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Herodotus · Histories §1.119.1-1.119.7

Astyages Feeds Harpagus His Own Son

Passage 119 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Responding to King Astyages' summons, Harpagus sends his thirteen-year-old son to the palace and attends the dinner himself. Astyages slaughters and cooks Harpagus's son, serves the meat to Harpagus at the dinner, and then reveals the boy's remains, but Harpagus maintains his composure and expresses submission to the king.

§1.119.1Ἅρπαγος μὲν ὡς ἤκουσε ταῦτα, προσκυνήσας καὶ μεγάλα ποιησάμενος ὅτι τε ἡ ἁμαρτὰς οἱ ἐς δέον ἐγεγόνεε καὶ ὅτι ἐπὶ τύχῃσι χρηστῇσι ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἐκέκλητο, ἤιε ἐς τὰ οἰκία.
When Harpagus heard this, he prostrated himself, and making a great matter of the fact that his slip had turned out to his advantage and that he had been invited to dinner under such favorable circumstances, he went to his house.
§1.119.2ἐσελθὼν δὲ τὴν ταχίστην, ἦν γὰρ οἱ παῖς εἷς μοῦνος ἔτεα τρία καὶ δέκα κου μάλιστα γεγονώς, τοῦτον ἐκπέμπεν ἰέναι τε κελεύων ἐς Ἀστυάγεος καὶ ποιέειν ὅ τι ἂν ἐκεῖνος κελεύῃ, αὐτὸς δὲ περιχαρὴς ἐὼν φράζει τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ συγκυρήσαντα.
As soon as he entered, for he had an only son about thirteen years old, he sent him out, bidding him go to Astyages' palace and do whatever the king commanded; and he himself, full of joy, told his wife what had happened.
§1.119.3Ἀστυάγης δέ, ὥς οἱ ἀπίκετο ὁ Ἁρπάγου παῖς, σφάξας αὐτὸν καὶ κατὰ μέλεα διελὼν τὰ μὲν ὤπτησε τὰ δὲ ἥψησε τῶν κρεῶν, εὔτυκα δὲ ποιησάμενος εἶχε ἕτοιμα.
But Astyages, when the son of Harpagus arrived, slaughtered him, cut him limb from limb, roasted some of the flesh and boiled some, and having prepared it well, held it in readiness.
§1.119.4ἐπείτε δὲ τῆς ὥρης γινομένης τοῦ δείπνου παρῆσαν οἵ τε ἄλλοι δαιτυμόνες καὶ ὁ Ἅρπαγος, τοῖσι μὲν ἄλλοισι καὶ αὐτῷ Ἀστυάγεϊ παρετιθέατο τράπεζαι ἐπίπλεαι μηλέων κρεῶν, Ἁρπάγῳ δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦ ἑωυτοῦ, πλὴν κεφαλῆς τε καὶ ἄκρων χειρῶν τε καὶ ποδῶν, τἄλλα πάντα· ταῦτα δὲ χωρὶς ἔκειτο ἐπὶ κανέῳ κατακεκαλυμμένα,
And when the hour for dinner came and the other guests and Harpagus were present, tables loaded with sheep's meat were set before the others and Astyages himself, but before Harpagus all the other parts of his own son, except for the head and the extremities of the hands and feet; these lay apart in a basket, covered over.
§1.119.5ὡς δὲ τῷ Ἁρπάγῳ ἐδόκεε ἅλις ἔχειν τῆς βορῆς, Ἀστυάγης εἴρετό μιν εἰ ἡσθείη τι τῇ θοίνῃ.
When Harpagus seemed to have had enough of the food, Astyages asked him if he had enjoyed the feast at all.
φαμένου δὲ Ἁρπάγου καὶ κάρτα ἡσθῆναι, παρέφερον τοῖσι προσέκειτο τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ παιδὸς κατακεκαλυμμένην καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας, Ἅρπαγον δὲ ἐκέλευον προσστάντες ἀποκαλύπτειν τε καὶ λαβεῖν τὸ βούλεται αὐτῶν.
When Harpagus said he had enjoyed it very much, those to whom the task had been assigned brought the covered head of the boy, along with the hands and feet, and standing by Harpagus, they bade him uncover them and take what he wanted of them.
§1.119.6πειθόμενος δὲ ὁ Ἅρπαγος καὶ ἀποκαλύπτων ὁρᾷ τοῦ παιδὸς τὰ λείμματα, ἰδὼν δὲ οὔτε ἐξεπλάγη ἐντός τε ἑωυτοῦ γίνεται.
Harpagus complied, and uncovering them, saw the remains of his boy; but on seeing this, he was not dismayed and remained master of himself.
εἴρετο δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀστυάγης εἰ γινώσκοι ὅτευ θηρίου κρέα βεβρώκοι.
Astyages asked him if he knew what beast's flesh he had eaten.
§1.119.7ὁ δὲ καὶ γινώσκειν ἔφη καὶ ἀρεστὸν εἶναι πᾶν τὸ ἂν βασιλεὺς ἔρδῃ.
He said that he knew, and that whatever a king did was pleasing.
τούτοισι δὲ ἀμειψάμενος καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν κρεῶν ἤιε ἐς τὰ οἰκία, ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ ἔμελλε, ὡς ἐγὼ δοκέω, ἁλίσας θάψειν τὰ πάντα.
Having answered with these words and taken up the rest of the meat, he went to his house, intending thence, as I suppose, to collect and bury it all.

Notes

  1. 1.119.1μεγάλα ποιησάμενος — An idiomatic expression meaning "regarding as a great matter" or "rejoicing greatly." The following ὅτι clauses explain the content of his appreciation.
  2. 1.119.2τὴν ταχίστην — Adverbial accusative meaning "most quickly" or "with all speed." The feminine accusative of the superlative adjective is used adverbially, with a noun like ὁδόν omitted.
  3. 1.119.4Ἁρπάγῳ δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦ ἑωυτοῦ — The verb παρετιθέατο (were served) from the preceding clause is omitted and must be supplied. The genitive τοῦ παιδὸς functions as a partitive genitive or depends on τἄλλα πάντα (all the other parts).
  4. 1.119.5τοῖσι προσέκειτο — A relative clause where the antecedent (the demonstrative pronoun οὗτοι) is omitted, forming a noun phrase meaning "those to whom (the task) had been assigned."
  5. 1.119.6ἐντός τε ἑωυτοῦ γίνεται — An idiomatic expression meaning "to be within oneself," i.e., "to control oneself" or "to keep one's composure." It stands in contrast to the opposite expression ἐκτὸς ἑωυτοῦ γίγνεσθαι (to be beside oneself).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.119.1-1.119.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.119.1-1.119.7

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