§9.10.1πολυάνδριον δὲ οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἐστι· κεῖνται δὲ ὁπόσους κατέλαβεν ἀποθανεῖν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ καὶ Μακεδόσιν ἀντιτεταγμένους.
There is a common grave not far from the gates; there lie those who met their death having been drawn up in battle against Alexander and the Macedonians.
οὐ πόρρω δὲ ἀποφαίνουσι χωρίον ἔνθα Κάδμον λέγουσιν— ὅτῳ πιστά—τοῦ δράκοντος, ὃν ἀπέκτεινεν ἐπὶ τῇ κρήνῃ, τοὺς ὀδόντας σπείραντα, ἄνδρας δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀδόντων ἀνεῖναι τὴν γῆν.
Not far off they point out a place where they say—to whomsoever it is credible—that Cadmus sowed the teeth of the dragon, which he had killed at the spring, and that the earth sent up men from the teeth.
§9.10.2ἔστι δὲ λόφος ἐν δεξιᾷ τῶν πυλῶν ἱερὸς Ἀπόλλωνος· καλεῖται δὲ ὅ τε λόφος καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσμήνιος, παραρρέοντος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ταύτῃ τοῦ Ἰσμηνοῦ.
On the right of the gates is a hill sacred to Apollo; both the hill and the god are called Ismenius, as the river Ismenus flows past this way.
πρῶτα μὲν δὴ λίθου κατὰ τὴν ἔσοδόν ἐστιν Ἀθηνᾶ καὶ Ἑρμῆς, ὀνομαζόμενοι Πρόναοι· ποιῆσαι δὲ αὐτὸν Φειδίας, τὴν δὲ Ἀθηνᾶν λέγεται Σκόπας·
First, at the entrance, there are an Athena and a Hermes of stone, named Pronaoi (Before the Temple); it is said that Phidias made the Hermes, and Scopas the Athena.
μετὰ δὲ ὁ ναὸς ᾠκοδόμηται.
After these the temple has been built.
τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα μεγέθει τε ἴσον τῷ ἐν Βραγχίδαις ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ εἶδος οὐδὲν διαφόρως ἔχον· ὅστις δὲ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τούτων τὸ ἕτερον εἶδε καὶ τὸν εἰργασμένον ἐπύθετο, οὐ μεγάλη οἱ σοφία καὶ τὸ ἕτερον θεασαμένῳ Κανάχου ποίημα ὂν ἐπίστασθαι.
The statue is equal in size to the one at Branchidae and in no way different in appearance; whoever has seen one of these statues and learned who made it, does not need great wisdom to know, on seeing the other, that it is the work of Canachus.
διαφέρουσι δὲ τοσόνδε· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν Βραγχίδαις χαλκοῦ, ὁ δὲ Ἰσμήνιός ἐστι κέδρου.
They differ in this much: the one at Branchidae is of bronze, while the Ismenian one is of cedar wood.
§9.10.3ἔστι δʼ ἐνταῦθα λίθος ἐφʼ ᾧ Μαντώ φασι τὴν Τειρεσίου καθέζεσθαι.
There is here a stone on which they say Manto, the daughter of Tiresias, sat.
οὗτος μὲν πρὸ τῆς ἐσόδου κεῖται, καί οἱ τὸ ὄνομά ἐστι καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἔτι Μαντοῦς δίφρος· ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ λίθου πεποιημένας εἰκόνας Ἡνιόχης εἶναι, τὴν δὲ Πύρρας λέγουσι, θυγατέρας δὲ αὐτὰς εἶναι Κρέοντος, ὃς ἐδυνάστευεν ἐπιτροπεύων Λαοδάμαντα τὸν Ἐτεοκλέους.
This lies before the entrance, and its name even down to our time is 'Manto's Seat.' On the right of the temple there are images made of stone, which they say are of Henioche, and the other of Pyrrha, and that they were daughters of Creon, who held power as guardian of Laodamas, the son of Eteocles.
§9.10.4τόδε γε καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἔτι γινόμενον οἶδα ἐν Θήβαις· τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τῷ Ἰσμηνίῳ παῖδα οἴκου τε δοκίμου καὶ αὐτὸν εὖ μὲν εἴδους, εὖ δὲ ἔχοντα καὶ ῥώμης, ἱερέα ἐνιαύσιον ποιοῦσιν· ἐπίκλησις δέ ἐστίν οἱ δαφναφόρος, στεφάνους γὰρ φύλλων δάφνης φοροῦσιν οἱ παῖδες.
I know that this, at least, is still practiced at Thebes even down to my time: they make a boy of a distinguished house, who is himself both handsome and strong, a priest for a year to the Ismenian Apollo; his title is Daphnaphorus (Laurel-bearer), for the boys wear wreaths of laurel leaves.
εἰ μὲν οὖν πᾶσιν ὁμοίως καθέστηκεν ἀναθεῖναι δαφνηφορήσαντας χαλκοῦν τῷ θεῷ τρίποδα, οὐκ ἔχω δηλῶσαι, δοκῶ δὲ οὐ πᾶσιν εἶναι νόμον· οὐ γὰρ δὴ πολλοὺς ἑώρων αὐτόθι ἀνακειμένους· οἱ δʼ οὖν εὐδαιμονέστεροι τῶν παίδων ἀνατιθέασιν.
Whether, then, it is established for all alike who have been laurel-bearers to dedicate a bronze tripod to the god, I cannot declare, but I think it is not the law for all; for indeed I did not see many dedicated there; at any rate, the wealthier of the boys dedicate them.
ἐπιφανὴς δὲ μάλιστα ἐπί τε ἀρχαιότητι καὶ τοῦ ἀναθέντος τῇ δόξῃ τρίπους ἐστὶν Ἀμφιτρύωνος ἀνάθημα ἐπὶ Ἡρακλεῖ δαφνηφορήσαντι.
The most illustrious tripod, both for its antiquity and for the fame of the dedicator, is the offering of Amphitryon, on the occasion when Heracles was laurel-bearer.
§9.10.5ἀνωτέρω δὲ τοῦ Ἰσμηνίου τὴν κρήνην ἴδοις ἄν, ἥντινα Ἄρεώς φασιν ἱερὰν εἶναι καὶ δράκοντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἄρεως ἐπιτετάχθαι φύλακα τῇ πηγῇ.
Higher up than the Ismenius you might see the spring which they say is sacred to Ares, and that a dragon was appointed by Ares as a guard for the spring.
πρὸς ταύτῃ τῇ κρήνῃ τάφος ἐστὶ Καάνθου· Μελίας δὲ ἀδελφὸν καὶ Ὠκεανοῦ παῖδα εἶναι Κάανθον λέγουσι, σταλῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ζητήσοντα ἡρπασμένην τὴν ἀδελφήν.
Near this spring is the tomb of Caanthus; they say that Caanthus was the brother of Melia and a son of Oceanus, and that he was sent out by his father to search for his sister who had been carried off.
ὡς δὲ Ἀπόλλωνα εὑρὼν ἔχοντα τὴν Μελίαν οὐκ ἐδύνατο ἀφελέσθαι, πῦρ ἐτόλμησεν ἐς τὸ τέμενος ἐνεῖναι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦτο ὃ νῦν καλοῦσιν Ἰσμήνιον· καὶ αὐτὸν ὁ θεός, καθά φασιν οἱ Θηβαῖοι, τοξεύει.
But when, having found Apollo holding Melia, he was unable to take her away, he dared to cast fire into the sanctuary of Apollo, this which they now call Ismenius; and the god, as the Thebans say, shot him with an arrow.
§9.10.6Καάνθου μὲν ἐνταῦθά ἐστι μνῆμα, Ἀπόλλωνι δὲ παῖδας ἐκ Μελίας γενέσθαι λέγουσι Τήνερον καὶ Ἰσμηνόν· Τηνέρῳ μὲν Ἀπόλλων μαντικὴν δίδωσι, τοῦ δὲ Ἰσμηνίου τὸ ὄνομα ἔσχεν ὁ ποταμός.
The monument of Caanthus is here, and they say that to Apollo children were born from Melia, Tenerus and Ismenus; to Tenerus Apollo gave the art of divination, and from Ismenus the river got its name.
οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ πρότερα ἦν ἀνώνυμος, εἰ δὴ καὶ Λάδων ἐκαλεῖτο πρὶν Ἰσμηνὸν γενέσθαι τὸν Ἀπόλλωνος.
Yet it was not without a name even before, if indeed it was called Ladon before Ismenus, the son of Apollo, came to be.