Humanitext Reader

Pausanias · Description of Greece §8.3.1-8.3.7

Cities Founded by Lycaon's Sons and the Myth of Callisto

Passage 303 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The text details the founding of various Arcadian cities by the sons of Lycaon, including the first Greek colonial expedition to Italy by his youngest son Oenotrus, and recounts the legend of his daughter Callisto, who was transformed into a bear and then into the constellation of the Great Bear.

§8.3.1τρίτῃ δὲ ὕστερον γενεᾷ μετὰ Πελασγὸν ἔς τε πόλεων καὶ ἐς ἀνθρώπων πλῆθος ἐπέδωκεν ἡ χώρα.
In the third generation after Pelasgus, the country made great progress in the number of its cities and its population.
Νύκτιμος μὲν γὰρ πρεσβύτατός τε ἦν καὶ εἶχε τὸ πᾶν κράτος· οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι παῖδες τοῦ Λυκάονος πόλεις ἐνταῦθα ἔκτιζον ἔνθα ἑκάστῳ μάλιστα ἦν κατὰ γνώμην.
For Nyctimus was the eldest and held all the power; but the other sons of Lycaon founded cities in whatever place was most to the liking of each.
Πάλλας μὲν καὶ Ὀρεσθεὺς καὶ Φίγαλος Παλλάντιον, Ὀρεσθεὺς δὲ Ὀρεσθάσιον, Φιγαλίαν δὲ οἰκίζει Φίγαλος.
Pallas, Orestheus, and Phigalus founded Pallantium, while Orestheus founded Oresthasium, and Phigalus founded Phigalia.
§8.3.2Παλλαντίου μὲν δὴ καὶ Στησίχορος ὁ Ἱμεραῖος ἐν Γηρυονηίδι ἐποιήσατο μνήμην·
Of Pallantium, indeed, Stesichorus of Himera also made mention in his Geryoneis.
Φιγαλία δὲ καὶ Ὀρεσθάσιον χρόνῳ μεταβάλλουσι τὰ ὀνόματα, Ὀρέστειόν τε ἀπὸ Ὀρέστου κληθεῖσα τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος καὶ Φιαλία ἀπὸ τοῦ Βουκολίωνος παιδὸς Φιάλου.
Phigalia and Oresthasium changed their names in course of time, the latter being called Oresteium after Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, and the former Phialia after Phialus, the son of Bucolion.
Τραπεζεὺς δὲ καὶ Δασεάτας καὶ Μακαρεὺς καὶ Ἑλισσὼν καὶ Ἄκακός τε καὶ Θῶκνος Θωκνίαν πόλιν, ὁ δὲ Ἀκακήσιον ἔκτισεν· ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ τοῦ Ἀκάκου καὶ Ὅμηρος λόγῳ τῷ Ἀρκάδων ἐς Ἑρμῆν ἐποίησεν ἐπίκλησιν·
Trapezeus, Daseatas, Macareus, Helisson, Acacus, and Thocnus founded the city of Thocnia, while Acacus founded Acacesium; and after this Acacus, Homer too, in accordance with the Arcadian account, made an epithet for Hermes.
§8.3.3ἀπὸ δὲ Ἑλισσόντος ἥ τε πόλις καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς Ἑλισσὼν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐσχήκασιν, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ Μακαρία τε καὶ Δασέα καὶ Τραπεζοῦς ἀπὸ τῶν Λυκάονος ἐκλήθησαν καὶ αὗται παίδων.
From Helisson, both the city and the river Helisson received their names, and likewise Macaria, Dasea, and Trapezus were also named after these sons of Lycaon.
Ὀρχομενὸς δὲ ἐγένετο οἰκιστὴς Μεθυδρίου τε καλουμένης καὶ Ὀρχομενίων, οὓς ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσι πολυμήλους ὠνόμασεν Ὅμηρος.
Orchomenus became the founder of the place called Methydrium and of Orchomenus, whose inhabitants Homer in his verses called rich in sheep.
ὑπὸ δὲ Ὑψοῦντος καὶ Μελαινεαί τε ἐκτίσθησαν καὶ Ὑψοῦς, ἔτι δὲ Θυραῖόν τε καὶ Αἱμονιαί· δόξῃ δὲ τῇ Ἀρκάδων καὶ ἡ Θυρέα ἡ ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι γῇ καὶ ὁ Θυρεάτης καλούμενος κόλπος ἀπὸ τοῦ Θυραίου τούτου τὰ ὀνόματα ἐσχήκασι.
By Hypsus were founded Melaeneae and Hypsus, and moreover Thyraeum and Haemoniae; and in the opinion of the Arcadians, Thyrea in the land of Argolis and the gulf called Thyreates also received their names from this Thyraeus.
§8.3.4Μαντινεὺς δὲ καὶ Τεγεάτης καὶ Μαίναλος, ὁ μὲν τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ πόλεων ὀνομαστοτάτην τὸ ἀρχαῖον Μαίναλον, Τεγεάτης δὲ καὶ Μαντινεὺς Τεγέαν κτίζουσι καὶ Μαντίνειαν.
Of Mantineus, Tegeates, and Maenalus, the last founded Maenalus, of old the most famous of the cities in Arcadia, while Tegeates and Mantineus founded Tegea and Mantinea.
ὠνομάσθησαν δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ Κρώμου Κρῶμοι, καὶ Χαρισία Χαρίσιον ἔχουσα οἰκιστήν, Τρικόλωνοι δὲ ἀπὸ Τρικολώνου, καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν Περαίθου Περαιθεῖς, Ἀσέα δὲ ἀπὸ Ἀσεάτα καὶ ἀπὸ Λυκέως Λυκόα καὶ Σουματία ἀπὸ Σουματέως· Ἀλίφηρος δὲ καὶ Ἡραιεὺς ἐπώνυμοι καὶ οὗτοι πόλεσίν εἰσιν ἀμφότεροι.
Also after Cromus were named Crome, and Charisia which had Charisius as its founder, Tricoloni after Tricolonus, Peraetheses after Peraethus, Asea after Aseatates, Lycoa after Lyceus, and Sumatia after Sumateus; and Alipherus and Heraieus also, both of these likewise gave their names to cities.
§8.3.5Οἴνωτρος δὲ ὁ τῶν παίδων νεώτατος Λυκάονι ἀρσένων Νύκτιμον τὸν ἀδελφὸν χρήματα καὶ ἄνδρας αἰτήσας ἐπεραιώθη ναυσὶν ἐς Ἰταλίαν, καὶ ἡ Οἰνωτρία χώρα τὸ ὄνομα ἔσχεν ἀπὸ Οἰνώτρου βασιλεύοντος.
Oenotrus, the youngest of the male children of Lycaon, having asked his brother Nyctimus for money and men, crossed over to Italy in ships, and the country of Oenotria received its name from Oenotrus who reigned there.
οὗτος ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐς ἀποικίαν στόλος πρῶτος ἐστάλη· ἀναριθμουμένῳ δὲ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβέστατον οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν βαρβάρων οὐδένες πρότερον ἢ Οἴνωτρος ἀφίκοντο ἐς τὴν ἀλλοδαπήν.
This was the first expedition sent out from Greece for a colony; and if one calculates with the greatest accuracy, not even among the barbarians did any cross over to a foreign land prior to Oenotrus.
§8.3.6ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ γένει παντὶ τῷ ἄρσενι θυγάτηρ Λυκάονι ἐγένετο Καλλιστώ.
In addition to all this male line, a daughter, Callisto, was born to Lycaon.
ταύτῃ τῇ Καλλιστοῖ—λέγω δὲ τὰ λεγόμενα ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων—συνεγένετο ἐρασθεὶς Ζεύς·
With this Callisto—I tell the story as it is told by the Greeks—Zeus fell in love and united with her.
Ἥρα δὲ ὡς ἐφώρασεν, ἐποίησεν ἄρκτον τὴν Καλλιστώ, Ἄρτεμις δὲ ἐς χάριν τῆς Ἥρας κατετόξευσεν αὐτήν.
But when Hera detected them, she turned Callisto into a bear, and Artemis, to please Hera, shot her down with her bow.
καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς Ἑρμῆν πέμπει σῶσαι τὸν παῖδά οἱ προστάξας, ὃν ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ εἶχεν ἡ Καλλιστώ·
And Zeus sent Hermes, commanding him to save the child whom Callisto was carrying in her womb.
§8.3.7Καλλιστὼ δὲ αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν ἀστέρας καλουμένην ἄρκτον μεγάλην, ἧς καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐν Ὀδυσσέως ἀνάπλῳ παρὰ Καλυψοῦς μνήμην ἔσχε· " Πληιάδας τʼ ἐσορῶντα καὶ ὀψὲ δύοντα Βοώτην ἄρκτον θʼ, ἣν καὶ ἅμαξαν ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσιν. " ἔχοιεν δʼ ἂν καὶ ἄλλως τὸ ὄνομα οἱ ἀστέρες ἐπὶ τιμῇ τῇ Καλλιστοῦς, ἐπεὶ τάφον γε αὐτῆς ἀποφαίνουσιν οἱ Ἀρκάδες.
And as for Callisto herself, he made her into the stars called the Great Bear, of which Homer also made mention in the voyage of Odysseus from Calypso: "Looking at the Pleiades and late-setting Bootes, And the Bear, which they also call by the name of the Wain." But the stars might have received the name in some other way in honor of Callisto, since the Arcadians point out her grave.

Notes

  1. 8.3.1Πάλλας μὲν καὶ Ὀρεσθεὺς καὶ Φίγαλος Παλλάντιον — While Pallas, Orestheus, and Phigalus are listed together as subjects in relation to Pallantium, a plural verb of founding (such as οἰκίζουσι) must be supplied. Since this is immediately followed by the individual foundings of Oresthasium and Phigalia by Orestheus and Phigalus respectively, there is a syntactic ellipsis and hyperbaton to structure the transition from collective to individual action.
  2. 8.3.4ὁ μὲν τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ πόλεων ὀνομαστοτάτην τὸ ἀρχαῖον Μαίναλον — A verb of founding (such as ἔκτισε) is omitted after "ὁ μὲν" (the latter, i.e., Maenalus). "Μαίναλον" is the direct object, with "τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ πόλεων ὀνομαστοτάτην" (the most famous of the cities in Arcadia) serving as its appositive or predicative accusative. "τὸ ἀρχαῖον" functions as an adverbial accusative meaning "of old" or "in ancient times."
  3. 8.3.7ἔχοιεν δʼ ἂν καὶ ἄλλως τὸ ὄνομα οἱ ἀστέρες ἐπὶ τιμῇ τῇ Καλλιστοῦς — The phrase "ἔχοιεν ἂν" is a potential optative, indicating that the stars "might have received" the name in some other way to honor Callisto. This is a conjectural explanation by the author designed to reconcile the myth of her direct translation into the stars with the physical evidence introduced by "ἐπεὶ"—namely, that the Arcadians point out her actual grave on earth.

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §8.3.1-8.3.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.3.1-8.3.7

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.