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Herodotus · Histories §2.181.1-2.181.5

Amasis's Marriage to Ladice of Cyrene

Passage 403 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

King Amasis allies with Cyrene and marries Ladice, but threatens her under suspicion of witchcraft due to temporary impotence. Her vow to Aphrodite resolves the issue, and later, Cambyses conquers Egypt and sends her back unharmed.

§2.181.1Κυρηναίοισι δὲ Ἄμασις φιλότητά τε καὶ συμμαχίην συνεθήκατο, ἐδικαίωσε δὲ καὶ γῆμαι αὐτόθεν, εἴτʼ ἐπιθυμήσας Ἑλληνίδος γυναικὸς εἴτε καὶ ἄλλως φιλότητος Κυρηναίων εἵνεκα·
Amasis made a treaty of friendship and alliance with the Cyrenaeans, and decided also to take a wife from there, whether because he desired a Greek wife, or simply for the sake of friendship with the Cyrenaeans.
§2.181.2γαμέει δὲ ὦν οἳ μὲν λέγουσι Βάττου οἳ δʼ Ἀρκεσίλεω θυγατέρα, οἳ δὲ Κριτοβούλου ἀνδρὸς τῶν ἀστῶν δοκίμου, τῇ οὔνομα ἦν Λαδίκη·
In any case, he married her; some say she was the daughter of Battus, others of Arcesilaus, and others of Critobulus, a distinguished citizen, and her name was Ladice.
τῇ ἐπείτε συγκλίνοιτο ὁ Ἄμασις, μίσγεσθαι οὐκ οἷός τε ἐγίνετο, τῇσι δὲ ἄλλῃσι γυναιξὶ ἐχρᾶτο.
Whenever Amasis lay down with her, he was unable to have intercourse, though he had intercourse with his other wives.
§2.181.3ἐπείτε δὲ πολλὸν τοῦτο ἐγίνετο, εἶπε ὁ Ἄμασις πρὸς τὴν Λαδίκην ταύτην καλεομένην, ὦ γύναι, κατά με ἐφάρμαξας, καὶ ἔστι τοι οὐδεμία μηχανὴ μὴ οὐκ ἀπολωλέναι κάκιστα γυναικῶν πασέων. §2.181.4ἡ δὲ Λαδίκη, ἐπείτε οἱ ἀρνευμένῃ οὐδὲν ἐγίνετο πρηΰτερος ὁ Ἄμασις, εὔχεται ἐν τῷ νόῳ τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ, ἤν οἱ ὑπʼ ἐκείνην τὴν νύκτα μιχθῇ ὁ Ἄμασις, τοῦτο γάρ οἱ κακοῦ εἶναι μῆχος, ἄγαλμά οἱ ἀποπέμψειν ἐς Κυρήνην.
When this had happened many times, Amasis said to this woman called Ladice: "Woman, you have cast a spell on me, and there is no way for you to avoid dying the most wretched death of all women." Ladice, when Amasis grew no gentler despite her denials, prayed in her heart to Aphrodite that if Amasis should have intercourse with her that night (for this was her only remedy against the disaster), she would send an image of her to Cyrene.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν εὐχὴν αὐτίκα οἱ ἐμίχθη ὁ Ἄμασις.
Immediately after the prayer, Amasis had intercourse with her.
καὶ τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν ἤδη, ὁκότε ἔλθοι Ἄμασις πρὸς αὐτήν, ἐμίσγετο, καὶ κάρτα μιν ἔστερξε μετὰ τοῦτο.
And from then on, whenever Amasis came to her, he had intercourse, and he loved her dearly after this.
§2.181.5ἡ δὲ Λαδίκη ἀπέδωκε τὴν εὐχὴν τῇ θεῷ· ποιησαμένη γὰρ ἄγαλμα ἀπέπεμψε ἐς Κυρήνην, τὸ ἔτι καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἦν σόον, ἔξω τετραμμένον τοῦ Κυρηναίων ἄστεος.
And Ladice paid her vow to the goddess; for she had an image made and sent it to Cyrene, which was still safe in my time, facing outward from the city of the Cyrenaeans.
ταύτην τὴν Λαδίκην, ὡς ἐπεκράτησε Καμβύσης Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἐπύθετο αὐτῆς ἥτις εἴη, ἀπέπεμψε ἀσινέα ἐς Κυρήνην.
As for this Ladice, when Cambyses conquered Egypt and learned who she was, he sent her back unharmed to Cyrene.

Notes

  1. §2.181.3κατά με ἐφάρμαξας — An example of tmesis, where the pronoun με is inserted between the preposition κατά and the verb ἐφάρμαξας. It has the same meaning as the compound verb κατεφαρμάσσω (to administer drugs or cast a spell upon).
  2. §2.181.3μὴ οὐκ ἀπολωλέναι — The construction of μὴ οὐ with an infinitive following a negative expression containing the idea of preventing or avoiding (οὐδεμία μηχανὴ [ἔστι], "there is no way"). It functions as a double negative, emphasizing that something cannot fail to happen ("to avoid dying" i.e., "that you will certainly die").
  3. §2.181.4εἶναι — The infinitive εἶναι is used in a γάρ clause expressing a reason. This is due to the continuation of indirect speech (oratio obliqua) representing her thoughts, dependent on the main verb εὔχεται (prayed).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.181.1-2.181.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.181.1-2.181.5

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