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Herodotus · Histories §4.188.1

Sacrificial Rites and Gods of Nomadic Libyans

Passage 752 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the sacrificial ritual of the nomadic Libyans and the deities they worship, noting that while all worship the sun and moon, those around Lake Tritonis also worship Athena, Triton, and Poseidon.

§4.188.1θυσίαι δὲ τοῖσι νομάσι εἰσὶ αἵδε.
The sacrifices of the nomads are as follows.
ἐπεὰν τοῦ ὠτὸς ἀπάρξωνται τοῦ κτήνεος, ῥιπτέουσι ὑπὲρ τὸν δόμον, τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσαντες ἀποστρέφουσι τὸν αὐχένα αὐτοῦ· θύουσι δὲ ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ μούνοισι.
When they cut off the ear of the beast as a first offering, they throw it over their dwelling, and having done this, they wring its neck; and they sacrifice to the sun and moon alone.
τούτοισι μέν νυν πάντες Λίβυες θύουσι, ἀτὰρ οἱ περὶ τὴν Τριτωνίδα λίμνην νέμοντες τῇ Ἀθηναίῃ μάλιστα, μετὰ δὲ τῷ Τρίτωνι καὶ τῷ Ποσειδέωνι.
To these, indeed, all Libyans sacrifice, but those who dwell around Lake Tritonis sacrifice especially to Athena, and next to Triton and Poseidon.

Notes

  1. §4.188.1ἀπάρξωνται — The verb ἀπάρχομαι (to make a beginning of a sacrifice) takes the genitive τοῦ ὠτός (the ear), referring to the ritual act of cutting off a part of the victim to initiate the sacrifice.
  2. §4.188.1δόμον — Since the context concerns nomads who typically lived in tents, δόμος (house/dwelling) is used here in a general sense for their tent or shelter.
  3. §4.188.1νέμοντες — The present participle νέμοντες (from νέμω, to pasture/distribute) is used here intransitively or in a middle sense meaning "to dwell" or "to inhabit (by pasturing livestock)."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.188.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.188.1

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