§8.18.1εἶναι δὲ τὴν Στύγα Ἡσίοδος μὲν ἐν Θεογονίᾳ πεποίηκεν—Ἡσιόδου γὰρ δὴ ἔπη τὴν Θεογονίαν εἰσὶν οἳ νομίζουσι—, πεποιημένα οὖν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα Ὠκεανοῦ θυγατέρα τὴν Στύγα, γυναῖκα δὲ αὐτὴν εἶναι Πάλλαντος.
Hesiod in the Theogony—for indeed there are those who believe the Theogony to be the verses of Hesiod—has represented Styx as the daughter of Oceanus, and her to be the wife of Pallas.
ἐοικότα δὲ πεποιηκέναι τούτοις καὶ Λίνον φασίν· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἐπιλεγομένῳ παντάπασιν ἐφαίνετο ταῦτά γε εἶναι κίβδηλα.
They say that Linus also composed verses similar to these; but to me as I read them, these at least seemed to be altogether spurious.
§8.18.2Ἐπιμενίδης δὲ ὁ Κρὴς εἶναι μὲν καὶ οὗτος θυγατέρα Ὠκεανοῦ τὴν Στύγα ἐποίησε, συνοικεῖν δὲ αὐτὴν οὐ Πάλλαντι, ἀλλὰ ἐκ Πείραντος Ἔχιδναν τεκεῖν, ὅστις δὴ ὁ Πείρας ἐστί.
Epimenides the Cretan also made Styx the daughter of Oceanus, but he did not make her dwell with Pallas, but rather bore Echidna by Peiras, whoever this Peiras indeed is.
μάλιστα δὲ τῆς Στυγὸς τὸ ὄνομα ἐς τὴν ποίησιν ἐπεισηγάγετο Ὅμηρος.
But it was Homer who especially introduced the name of Styx into his poetry.
ἐν μέν γε Ἥρας ἐποίησεν ὅρκῳ
"
ἴστω νῦν τόδε γαῖα καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθεν
καὶ τὸ κατειβόμενον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ· "
ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ἐποίησεν ὡς ἂν ἰδὼν ἐς τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς Στυγὸς στάζον· βούλεται δὲ καὶ ἐν καταλόγῳ τῶν μετὰ Γουνέως Τιταρησίῳ ποταμῷ ῥεῖν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆς Στυγός.
In the oath of Hera, he made her say: "Let Earth now know this, and broad Heaven above, and the down-flowing water of Styx." He composed these lines as if he had looked upon the water of Styx trickling down; and he also wishes, in the Catalogue of those with Guneus, that the water of the river Titaresius flows from Styx.
§8.18.3ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ ἐν Ἅιδου ὕδωρ εἶναι, καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ τὸν Δία οὐ μεμνῆσθαί φησιν ὅτι διʼ αὐτῆς Ἡρακλέα ἔσωζεν ἐκ τῶν Εὐρυσθέως ἄθλων· "
εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ τόδε ᾔδη ἐνὶ φρεσὶ πευκαλίμῃσιν,
εὖτέ μιν εἰς Ἀίδαο πυλάρταο προὔπεμψεν
ἐξ Ἐρέβευς ἄξοντα κύνα στυγεροῦ Ἀίδαο,
οὐκ ἂν ὑπεξέφυγε Στυγὸς ὕδατος αἰπὰ ῥέεθρα. " §8.18.4τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ κρημνοῦ τοῦ παρὰ τὴν Νώνακριν στάζον ἐσπίπτει μὲν πρῶτον ἐς πέτραν ὑψηλήν, διεξελθὸν δὲ διὰ τῆς πέτρας ἐς τὸν Κρᾶθιν ποταμὸν κάτεισι· θάνατον δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ φέρει τοῦτο καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ἄλλῳ ζῴῳ παντί.
And he also represented the water as being in Hades, and Athena says that Zeus does not remember that through her he saved Heracles from the labors of Eurystheus: "For if I had known this in my shrewd mind, when he sent him to the gates of Hades to bring the dog of hateful Hades from Erebus, he would not have escaped the steep streams of the water of Styx." The water trickling from the cliff near Nonacris falls first upon a high rock, and having passed through the rock it goes down into the river Crathis; and this water brings death both to man and to every other animal.
λέγεται δὲ ὅτι γένοιτό ποτε ὄλεθρος ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἰξίν, αἳ τοῦ ὕδατος ἔπιον πρῶτον· χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐγνώσθη καὶ εἰ δή τι ἄλλο πρόσεστι τῷ ὕδατι τῶν ἐς θαῦμα ἡκόντων.
It is said that destruction once came from it even to goats, which drank of the water first; and in later times it became known whether indeed any other of those things tending to marvel belongs to the water.
§8.18.5ὕαλος μέν γε καὶ κρύσταλλος καὶ μόρρια καὶ ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀνθρώποις ἄλλα λίθου ποιούμενα καὶ τῶν σκευῶν τὰ κεραμεᾶ, τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς Στυγὸς τοῦ ὕδατος ῥήγνυται· κεράτινα δὲ καὶ ὀστέινα σίδηρός τε καὶ χαλκός, ἔτι δὲ μόλιβδός τε καὶ κασσίτερος καὶ ἄργυρος καὶ τὸ ἤλεκτρον ὑπὸ τούτου σήπεται τοῦ ὕδατος.
Indeed, glass, crystal, murrhine ware, and whatever other things are made by men of stone, as well as earthenware vessels, are broken by the water of the Styx; while those of horn and bone, iron and bronze, and furthermore lead, tin, silver, and electrum are rotted by this water.
τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ μετάλλοις τοῖς πᾶσι καὶ ὁ χρυσὸς πέπονθε· καίτοι καθαρεύειν γε τὸν χρυσὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰοῦ ἥ τε ποιήτρια μάρτυς ἐστὶν ἡ Λεσβία καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ χρυσὸς ἐπιδείκνυσιν.
And gold suffers the same thing as all the metals; and yet, that gold is pure from rust, both the Lesbian poetess is a witness, and gold itself demonstrates.
§8.18.6ἔδωκε δὲ ἄρα ὁ θεὸς τοῖς μάλιστα ἀπερριμμένοις κρατεῖν τῶν ὑπερηρκότων τῇ δόξῃ.
God indeed, it seems, has given to the most discarded things to master those that excel in reputation.
τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ τὰ μάργαρα ἀπόλλυσθαι πέφυκεν ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄξους, τοῦτο δὲ τὸν ἀδάμαντα λίθων ὄντα ἰσχυρότατον τοῦ τράγου κατατήκει τὸ αἷμα· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ οὐ δύναται τῆς Στυγὸς ὁπλὴν ἵππου βιάσασθαι μόνην, ἀλλὰ ἐμβληθὲν κατέχεταί τε ὑπʼ αὐτῆς καὶ οὐ διεργάζεται τὴν ὁπλήν.
For on the one hand, pearls are naturally destroyed by vinegar, and on the other hand, the blood of a he-goat melts the adamas, which is the strongest of stones; and indeed, even the water of the Styx is unable to overcome the hoof of a horse alone, but when poured into it, it is contained by it and does not destroy the hoof.
εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Φιλίππου συνέβη τὴν τελευτὴν διὰ τοῦ φαρμάκου γενέσθαι τούτου, σαφῶς μὲν οὐκ οἶδα, λεγόμενον δὲ οἶδα.
Whether indeed it also happened that the death of Alexander, the son of Philip, came about through this poison, I do not know for certain, but I know it is said.
§8.18.7ὑπὲρ δὲ τὴν Νώνακριν ὄρη τε καλούμενα Ἀροάνια καὶ σπήλαιόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς.
Above Nonacris are mountains called Aroania, and there is a cave in them.
ἐς τοῦτο ἀναφυγεῖν τὸ σπήλαιον τὰς θυγατέρας τὰς Προίτου μανείσας λέγουσιν, ἃς ὁ Μελάμπους θυσίαις τε ἀπορρήτοις καὶ καθαρμοῖς κατήγαγεν ἐς χωρίον καλούμενον Λουσούς.
Into this cave they say that the daughters of Proetus fled when they went mad, whom Melampus brought down with secret sacrifices and purifications to a place called Lusi.
τοῦ μὲν δὴ ὄρους τῶν Ἀροανίων Φενεᾶται τὰ πολλὰ ἐνέμοντο· οἱ δὲ ἐν ὅροις ἤδη Κλειτορίων εἰσὶν οἱ Λουσοί.
Now the Pheneatians used to possess the greater part of the Aroanian mountains, but Lusi is already within the boundaries of the Cleitorians.
§8.18.8πόλιν μὲν δή ποτε εἶναι λέγουσι τοὺς Λουσούς, καὶ Ἀγησίλας ἀνὴρ Λουσεὺς ἀνηγορεύθη κέλητι ἵππῳ νικῶν, ὅτε πρώτην ἐπὶ ταῖς δέκα ἐτίθεσαν πυθιάδα Ἀμφικτύονες· τὰ δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν οὐδὲ ἐρείπια ἔτι λειπόμενα ἦν Λουσῶν.
They say that Lusi was once a city, and Agesilas, a man of Lusi, was proclaimed victor in the horse-race when the Amphictyons established the eleventh Pythiad; but in our time not even ruins of Lusi were left.
τὰς δʼ οὖν θυγατέρας τοῦ Προίτου κατήγαγεν ὁ Μελάμπους ἐς τοὺς Λουσοὺς καὶ ἠκέσατο τῆς μανίας ἐν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερῷ· καὶ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου τὴν Ἄρτεμιν ταύτην Ἡμερασίαν καλοῦσιν οἱ Κλειτόριοι.
Be that as it may, Melampus brought the daughters of Proetus down to Lusi and cured them of their madness in a sanctuary of Artemis; and from that time the Cleitorians call this Artemis "Hemerasia."