- 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-grc2:4.7.1-4.7.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The passage details the Scythians' claim that their history spans about a thousand years, the rituals and rules of land grant surrounding the sacred gold, the division of the kingdom by Colaxais, and the rumor that the far north is impassable due to falling "feathers."
γεγονέναι μέν νυν σφέας ὧδε λέγουσι οἱ Σκύθαι, ἔτεα δὲ σφίσι ἐπείτε γεγόνασι1 τὰ σύμπαντα λέγουσι εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου βασιλέος Ταργιτάου ἐς τὴν Δαρείου διάβασιν τὴν ἐπὶ σφέας χιλίων οὐ πλέω ἀλλὰ τοσαῦτα. τὸν δὲ χρυσόν τοῦτον τὸν ἱρὸν φυλάσσουσι οἱ βασιλέες ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, καὶ θυσίῃσι μεγάλῃσι ἱλασκόμενοι μετέρχονται ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος.
Thus the Scythians say they came into being, but they say that the total number of years from their first king Targitaus to the crossing of Darius against them is not more than a thousand, but just so many since they came into being. And this sacred gold the kings guard with the greatest care, and they approach it every year, propitiating it with great sacrifices.
ὃς δʼ ἂν ἔχων τὸν χρυσὸν τὸν ἱρὸν ἐν τῇ ὁρτῇ ὑπαίθριος κατακοιμηθῇ, οὗτος λέγεται ὑπὸ Σκυθέων οὐ διενιαυτίζειν.2 δίδοσθαι δέ οἱ διὰ τοῦτο ὅσα ἂν ἵππῳ ἐν ἡμέρῃ μιῇ περιελάσῃ αὐτὸς. τῆς δὲ χώρης ἐούσης μεγάλης τριφασίας τὰς βασιληίας τοῖσι παισὶ τοῖσι ἑωυτοῦ καταστήσασθαι Κολάξαιν, καὶ τουτέων μίαν ποιῆσαι μεγίστην, ἐν τῇ τὸν χρυσὸν φυλάσσεσθαι.
And whoever, holding this sacred gold during the festival, should fall asleep in the open air, he is said by the Scythians not to live out the year; and because of this, they say, there is given to him as much land as he himself can ride around on a horse in a single day. And since the land was large, Colaxais established three kingdoms for his sons, and made one of these the greatest, in which the gold is kept.
τὰ δὲ κατύπερθε πρὸς βορέην λέγουσι ἄνεμον τῶν ὑπεροίκων τῆς χώρης οὐκ οἷὰ τε εἶναι3 ἔτι προσωτέρω οὔτε ὁρᾶν οὔτε διεξιέναι ὑπὸ πτερῶν κεχυμένων· πτερῶν γὰρ καὶ τήν γῆν καὶ τὸν ἠέρα εἶναι πλέον, καὶ ταῦτα εἶναι τὰ ἀποκληίοντα τὴν ὄψιν.
As for the regions further up towards the north wind, the inhabitants of the country say that it is not possible to see further or to pass through because of feathers being poured down; for both the earth and the air are full of feathers, and these are what block the sight.
- 4.7.1ἐπείτε γεγόνασι
The conjunction ἐπείτε (Ionic for ἐπεί) here means "since," taking the perfect indicative γεγόνασι. It indicates the starting point of the duration of time described in the main clause ("the total years... are...").
- 4.7.2οὐ διενιαυτίζειν
The verb διενιαυτίζω means "to live through the year" or "to survive the year." With the negative οὐ, it means "not to survive the year" (i.e., to die within the year). It is in the infinitive in indirect speech.
- 4.7.3οὐκ οἷά τε εἶναι
The neuter plural form οἷά τέ ἐστι of the impersonal expression οἷόν τέ ἐστι ("it is possible") appears here as the infinitive εἶναι in indirect speech. The real subject of this impersonal construction is the following infinitives (οὔτε ὁρᾶν οὔτε διεξιέναι).