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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §5.68.1-5.68.3

Inventions of Hestia and Demeter: Houses, Grain, and Laws

Passage 390 of 406 · Greek

Summary

Among the children of Cronus and Rhea, Hestia is said to have discovered the building of houses, and Demeter the cultivation of grain and laws, bringing great benefits to mankind.

§5.68.1Κρόνου δὲ καὶ Ῥέας λέγεται γενέσθαι τήν τε Ἑστίαν καὶ Δήμητραν καὶ Ἥραν, ἔτι δὲ Δία καὶ Ποσειδῶνα καὶ Ἅιδην.
Of Cronus and Rhea, it is said that Hestia, Demeter, and Hera, and furthermore Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were born.
τούτων δὲ λέγεται τὴν μὲν Ἑστίαν τὴν τῶν οἰκιῶν κατασκευὴν εὑρεῖν, καὶ διὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ταύτην παρὰ πᾶσι σχεδὸν ἀνθρώποις ἐν πάσαις οἰκίαις καθιδρυθῆναι, τιμῶν καὶ θυσιῶν τυγχάνουσαν· Δήμητραν δέ, τοῦ σίτου φυομένου μὲν ὡς ἔτυχε μετὰ τῆς ἄλλης βοτάνης, ἀγνοουμένου δὲ παρʼ ἀνθρώποις, πρώτην συγκομίσαι καὶ τὴν κατεργασίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ φυλακὴν ἐπινοῆσαι καὶ σπείρειν καταδεῖξαι.
And of these, it is said that Hestia discovered the building of houses, and because of this benefit she was established in almost all houses among all men, receiving honors and sacrifices; and that Demeter, when grain grew by chance along with the other plants and was unknown among men, was the first to harvest it, devise its processing and storage, and introduce the sowing of it.
§5.68.2εὑρεῖν μὲν οὖν αὐτὴν τὸν σῖτον πρὸ τοῦ γεννῆσαι τὴν θυγατέρα Φερσεφόνην, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ταύτης γένεσιν καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Πλούτωνος ἁρπαγὴν ἐμπρῆσαι πάντα τὸν καρπὸν διά τε τὴν ἔχθραν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Δία καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ λύπην.
Now she discovered the grain before she gave birth to her daughter Persephone, but after the birth of the latter and her abduction by Pluto, she burned all the crops because of both her hostility toward Zeus and her grief over her daughter.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν εὕρεσιν τῆς Φερσεφόνης διαλλαγῆναί τε τῷ Διὶ καὶ τῷ Τριπτολέμῳ ἀποδοῦναι τὸν τοῦ σίτου σπόρον, ᾧ συντάξαι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις μεταδοῦναι τῆς τε δωρεᾶς καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν τοῦ σπόρου διδάξαι.
But after the discovery of Persephone, she was reconciled with Zeus and gave the seed of grain to Triptolemus, whom she commanded to share the gift with all men and to teach them the matters concerning the cultivation of the seed.
§5.68.3λέγουσι δέ τινες ὅτι καὶ νόμους εἰσηγήσατο, καθʼ οὓς ἀλλήλοις τὸ δίκαιον διδόναι συνειθίσθησαν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ τὴν παραδοῦσαν αὐτοῖς θεὰν θεσμοφόρον ἀπὸ τούτων προσηγόρευσαν.
And some say that she also introduced laws, according to which men became accustomed to render justice to one another, and from these things they called the goddess who had delivered them to them Thesmophoros.
μεγίστων γὰρ ἀγαθῶν ἀνθρώποις αἰτίαν γενομένην ἐπιφανεστάτων τυχεῖν τιμῶν καὶ θυσιῶν, ἔτι δʼ ἑορτῶν καὶ πανηγύρεων μεγαλοπρεπῶν, οὐ παρʼ Ἕλλησι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι σχεδὸν τοῖς βαρβάροις, ὅσοι τῆς τροφῆς ταύτης ἐκοινώνησαν.
For having become the cause of the greatest blessings to men, she obtained the most distinguished honors and sacrifices, and furthermore magnificent festivals and assemblies, not only among the Greeks, but also among almost all the barbarians who shared in this food.

Notes

  1. 5.68.1λέγεται γενέσθαι — The verb λέγεται ('it is said') is used impersonally, introducing an accusative and infinitive (A.c.I.) construction with the infinitive γενέσθαι and accusative subjects.
  2. 5.68.1τοῦ σίτου φυομένου — A genitive absolute construction. The noun τοῦ σίτου serves as the subject for the participles φυομένου and ἀγνοουμένου, describing the circumstances or time.
  3. 5.68.2ᾧ συντάξαι — An infinitive within the relative clause introduced by the relative pronoun ᾧ (referring to Triptolemus). It is an indirect discourse infinitive dependent on the preceding λέγεται, with συντάξαι further governing the infinitives μεταδοῦναι and διδάξαι.
  4. 5.68.3αἰτίαν γενομένην — An accusative participle agreeing with Demeter (the implied subject in the accusative), expressing cause ('having become the cause of'). The following infinitive τυχεῖν is also in indirect discourse, showing that she obtained such honors.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §5.68.1-5.68.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:5.68.1-5.68.3

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