὰ ποιευμένους εἰ σφέας αἰεὶ καταλάμψεται ἀποστέλλοντας μὴ ἀποδέκεσθαι
The participle δεινὰ ποιευμένους ("regarding it as terrible/intolerable") agrees with the accusative subject of the indirect speech, τοὺς Ὑπερβορέους. The εἰ clause (with the future indicative καταλάμψεται) expresses apprehension about a potential ongoing situation: namely, that "it should always happen to them (σφέας) that, while sending messengers (ἀποστέλλοντας), they do not receive them back (μὴ ἀποδέκεσθαι)."
- 4.33.5οἶδα δὲ αὐτὸς τούτοισι τοῖσι ἱροῖσι τόδε ποιεύμενον προσφερές
The verb οἶδα ("I know") takes a participle of indirect perception (ποιεύμενον) with an accusative object (τόδε). The adjective προσφερές ("similar") modifies the action, meaning "I myself know of this being done as something similar to these offerings."