- 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-grc2:8.37.6-8.37.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
After discussing the genealogy of Anytus and other gods, Pausanias describes a mysterious mirror in the sanctuary of Despoina, the unique sacrificial ritual in the Megaron, the sacred grove, and the altars of Pan and other deities.
τὰ μὲν δὴ ἐς τὸν Ἄνυτον ὑπὸ Ἀρκάδων λέγεται· Δήμητρος δὲ Ἄρτεμιν θυγατέρα εἶναι καὶ οὐ Λητοῦς,1 ὄντα Αἰγυπτίων τὸν λόγον Αἰσχύλος ἐδίδαξεν Εὐφορίωνος τοὺς Ἕλληνας. τὰ δὲ ἐς Κούρητας—οὗτοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων πεποίηνται—καὶ τὰ ἐς Κορύβαντας ἐπειργασμένους ἐπὶ τοῦ βάθρου—γένος δὲ οἵδε ἀλλοῖον καὶ οὐ Κούρητες—, τὰ ἐς τούτους παρίημι ἐπιστάμενος.
The story about Anytus is told by the Arcadians; but that Artemis is the daughter of Demeter and not of Leto, which is an Egyptian belief, Aeschylus the son of Euphorion taught the Greeks. What concerns the Curetes—for these are represented under the images—and what concerns the Corybantes carved upon the pedestal—who are a different race and not Curetes—I pass over, although I know it.
τῶν δὲ ἡμέρων οἱ Ἀρκάδες δένδρων ἁπάντων πλὴν ῥοιᾶς ἐσκομίζουσιν ἐς τὸ ἱερόν. ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ ἐξιόντι2 ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ κάτοπτρον ἡρμοσμένον ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ· τοῦτο ἤν τις προσβλέπῃ τὸ κάτοπτρον, ἑαυτὸν μὲν ἤτοι παντάπασιν ἀμυδρῶς ἢ οὐδὲ ὄψεται ἀρχήν, τὰ δὲ ἀγάλματα τῶν θεῶν καὶ αὐτὰ καὶ τὸν θρόνον ἔστιν ἐναργῶς θεάσασθαι.
Of cultivated trees, the Arcadians bring into the sanctuary all kinds except the pomegranate. On the right as you go out of the temple, a mirror is fitted into the wall; if anyone looks into this mirror, he will see himself either very dimly or not at all, but the images of the gods and the throne itself can be clearly seen.
παρὰ δὲ τὸν ναὸν τῆς Δεσποίνης ὀλίγον ἐπαναβάντι ἐν δεξιᾷ Μέγαρόν ἐστι καλούμενον, καὶ τελετήν τε δρῶσιν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῇ Δεσποίνῃ θύουσιν ἱερεῖα οἱ Ἀρκάδες πολλά τε καὶ ἄφθονα. θύει μὲν δὴ αὐτῶν ἕκαστος ὅ τι κέκτηται· τῶν ἱερείων δὲ οὐ τὰς φάρυγγας ἀποτέμνει ὥσπερ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις θυσίαις, κῶλον δὲ ὅ τι ἂν τύχῃ, τοῦτο ἕκαστος ἀπέκοψε3 τοῦ θύματος.
By the side of the temple of Despoina, as you go up a little on the right, there is what is called the Megaron, and here they perform mysteries, and the Arcadians sacrifice to Despoina many abundant victims. Each of them sacrifices what he possesses; and they do not cut the throats of the victims as in other sacrifices, but each chops off whatever limb of the victim he happens to hit upon.
ταύτην μάλιστα θεῶν σέβουσιν οἱ Ἀρκάδες τὴν Δέσποιναν, θυγατέρα δὲ αὐτὴν Ποσειδῶνός φασιν εἶναι καὶ Δήμητρος. ἐπίκλησις ἐς τοὺς πολλούς ἐστιν αὐτῇ Δέσποινα, καθάπερ καὶ τὴν ἐκ Διὸς Κόρην ἐπονομάζουσιν, ἰδίᾳ δέ ἐστιν ὄνομα Περσεφόνη, καθὰ Ὅμηρος καὶ ἔτι πρότερον Πάμφως ἐποίησαν· τῆς δὲ Δεσποίνης τὸ ὄνομα ἔδεισα4 ἐς τοὺς ἀτελέστους γράφειν.
This Despoina is the goddess whom the Arcadians worship most, and they say she is the daughter of Poseidon and Demeter. Her common surname among the multitude is Despoina, just as they name the daughter of Zeus Core, while her private name is Persephone, as Homer and even earlier Pamphos wrote in their poems; but I feared to write the name of Despoina for the uninitiated.
ὑπὲρ δὲ τὸ καλούμενον Μέγαρόν ἐστιν ἄλσος τῆς Δεσποίνης ἱερὸν θριγκῷ λίθων περιεχόμενον, ἐντὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ δένδρα καὶ ἄλλα καὶ ἐλαία καὶ πρῖνος ἐκ ῥίζης μιᾶς πεφύκασι· τοῦτο οὐ γεωργοῦ σοφίας ἐστὶν ἔργον. ὑπὲρ δὲ τὸ ἄλσος καὶ Ἱππίου Ποσειδῶνος, ἅτε πατρὸς τῆς Δεσποίνης, καὶ θεῶν ἄλλων εἰσὶ βωμοί· τῷ τελευταίῳ δὲ ἐπίγραμμά ἐστι θεοῖς αὐτὸν τοῖς πᾶσιν εἶναι κοινόν.
Above what is called the Megaron is a sacred grove of Despoina, enclosed by a stone wall, and within it grow other trees and also an olive and a holm-oak springing from a single root; this is not the result of a husbandman’s skill. Above the grove are altars of Poseidon Hippios, as being the father of Despoina, and of other gods; and on the last is an inscription saying that it is common to all the gods.
ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἀναβήσῃ διὰ κλίμακος ἐς ἱερὸν Πανός· πεποίηται δὲ καὶ στοὰ ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἄγαλμα οὐ μέγα, θεῶν δὲ ὁμοίως τοῖς δυνατωτάτοις καὶ τούτῳ μέτεστι τῷ Πανὶ ἀνθρώπων τε εὐχὰς ἄγειν ἐς τέλος5 καὶ ὁποῖα ἔοικεν ἀποδοῦναι πονηροῖς. παρὰ τούτῳ τῷ Πανὶ πῦρ οὔ ποτε ἀποσβεννύμενον καίεται. λέγεται δὲ ὡς τὰ ἔτι παλαιότερα καὶ μαντεύοιτο οὗτος ὁ θεός, προφῆτιν δὲ Ἐρατὼ Νύμφην αὐτῷ γενέσθαι ταύτην ἣ Ἀρκάδι τῷ Καλλιστοῦς συνῴκησε·
From here you will go up by a flight of steps to a sanctuary of Pan; there has also been built a portico leading to the sanctuary, and an image of no great size. To this Pan, equally with the most powerful of the gods, belongs the power to bring the prayers of men to fulfillment, and to repay the wicked as they deserve. Beside this Pan, a fire that is never extinguished burns. It is also said that in still older times this god used to give oracles, and that the nymph Erato became his prophetess, she who wedded Arcas, the son of Callisto.
μνημονεύουσι δὲ καὶ ἔπη τῆς Ἐρατοῦς, ἃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπελεξάμην. ἐνταῦθα ἔστι μὲν βωμὸς Ἄρεως, ἔστι δὲ ἀγάλματα Ἀφροδίτης ἐν ναῷ, λίθου τὸ ἕτερον λευκοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἀρχαιότερον αὐτῶν ξύλου. ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ Ἀπόλλωνός τε καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς ξόανά ἐστι· τῇ δὲ Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ ἱερὸν πεποίηται.
They also remember verses of Erato, which indeed I myself read. Here there is an altar of Ares, and there are images of Aphrodite in a temple, one of white stone, and the older of them of wood. In like manner there are also wooden images of Apollo and Athena; and a temple has been built for Athena.
- 8.37.6Δήμητρος δὲ Ἄρτεμιν θυγατέρα εἶναι καὶ οὐ Λητοῦς
An accusative with infinitive clause expressing what Aeschylus taught (ἐδίδαξεν). The appositive participle phrase ὄντα Αἰγυπτίων τὸν λόγον ("it being an Egyptian account") is inserted to indicate that Aeschylus introduced this myth of Egyptian origin to the Greeks.
- 8.37.7ἐξιόντι
Present participle in the dative singular, functioning as a dative of reference or person judging. It means "to one going out of the temple," practically carrying a temporal or conditional nuance of "when one goes out."
- 8.37.8ἀπέκοψε
Third-person singular aorist active indicative. It functions here as a gnomic aorist, expressing a general custom or habit. Just like the surrounding present tenses (ἀποτέμνει and θύουσιν), it denotes a regular practice: "is accustomed to cut off."
- 8.37.9ἔδεισα
Aorist indicative of "to fear." Rather than a simple past event, it expresses the author's religious awe and the resulting decision at the moment of writing to refrain from recording the name.
- 8.37.11ἀνθρώπων τε εὐχὰς ἄγειν ἐς τέλος
Infinitive clause functioning as part of the subject (or shared function) of the impersonal construction μέτεστι. ἄγειν ἐς τέλος is an idiomatic expression meaning "to bring to completion/fulfillment."