§8.42.1τὸ δὲ ἕτερον τῶν ὀρῶν τὸ Ἐλάιον ἀπωτέρω μὲν Φιγαλίας ὅσον τε σταδίοις τριάκοντά ἐστι, Δήμητρος δὲ ἄντρον αὐτόθι ἱερὸν ἐπίκλησιν Μελαίνης.
The other of the mountains, Elaeum, is about thirty stades distant from Phigalia, and there is there a holy cave of Demeter surnamed Black.
ὅσα μὲν δὴ οἱ ἐν Θελπούσῃ λέγουσιν ἐς μῖξιν τὴν Ποσειδῶνός τε καὶ Δήμητρος, κατὰ ταὐτά σφισιν οἱ Φιγαλεῖς νομίζουσι, τεχθῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς Δήμητρος οἱ Φιγαλεῖς φασιν οὐχ ἵππον ἀλλὰ τὴν Δέσποιναν ἐπονομαζομένην ὑπὸ Ἀρκάδων·
As to all that the people of Thelpusa say concerning the union of Poseidon and Demeter, the Phigalians agree with them in their beliefs, but the Phigalians say that there was born of Demeter not a horse, but the one who is named Despoina by the Arcadians.
§8.42.2τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου λέγουσι θυμῷ τε ἅμα ἐς τὸν Ποσειδῶνα αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Περσεφόνης τῇ ἁρπαγῇ πένθει χρωμένην μέλαιναν ἐσθῆτα ἐνδῦναι καὶ ἐς τὸ σπήλαιον τοῦτο ἐλθοῦσαν ἐπὶ χρόνον ἀπεῖναι πολύν.
And after this, they say that because of her anger against Poseidon and her grief at the rape of Persephone, she put on a black garment and, coming to this cave, remained away for a long time.
ὡς δὲ ἐφθείρετο μὲν πάντα ὅσα ἡ γῆ τρέφει, τὸ δὲ ἀνθρώπων γένος καὶ ἐς πλέον ἀπώλλυτο ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ, θεῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἠπίστατο ἄρα οὐδεὶς ἔνθα ἀπεκέκρυπτο ἡ Δημήτηρ, τὸν δὲ Πᾶνα ἐπιέναι μὲν §8.42.3τὴν Ἀρκαδίαν καὶ ἄλλοτε αὐτὸν ἐν ἄλλῳ θηρεύειν τῶν ὀρῶν, ἀφικόμενον δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ Ἐλάιον κατοπτεῦσαι τὴν Δήμητρα σχήματός τε ὡς εἶχε καὶ ἐσθῆτα ἐνεδέδυτο ποίαν·
While all things that the earth nurtures were wasting away, and the race of men was perishing still more from the famine, none of the other gods, indeed, knew where Demeter had hidden herself, but Pan, traversing Arcadia and hunting at various times on various mountains, came also to Elaeum and caught sight of Demeter, in what shape she was and what kind of garment she had put on.
πυθέσθαι δὴ τὸν Δία ταῦτα παρὰ τοῦ Πανὸς καὶ οὕτως ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πεμφθῆναι τὰς Μοίρας παρὰ τὴν Δήμητρα, τὴν δὲ πεισθῆναί τε ταῖς Μοίραις καὶ ἀποθέσθαι μὲν τὴν ὀργήν, ὑφεῖναι δὲ καὶ τῆς λύπης.
Zeus indeed learned this from Pan, and so the Fates were sent by him to Demeter; and she was persuaded by the Fates and laid aside her anger, and also abated her grief.
σφᾶς δὲ ἀντὶ τούτων φασὶν οἱ Φιγαλεῖς τό τε σπήλαιον νομίσαι τοῦτο ἱερὸν Δήμητρος καὶ ἐς αὐτὸ ἄγαλμα ἀναθεῖναι ξύλου.
In return for these things, the Phigalians say that they established this cave as holy to Demeter and dedicated a wooden image in it.
§8.42.4πεποιῆσθαι δὲ οὕτω σφίσι τὸ ἄγαλμα· καθέζεσθαι μὲν ἐπὶ πέτρᾳ, γυναικὶ δὲ ἐοικέναι τἄλλα πλὴν κεφαλήν· κεφαλὴν δὲ καὶ κόμην εἶχεν ἵππου, καὶ δρακόντων τε καὶ ἄλλων θηρίων εἰκόνες προσεπεφύκεσαν τῇ κεφαλῇ· χιτῶνα δὲ ἐνεδέδυτο καὶ ἐς ἄκρους τοὺς πόδας· δελφὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς ἦν αὐτῇ, περιστερὰ δὲ ἡ ὄρνις ἐπὶ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ.
And they say the image was made for them in this way: it sat upon a rock, and in other respects resembled a woman except for the head; and it had the head and mane of a horse, and figures of dragons and other wild beasts grew out of its head; and she was dressed in a tunic that reached to the tips of her feet; and a dolphin was on her hand, and a dove, the bird, on the other.
ἐφʼ ὅτῳ μὲν δὴ τὸ ξόανον ἐποιήσαντο οὕτως, ἀνδρὶ οὐκ ἀσυνέτῳ γνώμην ἀγαθῷ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐς μνήμην δῆλά ἐστι· Μέλαιναν δὲ ἐπονομάσαι φασὶν αὐτήν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ θεὸς μέλαιναν τὴν ἐσθῆτα εἶχε.
For what reason they made the wooden image in this way is clear to a man not lacking in understanding and good in matters of memory; and they say they surnamed her Black because the goddess also had a black garment.
§8.42.5τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τὸ ξόανον οὔτε ὅτου ποίημα ἦν οὔτε ἡ φλὸξ τρόπον ὅντινα ἐπέλαβεν αὐτό, μνημονεύουσιν· ἀφανισθέντος δὲ τοῦ ἀρχαίου Φιγαλεῖς οὔτε ἄγαλμα ἄλλο ἀπεδίδοσαν τῇ θεῷ καὶ ὁπόσα ἐς ἑορτὰς καὶ θυσίας τὰ πολλὰ δὴ παρῶπτό σφισιν, ἐς ὃ ἡ ἀκαρπία ἐπιλαμβάνει τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἱκετεύσασιν αὐτοῖς χρᾷ τάδε ἡ Πυθία· §8.42.6"
Ἀρκάδες Ἀζᾶνες βαλανηφάγοι, οἳ Φιγάλειαν
νάσσασθʼ, ἱππολεχοῦς Δῃοῦς κρυπτήριον ἄντρον,
ἥκετε πευσόμενοι λιμοῦ λύσιν ἀλγινόεντος,
μοῦνοι δὶς νομάδες, μοῦνοι πάλιν ἀγριοδαῖται.
This wooden image, indeed, they do not remember whose work it was, nor in what manner the flame overtook it; but after the ancient one had disappeared, the Phigalians did not dedicate any other image to the goddess, and most of what concerned the festivals and sacrifices was neglected by them, until barrenness overtook the land; and when they made supplication, the Pythean priestess gave them this oracle: "Arcadians of Azan, acorn-eaters, who inhabit Phigalia, the secret cave of Deo who mated with a horse, you have come to inquire about the deliverance from painful famine, you who alone are twice nomads, who alone again feed on wild food.
Δῃὼ μέν σε ἔπαυσε νομῆς, Δῃὼ δὲ νομῆας
ἐκ δησισταχύων καὶ ἀναστοφάγων πάλι θῆκε,
νοσφισθεῖσα γέρα προτέρων τιμάς τε παλαιάς.
Deo indeed has stopped you from pasture, and Deo has turned your herdsmen back from binding corn-ears and eating cooked food, because she was deprived of her former gifts and ancient honors.
καί σʼ ἀλληλοφάγον θήσει τάχα καὶ τεκνοδαίτην,
εἰ μὴ πανδήμοις λοιβαῖς χόλον ἱλάσσεσθε
σήραγγός τε μυχὸν θείαις κοσμήσετε τιμαῖς.
And she will soon make you eat one another and feed on your children, unless with public libations you appease her anger and adorn the recess of the cavern with divine honors.
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