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Herodotus · Histories §4.179.1-4.179.3

Jason, Triton, and the Legend of the Tripod

Passage 743 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The legend of Jason being blown to Lake Tritonis during the Argo's voyage, where he encountered the god Triton and exchanged a bronze tripod for a safe passage, along with the prophecy of a hundred Greek cities to be built and the subsequent hiding of the tripod by the local Libyans.

§4.179.1ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὅδε λόγος λεγόμενος.
And there is also the following story told.
Ἰήσονα, ἐπείτε οἱ ἐξεργάσθη ὑπὸ τῷ Πηλίῳ ἡ Ἀργώ, ἐσθέμενον ἐς αὐτὴν ἄλλην τε ἑκατόμβην καὶ δὴ καὶ τρίποδα χάλκεον περιπλώειν Πελοπόννησον, βουλόμενον ἐς Δελφοὺς ἀπικέσθαι.
When the Argo had been built for him under Mount Pelion, Jason, having put on board a hecatomb and especially a bronze tripod, sailed around the Peloponnese, wishing to reach Delphi.
§4.179.2καί μιν, ὡς πλέοντα γενέσθαι κατὰ Μαλέην, ὑπολαβεῖν ἄνεμον βορέην καὶ ἀποφέρειν πρὸς τὴν Λιβύην· πρὶν δὲ κατιδέσθαι γῆν, ἐν τοῖσι βράχεσι γενέσθαι λίμνης τῆς Τριτωνίδος.
And as he was sailing past Malea, a north wind caught him and carried him away to Libya; and before he could sight land, he found himself in the shallows of Lake Tritonis.
καί οἱ ἀπορέοντι τὴν ἐξαγωγὴν λόγος ἐστὶ φανῆναι Τρίτωνα καὶ κελεύειν τὸν Ἰήσονα ἑωυτῷ δοῦναι τὸν τρίποδα, φάμενόν σφι καὶ τὸν πόρον δέξειν καὶ ἀπήμονας ἀποστελέειν.
As he was at a loss for a way out, the story goes that Triton appeared and ordered Jason to give him the tripod, saying that he would show them the passage and send them away unharmed.
§4.179.3πειθομένου δὲ τοῦ Ἰήσονος, οὕτω δὴ τόν τε διέκπλοον τῶν βραχέων δεικνύναι τὸν Τρίτωνά σφι καὶ τὸν τρίποδα θεῖναι ἐν τῷ ἑωυτοῦ ἱρῷ, ἐπιθεσπίσαντά τε τῷ τρίποδι καὶ τοῖσι σὺν Ἰήσονι σημήναντα τὸν πάντα λόγον, ὡς ἐπεὰν τὸν τρίποδα κομίσηται τῶν ἐκγόνων τις τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀργοῖ συμπλεόντων, τότε ἑκατὸν πόλιας οἰκῆσαι περὶ τὴν Τριτωνίδα λίμνην Ἑλληνίδας πᾶσαν εἶναι ἀνάγκην.
When Jason agreed, Triton then showed them the channel through the shallows and placed the tripod in his own temple, having uttered a prophecy over the tripod and declared the whole matter to those with Jason: that whenever one of the descendants of the shipmates on the Argo should recover the tripod, then there would be an absolute necessity for a hundred Greek cities to be settled around Lake Tritonis.
ταῦτα ἀκούσαντας τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους τῶν Λιβύων κρύψαι τὸν τρίποδα.
Hearing this, the native Libyans hid the tripod.

Notes

  1. §4.179.1Ἰήσονα ... περιπλώειν — Following the introductory statement "there is also the following story told" (ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὅδε λόγος λεγόμενος), the accusative and infinitive construction of indirect speech (reporting a rumor) begins, with `Ἰήσονα` as the subject accusative and `περιπλώειν` as the main infinitive.
  2. §4.179.2ὡς πλέοντα γενέσθαι — Because the framework of indirect speech (oratio obliqua) is maintained, the infinitive `γενέσθαι` is used in the temporal clause introduced by `ὡς` instead of an indicative verb. `πλέοντα` is a present participle modifying the omitted pronoun `μιν` (Jason, in the accusative).
  3. §4.179.3τότε ἑκατὸν πόλιας οἰκῆσαι περὶ τὴν Τριτωνίδα λίμνην Ἑλληνίδας πᾶσαν εἶναι ἀνάγκην — The core structure of the clause introduced by `ὡς` is the accusative and infinitive expressing necessity `πᾶσαν εἶναι ἀνάγκην` (it is an absolute necessity), which takes the preceding infinitive phrase `ἑκατὸν πόλιας οἰκῆσαι...` (that a hundred Greek cities be settled...) as its subject. The verb `οἰκῆσαι` is used here in an intransitive or passive sense ("to be inhabited" or "to be settled").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.179.1-4.179.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.179.1-4.179.3

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