- 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-grc2:4.70.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
This passage describes the ritual procedure of Scythian covenant-making, in which they mix their blood with wine in a large cup, dip various weapons into it, offer prayers, and drink the mixture.
ὅρκια δὲ ποιεῦνται Σκύθαι ὧδε πρὸς τοὺς ἂν ποιέωνται· ἐς κύλικα μεγάλην κεραμίνην οἶνον ἐγχέαντες αἷμα συμμίσγουσι τῶν τὸ ὅρκιον ταμνομένων,1 τύψαντες ὑπέατι ἢ ἐπιταμόντες μαχαίρῃ σμικρὸν τοῦ σώματος, καὶ ἔπειτα ἀποβάψαντες ἐς τὴν κύλικα ἀκινάκην καὶ ὀιστοὺς καὶ σάγαριν καὶ ἀκόντιον· ἐπεὰν δὲ ταῦτα ποιήσωσι, κατεύχονται πολλὰ καὶ ἔπειτα ἀποπίνουσι αὐτοί τε οἱ τὸ ὅρκιον ποιεύμενοι καὶ τῶν ἑπομένων οἱ πλείστου ἄξιοι.2
The Scythians make covenants in the following manner with whomever they make them: pouring wine into a large earthen cup, they mix with it the blood of those who are making the covenant, having pricked themselves with an awl or made a small incision in the body with a knife; and then, having dipped into the cup an acinaces, arrows, a sagaris, and a javelin, and when they have done this, they utter many prayers, and then both those who make the covenant themselves and the most worthy of their followers drink of it.
- 4.70.1τῶν τὸ ὅρκιον ταμνομένων
Meaning 'those who make the covenant.' The phrase ὅρκιον (or ὅρκια) τάμνειν originates from the ritual of cutting (τέμνω) sacrificial victims during the making of a treaty, thus idiomatically meaning 'to make a covenant.' The genitive of the participle modifies the preceding αἷμα (blood).
- 4.70.1τῶν ἑπομένων οἱ πλείστου ἄξιοι
τῶν ἑπομένων is the genitive of the present participle of ἕπομαι (to follow), serving as a partitive genitive with οἱ πλείστου ἄξιοι ('among those who follow'). πλείστου is a genitive of value modifying ἄξιοι, together meaning 'the most worthy' or 'most distinguished.'