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Herodotus · Histories §2.43.1-2.43.4

Antiquity of the Egyptian Heracles and Greek Differences

Passage 259 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Herodotus explains that the Egyptian Heracles is one of the ancient twelve gods and distinct from the Greek hero of the same name, citing evidence such as parental genealogy and the absence of certain Greek gods in Egypt.

§2.43.1Ἡρακλέος δὲ πέρι τόνδε τὸν λόγον ἤκουσα, ὅτι εἴη τῶν δυώδεκα θεῶν· τοῦ ἑτέρου δὲ πέρι Ἡρακλέος, τὸν Ἕλληνες οἴδασι, οὐδαμῇ Αἰγύπτου ἐδυνάσθην ἀκοῦσαι.
Concerning Heracles, I heard this account, that he is one of the twelve gods; but concerning the other Heracles, whom the Greeks know, I was unable to hear anything anywhere in Egypt.
§2.43.2καὶ μὴν ὅτι γε οὐ παρʼ Ἑλλήνων ἔλαβον τὸ οὔνομα Αἰγύπτιοι τοῦ Ἡρακλέος, ἀλλὰ Ἕλληνες μᾶλλον παρʼ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων οὗτοι οἱ θέμενοι τῷ Ἀμφιτρύωνος γόνῳ τοὔνομα Ἡρακλέα, πολλά μοι καὶ ἄλλα τεκμήρια ἐστὶ τοῦτο οὕτω ἔχειν, ἐν δὲ καὶ τόδε, ὅτι τε τοῦ Ἡρακλέος τούτου οἱ γονέες ἀμφότεροι ἦσαν Ἀμφιτρύων καὶ Ἀλκμήνη γεγονότες τὸ ἀνέκαθεν ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ διότι Αἰγύπτιοι οὔτε Ποσειδέωνος οὔτε Διοσκούρων τὰ οὐνόματα φασὶ εἰδέναι, οὐδέ σφι θεοὶ οὗτοι ἐν τοῖσι ἄλλοισι θεοῖσι ἀποδεδέχαται.
And indeed, that the Egyptians did not take the name of Heracles from the Greeks, but rather the Greeks from the Egyptians, and specifically those of the Greeks who gave the name Heracles to the offspring of Amphitryon, I have many other proofs that this is so, and among them is this: both parents of this Heracles, Amphitryon and Alcmene, were of Egyptian descent from of old, and also because the Egyptians say they do not know the names of either Poseidon or the Dioscuri, nor are these gods recognized by them among the rest of the gods.
§2.43.3καὶ μὴν εἴ γε παρʼ Ἑλλήνων ἔλαβον οὔνομά τευ δαίμονος, τούτων οὐκ ἥκιστα ἀλλὰ μάλιστα ἔμελλον μνήμην ἕξειν, εἴ περ καὶ τότε ναυτιλίῃσι ἐχρέωντο καὶ ἦσαν Ἑλλήνων τινὲς ναυτίλοι, ὡς ἔλπομαί τε καὶ ἐμὴ γνώμη αἱρέει· ὥστε τούτων ἂν καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν θεῶν τὰ οὐνόματα ἐξεπιστέατο Αἰγύπτιοι ἢ τοῦ Ἡρακλέος.
And indeed, if they had taken the name of any deity from the Greeks, they would have been likely to keep the remembrance of these gods not least but most of all, if indeed even then they made use of shipping and there were some sailors among the Greeks, as I expect and my own judgment holds; so that the Egyptians would have known the names of these gods even better than that of Heracles.
§2.43.4ἀλλά τις ἀρχαῖος ἐστὶ θεὸς Αἰγυπτίοισι Ἡρακλέης· ὡς δὲ αὐτοὶ λέγουσι, ἔτεα ἐστὶ ἑπτακισχίλια καὶ μύρια ἐς Ἄμασιν βασιλεύσαντα, ἐπείτε ἐκ τῶν ὀκτὼ θεῶν οἱ δυώδεκα θεοὶ ἐγένοντο τῶν Ἡρακλέα ἕνα νομίζουσι.
But Heracles is an ancient god for the Egyptians; and as they themselves say, there are seventeen thousand years down to the reign of Amasis, since the twelve gods were produced from the eight, of whom they consider Heracles to be one.

Notes

  1. 2.43.1Αἰγύπτου — Genitive of place. Used with the negative adverb οὐδαμῇ ('nowhere') to restrict the geographical area: 'nowhere in Egypt'.
  2. 2.43.2ἀλλὰ Ἕλληνες μᾶλλον παρʼ Αἰγυπτίων — An elliptical construction in contrast to the preceding clause οὐ παρʼ Ἑλλήνων ἔλαβον... Αἰγύπτιοι. The verb ἔλαβον must be supplied: 'but rather the Greeks [received the name] from the Egyptians, and specifically those [of the Greeks] who gave...'.
  3. 2.43.3ἐξεπιστέατο — Ionic form of the third-person plural imperfect indicative (equivalent to Attic ἠπίσταντο). Used with the particle ἄν to form the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition corresponding to the conditional clause εἴ γε...: 'they would have known (better)'.
  4. 2.43.4ἐς Ἄμασιν βασιλεύσαντα — The preposition ἐς with the accusative noun Ἄμασιν modified by the participle βασιλεύσαντα, marking the temporal limit: 'down to Amasis having ruled' or 'until the reign of Amasis'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.43.1-2.43.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.43.1-2.43.4

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