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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §5.49.1-5.49.6

Wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia and the Mysteries

Passage 371 of 406 · Greek

Summary

This passage describes the wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia with the gifts from the gods, and the transmission of the sacred rites to Asia by their descendants. It also notes the benefits of the Samothracian mysteries, including safety in danger, moral improvement, and the initiation of famous heroes.

§5.49.1τὸν δὲ γάμον τοῦτον πρῶτον δαῖσαι θεούς, καὶ Δήμητραν μὲν Ἰασίωνος ἐρασθεῖσαν τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ σίτου δωρήσασθαι, Ἑρμῆν δὲ λύραν, Ἀθηνᾶν δὲ τὸν διαβεβοημένον ὅρμον καὶ πέπλον καὶ αὐλούς, Ἠλέκτραν δὲ τὰ τῆς μεγάλης καλουμένης μητρὸς τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰ μετὰ κυμβάλων καὶ τυμπάνων καὶ τῶν ὀργιαζόντων· καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα μὲν κιθαρίσαι, τὰς δὲ Μούσας αὐλῆσαι, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους θεοὺς εὐφημοῦντας συναυξῆσαι τὸν γάμον.
It is said that the gods first celebrated this marriage, and Demeter, having fallen in love with Iasion, presented him with the fruit of corn, and Hermes with a lyre, and Athena with the renowned necklace and robe and flutes, and Electra with the sacred rites of the Great Mother of the Gods, as she is called, together with cymbals and kettledrums and those who celebrate her ecstatic rites; and Apollo played upon the cithara, and the Muses played upon the flutes, while the other gods, offering congratulations, helped to elevate the marriage.
§5.49.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὸν μὲν Κάδμον κατὰ τὸν παραδεδομένον χρησμὸν κτίσαι Θήβας τὰς ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ φασί, τὸν δʼ Ἰασίωνα γήμαντα Κυβέλην γεννῆσαι Κορύβαντα.
After these things, they say that Cadmus, in accordance with the oracle handed down, founded Thebes in Boeotia, and Iasion married Cybele and begot Corybas.
Ἰασίωνος δὲ εἰς θεοὺς μεταστάντος, Δάρδανον καὶ Κυβέλην καὶ Κορύβαντα μετακομίσαι εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν τὰ τῆς μητρὸς τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰ καὶ συναπᾶραι εἰς Φρυγίαν.
And after Iasion had passed into the company of the gods, Dardanus, Cybele, and Corybas transferred the sacred rites of the Mother of the Gods to Asia and went over together to Phrygia.
§5.49.3καὶ τὴν μὲν Κυβέλην Ὀλύμπῳ τῷ πρώτῳ συνοικήσασαν γεννῆσαι Ἀλκήν, καὶ τὴν θεὰν Κυβέλην ἀφʼ ἑαυτῆς ὀνομάσαι· τὸν δὲ Κορύβαντα τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς τῆς μητρὸς ἱεροῖς ἐνθουσιάσαντας ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ Κορύβαντας προσαγορεῦσαι, §5.49.4γῆμαι δὲ Θήβην τὴν Κίλικος θυγατέρα.
And Cybele, having cohabited with the first Olympus, begot Alce, and named the goddess Cybele after herself; and Corybas called those who were inspired with religious frenzy in the sacred rites of his mother Corybantes after himself, and married Thebe, the daughter of Cilix.
ὁμοίως δὲ τοὺς αὐλοὺς εἰς Φρυγίαν ἐντεῦθεν μετενεχθῆναι, καὶ τὴν λύραν τὴν Ἑρμοῦ εἰς Λυρνησσόν, ἣν Ἀχιλλέα ὕστερον ἐκπορθήσαντα λαβεῖν.
In like manner, the flutes were transferred from there to Phrygia, and the lyre of Hermes to Lyrnessus, which Achilles later took when he sacked the city.
ἐξ Ἰασίωνος δὲ καὶ Δήμητρος Πλοῦτον γενέσθαι φασὶν οἱ μῦθοι, τὸ δʼ ἀληθές, τὸν τοῦ σίτου πλοῦτον, δωρηθέντα ἐν τῷ τῆς Ἁρμονίας γάμῳ διὰ τὴν συνουσίαν τοῦ Ἰασίωνος.
And the myths say that Plutus was born of Iasion and Demeter, but the truth is that it was the wealth of corn, which was presented at the marriage of Harmonia because of the intercourse of Iasion with her.
§5.49.5καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ μέρος τῆς τελετῆς ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τηρούμενα μόνοις παραδίδοται τοῖς μυηθεῖσι· διαβεβόηται δʼ ἡ τούτων τῶν θεῶν ἐπιφάνεια καὶ παράδοξος ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις βοήθεια τοῖς ἐπικαλεσαμένοις τῶν μυηθέντων.
Now the particular details of the initiatory rite are kept in secret and handed down to the initiated alone; but the manifestation of these gods and their extraordinary assistance in times of danger to those of the initiated who invoke them is widely famed.
§5.49.6γίνεσθαι δέ φασι καὶ εὐσεβεστέρους καὶ δικαιοτέρους καὶ κατὰ πᾶν βελτίονας ἑαυτῶν τοὺς τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνήσαντας.
And they say that those who have participated in the mysteries become both more pious and more just, and in every way better than their former selves.
διὸ καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων ἡρώων τε καὶ ἡμιθέων τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους πεφιλοτιμῆσθαι μεταλαβεῖν τῆς τελετῆς· καὶ γὰρ Ἰάσονα καὶ Διοσκόρους, ἔτι δʼ Ἡρακλέα καὶ Ὀρφέα, μυηθέντας ἐπιτυχεῖν ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς στρατείαις διὰ τῆν τῶν θεῶν τούτων ἐπιφάνειαν.
Therefore, even the most illustrious of the ancient heroes and demigods were eager to participate in the initiatory rite; for Jason and the Dioscuri, and furthermore Heracles and Orpheus, having been initiated, achieved success in all their campaigns because of the manifestation of these gods.

Notes

  1. §5.49.1τὸν δὲ γάμον τοῦτον πρῶτον δαῖσαι θεούς — This is an accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse, where the governing main verb (such as λέγουσι or φασί from the preceding section) is omitted. The accusative "θεούς" is the logical subject of the infinitive "δαῖσαι", while "τὸν δὲ γάμον τοῦτον" is its direct object, placed first for thematic emphasis (hyperbaton).
  2. §5.49.3τὴν θεὰν Κυβέλην ἀφʼ ἑαυτῆς ὀνομάσαι — The logical subject of the infinitive "ὀνομάσαι" is the accusative "τὴν μὲν Κυβέλην" (the mother Cybele) carried over from the preceding clause. The direct object is "τὴν θεὰν Κυβέλην" (the goddess Cybele, referring to either her daughter Alce or herself as a deity), meaning that the mother Cybele named her "the goddess Cybele" after herself.
  3. §5.49.4τὸ δʼ ἀληθές, τὸν τοῦ σίτου πλοῦτον, δωρηθέντα — "τὸ δʼ ἀληθές" (but the truth is) is an adverbial accusative phrase starting the clause. The following accusative "τὸν τοῦ σίτου πλοῦτον" is the subject of an omitted infinitive (such as "γενέσθαι" or "δωρηθῆναι"), and is modified by the perfect passive participle "δωρηθέντα". This structure provides a rationalizing metaphorical explanation that the union of Iasion and Demeter was in fact the gift of the wealth of corn.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §5.49.1-5.49.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:5.49.1-5.49.6

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