§21τίνες οἱ παρὰ Κρησὶ λεγόμενοι κατακαῦται;
Who are those who are called "katakautai" among the Cretans?
Τυρρηνοὺς φασι τὰς Ἀθηναίων θυγατέρας καὶ γυναῖκας ἐκ Βραύρωνος ἁρπάσαντας, ὁπηνίκα Λῆμνον καὶ Ἴμβρον κατῴκουν, εἶτʼ ἐκπεσόντας, εἰς τὴν Λακωνικὴν ἀφικέσθαι καὶ γενέσθαι ἐπιμειξίαν αὐτοῖς μέχρι παίδων γενέσεως πρὸς τὰς ἐγχωρίους γυναῖκας·
They say that the Tyrrhenians, having snatched the daughters and wives of the Athenians from Brauron when they inhabited Lemnos and Imbros, and then having been expelled, arrived in Laconia, and that an intercourse took place between them and the local women until children were born.
ἐκ δʼ ὑποψίας καὶ διαβολῆς πάλιν ἀναγκασθέντας ἐκλιπεῖν τὴν Λακωνικήν, μετὰ παίδων καὶ γυναικῶν εἰς Κρήτην κατᾶραι, Πόλλιν ἡγεμόνα καὶ Δελφὸν ἔχοντας.
But being forced again to leave Laconia because of suspicion and slander, they put in at Crete with their children and wives, having Pollis and Delphus as leaders.
ἐκεῖ δὲ πολεμοῦντας τοῖς κατέχουσι τὴν Κρήτην, πολλοὺς περιορᾶν τῶν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις ἀποθνησκόντων ἀτάφους, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀσχόλους διὰ τὸν πόλεμον ὄντας καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον, ὕστερον δὲ φεύγοντας ἅπτεσθαι νεκρῶν ἐφθαρμένων ὑπὸ χρόνου καὶ διερρυηκότων.
And there, while waging war against those who held Crete, they overlooked many of those who died in the battles, leaving them unburied, at first because they were occupied due to the war and the danger, but later because they shrank from touching corpses ruined and decayed by time.
τὸν οὖν Πόλλιν ἐξευρόντα τιμάς τινας καὶ προνομίας καὶ ἀτελείας ἀποδοῦναι τὰς μὲν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τῶν θεῶν, τὰς δὲ τοῖς ταφεῦσι τῶν τετελευτηκότων, ἐπιφημίσαντα καὶ ταύτας δαίμοσι χθονίοις, ὅπως ἀναφαίρετοι διαμένοιεν· ὀνομασθῆναι δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἱερεῖς, τοὺς δὲ
κατακαύτας.
So Pollis, having devised certain honors, privileges, and immunities, assigned some to the priests of the gods and others to the undertakers of the deceased, dedicating these also to the chthonic deities so that they might remain inviolable; and the former were named priests, and the latter "katakautai".
εἶτα κλήρῳ διαλαχεῖν πρὸς τὸν Δελφὸν καὶ πολιτεύεσθαι μὲν αὐτοὺς καθʼ αὑτούς, ἔχειν δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων φιλανθρώπων καὶ ἄδειαν ἀδικημάτων, οἷς οἱ ἄλλοι Κρῆτες εἰώθασι χρῆσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἄγοντες λαθραίως καὶ ἀποφέροντες· ἐκείνους γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀδικεῖν οὐδὲ κλέπτειν οὐδὲν οὐδʼ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι.
Then having divided the land by lot with Delphus, they governed themselves by themselves, and enjoyed, along with other privileges, immunity from the wrongful acts which the other Cretans were accustomed to commit against one another by driving away and carrying off property; for those people did no injustice, nor did they steal, nor did they despoil anything.
§22τίς ὁ παίδων τάφος παρὰ Χαλκιδεῦσι;
What is the "tomb of the children" among the Chalcidians?
Κόθος καὶ Αἶκλος οἱ Ξούθου παῖδες εἰς Εὔβοιαν ἧκον οἰκήσοντες, Αἰολέων τότε τὰ πλεῖστα τῆς νήσου κατεχόντων.
Cothus and Aeclus, the sons of Xuthus, came to Euboea to settle, at a time when the Aeolians held most of the island.
ἦν δὲ τῷ Κόθῳ λόγιον εὖ πράξειν ἐν καὶ περιέσεσθαι τῶν πολεμίων, ἐὰν πρίηται τὴν χώραν.
And Cothus had an oracle that he would fare well and overcome his enemies if he should buy the land.
ἀποβὰς οὖν μετʼ ὀλίγων ἐνέτυχε παίζουσι παιδαρίοις παρὰ τὴν θάλατταν· συμπαίζων οὖν αὐτοῖς καὶ φιλοφρονούμενος ἔδειξε παίγνια πολλὰ τῶν ξενικῶν.
So having disembarked with a few men, he met some young children playing by the sea; and playing with them and treating them kindly, he showed them many foreign toys.
ὡς δʼ ἑώρα τοὺς παῖδας ἐπιθυμοῦντας λαβεῖν, οὐκ ἔφησεν αὐτοῖς δώσειν ἄλλως, εἰ μὴ τῆς γῆς λάβοι παρʼ αὐτῶν οἱ δὲ παῖδες οὕτως ἀναιρούμενοι χαμᾶθεν ἐδίδοσαν καὶ τὰ παίγνια λαβόντες ἀπηλλάγησαν.
And when he saw that the children desired to have them, he said he would not give them otherwise than if he should receive some of the earth from them; and the children, picking it up from the ground, gave it to him and, having received the toys, departed.
οἱ δʼ Αἰολεῖς αἰσθόμενοι τὸ γεγονός, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων αὐτοῖς ἐπιπλεόντων, ὑπʼ ὀργῆς καὶ λύπης διεχρήσαντο τοὺς παῖδας.
But the Aeolians, when they perceived what had happened, and since the enemy were sailing against them, in anger and grief put the children to death.
ἐτάφησαν δὲ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ᾗ βαδίζουσιν ἐκ πόλεως ἐπὶ τὸν Εὔριπον, καὶ ὁ τόπος
τάφος παίδων καλεῖται. §23τίς ὁ μιξαρχαγέτας ἐν Ἄργει καὶ τίνες οἱ ἐλάσιοι;
And they were buried by the road along which people walk from the city to the Euripus, and the place is called "tomb of the children." Who is the "mixarchagetas" in Argos, and who are the "elasioi"?
μιξαρχαγέταν
τὸν Κάστορα καλοῦσι καὶ νομίζουσι παρʼ αὐτοῖς τεθάφθαι· τὸν δὲ Πολυδεύκην ὡς ἕνα τῶν Ὀλυμπίων σέβονται.
They call Castor "mixarchagetas" and believe that he is buried among them; but Polydeuces they revere as one of the Olympians.
τοὺς δὲ τὰς ἐπιληψίας ἀποτρέπειν δοκοῦντας
ἐλασίους
μὲν ὀνομάζουσι, δοκοῦσι δὲ τῶν Ἀλεξίδας τῆς Ἀμφιαράου θυγατρὸς ἀπογόνων εἶναι.
And those who are thought to avert epileptic fits they name "elasioi", and they are believed to be descendants of Alexida, the daughter of Amphiaraus.
§24τί τὸ παρʼ Ἀργείοις λεγόμενον ἔγκνισμα;
What is that which is called "enknisma" among the Argives?
τοῖς ἀποβαλοῦσί τινα συγγενῶν ἢ συνήθων ἔθος ἐστὶ μετὰ τὸ πένθος εὐθὺς τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι θύειν, ἡμέραις δʼ ὕστερον τριάκοντα τῷ Ἑρμῇ.
For those who have lost any of their relatives or companions, it is the custom to sacrifice to Apollo immediately after the mourning, and thirty days later to Hermes.
νομίζουσι γάρ, ὥσπερ τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀποθανόντων δέχεσθαι τὴν γῆν, ὀὕτω τὰς ψυχὰς τὸν Ἑρμῆν τοῦ δʼ Ἀπόλλωνος τῷ ἀμφιπόλῳ κριθὰς διδόντες λαμβάνουσι κρέας τοῦ ἱερείου, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἀποσβέσαντες ὡς μεμιασμένον παρʼ ἑτέρων δʼ ἐναυσάμενοι, τοῦτο τὸ κρέας ὀπτῶσιν
ἔγκνισμα
προσαγορεύοντες. §25τίς ἀλάστωρ ἀλιτήριος παλαμναῖος;
For they believe that just as the earth receives the bodies of the deceased, so Hermes receives their souls; and giving barley to the priest of Apollo, they receive meat of the sacrificial victim, and having extinguished their fire as defiled, and having kindled a fire from others, they roast this meat, addressing it as "enknisma." Who is the "alastor," the "aliterios," and the "palamnaios"?
οὐ γὰρ πειστέον τοῖς λέγουσιν
ἀλιτηρίους
κεκλῆσθαι τοὺς ἐπιτηροῦντας ἐν τῷ λιμῷ τὸν ἀλοῦντα καὶ διαρπάζοντας· ἀλλʼ
ἀλάστωρ
μὲν κέκληται ὁ ἄληστα καὶ πολὺν χρόνον μνημονευθησόμενα δεδρακώς,
ἀλιτήριος
δʼ ὃν ἀλεύασθαι καὶ φυλάξασθαι διὰ μοχθηρίαν καλῶς εἶχε.
For we must not believe those who say that "aliterioi" was the name given to those who, during a famine, watched for anyone grinding grain and snatched it away; but "alastor" is the name of one who has done unforgettable deeds which will be remembered for a long time, and "aliterios" is one whom it was well to avoid and guard against on account of his wickedness.
ταῦτα, φησὶν ὁ Σωκράτης, ἐν διφθέραις χαλκαῖς γεγράφασι.
These things, Socrates says, they have written on bronze tablets.