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Herodotus · Histories §6.134.1-6.134.2

Miltiades' Trespass into Demeter's Sanctuary and Injury

Passage 1039 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

As Miltiades struggles with the siege of Paros, a captive under-priestess named Timo approaches him with advice, leading him to trespass into the sanctuary of Demeter, where he is struck with panic and injures himself while escaping.

§6.134.1ἐς μὲν δὴ τοσοῦτο τοῦ λόγου οἱ πάντες Ἕλληνες λέγουσι, τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ αὐτοὶ Πάριοι γενέσθαι ὧδε λέγουσι.
Up to this point in the story all the Greeks agree, but as to what happened after this, the Parians themselves speak as follows.
Μιλτιάδῃ ἀπορέοντι ἐλθεῖν ἐς λόγους αἰχμάλωτον γυναῖκα, ἐοῦσαν μὲν Παρίην γένος, οὔνομα δέ οἱ εἶναι Τιμοῦν, εἶναι δὲ ὑποζάκορον τῶν χθονίων θεῶν·
They say that when Miltiades was in difficulties, a captive woman came to speak with him, who was by birth a Parian and whose name was Timo, and she was an under-priestess of the chthonic deities.
ταύτην ἐλθοῦσαν ἐς ὄψιν Μιλτιάδεω συμβουλεῦσαι, εἰ περὶ πολλοῦ ποιέεται Πάρον ἑλεῖν, τὰ ἂν αὐτὴ ὑποθῆται, ταῦτα ποιέειν.
She came into the presence of Miltiades and advised him that, if he set great store on capturing Paros, he should do whatever she suggested.
§6.134.2μετὰ δὲ τὴν μὲν ὑποθέσθαι, τὸν δὲ διερχόμενον ἐπὶ τὸν κολωνὸν τὸν πρὸ τῆς πόλιος ἐόντα ἕρκος θεσμοφόρου Δήμητρος ὑπερθορεῖν, οὐ δυνάμενον τὰς θύρας ἀνοῖξαι, ὑπερθορόντα δὲ ἰέναι ἐπὶ τὸ μέγαρον ὅ τι δὴ ποιήσοντα ἐντός, εἴτε κινήσοντά τι τῶν ἀκινήτων εἴτε ὅ τι δή κοτε πρήξοντα·
After this, they say, she gave the advice, and he went to the hill that is before the city and leaped over the fence of the sanctuary of Demeter Thesmophoros, since he was unable to open the doors. Having leaped over, he went toward the temple to do whatever he was going to do inside—whether to move some of the things that must not be moved, or whatever else he was going to do.
πρὸς τῇσι θύρῃσί τε γενέσθαι καὶ πρόκατε φρίκης αὐτὸν ὑπελθούσης ὀπίσω τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἵεσθαι, καταθρώσκοντα δὲ τὴν αἱμασιὴν τὸν μηρὸν σπασθῆναι·
When he was at the doors, suddenly a shuddering came upon him, and he hastened back by the same way; but as he leaped down from the stone wall, his thigh was dislocated.
οἳ δὲ αὐτὸν τὸ γόνυ προσπταῖσαι λέγουσι.
Others, however, say that he bruised his knee.

Notes

  1. §6.134.1τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ αὐτοὶ Πάριοι γενέσθαι ὧδε λέγουσι — The infinitive γενέσθαι functions inside the indirect discourse, with the substantivized adverbial phrase τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν acting as its subject. This marks the transition to the Parians' own version of the story.
  2. §6.134.1Μιλτιάδῃ ἀπορέοντι ἐλθεῖν ἐς λόγους — The infinitive ἐλθεῖν has αἰχμάλωτον γυναῖκα as its subject, continuing the indirect speech introduced by λέγουσι. The dative Μιλτιάδῃ ἀπορέοντι indicates the person whom the woman came to speak with.
  3. §6.134.2ὅ τι δὴ ποιήσοντα — The future participle ποιήσοντα (as well as the following κινήσοντά and πρήξοντα) expresses purpose after the verb of motion ἰέναι ('in order to do...').
  4. §6.134.2οἳ δὲ αὐτὸν τὸ γόνυ προσπταῖσαι λέγουσι — The phrase οἳ δὲ uses the relative pronoun as an old demonstrative meaning 'and others' or 'some others'. The accusative τὸ γόνυ is an accusative of specification (or respect), modifying the verb of striking/tripping προσπταῖσαι.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.134.1-6.134.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.134.1-6.134.2

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