Delian Ritual of Hair Offerings to Hyperborean Maidens — Herodotus, Histories Book 4 (4.34.1–4.34.2), Greek & English

§4.34.1

καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ταύτας οἶδα ποιεύσας· τῇσι δὲ παρθένοισι ταύτῃσι τῇσι ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων τελευτησάσῃσι¹ ἐν Δήλῳ κείρονται καὶ αἱ κόραι καὶ οἱ παῖδες οἱ Δηλίων· αἱ μὲν πρὸ γάμου πλόκαμον ἀποταμνόμεναι καὶ περὶ ἄτρακτον εἱλίξασαι ἐπὶ τὸ σῆμα τιθεῖσι ʽτὸ δὲ σῆμα ἐστὶ ἔσω ἐς τὸ Ἀρτεμίσιον ἐσιόντι² ἀριστερῆς χειρός,³ ἐπιπέφυκε δέ οἱ ἐλαίη, ὅσοι δὲ παῖδες τῶν Δηλίων, περὶ χλόην τινὰ εἱλίξαντες τῶν τριχῶν⁴ τιθεῖσι καὶ οὗτοι ἐπὶ τὸ σῆμα.

And indeed, I know that these women do these things. But for these maidens from the Hyperboreans who died in Delos, both the girls and the boys of the Delians cut their hair; the girls, cutting off a lock of hair before marriage and winding it around a spindle, place it upon the tomb (now the tomb is on the left hand as one enters inside the Artemision, and an olive tree has grown upon it); and all the boys of the Delians, winding some of their hair around a certain herb, these too place it upon the tomb.

Syntax notes4 items

4.34.1τῇσι δὲ παρθένοισι ταύτῃσι τῇσι ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων τελευτησάσῃσι
Dative of advantage (dativus commodi) or dative of reference, dependent on κείρονται. It indicates that the hair-cutting is performed in honor of, or for the sake of, these deceased maidens.
4.34.2ἐσιόντι
Dative singular masculine of the present participle of εἴσειμι, functioning as a dative of reference or person judging ('to one entering'), commonly used in geographical or spatial descriptions to specify direction.
4.34.2ἀριστερῆς χειρός
Genitive of place or direction, used with χειρός to mean 'on the left hand' or 'to the left'.
4.34.2τῶν τριχῶν
Partitive genitive dependent on the participle εἱλίξαντες, meaning 'some of their hair' or 'a portion of their hair'.

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

2026-09-21 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.34.1-4.34.2