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Herodotus · Histories §3.99.1-3.99.2

Cannibalism of the Sick and Old Among the Padaei

Passage 503 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author describes the cannibalistic customs of an eastern Indian tribe called the Padaei, who kill and eat their sick companions and the elderly. Consequently, very few of them ever reach old age.

§3.99.1ἄλλοι δὲ τῶν Ἰνδῶν πρὸς ἠῶ οἰκέοντες τούτων νομάδες εἰσὶ κρεῶν ἐδεσταὶ ὠμῶν, καλέονται δὲ Παδαῖοι, νομαίοισι δὲ τοιοῖσιδε λέγονται χρᾶσθαι·
Other of the Indians, dwelling to the east of these, are nomads and eaters of raw flesh; they are called Padaei, and they are said to practice the following customs.
ὃς ἂν κάμῃ τῶν ἀστῶν, ἤν τε γυνὴ ἤν τε ἀνήρ, τὸν μὲν ἄνδρα ἄνδρες οἱ μάλιστά οἱ ὁμιλέοντες κτείνουσι, φάμενοι αὐτὸν τηκόμενον τῇ νούσῳ τὰ κρέα σφίσι διαφθείρεσθαι·
Whoever among their citizens falls ill, whether it be a woman or a man, if it is a man, the men who associate with him most closely kill him, claiming that his flesh is being ruined for them by his wasting away with the disease.
ὁ δὲ ἄπαρνος ἐστὶ μὴ μὲν νοσέειν, οἱ δὲ οὐ συγγινωσκόμενοι ἀποκτείναντες κατευωχέονται.
But he denies that he is ill, yet they, not agreeing with him, kill him and feast upon him.
§3.99.2ἣ δὲ ἂν γυνὴ κάμῃ, ὡσαύτως αἱ ἐπιχρεώμεναι μάλιστα γυναῖκες ταὐτὰ τοῖσι ἀνδράσι ποιεῦσι.
If it is a woman who falls ill, the women who associate with her most closely do the same things as the men.
τὸν γὰρ δὴ ἐς γῆρας ἀπικόμενον θύσαντες κατευωχέονται· ἐς δὲ τούτου λόγον οὐ πολλοί τινες αὐτῶν ἀπικνέονται· πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ τὸν ἐς νοῦσον πίπτοντα πάντα κτείνουσι.
For indeed, they sacrifice and feast upon anyone who reaches old age; but not many of them reach this account, for before this, they kill everyone who falls into sickness.

Notes

  1. 3.99.1τούτων — The genitive `τούτων` functions as a genitive of comparison/reference with the prepositional phrase `πρὸς ἠῶ` ('to the east'), meaning 'to the east of these [previously mentioned swamp-dwelling Indians]'.
  2. 3.99.1φάμενοι αὐτὸν τηκόμενον τῇ νούσῳ τὰ κρέα σφίσι διαφθείρεσθαι — An accusative-with-infinitive construction introduced by `φάμενοι`. The subject of the infinitive `διαφθείρεσθαι` ('to be ruined') is `τὰ κρέα` ('the flesh'), while `αὐτὸν τηκόμενον` ('he, wasting away') functions as the subject/agent of the wasting. `σφίσι` is a dativus incommodi ('for them').
  3. 3.99.1ἄπαρνος ἐστὶ μὴ μὲν νοσέειν — The adjective `ἄπαρνος` ('denying'), which contains a negative concept, is followed by an infinitive with a redundant negative `μή`. This is a standard classical Greek idiom after verbs/expressions of denial, translated into English as a single negative ('denies that he is ill').
  4. 3.99.2πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ — The preposition `πρό` combined with the genitive neuter singular article `τοῦ` functions as an adverbial phrase `πρὸ τοῦ` meaning 'before this' or 'beforehand', where the article retains its original demonstrative force.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.99.1-3.99.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.99.1-3.99.2

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