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Herodotus · Histories §7.193.1-7.193.2

The Persian Fleet at Aphetae and Legend of the Argo

Passage 1256 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Greeks return to Artemisium and continue to call Poseidon "Savior," while the Persian fleet, after the storm subsides, sails around the Magnesian cape and anchors at Aphetae, a place associated with the legend of Heracles and the Argonauts.

§7.193.1οἳ μὲν δὴ τὸ δεύτερον ἐλθόντες περὶ τὸ Ἀρτεμίσιον ἐναυλόχεον, Ποσειδέωνος σωτῆρος ἐπωνυμίην ἀπὸ τούτου ἔτι καὶ ἐς τόδε νομίζοντες. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι, ὡς ἐπαύσατό τε ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ τὸ κῦμα ἔστρωτο, κατασπάσαντες τὰς νέας ἔπλεον παρὰ τὴν ἤπειρον, κάμψαντες δὲ τὴν ἄκρην τῆς Μαγνησίης ἰθέαν ἔπλεον ἐς τὸν κόλπον τὸν ἐπὶ Παγασέων φέροντα.
The Greeks, having come to Artemisium for the second time, lay in wait there, and from that time even to this day they customarily address Poseidon by the epithet of "Savior." Meanwhile, the barbarians, when the wind had ceased and the waves were smoothed, dragged down their ships and sailed along the mainland; and having rounded the cape of Magnesia, they sailed straight into the gulf that leads to Pagasae.
§7.193.2ἔστι δὲ χῶρος ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τούτῳ τῆς Μαγνησίης, ἔνθα λέγεται τὸν Ἡρακλέα καταλειφθῆναι ὑπὸ Ἰήσονος τε καὶ τῶν συνεταίρων ἐκ τῆς Ἀργοῦς ἐπʼ ὕδωρ πεμφθέντα, εὖτʼ ἐπὶ τὸ κῶας ἔπλεον ἐς Αἶαν τὴν Κολχίδα· ἐνθεῦτεν γὰρ ἔμελλον ὑδρευσάμενοι ἐς τὸ πέλαγος ἀφήσειν.
Now there is a place in this gulf of Magnesia, where it is said that Heracles was left behind by Jason and his companions from the Argo, having been sent to fetch water, at the time when they were sailing for the fleece to Aea in Colchis; for from there they intended to put out into the deep sea after watering.
ἐπὶ τούτου δὲ τῷ χώρῳ οὔνομα γέγονε Ἀφέται.
For this reason, the place received the name of Aphetae.
ἐν τούτῳ ὦν ὅρμον οἱ Ξέρξεω ἐποιεῦντο.
It was here, then, that the forces of Xerxes made their anchorage.

Notes

  1. §7.193.1νομίζοντες — The verb νομίζω, besides "to think" or "to believe," means "to hold as a custom" or "to use customarily." Here, with ἐπωνυμίην (epithet) as its object, it means "customarily using the epithet."
  2. §7.193.1ἰθέαν — The feminine accusative singular form of the adjective ἰθύς (straight), here in its Ionic form ἰθέαν, used adverbially to mean "straight" or "directly," originating from an adverbial accusative with an ellipsis of ὁδόν (way).
  3. §7.193.2πεμφθέντα — First aorist passive participle in the accusative masculine singular, modifying τὸν Ἡρακλέα, which is the subject of the accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on λέγεται (λέγεται τὸν Ἡρακλέα καταλειφθῆναι), explaining the circumstance of his being left behind ("having been sent for water").
  4. §7.193.2ἐπὶ τούτου — The preposition ἐπί with the genitive indicates the ground or reason, meaning "on this account" or "because of this event" (referring to Heracles being left behind, or their intention to set sail from there).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.193.1-7.193.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.193.1-7.193.2

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