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Theophrastus · Fragments §160.1

Properties and Fatal Toxicity of the Water of Styx in Pheneus

Passage 165 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Theophrastus describes the water of Styx in Pheneus, mentioning its unusual gathering method, its power to break most vessels, and its fatal toxicity.

§160.1Fr. 160 Περὶ δὲ τῶν ὑδάτων Θεόφραστόν φησι τὸ καλούμενον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ λέγειν, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἐν Φενεῷ, στάζει δ' ἔκ τινος πετριδίου, τοὺς δὲ βουλομένους αὐτοῦ ὑδρεύεσθαι σπόγγοις πρὸς ξύλοις δεδεμένοις λαμβάνειν· διακόπτειν δὲ πάντα τὰ ἀγγεῖα πλὴν τῶν κερατίνων· τὸν δʼ ἀπογευσάμενον τελευτᾶν.
As for waters, he says that Theophrastus speaks of the so-called water of Styx, that it is in Pheneus and trickles from a certain small rock, and that those who wish to draw water from it take it with sponges tied to pieces of wood; and that it breaks all vessels except those made of horn, and he who tastes it dies.

Notes

  1. §160.1Θεόφραστόν φησι ... λέγειν — Double indirect speech. The subject of the third-person singular indicative φησι ('he says') is an omitted third person, which takes the accusative and infinitive construction Θεόφραστόν ... λέγειν ('that Theophrastus says').
  2. §160.1αὐτοῦ — Genitive. It depends on the infinitive ὑδρεύεσθαι ('to draw water'), functioning either as a genitive of origin/separation ('draw water from it') or as a partitive genitive ('draw of it').
  3. §160.1διακόπτειν — Infinitive depending on λέγειν. The subject is the omitted τὸ ὕδωρ ('the water'), and it transitively takes πάντα τὰ ἀγγεῖα ('all vessels') as its object, meaning 'to break through' or 'shatter'.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §160.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:160.1

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