Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §1.13.1-1.13.2

Delphic Confirmation of Gyges' Rule and the Prophecy of Vengeance

Passage 13 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Gyges secures his Lydian kingship through the Delphic oracle, but the oracle also prophesies that vengeance for the Heraclidae will fall upon his fifth descendant.

§1.13.1ἔσχε δὲ τὴν βασιληίην καὶ ἐκρατύνθη ἐκ τοῦ ἐν Δελφοῖσι χρηστηρίου.
He obtained the kingdom and was confirmed in it by the oracle at Delphi.
ὡς γὰρ δὴ οἱ Λυδοὶ δεινόν ἐποιεῦντο τὸ Κανδαύλεω πάθος καὶ ἐν ὅπλοισι ἦσαν, συνέβησαν ἐς τὠυτὸ οἳ τε τοῦ Γύγεω στασιῶται καί οἱ λοιποὶ Λυδοί, ἤν μὲν τὸ χρηστήριον ἀνέλῃ μιν βασιλέα εἶναι Λυδῶν, τόν δὲ βασιλεύειν, ἤν δὲ μή, ἀποδοῦναι ὀπίσω ἐς Ἡρακλείδας τὴν ἀρχήν.
For when the Lydians were indignant at the fate of Candaules and were in arms, the partisans of Gyges and the rest of the Lydians came to an agreement: if the oracle should declare him to be king of the Lydians, then he should reign, but if not, they should restore the rule back to the Heraclidae.
§1.13.2ἀνεῖλέ τε δὴ τὸ χρηστήριον καὶ ἐβασίλευσε οὕτω Γύγης.
Indeed the oracle so declared, and thus Gyges became king.
τοσόνδε μέντοι εἶπε ἡ Πυθίη, ὡς Ἡρακλείδῃσι τίσις ἥξει ἐς τὸν πέμπτον ἀπόγονον Γύγεω.
However, the Pythia said this much: that vengeance for the Heraclidae would come upon the fifth descendant of Gyges.
τούτου τοῦ ἔπεος Λυδοί τε καί οἱ βασιλέες αὐτῶν λόγον οὐδένα ἐποιεῦντο, πρὶν δὴ ἐπετελέσθη.
To this utterance the Lydians and their kings paid no attention, until it was actually fulfilled.

Notes

  1. 1.13.1συνέβησαν ἐς τὠυτὸ ... βασιλεύειν ... ἀποδοῦναι — The verb συνέβησαν (3rd pl. aorist of συμβαίνω, 'to agree') is followed directly by the infinitives βασιλεύειν and ἀποδοῦναι, which express the terms of the agreement. τόν is a demonstrative pronoun in the accusative functioning as the subject of the infinitive βασιλεύειν, referring to Gyges.
  2. 1.13.1ἤν μὲν τὸ χρηστήριον ἀνέλῃ — ἀνέλῃ is the 3rd person singular aorist active subjunctive of ἀναιρέω (used of an oracle, meaning 'to declare' or 'to answer'), which, combined with the conjunction ἤν (equivalent to ἐάν), introduces a conditional clause.
  3. 1.13.2ἐς τὸν πέμπτον ἀπόγονον — The phrase 'to the fifth descendant' uses inclusive counting, which starts with Gyges himself as the first. The sequence is Gyges (1), Ardys (2), Sadyattes (3), Alyattes (4), and Croesus (5); thus, the fifth descendant refers to Croesus.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.13.1-1.13.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.13.1-1.13.2

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