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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §4.15.1-4.15.4

The Gigantomachy, the Release of Prometheus, and Diomedes' Mares

Passage 251 of 406 · Greek

Summary

It describes Heracles' achievements in the Giantomachia where he earned the Olympian title, his rescue of Prometheus, and his subduing of the man-eating horses of Diomedes before joining the Argonautic expedition.

§4.15.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν περὶ τὴν Παλλήνην γιγάντων ἑλομένων τὸν πρὸς τοὺς ἀθανάτους πόλεμον, Ἡρακλῆς τοῖς θεοῖς συναγωνισάμενος καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνελὼν τῶν γηγενῶν ἀποδοχῆς ἔτυχε τῆς μεγίστης.
After this, when the giants around Pallene chose war against the immortals, Heracles fought alongside the gods and, having slain many of the earth-born, met with the greatest acceptance.
Ζεὺς γὰρ τοὺς μὲν συναγωνισαμένους τῶν θεῶν μόνους ὠνόμασεν Ὀλυμπίους, ἵνα τῇ ταύτης τιμῇ ὁ ἀγαθὸς κοσμηθεὶς ἐπωνυμίᾳ διαφέρῃ τοῦ χείρονος·
For Zeus named only those of the gods who fought with him "Olympians," so that the good man, adorned with the honor of this appellation, might differ from the worse.
ἠξίωσε δὲ ταύτης τῆς προσηγορίας τῶν ἐκ θνητῶν γυναικῶν γενομένων Διόνυσον καὶ Ἡρακλέα, οὐ μόνον ὅτι πατρὸς ἦσαν Διός, ἀλλὰ διότι καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ὁμοίαν ἔσχον, εὐεργετήσαντες μεγάλα τὸν βίον τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
And he deemed Dionysus and Heracles, of those born from mortal women, worthy of this title, not only because they were of Zeus as father, but because they also held a similar purpose, having greatly benefited the life of men.
§4.15.2Ζεὺς δέ, Προμηθέως παραδόντος τὸ πῦρ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, δεσμοῖς κατελάβετο καὶ παρέστησεν ἀετὸν τὸν ἐσθίοντα τὸ ἧπαρ αὐτοῦ.
And Zeus, when Prometheus handed over fire to men, bound him with fetters and set beside him an eagle that ate his liver.
Ἡρακλῆς δʼ ὁρῶν τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτὸν τυγχάνοντα διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐεργεσίαν, τὸν μὲν ἀετὸν κατετόξευσε, τὸν δὲ Δία πείσας λῆξαι τῆς ὀργῆς ἔσωσε τὸν κοινὸν εὐεργέτην.
But Heracles, seeing him suffering punishment because of his beneficence to men, shot the eagle down, and having persuaded Zeus to cease from his anger, saved the common benefactor.
§4.15.3μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἔλαβεν ἆθλον ἀγαγεῖν τὰς Διομήδους τοῦ Θρᾳκὸς ἵππους.
After this, he received as a labor to bring the horses of Diomedes the Thracian.
αὗται δὲ χαλκᾶς μὲν φάτνας εἶχον διὰ τὴν ἀγριότητα, ἁλύσεσι δὲ σιδηραῖς διὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐδεσμεύοντο, τροφὴν δʼ ἐλάμβανον οὐ τὴν ἐκ γῆς φυομένην, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ξένων μέλη διαιρούμεναι τροφὴν εἶχον τὴν συμφορὰν τῶν ἀκληρούντων.
These had bronze mangers because of their wildness, and were bound with iron chains because of their strength, and they received as food not that which grows from the earth, but tearing apart the limbs of strangers, they had the misfortune of the ill-fated as their food.
ταύτας ὁ Ἡρακλῆς βουλόμενος χειρώσασθαι τὸν κύριον Διομήδην παρέβαλε, καὶ ταῖς τοῦ παρανομεῖν διδάξαντος σαρξὶν ἐκπληρώσας τὴν ἔνδειαν τῶν ζῴων εὐπειθεῖς ἔσχεν.
Heracles, wishing to subdue them, threw to them their master Diomedes, and having filled the need of the beasts with the flesh of the one who taught them to act unlawfully, he kept them manageable.
§4.15.4Εὐρυσθεὺς δʼ ἀχθεισῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν τῶν ἵππων ταύτας μὲν ἱερὰς ἐποίησεν Ἥρας, ὧν τὴν ἐπιγονὴν συνέβη διαμεῖναι μέχρι τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνος βασιλείας.
And Eurystheus, when the horses were brought to him, made them sacred to Hera, whose offspring happened to survive until the reign of Alexander the king of Macedon.
τοῦτον δὲ τὸν ἆθλον ἐπιτελέσας μετʼ Ἰάσονος συνεξέπλευσε συστρατεύσων ἐπὶ τὸ χρυσόμαλλον δέρος εἰς Κόλχους.
Having accomplished this labor, he sailed out together with Jason to campaign for the Golden Fleece to Colchis.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἀργοναυτῶν στρατείᾳ τὰ κατὰ μέρος διέξιμεν.
But concerning these matters, we shall relate them in detail in the account of the campaign of the Argonauts.

Notes

  1. 4.15.1ἠξίωσε δὲ ταύτης τῆς προσηγορίας τῶν ἐκ θνητῶν γυναικῶν γενομένων Διόνυσον καὶ Ἡρακλέα — The verb `ἠξίωσε` ("deemed worthy") takes the genitive of price or value (`ταύτης τῆς προσηγορίας`) and the accusative of the person valued (`Διόνυσον καὶ Ἡρακλέα`). `τῶν ἐκ θνητῶν γυναικῶν γενομένων` is a partitive genitive.
  2. 4.15.3τροφὴν εἶχον τὴν συμφορὰν τῶν ἀκληρούντων — `τροφὴν` functions as a predicate accusative to `τὴν συμφορὰν`, meaning they "had as their food the misfortune of the ill-fated."
  3. 4.15.3ταῖς τοῦ παρανομεῖν διδάξαντος σαρξὶν — `τοῦ διδάξαντος` is a substantivized participle taking the infinitive `παρανομεῖν` as its object, functioning as a genitive modifier of `σαρξὶν` ("with the flesh of the one who taught [them] to act unlawfully").
  4. 4.15.4συνέβη διαμεῖναι — `συνέβη` is used impersonally with the infinitive `διαμεῖναι` to express a historical result ("it happened that [their offspring] survived").

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §4.15.1-4.15.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:4.15.1-4.15.4

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