§4.1.1οὐκ ἀγνοῶ μὲν ὅτι τοῖς τὰς παλαιὰς μυθολογίας συνταττομένοις συμβαίνει κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν ἐν πολλοῖς ἐλαττοῦσθαι.
I am not unaware that for those who compile ancient mythologies, it happens that they are at a disadvantage in many respects during their writing.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀναγραφομένων ἀρχαιότης δυσεύρετος οὖσα πολλὴν ἀπορίαν παρέχεται τοῖς γράφουσιν, ἡ δὲ τῶν χρόνων ἀπαγγελία τὸν ἀκριβέστατον ἔλεγχον οὐ προσδεχομένη καταφρονεῖν ποιεῖ τῆς ἱστορίας τοὺς ἀναγινώσκοντας· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἡ ποικιλία καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν γενεαλογουμένων ἡρώων τε καὶ ἡμιθέων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνδρῶν δυσέφικτον ἔχει τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν· τὸ δὲ μέγιστον καὶ πάντων ἀτοπώτατον, ὅτι συμβαίνει τοὺς ἀναγεγραφότας τὰς ἀρχαιοτάτας πράξεις τε καὶ μυθολογίας ἀσυμφώνους εἶναι πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
For the antiquity of the recorded matters, being hard to discover, provides much difficulty for the writers, and the reporting of dates, not admitting the most precise examination, causes the readers to look down on the history; in addition to these things, the variety and the multitude of the genealogized heroes, demigods, and other men make the narrative difficult to grasp; and the greatest and most absurd thing of all is that it happens that those who have recorded the most ancient deeds and mythologies are inconsistent with one another.
§4.1.2διόπερ τῶν μεταγενεστέρων ἱστοριογράφων οἱ πρωτεύοντες τῇ δόξῃ τῆς μὲν ἀρχαίας μυθολογίας ἀπέστησαν διὰ τὴν δυσχέρειαν, τὰς δὲ νεωτέρας πράξεις ἀναγράφειν ἐπεχείρησαν.
Therefore, those of the later historians who were foremost in reputation shrank from ancient mythology because of the difficulty, and attempted to write down more recent deeds.
§4.1.3Ἔφορος μὲν γὰρ ὁ Κυμαῖος, Ἰσοκράτους ὢν μαθητής, ὑποστησάμενος γράφειν τὰς κοινὰς πράξεις, τὰς μὲν παλαιὰς μυθολογίας ὑπερέβη, τὰ δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἡρακλειδῶν καθόδου πραχθέντα συνταξάμενος ταύτην ἀρχὴν ἐποιήσατο τῆς ἱστορίας.
For Ephorus of Cyme, being a pupil of Isocrates, having undertaken to write the common deeds, passed over the ancient mythologies, and having compiled the events after the return of the Heracleidae, made this the beginning of his history.
ὁμοίως δὲ τούτῳ Καλλισθένης καὶ Θεόπομπος, κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν γεγονότες, ἀπέστησαν τῶν παλαιῶν μύθων.
And similarly to him, Callisthenes and Theopompus, having lived at the same period, shrank from the ancient myths.
§4.1.4ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν τούτοις κρίσιν ἔχοντες, καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀναγραφῆς πόνον ὑποστάντες, τὴν πᾶσαν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιησάμεθα τῆς ἀρχαιολογίας.
But we, having the opposite judgment to these men, and having undergone the labor resulting from the writing, have bestowed all care upon the study of antiquity.
μέγισται γὰρ καὶ πλεῖσται συνετελέσθησαν πράξεις ὑπὸ τῶν ἡρώων τε καὶ ἡμιθέων καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν διὰ τὰς κοινὰς εὐεργεσίας οἱ μεταγενέστεροι τοὺς μὲν ἰσοθέοις, τοὺς δʼ ἡρωικαῖς θυσίαις ἐτίμησαν, πάντας δʼ ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας λόγος τοῖς καθήκουσιν ἐπαίνοις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καθύμνησεν.
For the greatest and most numerous deeds were accomplished by the heroes, demigods, and many other good men; because of whose common benefactions subsequent generations honored some with godlike, others with heroic sacrifices, and the discourse of history has celebrated them all with fitting praises for eternity.
§4.1.5ἐν μὲν οὖν ταῖς πρὸ ταύτης βίβλοις τρισὶν ἀνεγράψαμεν τὰς παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι μυθολογουμένας πράξεις καὶ τὰ περὶ θεῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἱστορούμενα, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὰς τοποθεσίας τῆς παρʼ ἑκάστοις χώρας καὶ τὰ φυόμενα παρʼ αὐτοῖς θηρία καὶ τἄλλα ζῷα καὶ καθόλου πάντα τὰ μνήμης %5ἄξια καὶ παραδοξολογούμενα διεξιόντες, ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἱστορούμενα κατὰ τοὺς ἀρχαίους χρόνους περὶ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἡρώων τε καὶ ἡμιθέων καὶ καθόλου τῶν κατὰ πόλεμον ἀξιόλογόν τι κατειργασμένων, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐν εἰρήνῃ τι χρήσιμον πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν βίον εὑρόντων ἢ νομοθετησάντων.
Therefore, in the three books preceding this one, we recorded the mythical deeds related among other nations and what is narrated concerning the gods among them, and in addition to these things, describing the geographies of each country, the wild beasts and other animals produced among them, and in general all things worthy of memory and of a wondrous nature, whereas in this book we shall relate the things told among the Greeks concerning the ancient times regarding the most illustrious heroes and demigods, and in general those who achieved something noteworthy in war, and likewise those who in peace discovered something useful for common life or established laws.
§4.1.6ποιησόμεθα δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ Διονύσου διὰ τὸ καὶ παλαιὸν εἶναι σφόδρα τοῦτον καὶ μεγίστας εὐεργεσίας κατατεθεῖσθαι τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
And we shall make our beginning with Dionysus, because this god is both exceedingly ancient and has bestowed the greatest benefactions upon the race of men.
εἴρηται μὲν οὖν ἡμῖν ἐν ταῖς προειρημέναις βίβλοις ὅτι τινὲς τῶν βαρβάρων ἀντιποιοῦνται τῆς γενέσεως τοῦ θεοῦ τούτου.
Now indeed it has been stated by us in the aforementioned books that some of the barbarians lay claim to the birth of this god.
Αἰγύπτιοι μὲν γὰρ τὸν παρʼ αὑτοῖς θεὸν Ὄσιριν ὀνομαζόμενόν φασιν εἶναι τὸν παρʼ Ἕλλησι Διόνυσον καλούμενον.
For the Egyptians say that the god who among them is named Osiris is the one called Dionysus among the Greeks.
§4.1.7τοῦτον δὲ μυθολογοῦσιν ἐπελθεῖν ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, εὑρετὴν γενόμενον τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ τὴν φυτείαν διδάξαι τῆς ἀμπέλου τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν εὐεργεσίαν τυχεῖν συμφωνουμένης ἀθανασίας.
And they tell in myths that this god traversed the whole inhabited world, having become the discoverer of wine, and taught men the cultivation of the vine, and because of this benefaction obtained agreed immortality.
ὁμοίως δὲ τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς τὸν θεὸν τοῦτον παρʼ ἑαυτοῖς ἀποφαίνεσθαι γεγονέναι, καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν φυτείαν τῆς ἀμπέλου φιλοτεχνήσαντα μεταδοῦναι τῆς τοῦ οἴνου χρήσεως τοῖς %5κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνθρώποις.
And similarly, they say that the Indians declare that this god was born among them, and having engineered the cultivation of the vine, shared the use of wine with the men throughout the inhabited world.
ἡμεῖς δὲ τὰ κατὰ μέρος περὶ τούτων εἰρηκότες νῦν τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι λεγόμενα περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τούτου διέξιμεν.
But we, having spoken about these things in detail, shall now go through what is said among the Greeks concerning this god.