Humanitext Reader

Pausanias · Description of Greece §3.19.7-3.19.13

Sanctuaries on the Way to Therapne and Legends of Helen

Passage 128 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The text describes various temples on the road to Therapne and the origins of their names, discusses the nickname of Ares Theritas, relates an alternative Rhodian legend of Helen's exile and death, and relates how Leonymus visited the island of Leuce and received Helen's message to Stesichorus concerning his blindness.

§3.19.7κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν Ἀθηνᾶς ξόανόν ἐστιν Ἀλέας.
Along the road there is a wooden image of Athena Alea.
πρὶν δὲ ἢ διαβῆναι τὸν Εὐρώταν, ὀλίγον ὑπὲρ τῆς ὄχθης ἱερὸν δείκνυται Διὸς Πλουσίου.
Before crossing the Eurotas, a little above the bank, a temple of Zeus the Wealthy is pointed out.
διαβᾶσι δὲ Κοτυλέως ἐστὶν Ἀσκληπιοῦ ναός, ὃν ἐποίησεν Ἡρακλῆς· καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν Κοτυλέα ὠνόμασεν ἀκεσθεὶς τὸ τραῦμα τὸ ἐς τὴν κοτύλην οἱ γενόμενον ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἱπποκόωντα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας προτέρᾳ μάχῃ.
For those who have crossed, there is a temple of Cotylean Asclepius, which Heracles built; and he named him Cotylean Asclepius because his wound in the hip, which he received in the former battle against Hippocoon and his sons, was healed.
ὁπόσα δὲ πεποίηται κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ταύτην, ἐστὶν ἀρχαιότατον αὐτῶν Ἄρεως ἱερόν.
Of all the things built along this road, the most ancient of them is the temple of Ares.
τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα τοὺς Διοσκούρους φασὶ κομίσαι ἐκ Κόλχων·
This is on the left of the road, and they say that the Dioscuri brought the statue from Colchis.
§3.19.8Θηρίταν δὲ ἐπονομάζουσιν ἀπὸ Θηροῦς, ταύτην γὰρ τροφὸν εἶναι τοῦ Ἄρεως λέγουσι.
They nickname him Theritas after Thero, for they say she was the nurse of Ares.
τάχα δʼ ἂν ἀκηκοότες παρὰ Κόλχων Θηρίταν λέγοιεν, ἐπεὶ Ἔλληνές γε οὐκ ἴσασιν Ἄρεως τροφὸν Θηρώ·
Perhaps they call him Theritas having heard it from the Colchians, since the Greeks at least do not know of Thero as a nurse of Ares.
δοκεῖν δέ μοι Θηρίτας οὐ διὰ τὴν τροφὸν ἡ ἐπωνυμία τῷ Ἄρει γέγονεν, ὅτι δὲ ἀνδρὶ χρὴ πολεμίῳ καταστάντα ἐς μάχην οὐδὲν ἔτι ἔχειν ἤπιον, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ περὶ Ἀχιλλέως πεποίηται " λέων δʼ ὣς ἄγρια οἶδεν. "
But in my opinion, the surname Theritas was given to Ares not because of the nurse, but because when a man has engaged in battle with an enemy, he must no longer have any gentleness, just as Homer has indeed written concerning Achilles: "And like a lion, he knows savage things.
§3.19.9Θεράπνη δὲ ὄνομα μὲν τῷ χωρίῳ γέγονεν ἀπὸ τῆς Λέλεγος θυγατρός, Μενελάου δέ ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῇ ναός, καὶ Μενέλαον καὶ Ἑλένην ἐνταῦθα ταφῆναι λέγουσιν.
"Therapne received its name from the daughter of Lelex, and in it there is a temple of Menelaus, and they say that Menelaus and Helen were buried here.
Ῥόδιοι δὲ οὐχ ὁμολογοῦντες Λακεδαιμονίοις φασὶν Ἑλένην Μενελάου τελευτήσαντος, Ὀρέστου δὲ ἔτι πλανωμένου, τηνικαῦτα ὑπὸ Νικοστράτου καὶ Μεγαπένθους διωχθεῖσαν ἐς Ῥόδον ἀφικέσθαι Πολυξοῖ τῇ Τληπολέμου γυναικὶ ἔχουσαν ἐπιτηδείως·
But the Rhodians, not agreeing with the Lacedaemonians, say that when Menelaus was dead and Orestes was still wandering, Helen, being then driven out by Nicostratus and Megapenthes, came to Rhodes, since she was on friendly terms with Polyxo, the wife of Tlepolemus.
§3.19.10εἶναι γὰρ καὶ Πολυξὼ τὸ γένος Ἀργείαν, Τληπολέμῳ δὲ ἔτι πρότερον συνοικοῦσαν φυγῆς μετασχεῖν τῆς ἐς Ῥόδον καὶ τῆς νήσου τηνικαῦτα ἄρχειν ὑπολειπομένην ἐπὶ ὀρφανῷ παιδί.
For Polyxo too was Argive by birth, and having married Tlepolemus even earlier, she shared his flight to Rhodes, and was left behind at that time as ruler of the island with an orphan child.
ταύτην τὴν Πολυξώ φασιν ἐπιθυμοῦσαν Ἑλένην τιμωρήσασθαι τελευτῆς τῆς Τληπολέμου τότε, ὡς ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν ὑποχείριον, ἐπιπέμψαι οἱ λουμένῃ θεραπαίνας Ἐρινύσιν ἴσα ἐσκευασμένας· καὶ αὗται διαλαβοῦσαι δὴ τὴν Ἑλένην αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπάγχουσιν ἐπὶ δένδρου, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ Ῥοδίοις Ἑλένης ἱερόν ἐστι Δενδρίτιδος.
They say that this Polyxo, desiring at that time to take vengeance on Helen for the death of Tlepolemus, when she had her in her power, sent against her while she was bathing handmaidens disguised to look like the Erinyes; and these women indeed seized Helen and hanged her on a tree, and because of this the Rhodians have a temple of Helen of the Tree.
§3.19.11ὃν δὲ οἶδα λέγοντας Κροτωνιάτας περὶ Ἑλένης λόγον, ὁμολογοῦντας δέ σφισι καὶ Ἱμεραίους, ἐπιμνησθήσομαι καὶ τοῦδε.
But the story which I know the Crotoniates tell about Helen, and with which the Himeraeans also agree, of this too I will make mention.
ἔστιν ἐν τῷ Εὐξείνῳ νῆσος κατὰ τοῦ Ἴστρου τὰς ἐκβολὰς Ἀχιλλέως ἱερά· ὄνομα μὲν τῇ νήσῳ Λευκή, περίπλους δὲ αὐτῇ σταδίων εἴκοσι, δασεῖα δὲ ὕλῃ πᾶσα καὶ πλήρης ζῴων ἀγρίων καὶ ἡμέρων, καὶ ναὸς Ἀχιλλέως καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐν αὐτῇ.
There is in the Euxine Sea, near the mouths of the Ister, an island sacred to Achilles; the name of the island is Leuce, and its circumference is twenty stades, and it is all overgrown with thick wood and full of wild and tame beasts, and there is a temple and statue of Achilles in it.
§3.19.12ἐς ταύτην πρῶτος ἐσπλεῦσαι λέγεται Κροτωνιάτης Λεώνυμος.
To this island they say Leonymus of Croton was the first to sail.
πολέμου γὰρ Κροτωνιάταις συνεστηκότος πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ Λοκρούς, τῶν Λοκρῶν κατὰ οἰκειότητα πρὸς Ὀπουντίους Αἴαντα τὸν Ὀιλέως ἐς τὰς μάχας ἐπικαλουμένων, ὁ Λεώνυμος Κροτωνιάταις στρατηγῶν ἐπῄει τοῖς ἐναντίοις κατὰ τοῦτο ᾗ προτετάχθαι σφίσι τὸν Αἴαντα ἤκουε.
For when a war arose between the Crotoniates and the Locrians in Italy, and the Locrians, because of their relationship to the Opuntians, called upon Ajax the son of Oileus into the battles, Leonymus, commanding the Crotoniates, attacked the enemy at that point where he heard that Ajax was drawn up in front of them.
τιτρώσκεται δὴ τὸ στέρνον καὶ— ἔκαμνε γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ τραύματος—ἀφίκετο ἐς Δελφούς.
He was wounded in the chest, and—for he was suffering from the wound—went to Delphi.
ἐλθόντα δὲ ἡ Πυθία Λεώνυμον ἀπέστελλεν ἐς νῆσον τὴν Λευκήν, ἐνταῦθα εἰποῦσα αὐτῷ φανήσεσθαι τὸν Αἴαντα καὶ ἀκέσεσθαι τὸ τραῦμα.
When he came, the Pythia sent Leonymus to the island of Leuce, telling him that there Ajax would appear to him and heal his wound.
§3.19.13χρόνῳ δὲ ὡς ὑγιάνας ἐπανῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς Λευκῆς, ἰδεῖν μὲν ἔφασκεν Ἀχιλλέα, ἰδεῖν δὲ τὸν Ὀιλέως καὶ τὸν Τελαμῶνος Αἴαντα, συνεῖναι δὲ καὶ Πάτροκλόν σφισι καὶ Ἀντίλοχον· Ἑλένην δὲ Ἀχιλλεῖ μὲν συνοικεῖν, προστάξαι δέ οἱ πλεύσαντι ἐς Ἱμέραν πρὸς Στησίχορον ἀγγέλλειν ὡς ἡ διαφθορὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐξ Ἑλένης γένοιτο αὐτῷ μηνίματος.
In time, when he returned from Leuce cured, he said that he had seen Achilles, and had seen the son of Oileus and Ajax the son of Telamon, and that Patroclus and Antilochus were also with them; and that Helen was living with Achilles, and had commanded him to sail to Himera and report to Stesichorus that the loss of his sight was due to her wrath.
Στησίχορος μὲν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὴν παλινῳδίαν ἐποίησεν·
Stesichorus on this account composed his recantation.

Notes

  1. §3.19.7διαβᾶσι — Masculine plural aorist active participle in the dative case. It functions as a dative of reference ('for those who have crossed') or temporal/conditional dative ('when they have crossed').
  2. §3.19.8δοκεῖν δέ μοι — An absolute use of the infinitive (parenthetical infinitive), serving as a parenthetical phrase meaning 'in my opinion' or 'it seems to me.'
  3. §3.19.8ὅτι δὲ — A causal clause introduced by `ὅτι` contrasting with the preceding negative clause `οὐ διὰ τὴν τροφὸν...`. The verb `ἡ ἐπωνυμία γέγονεν` (the surname was given) is implied from the context. The accusative participle `καταστάντα` agrees with the implied general subject of the infinitive `ἔχειν`.
  4. §3.19.9ἔχουσαν ἐπιτηδείως — The adverb `ἐπιτηδείως` (friendly) combined with the participle of `ἔχω` means 'being on friendly terms.' The accusative feminine singular present participle `ἔχουσαν` modifies `Ἑλένην`, the subject of the infinitive `ἀφικέσθαι`.
  5. §3.19.12κατὰ τοῦτο ᾗ προτετάχθαι σφίσι τὸν Αἴαντα ἤκουε — Structural analysis. The relative adverb `ᾗ` modifies `κατὰ τοῦτο` (at that place). Within the relative clause, the verb `ἤκουε` governs an accusative and infinitive construction (`προτετάχθαι ... τὸν Αἴαντα`). `σφίσι` (for them) is a dative referring to the Locrians.

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §3.19.7-3.19.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.19.7-3.19.13

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.