§10.3.7τὰ δʼ ἀπωτέρω τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης, ἄλλως δὲ διὰ τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν εἰς ταὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἱστορικῶν ἀγόμενα, ἅπερ Κουρητικὰ μὲν καὶ περὶ Κουρήτων λέγεται, ὁμοίως ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν τὴν Αἰτωλίαν καὶ τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν οἰκησάντων, ἐκείνων μὲν διαφέρει, ἔοικε δὲ μᾶλλον τῷ περὶ Σατύρων καὶ Σειληνῶν καὶ Βακχῶν καὶ Τιτύρων λόγῳ· τοιούτους γάρ τινας δαίμονας ἢ προπόλους θεῶν τοὺς Κουρῆτάς φασιν οἱ παραδόντες τὰ Κρητικὰ καὶ τὰ Φρύγια, ἱερουργίαις τισὶν ἐμπεπλεγμένα ταῖς μὲν μυστικαῖς ταῖς δʼ ἄλλαις περί τε τὴν τοῦ Διὸς παιδοτροφίαν τὴν ἐν Κρήτῃ καὶ τοὺς τῆς μητρὸς τῶν θεῶν ὀργιασμοὺς ἐν τῇ Φρυγίᾳ καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὴν Ἴδην τὴν Τρωικὴν τόποις.
\nBut the things that are further from this hypothesis, though otherwise brought into the same category by historians because of the homonymy, which are indeed called Curetic and are spoken of concerning the Curetes, just as are the things concerning those who inhabited Aetolia and Acarnania, differ from those, and are more like the account concerning Satyrs, Sileni, Bacchae, and Tityri; for those who have handed down the Cretan and Phrygian affairs say that the Curetes are certain such daemons or attendants of the gods, these affairs being entangled with certain sacred rites, some mystic and others of a different kind, concerning the rearing of Zeus in Crete, the orgies of the mother of the gods in Phrygia, and in the places around the Trojan Ida.
τοσαύτη δʼ ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις ποικιλία, τῶν μὲν τοὺς αὐτοὺς τοῖς Κουρῆσι τοὺς Κορύβαντας καὶ Καβείρους καὶ Ἰδαίους δακτύλους καὶ Τελχῖνας ἀποφαινόντων, τῶν δὲ συγγενεῖς ἀλλήλων καὶ μικράς τινας αὐτῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφορὰς διαστελλομένων, ὡς δὲ τύπῳ εἰπεῖν καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλέον, ἅπαντας ἐνθουσιαστικούς τινας καὶ βακχικοὺς καὶ ἐνοπλίῳ κινήσει μετὰ θορύβου καὶ ψόφου καὶ κυμβάλων καὶ τυμπάνων καὶ ὅπλων, ἔτι δʼ αὐλοῦ καὶ βοῆς ἐκπλήττοντας κατὰ τὰς ἱερουργίας ἐν σχήματι διακόνων, τε καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ τρόπον τινὰ κοινοποιεῖσθαι ταῦτά τε καὶ τῶν Σαμοθρᾴκων καὶ τὰ ἐν Λήμνῳ καὶ ἄλλα πλείω διὰ τὸ τοὺς προπόλους λέγεσθαι τοὺς αὐτούς.
And so great is the variety in these accounts, some declaring the Corybantes, Cabeiri, Idaean Dactyli, and Telchines to be the same as the Curetes, while others distinguish them as related to one another and specify certain small differences among them from one another; but to speak outline-wise and for the most part, they represent all of them as certain enthusiastic and Bacchic persons, who, by armed movement with noise, clatter, cymbals, drums, and weapons, and also with flute and shouting, strike terror during the sacred rites in the guise of attendants; and they also say that these sacred rites and those of the Samothracians and those in Lemnos and several others are in a way common to one another because the attendants are said to be the same.
ἔστι μὲν οὖν θεολογικὸς πᾶς ὁ τοιοῦτος τρόπος τῆς ἐπισκέψεως καὶ οὐκ ἀλλότριος τῆς τοῦ φιλοσόφου θεωρίας. §10.3.8ἐπεὶ δὲ διʼ ὁμωνυμίαν τῶν Κουρήτων καὶ οἱ ἱστορικοὶ συνήγαγον εἰς ἓν τὰ ἀνόμοια, οὐδʼ ἂν αὐτὸς ὀκνήσαιμʼ ἂν εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πλέον ἐν παραβάσει, προσθεὶς τὸν οἰκεῖον τῇ ἱστορίᾳ φυσικὸν λόγον.
Now all such manner of investigation is theological, and not foreign to the contemplation of the philosopher.\n\nBut since, because of the homonymy of the Curetes, even the historians have brought together into one things that are unlike, I myself should not hesitate to speak of them at greater length in a digression, adding the physical account that is appropriate to history.
καίτοι τινὲς καὶ συνοικειοῦν βούλονται ταῦτʼ ἐκείνοις, καὶ τυχὸν ἴσως ἔχονταί τινος πιθανοῦ· θηλυστολοῦντας γὰρ ὡς αἱ κόραι τοὔνομα σχεῖν τοῦτο τοὺς περὶ τὴν Αἰτωλίαν φασίν· εἶναι γὰρ καί τινα τοιοῦτον ζῆλον ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι, καὶ Ἰάονας ἑλκεχίτωνας εἰρῆσθαι, καὶ τοὺς περὶ Λεωνίδαν κτενιζομένους, ὅτʼ ἐξῄεσαν εἰς τὴν μάχην, καταφρονηθῆναι λέγουσιν ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν, ἐν δὲ τῇ μάχῃ θαυμασθῆναι.
And yet, some even wish to reconcile these with those, and perhaps they hold to something plausible; for they say that those around Aetolia got this name because they dressed in feminine attire like girls (korai); for they say that there was some such fashion among the Greeks, and that the Iaones were called "robe-trailing", and that those around Leonidas, being combed when they went out to battle, were despised by the Persians, but were admired in the battle.
ἁπλῶς δʼ ἡ περὶ τὰς κόμας φιλοτεχνία συνέστηκε περί τε θρέψιν καὶ κουρὰν τριχός, ἄμφω δὲ κόραις καὶ κόροις ἐστὶν οἰκεῖα, ὥστε πλεοναχῶς τὸ ἐτυμολογεῖν τοὺς Κουρῆτας ἐν εὐπόρῳ κεῖται.
Simply, the refinement concerning hair consists of both the rearing and the cutting (koura) of hair, and both are appropriate to girls (korai) and to boys (koroi), so that the etymologizing of the Curetes in manifold ways lies ready at hand.
εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐνόπλιον ὄρχησιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἠσκημένων οὕτω περὶ κόμην καὶ στολὴν πρῶτον εἰσαχθεῖσαν, ἐκείνων Κουρήτων καλουμένων, παρασχεῖν πρόφασιν καὶ τοῖς στρατιωτικωτέροις ἑτέρων καὶ τὸν βίον ἐνόπλιον ἔχουσιν, ὥσθʼ ὁμωνύμως καὶ αὐτοὺς Κουρῆτας λεχθῆναι, τοὺς ἐν Εὐβοίᾳ λέγω καὶ Αἰτωλίᾳ καὶ Ἀκαρνανίᾳ.
And it is probable that the armed dance, having been first introduced by those who were thus disciplined concerning hair and attire, while they were called Curetes, also provided an occasion to those who were more military than others and had an armed life, so that they too were called Curetes homonymously, I mean those in Euboea and Aetolia and Acarnania.
καὶ Ὅμηρος δὲ τοὺς νέους στρατιώτας οὕτω προσηγόρευσε
"
κρινάμενος κούρητας ἀριστῆας Παναχαιῶν,
δῶρα θοῆς παρὰ νηὸς ἐνεγκεῖν, ὅσσʼ Ἀχιλῆι
χθιζοὶ ὑπέστημεν
"
καὶ πάλιν
"
δῶρα φέρον κούρητες Ἀχαιοί. "
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς τῶν Κουρήτων ἐτυμολογίας ταῦτα.
And Homer also addressed the young soldiers thus:\n"having chosen the best of the young men (kouretes) of all the Achaeans,\nto bring from the swift ship the gifts, as many as we promised yesterday\nto Achilles"\nand again:\n"the young men (kouretes) of the Achaeans brought the gifts."\nSo much, then, concerning the etymology of the Curetes.