§2.17.1Μυκηνῶν δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ πέντε ἀπέχει καὶ δέκα στάδια τὸ Ἡραῖον.
On the left of Mycenae, fifteen stades away, is the Heraeum.
ῥεῖ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὕδωρ Ἐλευθέριον καλούμενον·
Along the road flows water called Eleutherion.
χρῶνται δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς καθάρσια αἱ περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τῶν θυσιῶν ἐς τὰς ἀπορρήτους.
The women around the sanctuary use it for purifications, and for the secret of the sacrifices.
αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ἱερόν ἐστιν ἐν χθαμαλωτέρῳ τῆς Εὐβοίας·
The sanctuary itself is in a lower part of Euboea.
τὸ γὰρ δὴ ὄρος τοῦτο ὀνομάζουσιν Εὔβοιαν, λέγοντες Ἀστερίωνι γενέσθαι τῷ ποταμῷ θυγατέρας Εὔβοιαν καὶ Πρόσυμναν καὶ Ἀκραίαν, εἶναι δὲ σφᾶς τροφοὺς τῆς Ἥρας·
For indeed they call this mountain Euboea, saying that Euboea, Prosymna, and Acraea were born as daughters to the river Asterion, and that they were the nurses of Hera.
§2.17.2καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν Ἀκραίας τὸ ὄρος καλοῦσι τὸ ἀπαντικρὺ τοῦ Ἡραίου, ἀπὸ δὲ Εὐβοίας ὅσον περὶ τὸ ἱερόν, Πρόσυμναν δὲ τὴν ὑπὸ τὸ Ἡραῖον χώραν.
And from Acraea they call the mountain opposite the Heraeum, and from Euboea as much as is around the sanctuary, and Prosymna the country below the Heraeum.
ὁ δὲ Ἀστερίων οὗτος ῥέων ὑπὲρ τὸ Ἡραῖον ἐς φάραγγα ἐσπίπτων ἀφανίζεται.
This Asterion, flowing above the Heraeum, falls into a ravine and disappears.
φύεται δὲ αὐτοῦ πόα πρὸς ταῖς ὄχθαις· ἀστερίωνα ὀνομάζουσι καὶ τὴν πόαν· ταύτην τῇ Ἥρᾳ καὶ αὐτὴν φέρουσι καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν φύλλων αὐτῆς στεφάνους πλέκουσιν.
On its banks grows a herb; they call the herb also asterion; this they bring to Hera herself, and from its leaves they weave crowns.
§2.17.3ἀρχιτέκτονα μὲν δὴ γενέσθαι τοῦ ναοῦ λέγουσιν Εὐπόλεμον Ἀργεῖον·
They say that Eupolemus, an Argive, was the architect of the temple.
ὁπόσα δὲ ὑπὲρ τοὺς κίονάς ἐστιν εἰργασμένα, τὰ μὲν ἐς τὴν Διὸς γένεσιν καὶ θεῶν καὶ γιγάντων μάχην ἔχει, τὰ δὲ ἐς τὸν πρὸς Τροίαν πόλεμον καὶ Ἰλίου τὴν ἅλωσιν.
As for the sculptures above the columns, some represent the birth of Zeus and the battle of the gods and giants, while others represent the war against Troy and the capture of Ilium.
ἀνδριάντες τε ἑστήκασι πρὸ τῆς ἐσόδου καὶ γυναικῶν, αἳ γεγόνασιν ἱέρειαι τῆς Ἥρας, καὶ ἡρώων ἄλλων τε καὶ Ὀρέστου·
And statues stand before the entrance, both of women who became priestesses of Hera, and of other heroes, and of Orestes.
τὸν γὰρ ἐπίγραμμα ἔχοντα, ὡς εἴη βασιλεὺς Αὔγουστος, Ὀρέστην εἶναι λέγουσιν.
For they say that the one bearing the inscription that he is the Emperor Augustus, is Orestes.
ἐν δὲ τῷ προνάῳ τῇ μὲν Χάριτες ἀγάλματά ἐστιν ἀρχαῖα, ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ κλίνη τῆς Ἥρας καὶ ἀνάθημα ἀσπὶς ἣν Μενέλαός ποτε ἀφείλετο Εὔφορβον ἐν Ἰλίῳ.
In the pronaos, on one side are ancient statues of the Graces, and on the right is a couch of Hera and a dedicated shield which Menelaus once took from Euphorbus in Ilium.
§2.17.4τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα τῆς Ἥρας ἐπὶ θρόνου κάθηται μεγέθει μέγα, χρυσοῦ μὲν καὶ ἐλέφαντος, Πολυκλείτου δὲ ἔργον·
The statue of Hera sits on a throne, of great size, made of gold and ivory, the work of Polyclitus.
ἔπεστι δέ οἱ στέφανος Χάριτας ἔχων καὶ Ὥρας ἐπειργασμένας, καὶ τῶν χειρῶν τῇ μὲν καρπὸν φέρει ῥοιᾶς, τῇ δὲ σκῆπτρον.
On her head is a crown with the Graces and Horae wrought upon it, and in one of her hands she carries a pomegranate, and in the other a sceptre.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐς τὴν ῥοιὰν—ἀπορρητότερος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ λόγος—ἀφείσθω μοι·
Now, as to the pomegranate—for the story is rather secret—let it be passed over by me.
κόκκυγα δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ σκήπτρῳ καθῆσθαί φασι λέγοντες τὸν Δία, ὅτε ἤρα παρθένου τῆς Ἥρας, ἐς τοῦτον τὸν ὄρνιθα ἀλλαγῆναι, τὴν δὲ ἅτε παίγνιον θηρᾶσαι.
But they say that a cuckoo sits on the sceptre, saying that Zeus, when he was in love with Hera who was a maiden, changed himself into this bird, and she caught it as a plaything.
τοῦτον τὸν λόγον καὶ ὅσα ἐοικότα εἴρηται περὶ θεῶν οὐκ ἀποδεχόμενος γράφω, γράφω δὲ οὐδὲν ἧσσον.
I write down this story and whatever similar things are said about the gods, although I do not accept them; but I write them down nonetheless.
§2.17.5λέγεται δὲ παρεστηκέναι τῇ Ἥρᾳ τέχνη Ναυκύδους ἄγαλμα Ἥβης, ἐλέφαντος καὶ τοῦτο καὶ χρυσοῦ·
And a statue of Hebe, a work of Naucydes, is said to stand beside Hera, this too of ivory and gold.
παρὰ δὲ αὐτήν ἐστιν ἐπὶ κίονος ἄγαλμα Ἥρας ἀρχαῖον.
And beside her, on a column, is an ancient statue of Hera.
τὸ δὲ ἀρχαιότατον πεποίηται μὲν ἐξ ἀχράδος, ἀνετέθη δὲ ἐς Τίρυνθα ὑπὸ Πειράσου τοῦ Ἄργου, Τίρυνθα δὲ ἀνελόντες Ἀργεῖοι κομίζουσιν ἐς τὸ Ἡραῖον· ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς εἶδον, καθήμενον ἄγαλμα οὐ μέγα.
The oldest one is made of wild pear-wood, and was dedicated in Tiryns by Peirasus, the son of Argos; and when the Argives destroyed Tiryns, they brought it to the Heraeum, which indeed I myself saw, a sitting statue of no great size.
§2.17.6ἀναθήματα δὲ τὰ ἄξια λόγου βωμὸς ἔχων ἐπειργασμένον τὸν λεγόμενον Ἥβης καὶ Ἡρακλέους γάμον· οὗτος μὲν ἀργύρου, χρυσοῦ δὲ καὶ λίθων λαμπόντων Ἀδριανὸς βασιλεὺς ταὼν ἀνέθηκεν· ἀνέθηκε δέ, ὅτι τὴν ὄρνιθα ἱερὰν τῆς Ἥρας νομίζουσι.
Among the dedications worthy of mention is an altar having wrought upon it the so-called marriage of Hebe and Heracles; this is of silver, and Emperor Hadrian dedicated a peacock of gold and shining stones; and he dedicated it because they consider this bird sacred to Hera.
κεῖται δὲ καὶ στέφανος χρυσοῦς καὶ πέπλος πορφύρας, Νέρωνος ταῦτα ἀναθήματα.
And there also lie a golden crown and a purple robe, these being the dedications of Nero.
§2.17.7ἔστι δὲ ὑπὲρ τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον τοῦ προτέρου ναοῦ θεμέλιά τε καὶ εἰ δή τι ἄλλο ὑπελίπετο ἡ φλόξ.
Above this temple are the foundations of the earlier temple, and whatever else the flame left behind.
κατεκαύθη δὲ τὴν ἱέρειαν τῆς Ἥρας Χρυσηίδα ὕπνου καταλαβόντος, ὅτε ὁ λύχνος πρὸ τῶν στεφανωμάτων ἥπτετο.
And it was burnt down when sleep overcame Chryseis, the priestess of Hera, when the lamp was burning in front of the wreaths.
καὶ Χρυσηὶς μὲν ἀπελθοῦσα ἐς Τεγέαν τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν τὴν Ἀλέαν ἱκέτευεν· Ἀργεῖοι δὲ καίπερ κακοῦ τηλικούτου παρόντος σφίσι τὴν εἰκόνα οὐ καθεῖλον τῆς Χρυσηίδος, ἀνάκειται δὲ καὶ ἐς τόδε τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ κατακαυθέντος ἔμπροσθεν.
And Chryseis, having departed to Tegea, supplicated Athena Alea; but the Argives, although such a great disaster had befallen them, did not take down the statue of Chryseis, and it stands dedicated even to this day in front of the burnt temple.