- Source
- Pausanias. Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio, Volumes 1-3. Spiro, Friedrich, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903.
- 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:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.28.1-2.28.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
The sacred snakes of Asclepius and the 'twisted olive' associated with Heracles are described, followed by the tragic story of Deiphontes and his wife Hyrnetho, and the local laws surrounding her sanctuary.
δράκοντες δὲ—οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ ἕτερον γένος1—ἐς τὸ ξανθότερον ῥέποντες χρόας ἱεροὶ μὲν τοῦ Ἀσκληπιοῦ νομίζονται καὶ εἰσὶν ἀνθρώποις ἥμεροι, τρέφει δὲ μόνη σφᾶς ἡ τῶν Ἐπιδαυρίων γῆ. τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ εὑρίσκω καὶ ἄλλαις χώραις συμβεβηκός· Λιβύη μέν γε μόνη κροκοδείλους τρέφει χερσαίους διπήχεων οὐκ ἐλάσσονας, παρὰ δὲ Ἰνδῶν μόνων ἄλλα τε κομίζεται καὶ ὄρνιθες οἱ ψιττακοί. τοὺς δὲ ὄφεις οἱ Ἐπιδαύριοι τοὺς μεγάλους ἐς πλέον πηχῶν καὶ τριάκοντα προήκοντας, οἷοι παρά τε Ἰνδοῖς τρέφονται καὶ ἐν Λιβύῃ, ἄλλο δή τι γένος φασὶν εἶναι καὶ οὐ δράκοντας.
As for snakes—the remaining ones which are a different species, inclining in color towards a yellowish hue—they are considered sacred to Asclepius and are tame towards humans, and the land of the Epidaurians alone breeds them. I find that this same thing has happened in other lands as well; for Libya alone breeds land crocodiles not less than two cubits long, and from the Indians alone are brought, among other things, the birds called parrots. And as for the great snakes that grow to more than thirty cubits, such as are bred among the Indians and in Libya, the Epidaurians say that they are some other kind of beast and not snakes.
ἐς δὲ τὸ ὄρος ἀνιοῦσι τὸ Κόρυφον, ἔστι καθʼ ὁδὸν Στρεπτῆς καλουμένης ἐλαίας φυτόν, αἰτίου τοῦ περιαγαγόντος τῇ χειρὶ Ἡρακλέους2 ἐς τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα. εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἀσιναίοις τοῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι ἔθηκεν ὅρον τοῦτον, οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε εἰδείην, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἑτέρωθι ἀναστάτου γενομένης χώρας τὸ σαφὲς ἔτι οἷόν τε τῶν ὅρων ἐξευρεῖν. ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ ἄκρᾳ τοῦ ὄρους Κορυφαίας ἐστὶν ἱερὸν Ἀρτέμιδος, οὗ καὶ Τελέσιλλα ἐποιήσατο ἐν ᾄσματι μνήμην.
For those going up to Mount Coryphum, there is on the road a plant of an olive tree called ‘Twisted,’ the cause of this being Heracles, who bent it into this shape with his hand. But whether he also set this as a boundary for the Asinaeans in Argolis, I for my part do not know, since elsewhere too, when a land has been laid waste, it is no longer possible to discover the clear truth about its boundaries. On the peak of the mountain is a sanctuary of Artemis Coryphaea, of which Telesilla also made mention in a song.
κατιοῦσι δὲ ἐς τῶν Ἐπιδαυρίων τὴν πόλιν χωρίον ἐστὶ πεφυκυίας ἀγριελαίους ἔχον· Ὑρνήθιον δὲ καλοῦσι τὸ χωρίον. τὰ δὲ ἐς αὐτό, ὡς Ἐπιδαύριοί τε λέγουσι καὶ εἰκὸς ἔχει, γράψω. Κεῖσος καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ Τημένου παῖδες μάλιστα ᾔδεσαν Δηιφόντην λυπήσοντες,3 εἰ διαλῦσαί πως ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν Ὑρνηθὼ δυνηθεῖεν. ἀφίκοντο οὖν ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον Κερύνης καὶ Φάλκης· Ἀγραίῳ γὰρ τῷ νεωτάτῳ τὰ ποιούμενα οὐκ ἤρεσκεν. οὗτοι δὲ στήσαντες τὸ ἅρμα ὑπὸ τὸ τεῖχος κήρυκα ἀποστέλλουσι παρὰ τὴν ἀδελφήν, ἐλθεῖν δῆθεν ἐς λόγους αὐτῇ βουλόμενοι.
To those going down to the city of the Epidaurians, there is a place containing wild olive trees that have grown there; they call the place Hyrnethium. I will write what concerns it, as the Epidaurians relate it and as is probable. Ceisus and the other sons of Temenus knew well that they would grieve Deiphontes most, if they could somehow detach Hyrnetho from him. So Cerynes and Phalces came to Epidaurus; for Agraeus, the youngest, did not approve of what they were doing. These, having stopped their chariot under the wall, sent a herald to their sister, pretending that they wished to have a talk with her.
ὡς δὲ ὑπήκουσε καλοῦσιν, ἐνταῦθα οἱ νεανίσκοι πολλὰ μὲν Δηιφόντου κατηγόρουν, πολλὰ δὲ αὐτὴν ἱκέτευον ἐκείνην ἐπανήκειν ἐς Ἄργος, ἄλλα τε ἐπαγγελλόμενοι καὶ ἀνδρὶ δώσειν αὐτὴν Δηιφόντου τὰ πάντα ἀμείνονι καὶ ἀνθρώπων πλειόνων καὶ γῆς ἄρχοντι εὐδαιμονεστέρας. Ὑρνηθὼ δὲ τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν ἀλγήσασα ἀπεδίδου σφίσι τὴν ἴσην, Δηιφόντην μὲν αὑτῇ τε ἄνδρα ἀρεστὸν εἶναι φήσασα καὶ Τημένῳ γενέσθαι γαμβρὸν οὐ μεμπτόν, ἐκείνοις δὲ Τημένου προσήκειν σφαγεῦσιν ὀνομάζεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ παισίν.
When she complied with their summons, the young men there laid many accusations against Deiphontes, and earnestly entreated her to return to Argos, promising among other things that they would give her to a husband who was in every way better than Deiphontes, ruling over more people and a happier land. But Hyrnetho, pained by what was said, gave them back as good as she got, saying that Deiphontes was a husband pleasing to her and had proved a son-in-law to Temenus who could not be blamed, while to them, she said, it was more fitting to be called the murderers of Temenus than his sons.
καὶ τὴν μὲν οὐδὲν ἔτι ἀποκρινάμενοι συλλαμβάνουσιν, ἀναθέντες δὲ ἐς τὸ ἅρμα ἀπήλαυνον· Δηιφόντῃ δὲ ἀγγέλλει τις τῶν Ἐπιδαυρίων ὡς Κερύνης καὶ Φάλκης ἄγοντες οἴχοιντο ἄκουσαν Ὑρνηθώ. ὁ δὲ αὐτός τε ὡς τάχους εἶχεν ἤμυνε καὶ οἱ Ἐπιδαύριοι πυνθανόμενοι προσεβοήθουν. Δηιφόντης δὲ Κερύνην μὲν ὡς κατελάμβανεν ἀναιρεῖ βαλών, Φάλκην δὲ ἐχόμενον Ὑρνηθοῦς4 βαλεῖν μὲν ἔδεισε, μὴ ἁμαρτὼν γένοιτο αὐτῆς ἐκείνης φονεύς, συμπλακεὶς δὲ ἐπειρᾶτο ἀφαιρεῖσθαι. Φάλκης δὲ ἀντεχόμενος καὶ ἕλκων βιαιότερον ἀπέκτεινεν ἔχουσαν ἐν γαστρί.
And making no further reply to her, they seized her, and placing her in the chariot, drove away; but one of the Epidaurians brought word to Deiphontes that Cerynes and Phalces had gone off, carrying away Hyrnetho against her will. He went to the rescue himself with all possible speed, and the Epidaurians, on hearing of it, came to his aid. Deiphontes, when he overtook them, killed Cerynes with a throw, but he was afraid to shoot at Phalces, who was holding Hyrnetho, lest he should miss and become the slayer of Hyrnetho herself; so close-locked with him, he tried to rescue her. But Phalces, holding on and dragging her with greater violence, killed her, she being pregnant.
καὶ ὁ μὲν συνείς, οἷα ἐς τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἐξειργασμένος ἔργα ἦν, ἤλαυνε τὸ ἅρμα ἀφειδέστερον, προλαβεῖν τῆς ὁδοῦ σπεύδων πρὶν ἢ πάντας ἐπʼ αὐτὸν συλλεχθῆναι τοὺς Ἐπιδαυρίους· Δηιφόντης δὲ σὺν τοῖς παισίν—ἐγεγόνεσαν γὰρ καὶ παῖδες αὐτῷ πρότερον ἔτι υἱοὶ μὲν Ἀντιμένης καὶ Ξάνθιππός τε καὶ Ἀργεῖος, θυγάτηρ δὲ Ὀρσοβία· ταύτην Πάμφυλον τὸν Αἰγιμίου λέγουσιν ὕστερον γῆμαι·—τότε δὲ ἀναλαβόντες τὸν νεκρὸν τῆς Ὑρνηθοῦς κομίζουσιν ἐς τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον τὸ ἀνὰ χρόνον Ὑρνήθιον κληθέν.
And he, realizing what a deed he had committed against his sister, drove his chariot more recklessly, hastening to get a start on the road before all the Epidaurians should assemble against him. Deiphontes with his children—for children had already been born to him beforehand, sons namely Antimenes, Xanthippus, and Argeius, and a daughter Orsobia, whom they say Pamphylus, the son of Aegimius, afterwards married—then took up the corpse of Hyrnetho and carried it to this place, which in course of time was called Hyrnethium.
καί οἱ ποιήσαντες ἡρῷον τιμὰς καὶ ἄλλας δεδώκασι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς πεφυκόσιν ἐλαίοις, καὶ εἰ δή τι ἄλλο δένδρον ἔσω, καθέστηκε νόμος τὰ θραυόμενα μηδένα ἐς οἶκον φέρεσθαι μηδὲ χρᾶσθαί σφισιν ἐς μηδέν, κατὰ χώραν δʼ αὐτοῦ λείπουσιν ἱερὰ εἶναι τῆς Ὑρνηθοῦς.
And having made a hero-shrine for her, they gave her other honors, and with regard to the olives growing there, and if there is any other tree inside, a law was established that no one should carry home the broken pieces nor use them for any purpose, but they leave them there on the spot as sacred to Hyrnetho.
οὐ πόρρω δὲ τῆς πόλεως Μελίσσης μνῆμά ἐστιν, ἣ Περιάνδρῳ συνῴκησε τῷ Κυψέλου, καὶ ἕτερον Προκλέους πατρὸς τῆς Μελίσσης. ἐτυράννει δὲ καὶ οὗτος Ἐπιδαυρίων, καθὰ δὴ καὶ ὁ γαμβρός οἱ Περίανδρος Κορίνθου.
Not far from the city is the tomb of Melissa, who was married to Periander, the son of Cypselus, and another of Procles, the father of Melissa. He too ruled as tyrant over the Epidaurians, just as his son-in-law Periander did over Corinth.
- 2.28.1δράκοντες δὲ—οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ ἕτερον γένος
The parenthetical clause "the remaining ones, which are a different species" distinguishes these sacred snakes (δράκοντες) of Asclepius from the gigantic snakes (ὄφεις) mentioned later, which are more than thirty cubits long. Only the former are considered tame (ἥμεροι).
- 2.28.2αἰτίου τοῦ περιαγαγόντος τῇ χειρὶ Ἡρακλέους
The genitive αἰτίου is the masculine singular genitive of the adjective αἴτιος ("responsible for"), agreeing in case and gender with Ἡρακλέους, which functions appositively to explain that Heracles was the one responsible for bending the olive tree.
- 2.28.3ᾔδεσαν Δηιφόντην λυπήσοντες
The verb ᾔδεσαν (pluperfect of οἶδα, "they knew") takes the future participle λυπήσοντες as its complement to express a future consequence or certainty ("they knew that they would grieve Deiphontes").
- 2.28.5ἐχόμενον Ὑρνηθοῦς
The middle participle ἐχόμενον governs the genitive case (Ὑρνηθοῦς), meaning "holding onto Hyrnetho" or "clinging to Hyrnetho" (the middle voice of ἔχω with the genitive).