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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §4.23.1-4.23.5

Heracles' Journey in Sicily and Match with Eryx

Passage 259 of 406 · Greek

Summary

This passage describes Heracles' journey around Sicily, detailing the origin of the hot springs, his wrestling match with Eryx, the establishment of the cult of Kore in Syracuse, and his battle against the Sicani in the interior.

§4.23.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βουλόμενος ἐγκυκλωθῆναι πᾶσαν Σικελίαν, ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν ἀπὸ τῆς Πελωριάδος ἐπὶ τὸν Ἔρυκα.
After these things, wishing to go around the whole of Sicily, he made his journey from Pelorias to Eryx.
διεξιόντος δʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν παράλιον τῆς νήσου, μυθολογοῦσι τὰς Νύμφας ἀνεῖναι θερμὰ λουτρὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν αὐτῷ γενομένης κακοπαθείας.
And as he was passing along the coast of the island, they relate that the Nymphs let spring warm baths for the relaxation of the fatigue that had come upon him during his journey.
τούτων δʼ ὄντων διττῶν, τὰ μὲν Ἱμεραῖα, τὰ δʼ Ἐγεσταῖα προσαγορεύεται, τὴν ὀνομασίαν ἔχοντα ταύτην ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων.
And these being twofold, some are called Himeraean, and others Egestaean, having this name from the places.
§4.23.2τοῦ δʼ Ἡρακλέους πλησιάσαντος τοῖς κατὰ τὸν Ἔρυκα τόποις, προεκαλέσατο αὐτὸν Ἔρυξ εἰς πάλην, υἱὸς ὢν Ἀφροδίτης καὶ Βούτα τοῦ τότε βασιλεύοντος τῶν τόπων.
When Heracles approached the places near Eryx, Eryx challenged him to a wrestling match, being the son of Aphrodite and Butas, who was then king of those places.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς φιλοτιμίας μετὰ προστίμου, καὶ τοῦ μὲν Ἔρυκος διδόντος τὴν χώραν, τοῦ δʼ Ἡρακλέους τὰς βοῦς, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀγανακτεῖν τὸν Ἔρυκα, διότι πολὺ λείπονται τῆς ἀξίας αἱ βόες, συγκρινομένης τῆς χώρας πρὸς αὐτάς· πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους ἀποφαινομένου διότι, ταύτας ἂν ἀποβάλῃ, στερήσεται τῆς ἀθανασίας, εὐδοκήσας ὁ Ἔρυξ τῇ συνθήκῃ καὶ παλαίσας ἐλείφθη καὶ τὴν χώραν ἀπέβαλεν.
And when the contest took place with a wager, Eryx offering the land and Heracles the cows, at first Eryx was indignant because the cows were far inferior in value when the land was compared to them; but in response to this, when Heracles declared that, if he should lose them, he would be deprived of his immortality, Eryx, being well pleased with the agreement, wrestled and was defeated and lost the land.
§4.23.3ὁ δʼ Ἡρακλῆς τὴν μὲν χώραν παρέθετο τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις, συγχωρήσας αὐτοῖς λαμβάνειν τοὺς καρπούς, μέχρι ἄν τις τῶν ἐκγόνων αὐτοῦ παραγενόμενος ἀπαιτήσῃ· ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι.
And Heracles deposited the land with the inhabitants, conceding to them to take the fruits until some one of his descendants should arrive and demand it; which indeed came to pass.
πολλαῖς γὰρ ὕστερον γενεαῖς Δωριεὺς ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος καταντήσας εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν καὶ τὴν χώραν ἀπολαβὼν ἔκτισε πόλιν Ἡράκλειαν.
For many generations later, Dorieus the Lacedaemonian, having arrived in Sicily and recovered the land, founded the city of Heracleia.
ταχὺ δʼ αὐτῆς αὐξομένης, οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι φθονήσαντες ἅμα καὶ φοβηθέντες μήποτε πλέον ἰσχύσασα τῆς Καρχηδόνος ἀφέληται τῶν Φοινίκων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, στρατεύσαντες ἐπʼ αὐτὴν μεγάλαις δυνάμεσι καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἑλόντες κατέσκαψαν.
But as it grew rapidly, the Carthaginians, being at once envious and afraid lest, becoming more powerful than Carthage, it should take away the hegemony of the Phoenicians, marched against it with great forces and, taking it by storm, razed it to the ground.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις χρόνοις ἀναγράψομεν.
But concerning these things, we shall write in detail in their proper times.
§4.23.4τότε δʼ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ἐγκυκλούμενος τὴν Σικελίαν, καταντήσας εἰς τὴν νῦν οὖσαν τῶν Συρακοσίων πόλιν καὶ πυθόμενος τὰ μυθολογούμενα κατὰ τὴν τῆς Κόρης ἁρπαγήν, ἔθυσέ τε ταῖς θεαῖς μεγαλοπρεπῶς καὶ εἰς τὴν Κυάνην τὸν καλλιστεύοντα τῶν ταύρων καθαγίσας κατέδειξε θύειν τοὺς ἐγχωρίους κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν τῇ Κόρῃ καὶ πρὸς τῇ Κυάνῃ λαμπρῶς ἄγειν πανήγυρίν τε καὶ θυσίαν.
At that time Heracles, going around Sicily, having arrived at the city which is now that of the Syracusans, and having learned the myths related concerning the abduction of Kore, sacrificed to the goddesses magnificently, and having offered the most beautiful of the bulls at Cyane, he instructed the inhabitants to sacrifice yearly to Kore and to conduct a festival and sacrifice splendidly at Cyane.
§4.23.5αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῶν βοῶν διὰ τῆς μεσογείου διεξιών, καὶ τῶν ἐγχωρίων Σικανῶν μεγάλαις δυνάμεσιν ἀντιταξαμένων, ἐνίκησεν ἐπιφανεῖ παρατάξει καὶ πολλοὺς ἀπέκτεινεν, ἐν οἷς μυθολογοῦσί τινες καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἐπιφανεῖς γεγενῆσθαι τοὺς μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἡρωικῆς τιμῆς τυγχάνοντας, Λεύκασπιν καὶ Πεδιακράτην καὶ Βουφόναν καὶ Γλυχάταν, ἔτι δὲ Βυταίαν καὶ Κρυτίδαν.
And he himself, passing through the interior with the cows, when the local Sicani opposed him with great forces, defeated them in a famous pitched battle and slew many, among whom some relate that there were also famous generals who even down to the present time receive heroic honors, namely, Leucaspis, Pediacrates, Buphonas, and Glychatas, and furthermore Bytaeas and Crytidas.

Notes

  1. §4.23.1ἀνεῖναι — Infinitive (aorist) forming indirect discourse as the object of the main verb `μυθολογοῦσι` ('they relate'). The verb `ἀνίημι` means 'to send up, let spring,' referring here to the nymphs causing the hot springs to well up from the earth.
  2. §4.23.2ἀγανακτεῖν — Infinitive with the accusative subject `τὸν Ἔρυκα`. Although the main verb of saying/relating is omitted, the indirect discourse from the preceding context continues, expressing the reported action in the infinitive.
  3. §4.23.2ἂν ἀποβάλῃ — The particle `ἂν` is used with the aorist subjunctive `ἀποβάλῃ` in a conditional clause where the conjunction `εἰ` or `ἐάν` is omitted (or represented by `ἂν` alone). It corresponds to the future indicative `στερήσεται` in the apodosis, expressing a future vivid condition.
  4. §4.23.3ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι — The relative pronoun `ὅπερ` (neuter singular) refers back to the entire conditional clause of the preceding sentence (the return of the land being demanded by a descendant). Combined with the impersonal verb `συνέβη` and the infinitive `γενέσθαι`, it is an idiomatic phrase meaning 'which is exactly what came to pass.'
  5. §4.23.4ταῖς θεαῖς — Dative plural. In the context of the myth of the abduction of Kore and Sicilian cult practices, this refers to the two closely associated goddesses, Demeter and Persephone (Kore), who were jointly worshipped in the region.
  6. §4.23.5ἐν οἷς — The relative pronoun `οἷς` has as its antecedent the 'many' (`πολλούς`) killed in the preceding clause. The clause has a nested indirect discourse structure where the verb of report `μυθολογοῦσί τινες` is inserted, taking the infinitive `γεγενῆσθαι` with the accusative subject `στρατηγοὺς ἐπιφανεῖς` and the list of names.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §4.23.1-4.23.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:4.23.1-4.23.5

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