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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §4.69.1-4.69.5

Origin of the Lapiths and the Crimes of Ixion

Passage 305 of 406 · Greek

Summary

The lineage of the Lapiths and Centaurs begins from the descendants of the mythical river Peneus, leading to Ixion's impious crimes, the birth of the Centaurs, and his punishment on the wheel.

§4.69.1περὶ δὲ Λαπιθῶν καὶ Κενταύρων ἐν μέρει διέξιμεν.
And in our turn we shall treat of the Lapiths and the Centaurs.
Ὠκεανοῦ καὶ Τηθύος κατὰ τοὺς μύθους παῖδες ἐγένοντο πλείους ποταμῶν ἐπώνυμοι, ἐν οἷς καὶ Πηνειός, ἀφʼ οὗ συνέβη τὸν ἐν Θετταλίᾳ Πηνειὸν ὀνομασθῆναι.
According to the myths, there were born to Oceanus and Tethys many children who gave their names to rivers, among whom was also Peneus, after whom it came about that the Peneus in Thessaly was named.
οὗτος δὲ μιγεὶς νύμφῃ τῇ προσαγορευομένῃ Κρεούσῃ παῖδας ἐγέννησεν Ὑψέα καὶ Στίλβην, ᾗ μιγεὶς Ἀπόλλων Λαπίθην καὶ Κένταυρον ἐγέννησε.
And he, having united with the nymph called Creusa, begot children Hypseus and Stilbe, with whom Apollo having united begot Lapithes and Centaurus.
§4.69.2καὶ τούτων Λαπίθης μὲν κατοικῶν περὶ τὸν Πηνειὸν ποταμὸν ἐβασίλευσε τῶν τόπων τούτων, γήμας δὲ Ὀρσινόμην τὴν Εὐρυνόμου ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς δύο, Φόρβαντα καὶ Περίφαντα.
And of these, Lapithes, dwelling around the Peneus river, ruled over those regions, and having married Orsinome, the daughter of Eurynomus, begot two sons, Phorbas and Periphas.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἐνταῦθα ἐβασίλευσαν, οἱ δὲ σύμπαντες λαοὶ ἀπὸ Λαπίθου Λαπίθαι προσηγορεύθησαν.
These, then, ruled there, and the entire people were named Lapiths after Lapithes.
τῶν δʼ υἱῶν τῶν Λαπίθου Φόρβας μὲν εἰς Ὤλενον παρῆλθεν, ἐξ ἧς μεταπεμψάμενος αὐτὸν Ἀλέκτωρ ὁ τῆς Ἠλείας βασιλεὺς βοηθόν, φοβούμενος τὴν Πέλοπος δυναστείαν, τῆς ἐν Ἤλιδι βασιλείας μετέδωκεν· §4.69.3ἐκ δὲ Φόρβαντος ὑπῆρξαν υἱοὶ δύο, Αἰγεὺς καὶ Ἄκτωρ, οἱ τὴν Ἠλείων βασιλείαν παραλαβόντες.
Of the sons of Lapithes, Phorbas went to Olenus, from where Alector, the king of Elis, fearing the power of Pelops, summoned him as an ally and shared with him the kingship in Elis; and from Phorbas there were born two sons, Aegeus and Actor, who took over the kingship of the Eleans.
ὁ δʼ ἕτερος τῶν Λαπίθου παίδων Περίφας γήμας Ἀστυάγυιαν τὴν Ὑψέως ἐγέννησεν ὀκτὼ παῖδας, ὧν ἦν πρεσβύτατος Ἀντίων, ὃς μιγεὶς Περιμήλᾳ τῇ Ἀμυθάονος ἐγέννησεν Ἰξίονα.
The other of the children of Lapithes, Periphas, having married Astyagyia, the daughter of Hypseus, begot eight children, of whom the eldest was Antion, who having united with Perimela, the daughter of Amythaon, begot Ixion.
οὗτος δʼ, ὥς φασιν, ὑποσχόμενος ἕδνα πολλὰ δώσειν Ἠϊονεῖ ἔγημε τὴν Ἠϊονέως θυγατέρα Δίαν, ἐξ ἧς ἐγέννησε Πειρίθουν.
He, as they say, having promised to give many bridal gifts to Eioneus, married Dia, the daughter of Eioneus, from whom he begot Pirithous.
§4.69.4ἔπειθʼ ὁ μὲν Ἰξίων οὐκ ἀπέδωκε τὰ ἕδνα τῇ γυναικί, ὁ δʼ Ἠϊονεὺς τὰς ἵππους ἀντὶ τούτων ἠνεχύρασεν.
Afterwards, Ixion did not pay the bridal gifts for his wife, and Eioneus took his horses as security instead.
ὁ δʼ Ἰξίων τὸν Ἠϊονέα μετεπέμψατο ἐπαγγελλόμενος πάντα ὑπακούσεσθαι, καὶ τὸν Ἠϊονέα παραγενόμενον ἔβαλεν εἰς βόθρον πυρὸς μεστόν.
Ixion then summoned Eioneus, promising to comply in all things, and when Eioneus arrived, he threw him into a pit full of fire.
διὰ δὲ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς παρανομίας μηδένα βούλεσθαι καθᾶραι τὸν φόνον.
And because of the magnitude of the lawlessness, no one was willing to purify him of the murder.
τέλος δʼ ὑπὸ τοῦ Διὸς κατὰ τοὺς μύθους ἁγνισθείς, ἠράσθη μὲν τῆς Ἥρας καὶ κατετόλμησεν ὑπὲρ συνουσίας λόγους ποιεῖσθαι.
Finally, having been purified by Zeus according to the myths, he fell in love with Hera and dared to make advances for sexual intercourse.
§4.69.5ἔπειτα τὸν μὲν Δία εἴδωλον ποιήσαντα τῆς Ἥρας νεφέλην ἐξαποστεῖλαι, τὸν δὲ Ἰξίονα τῇ νεφέλῃ μιγέντα γεννῆσαι τοὺς ὀνομαζομένους Κενταύρους ἀνθρωποφυεῖς.
Thereupon Zeus, having made an phantom of Hera, sent out a cloud, and Ixion, having united with the cloud, begot those called Centaurs, who were of human form.
τέλος δὲ μυθολογοῦσι τὸν Ἰξίονα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ὑπὸ Διὸς εἰς τροχὸν ἐνδεθῆναι,
And finally, they mythologize that Ixion, because of the magnitude of his offenses, was bound by Zeus to a wheel,

Notes

  1. 4.69.1ᾗ μιγεὶς — The relative pronoun in the dative feminine singular ᾗ refers back to the preceding Στίλβην (accusative). The passive aorist participle μιγείς takes a dative of association ("having united with"), and its grammatical subject is Apollo (Ἀπόλλων).
  2. 4.69.2ἐξ ἧς — A combination of the preposition ἐκ and the relative pronoun in the genitive feminine singular ἧς, referring back to the town of Olenus (Ὤλενος), which is a feminine noun. It denotes the starting point of the summons ("from where").
  3. 4.69.4μηδένα βούλεσθαι — An accusative with infinitive construction (subject μηδένα + infinitive βούλεσθαι). This is dependent on the ongoing indirect discourse (reporting) established by expressions like ὥς φασιν ("as they say") in the preceding context.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §4.69.1-4.69.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:4.69.1-4.69.5

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