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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §4.70.1-4.70.4

Origin of the Centaurs and Their War with the Lapiths

Passage 306 of 406 · Greek

Summary

The passage discusses the eternal punishment of Ixion and two theories regarding the origin of the Centaurs. It then describes the conflict between the Centaurs and the Lapiths over ancestral rule, their violent clash at Pirithous' wedding, and the subsequent displacement and banditry of the Centaurs.

§4.70.1καὶ τελευτήσαντα τὴν τιμωρίαν ἔχειν αἰώνιον.
And they say that even after his death he undergoes eternal punishment.
τοὺς δὲ Κενταύρους τινὲς μέν φασιν ἐν τῷ Πηλίῳ τραφῆναι ὑπὸ Νυμφῶν, ἀνδρωθέντας δὲ καὶ μιγέντας ἵπποις θηλείαις γεννῆσαι τοὺς ὀνομαζομένους διφυεῖς Ἱπποκενταύρους· τινὲς δὲ λέγουσι τοὺς ἐκ Νεφέλης καὶ Ἰξίονος γεννηθέντας Κενταύρους πρώτους ἱππεύειν ἐπιχειρήσαντας Ἱπποκενταύρους ὠνομάσθαι καὶ εἰς πλάσμα μύθου καταταχθῆναι ὡς διφυεῖς ὄντας.
As for the Centaurs, some say they were reared on Mount Pelion by nymphs, and having reached manhood and mated with female horses, they begot those called double-natured Hippocentaurs; but others say that the Centaurs born of Nephele and Ixion, having been the first to attempt to ride horses, were named Hippocentaurs and were categorized in the fiction of myth as being double-natured.
§4.70.2φασὶ δὲ τούτους ὡς συγγενεῖς ὑπάρχοντας ἀπαιτῆσαι τὸν Πειρίθουν τὸ μέρος τῆς πατρῴας ἀρχῆς· οὐκ ἀποδιδόντος δὲ τοῦ Πειρίθου πόλεμον ἐξενεγκεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς Λαπίθας.
And they say that these, being kinsmen, demanded from Pirithous their share of the paternal rule; and when Pirithous did not yield it, they waged war against both him and the Lapiths.
§4.70.3ὕστερον δὲ διαλυθέντων αὐτῶν Πειρίθους μὲν γήμας Ἱπποδάμειαν τὴν Βούτου, καὶ καλέσαντος εἰς τοὺς γάμους τόν τε Θησέα καὶ τοὺς Κενταύρους, φασὶ μεθυσθέντας ἐπιβαλέσθαι ταῖς κεκλημέναις γυναιξὶ καὶ βίᾳ μίσγεσθαι, διὰ δὲ τὴν παρανομίαν τόν τε Θησέα καὶ τοὺς Λαπίθας παροξυνθέντας οὐκ ὀλίγους μὲν ἀνελεῖν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐκβαλεῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
Later, after they had reconciled, Pirithous married Hippodameia, the daughter of Butes, and when he invited both Theseus and the Centaurs to the wedding, they say that, having become drunk, they assaulted the invited women and coupled with them by force, and because of this lawlessness, Theseus and the Lapiths, being enraged, killed not a few of them and drove the rest out of the city.
§4.70.4διὰ δὲ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν Κενταύρων πανδημεὶ στρατευσάντων ἐπὶ τοὺς Λαπίθας καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνελόντων, τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας φυγεῖν εἰς Φολόην τῆς Ἀρκαδίας, τέλος δʼ εἰς Μαλέαν ἐκπεσόντας ἐνταῦθα κατοικῆσαι.
For this reason, when the Centaurs marched in full force against the Lapiths and killed many, the survivors fled to Pholoe in Arcadia, and finally, being driven out to Malea, settled there.
τοὺς δὲ Κενταύρους μετεωρισθέντας τοῖς προτερήμασι, καὶ ὁρμωμένους ἐκ τῆς Φολόης, λῄζεσθαι τοὺς παριόντας τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν περιοίκων ἀναιρεῖν.
And the Centaurs, elated by their successes and operating from Pholoe, plundered passing Greeks and killed many of the neighboring inhabitants.

Notes

  1. §4.70.1καὶ τελευτήσαντα τὴν τιμωρίαν ἔχειν αἰώνιον — The conjunction `καὶ` continues the indirect discourse from the end of the previous chapter (`μυθολογοῦσι τὸν Ἰξίονα ... ὑπὸ Διὸς εἰς τροχὸν ἐνδεθῆναι`), leading the infinitive `ἔχειν`. The aorist participle `τελευτήσαντα` agrees with the accusative subject `τὸν Ἰξίονα` (understood) and functions temporally ('after he died').
  2. §4.70.1πρώτους ἱππεύειν ἐπιχειρήσαντας — The adjective `πρώτους` functions predicatively with the participle `ἐπιχειρήσαντας` (accusative plural masculine, agreeing with `τοὺς ... Κενταύρους`), meaning 'as the first to attempt'. The infinitive `ἱππεύειν` ('to ride horses') is the object of `ἐπιχειρήσαντας`.
  3. §4.70.3καὶ καλέσαντος εἰς τοὺς γάμους — `καλέσαντος` forms a genitive absolute construction, with its implied subject being `Πειρίθου` (supplied from the preceding nominative `Πειρίθους`). It introduces the background circumstances leading up to the main action.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §4.70.1-4.70.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:4.70.1-4.70.4

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