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Herodotus · Histories §8.41.1-8.41.3

The Sacred Snake on the Acropolis and Athenian Evacuation

Passage 1343 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians evacuated their families and households to Troezen, Aegina, and Salamis, and completed their departure in greater haste after the priestess reported that the sacred guardian snake had left its honey-cake untouched, indicating the goddess's departure.

§8.41.1οἱ μὲν δὴ ἄλλοι κατέσχον ἐς τὴν Σαλαμῖνα, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἐς τὴν ἑωυτῶν.
Thus the others put in at Salamis, but the Athenians to their own land.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἄπιξιν κήρυγμα ἐποιήσαντο, Ἀθηναίων τῇ τις δύναται σώζειν τέκνα τε καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας.
After their arrival, they made a proclamation that every one of the Athenians should, in such way as he could, save his children and his household.
ἐνθαῦτα οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι ἐς Τροίζηνα ἀπέστειλαν, οἳ δὲ ἐς Αἴγιναν, οἳ δὲ ἐς Σαλαμῖνα.
Thereupon, most of them sent their families to Troezen, some to Aegina, and others to Salamis.
§8.41.2ἔσπευσαν δὲ ταῦτα ὑπεκθέσθαι τῷ χρηστηρίῳ τε βουλόμενοι ὑπηρετέειν καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦδε εἵνεκα οὐκ ἥκιστα.
They hurried to evacuate these, both because they wished to obey the oracle and indeed for this reason not least of all.
λέγουσι Ἀθηναῖοι ὄφιν μέγαν φύλακα τῆς ἀκροπόλιος ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ· λέγουσί τε ταῦτα καὶ δὴ ὡς ἐόντι ἐπιμήνια ἐπιτελέουσι προτιθέντες· τὰ δʼ ἐπιμήνια μελιτόεσσα ἐστί.
The Athenians say that a great snake, the guardian of the acropolis, dwells in the temple; they say this, and indeed perform monthly rites by setting out offerings to it as if it actually existed; and these monthly offerings consist of a honey-cake.
§8.41.3αὕτη δὴ ἡ μελιτόεσσα ἐν τῷ πρόσθε αἰεὶ χρόνῳ ἀναισιμουμένη τότε ἦν ἄψαυστος.
This honey-cake, which in all former time had always been consumed, was then left untouched.
σημηνάσης δὲ ταῦτα τῆς ἱρείης, μᾶλλόν τι οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ προθυμότερον ἐξέλιπον τὴν πόλιν, ὡς καὶ τῆς θεοῦ ἀπολελοιπυίης τὴν ἀκρόπολιν.
When the priestess made this known, the Athenians abandoned the city all the more and with greater readiness, believing that the goddess too had left the acropolis.
ὡς δέ σφι πάντα ὑπεξέκειτο, ἔπλεον ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον.
And when all their possessions had been evacuated, they sailed to the fleet.

Notes

  1. 8.41.1Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἐς τὴν ἑωυτῶν — The verb `κατέσχον` (to put in, bring ships to land) from the preceding clause is omitted. `τὴν ἑωυτῶν` is a feminine pronominal phrase with a noun such as `γῆν` (land) or `χώραν` (country) understood.
  2. 8.41.1Ἀθηναίων — The genitive `Ἀθηναίων` is a partitive genitive qualifying the following indefinite pronoun `tis` ("each one of the Athenians"), indicating the subject of the action in the proclamation.
  3. 8.41.2ὡς ἐόντι — The conjunction `ὡς` is used with the participle `ἐόντι` (Ionic for `ὄντι`, present participle dative singular of `εἰμί`), meaning "as to one who exists" or "on the assumption that it exists." The dative case agrees with the implied recipient of the offerings (the snake).
  4. 8.41.3ὡς καὶ τῆς θεοῦ ἀπολελοιπυίης — The particle `ὡς` expressing a subjective reason is used with the genitive absolute construction `τῆς θεοῦ ἀπολελοιπυίης...` (with the perfect active participle of `ἀπολείπω`), meaning "on the ground that (as they believed) the goddess too had abandoned..."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.41.1-8.41.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.41.1-8.41.3

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