§9.3.11Ἔφορος δʼ, ᾧ τὸ πλεῖστον προσχρώμεθα διὰ τὴν περὶ ταῦτα ἐπιμέλειαν, καθάπερ καὶ Πολύβιος μαρτυρῶν τυγχάνει, ἀνὴρ ἀξιόλογος, δοκεῖ μοι τἀναντία ποιεῖν ἔσθʼ ὅτε τῇ προαιρέσει καὶ ταῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑποσχέσεσιν.
Ephorus, whom we consult most of all because of his care in these matters, as Polybius also happens to testify, a remarkable man, seems to me to do sometimes the opposite of his intention and original promises.
ἐπιτιμήσας γοῦν τοῖς φιλομυθοῦσιν ἐν τῇ τῆς ἱστορίας γραφῇ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπαινέσας προστίθησι τῷ περὶ τοῦ μαντείου τούτου λόγῳ σεμνήν τινα ὑπόσχεσιν, ὡς πανταχοῦ μὲν ἄριστον νομίζει τἀληθές, μάλιστα δὲ κατὰ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην.
At any rate, after censuring those who love myths in the writing of history, and praising the truth, he adds to his account of this oracle a solemn promise, that he considers the truth to be best everywhere, and especially under this subject.
ἄτοπον γὰρ εἰ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀεὶ τρόπον διώκομεν, φησί, περὶ δὲ τοῦ μαντείου λέγοντες, ὃ πάντων ἐστὶν ἀψευδέστατον, τοῖς οὕτως ἀπίστοις καὶ ψευδέσι χρησόμεθα λόγοις.
For he says it would be strange if we always pursue such a method concerning other things, but when speaking of the oracle, which is the most free from falsehood of all, we should use such untrustworthy and false accounts.
ταῦτα δʼ εἰπὼν ἐπιφέρει παραχρῆμα, ὅτι ὑπολαμβάνουσι κατασκευάσαι τὸ μαντεῖον Ἀπόλλωνα μετὰ Θέμιδος ὠφελῆσαι βουλόμενον τὸ γένος ἡμῶν.
Having said this, he immediately adds that they suppose Apollo, with Themis, established the oracle, wishing to benefit our race.
εἶτα τὴν ὠφέλειαν εἰπὼν ὅτι εἰς ἡμερότητα προὐκαλεῖτο καὶ ἐσωφρόνιζε, τοῖς μὲν χρηστηριάζων καὶ τὰ μὲν προστάττων τὰ δʼ ἀπαγορεύων, τοὺς δʼ οὐδʼ ὅλως προσιέμενος, ταῦτα διοικεῖν νομίζουσι, φησίν, αὐτόν, οἱ μὲν αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν σωματοειδῆ γινόμενον, οἱ δʼ ἀνθρώποις ἔννοιαν παραδιδόντα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βουλήσεως. §9.3.12ὑποβὰς δὲ περὶ τῶν Δελφῶν οἵτινές εἰσι διαλεγόμενος φησὶ τὸ παλαιὸν Παρνασσίους τινὰς αὐτόχθονας καλουμένους οἰκεῖν τὸν Παρνασσόν· καθʼ ὃν χρόνον Ἀπόλλωνα τὴν γῆν ἐπιόντα ἡμεροῦν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπό τε τῶν ἡμέρων καρπῶν καὶ τῶν βίων, ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν δʼ ὁρμηθέντα ἐπὶ Δελφοὺς ταύτην ἰέναι τὴν ὁδόν, ᾗ νῦν Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν Πυθιάδα πέμπουσι· γενόμενον δὲ κατὰ Πανοπέας Τιτυὸν καταλῦσαι ἔχοντα τὸν τόπον, βίαιον ἄνδρα καὶ παράνομον· τοὺς δὲ Παρνασσίους συμμίξαντας αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλον μηνῦσαι χαλεπὸν ἄνδρα Πύθωνα τοὔνομα, ἐπίκλησιν δὲ Δράκοντα, κατατοξεύοντος δʼ ἐπικελεύειν ἵε παιάν, ἀφʼ οὗ τὸν παιανισμὸν οὕτως ἐξ ἔθους παραδοθῆναι τοῖς μέλλουσι συμπίπτειν εἰς παράταξιν· ἐμπρησθῆναι δὲ καὶ σκηνὴν τότε τοῦ Πύθωνος ὑπὸ τῶν Δελφῶν, καθάπερ καὶ νῦν ἔτι καὶ ἀεὶ ὑπόμνημα ποιουμένους τῶν τότε γενομένων.
Then, having said that the benefit was that he invited them to mildness and made them self-controlled, by giving oracles to some, commanding some things and forbidding others, and not admitting others at all, he says they believe that he administers these things, some thinking that the god himself became bodily, and others that he delivered to men a conception of his own will. Going further down and discussing who the Delphians are, he says that in ancient times certain Parnassians, called autochthons, inhabited Parnassus; at which time Apollo, visiting the land, civilized men with cultivated fruits and lifestyles, and starting from Athens for Delphi, he went by this road, by which the Athenians now send the Pythias; and when he arrived at Panopeus, he destroyed Tityus, who held the place, a violent and lawless man; and the Parnassians joined him and informed him of another dangerous man, Python by name, surnamed Dragon, and as he was shooting him with arrows, they urged him on crying 'ie paean', from which the paean-chant was thus by custom handed down to those who are about to clash in battle array; and that the tent of Python was also burned at that time by the Delphians, just as they even now still and always make a memorial of what happened then.
τί δʼ ἂν εἴη μυθωδέστερον ἢ Ἀπόλλων τοξεύων καὶ κολάζων Τιτυοὺς καὶ Πύθωνας καὶ ὁδεύων ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν εἰς Δελφοὺς καὶ γῆν πᾶσαν ἐπιών;
But what could be more mythical than Apollo shooting arrows and punishing Tityuses and Pythons, and traveling from Athens to Delphi, and visiting the whole earth?
εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ ὑπελάμβανε μύθους εἶναι, τί ἐχρῆν τὴν μυθευομένην Θέμιν γυναῖκα καλεῖν, τὸν δὲ μυθευόμενον δράκοντα ἄνθρωπον;
If he did not suppose these to be myths, why was it necessary to call the mythical Themis a woman, and the mythical dragon a man?
πλὴν εἰ συγχεῖν ἐβούλετο τόν τε τῆς ἱστορίας καὶ τὸν τοῦ μύθου τύπον.
Unless he wished to confuse the character of history and that of myth.
παραπλήσια τούτοις καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν εἰρημένα.
Similar to these are the things said about the Aetolians.
φήσας γὰρ ἀπορθήτους αὐτοὺς ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου τοτὲ μὲν Αἰολέας φησὶν οἰκῆσαι τοὺς κατέχοντας βαρβάρους ἐκβαλόντας, τοτὲ δʼ Αἰτωλὸν μετὰ τῶν ἐξ Ἤλιδος Ἐπειῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν· τούτους δʼ ὑπʼ Ἀλκμέωνος καὶ Διομήδους.
For having said that they have been unravaged from all time, he says at one time that Aeolians inhabited it after expelling the barbarians who held it, and at another time that Aetolus, with the Epeians from Elis, who were his enemies, inhabited it; and that these were expelled by Alcmaeon and Diomedes.
ἀλλʼ ἐπάνειμι ἐπὶ τοὺς Φωκέας. §9.3.13ἑξῆς γὰρ ἐν τῇ παραλίᾳ μετὰ τὴν Ἀντικύραν πολίχνιόν ἐστιν Ὀπισθομάραθος· εἶτʼ ἄκρα Φαρύγιον ἔχουσα ὕφορμον· εἶθʼ ὁ λιμὴν ὕστατος ὁ προσαγορευθεὶς μυχὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος, ὑπὸ τῷ Ἑλικῶνι καὶ τῇ Ἄσκρῃ κείμενος.
But I will return to the Phocians. Next on the coast after Anticyra is the town of Opisthomarathus; then Cape Pharygium having an anchorage; then the last harbor called the recess from the circumstance, lying under Helicon and Ascra.
οὐδʼ αἱ Ἀβαὶ δὲ τὸ μαντεῖον ἄπωθεν τῶν τόπων τούτων ἐστίν, οὐδʼ ἡ Ἄμβρυσος, δεὼν ὁμώνυμος τῇ Βοιωτιακῇ.
Nor is Abae, the oracle, far from these places, nor Ambrysus, which is homonymous with the Boeotian town.
ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ μεσογαίᾳ μετὰ Δελφοὺς ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἕω Δαυλὶς πολίχνιον, ὅπου Τηρέα τὸν Θρᾷκά φασι δυναστεῦσαι· καὶ τὰ περὶ Φιλομήλαν καὶ Πρόκνην ἐκεῖ μυθεύουσι.
Still more in the interior after Delphi toward the east is the small town of Daulis, where they say Tereus the Thracian ruled; and they mythologize the story of Philomela and Procne there.
τοὔνομα δὲ τῷ τόπῳ γεγονέναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δάσους· δαυλοὺς γὰρ καλοῦσι τὰ δάση.
The name was given to the place from the thickets; for they call thickets 'dauloi'.
Ὅμηρος μὲν οὖν Δαυλίδα εἶπεν, οἱ δʼ ὕστερον Δαυλίαν.
Homer therefore called it Daulis, but later writers Daulia.
καὶ τὸ
Κυπάρισσον ἔχον
δέχονται διττῶς, οἱ μὲν ὁμωνύμως τῷ φυτῷ οἱ δὲ παρωνύμως κώμην ὑπὸ τῇ Λυκωρείᾳ.
And they interpret 'having Cyparissus' in two ways, some as homonymous with the plant, others as a village under Lycoreia derived from it.