Delphi Complete Works of Pausanias

by Pausanias

  [5.5] From here the high road to Delphi becomes both steeper and more difficult for the walker. Many and different are the stories told about Delphi, and even more so about the oracle of Apollo. For they say that in the earliest times the oracular seat belonged to Earth, who appointed as prophetess at it Daphnis, one of the nymphs of the mountain.

  [6] εἶναι δὲ αὐτὴν τῶν περὶ τὸ ὄρος νυμφῶν. ἔστι δὲ ἐν Ἕλλησι ποίησις, ὄνομα μὲν τοῖς ἔπεσίν ἐστιν Εὐμολπία, Μουσαίῳ δὲ τῷ Ἀντιοφήμου προσποιοῦσι τὰ ἔπη: πεποιημένον οὖν ἐστιν ἐν τούτοις Ποσειδῶνος ἐν κοινῷ καὶ Γῆς εἶναι τὸ μαντεῖον, καὶ τὴν μὲν χρᾶν αὐτήν, Ποσειδῶνι δὲ ὑπηρέτην ἐς τὰ μαντεύματα εἶναι Πύρκωνα. καὶ οὕτως ἔχει τὰ ἔπη:”αὐτίκα δὲ Χθονίης φωνὴ πινυτὸν φάτο μῦθον,

  σὺν δὲ τε Πύρκων ἀμφίπολος κλυτοῦ Ἐννοσιγαίου.

  “Musaeus, Eumolpiaχρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον, ὅσον τῇ Γῇ μετῆν, δοθῆναι Θέμιδι ὑπ᾽ αὐτῆς λέγουσιν, Ἀπόλλωνα δὲ παρὰ Θέμιδος λαβεῖν δωρεάν: Ποσειδῶνι δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ μαντείου Καλαύρειαν ἀντιδοῦναί φασιν αὐτὸν τὴν πρὸ Τροιζῆνος.

  [5.6] There is extant among the Greeks an hexameter poem, the name of which is Eumolpia, and it is assigned to Musaeus, son of Antiophemus. In it the poet states that the oracle belonged to Poseidon and Earth in common; that Earth gave her oracles herself, but Poseidon used Pyrcon as his mouthpiece in giving responses. The verses are these:–

  Forthwith the voice of the Earth-goddess uttered a wise word,

  And with her Pyrcon, servant of the renowned Earth-shaker. [Musaeus], Eumolpia

  They say that afterwards Earth gave her share to Themis, who gave it to Apollo as a gift. It is said that he gave to Poseidon Calaureia, that lies off Troezen, in exchange for his oracle.

  [7] ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ ὡς ἄνδρες ποιμαίνοντες ἐπιτύχοιεν τῷ μαντείῳ, καὶ ἔνθεοί τε ἐγένοντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀτμοῦ καὶ ἐμαντεύσαντο ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος. μεγίστη δὲ καὶ παρὰ πλείστων ἐς Φημονόην δόξα ἐστίν, ὡς πρόμαντις γένοιτο ἡ Φημονόη τοῦ θεοῦ πρώτη καὶ πρώτη τὸ ἑξάμετρον ᾖσεν. Βοιὼ δὲ ἐπιχωρία γυνὴ ποιήσασα ὕμνον Δελφοῖς ἔφη κατασκευάσασθαι τὸ μαντεῖον τῷ θεῷ τοὺς ἀφικομένους ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων τούς τε ἄλλους καὶ Ὠλῆνα: τοῦτον δὲ καὶ μαντεύσασθαι πρῶτον καὶ ᾁσαι πρῶτον τὸ ἑξάμετρον.

  [5.7] I have heard too that shepherds feeding their flocks came upon the oracle, were inspired by the vapor, and prophesied as the mouthpiece of Apollo. The most prevalent view, however, is that Phemonoe was the first prophetess of the god, and first sang in hexameter verse. Boeo, a native woman who composed a hymn for the Delphians, said that the oracle was established for the god by comers from the Hyperboreans, Olen and others, and that he was the first to prophesy and the first to chant the hexameter oracles.

  [8] πεποίηκε δὲ ἡ Βοιὼ τοιάδε: “ἔνθα τοι εὔμνηστον χρηστήριον ἐκτελέσαντο

  παῖδες Ὑπερβορέων Παγασὸς καὶ δῖος Ἀγυιεύς.

  “Boeo, work unknownἐπαριθμοῦσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλους τῶν Ὑπερβορέων, ἐπὶ τελευτῇ τοῦ ὕμνου τὸν Ὠλῆνα ὠνόμασεν: “Ὠλήν θ᾽, ὃς γένετο πρῶτος Φοίβοιο προφάτας,

  πρῶτος δ᾽ ἀρχαίων ἐπέων τεκτάνατ᾽ ἀοιδάν.

  “Boeo, work unknownοὐ μέντοι τά γε ἥκοντα ἐς μνήμην ἐς ἄλλον τινά, ἐς δὲ γυναικῶν μαντείαν ἀνήκει μόνων.

  [5.8] The verses of Boeo are:–

  Here in truth a mindful oracle was built

  By the sons of the Hyperboreans, Pagasus and divine Agyieus. Boeo, work unknown

  After enumerating others also of the Hyperboreans, at the end of the hymn she names Olen:–

  And Olen, who became the first prophet of Phoebus,

  And first fashioned a song of ancient verses. Boeo, work unknown

  Tradition, however, reports no other man as prophet, but makes mention of prophetesses only.

  [9] ποιηθῆναι δὲ τὸν ναὸν τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τὸ ἀρχαιότατον δάφνης φασί, κομισθῆναι δὲ τοὺς κλάδους ἀπὸ τῆς δάφνης τῆς ἐν τοῖς Τέμπεσι: καλύβης δ᾽ ἂν σχῆμα οὗτός γε ἂν εἴη παρεσχηματισμένος ὁ ναός. δεύτερα δὲ λέγουσιν οἱ Δελφοὶ γενέσθαι ὑπὸ μελισσῶν τὸν ναὸν ἀπό τε τοῦ κηροῦ τῶν μελισσῶν καὶ ἐκ πτερῶν: πεμφθῆναι δὲ ἐς Ὑπερβορέους φασὶν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος.

  [5.9] They say that the most ancient temple of Apollo was made of laurel, the branches of which were brought from the laurel in Tempe. This temple must have had the form of a hut. The Delphians say that the second temple was made by bees from bees-wax and feathers, and that it was sent to the Hyperboreans by Apollo.

  [10] λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἕτερος λόγος, ὡς τὸν ναὸν κατεσκευάσατο ἀνὴρ Δελφός, ὄνομα δὲ αὐτῷ Πτερᾶν εἶναι: κατὰ τοῦτο οὖν γενέσθαι καὶ τῷ ναῷ τοὔνομα ἀπὸ τοῦ οἰκοδομήσαντος: ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ τοῦ Πτερᾶ καὶ πόλιν Κρητικὴν προσθήκῃ γράμματος Ἀπτερεούς φασιν ὀνομάζεσθαι. τὸν γὰρ δὴ λόγον τὸν ἔχοντα ἐς τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν αὐξομένην πτέριν, ὡς ἐκ τῆς πόας ταύτης χλωρᾶς ἔτι διεπλέξαντο ναόν, οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν προσίεμαι τὸν λόγον τοῦτον.

  [5.10] Another story is current, that the temple was set up by a Delphian, whose name was Pteras, and so the temple received its name from the builder. After this Pteras, so they say, the city in Crete was named, with the addition of a letter, Apterei. The story that the temple was built of the fern (pteris) that grows on the mountains, by interweaving fresh stalks of it, I do not accept at all.

  [11] τὰ δὲ ἐς τὸν τρίτον τῶν ναῶν, ὅτι ἐγένετο ἐκ χαλκοῦ, θαῦμα οὐδέν, εἴ γε Ἀκρίσιος μὲν θάλαμον χαλκοῦν τῇ θυγατρὶ ἐποιήσατο, Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν Χαλκιοίκου καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἔτι λείπεται, Ῥωμαίοις δὲ ἡ ἀγορὰ μεγέθους ἕνεκα καὶ κατασκευῆς τῆς ἄλλης θαῦμα οὖσα παρέχεται τὸν ὄροφον χαλκοῦν: οὕτω καὶ ναὸν τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι οὐκ ἂν ἄπο γε τοῦ εἰκότος εἴη γενέσθαι χαλκοῦν.

  [5.11] It is no wonder that the third temple was made of bronze, seeing that Acrisius made a bedchamber of bronze for his daughter, the Lacedaemonians still possess a sanctuary of Athena of the Bronze House, and the Roman forum, a marvel for its size and style, possesses a roof of bronze. So it would not be unlikely that a temple of bronze was made for Apollo.

  [12] τὰ μέντοι ἄλλα με οὐκ ἔπειθεν ὁ λόγος ἢ Ἡφαίστου τὸν ναὸν τέχνην εἶναι ἢ τὰ ἐς τὰς ᾠδοὺς τὰς χρυσᾶς, ἃ δὴ Πίνδαρος
ᾖσεν ἐπ᾽ ἐκείνῳ τῷ ναῷ:”χρύσειαι δ᾽ ἐξύπερθ᾽ αἰετοῦ

  ἄειδον Κηληδόνες.

  “Pindar, work unknownοὗτος μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἐς μίμησιν ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν τῶν παρ᾽ Ὁμήρῳ Σειρήνων ἐποίησεν: οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τρόπον ὅντινα ἀφανισθῆναι συνέπεσε τῷ ναῷ, κατὰ ταὐτὰ εἰρημένα εὕρισκον: καὶ γὰρ ἐς χάσμα γῆς ἐμπεσεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπὸ πυρὸς τακῆναι λέγουσιν.

  [5.12] The rest of the story I cannot believe, either that the temple was the work of Hephaestus, or the legend about the golden singers, referred to by Pindar in his verses about this bronze temple:–

  Above the pediment sang Golden Charmers. Pindar, work unknown

  These words, it seems to me, are but an imitation of Homer’s account of the Sirens. Neither did I find the accounts agree of the way this temple disappeared. Some say that it fell into a chasm in the earth, others that it was melted by fire.

  [13] τέταρτος δὲ ὑπὸ Τροφωνίου μὲν εἰργάσθη καὶ Ἀγαμήδους, λίθου δὲ αὐτὸν ποιηθῆναι μνημονεύουσι: κατεκαύθη δὲ Ἐρξικλείδου μὲν Ἀθήνῃσιν ἄρχοντος, πρώτῳ δὲ τῆς ὀγδόης Ὀλυμπιάδος ἔτει καὶ πεντηκοστῆς, ἣν Κροτωνιάτης ἐνίκα Διόγνητος. τὸν δ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν τῷ θεῷ ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησαν μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερῶν οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες χρημάτων, ἀρχιτέκτων δέ τις Σπίνθαρος ἐγένετο αὐτοῦ Κορίνθιος.

  [5.13] The fourth temple was made by Trophonius and Agamedes; the tradition is that it was made of stone. It was burnt down in the archonship of Erxicleides at Athens, in the first year of the fifty-eighth Olympiad, when Diognetus of Crotona was victorious. The modern temple was built for the god by the Amphictyons from the sacred treasures, and the architect was one Spintharus of Corinth.

  6. πόλιν δὲ ἀρχαιοτάτην οἰκισθῆναί φασιν ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ Παρνασσοῦ, Κλεοδώρας δὲ εἶναι νύμφης παῖδα αὐτόν: καί οἱ πατέρας, καθάπερ γε καὶ ἄλλοις τῶν καλουμένων ἡρώων, Ποσειδῶνά τε θεὸν καὶ

  Κλεόπομπον ἄνδρα ἐπονομάζουσιν. ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ τῷ τε ὄρει τὸ ὄνομα τεθῆναι λέγουσι καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου Παρνασσίαν ὀνομασθῆναι νάπην: τῶν πετομένων τε ὀρνίθων * * τὴν ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν μαντείαν γενέσθαι Παρνασσοῦ τὸ εὕρημα.

  [6.1] VI. They say that the oldest city was founded here by Parnassus, a son of Cleodora, a nymph. Like the other heroes, as they are called, he had two fathers; one they say was the god Poseidon, the human father being Cleopompus. After this Parnassus were named, they say, both the mountain and also the Parnassian glen. Augury from flying birds was, it is said, a discovery of Parnassus.

  [2] ταύτην μὲν οὖν κατακλυσθῆναι τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ὄμβρων τῶν κατὰ Δευκαλίωνα συμβάντων: τῶν δὲ ἀνθρώπων ὅσοι διαφυγεῖν τὸν χειμῶνα ἠδυνήθησαν, λύκων ὠρυγαῖς ἀπεσώθησαν ἐς τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ τὰ ἄκρα ὑπὸ ἡγεμόσι τῆς πορείας τοῖς θηρίοις, πόλιν δὲ ἣν ἔκτισαν ἐκάλεσαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ Λυκώρειαν.

  [6.2] Now this city, so the story goes on, was flooded by the rains that fell in the time of Deucalion. Such of the inhabitants as were able to escape the storm were led by the howls of wolves to safety on the top of Parnassus, being led on their way by these beasts, and on this account they called the city that they founded Lycoreia (Mountainwolf-city).

  [3] λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλος διάφορος λόγος τῷ προτέρῳ, Ἀπόλλωνι ἐκ νύμφης Κωρυκίας γενέσθαι Λύκωρον, καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν Λυκώρου πόλιν Λυκώρειαν, τὸ ἄντρον δὲ ὀνομασθῆναι τὸ Κωρύκιον ἀπὸ τῆς νύμφης. λέγεται δὲ καὶ τάδε, Κελαινὼ θυγατέρα Ὑάμῳ τῷ Λυκώρου γενέσθαι, Δελφὸν δέ, ἀφ᾽ οὗ τῇ πόλει τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἐστι, Κελαινοῦς τε αὐτὸν τῆς Ὑάμου καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος εἶναι.

  [6.3] Another and different legend is current that Apollo had a son Lycorus by a nymph, Corycia, and that after Lycorus was named the city Lycoreia, and after the nymph the Corycian cave. It is also said that Celaeno was daughter to Hyamus, son of Lycorus, and that Delphus, from whom comes the present name of the city, was a son of Celaeno, daughter of Hyamus, by Apollo.

  [4] οἱ δὲ Καστάλιόν τε ἄνδρα αὐτόχθονα καὶ θυγατέρα ἐθέλουσιν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι Θυίαν, καὶ ἱερᾶσθαί τε τὴν Θυίαν Διονύσῳ πρῶτον καὶ ὄργια ἀγαγεῖν τῷ θεῷ: ἀπὸ ταύτης δὲ καὶ ὕστερον ὅσαι τῷ Διονύσῳ μαίνονται Θυιάδας καλεῖσθαι σφᾶς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων: Ἀπόλλωνος δ᾽ οὖν παῖδα καὶ Θυίας νομίζουσιν εἶναι Δελφόν. οἱ δὲ μητρὸς μὲν Μελαίνης φασὶν αὐτόν, θυγατρὸς Κηφισοῦ.

  [6.4] Others maintain that Castalius, an aboriginal, had a daughter Thyia, who was the first to be priestess of Dionysus and celebrate orgies in honor of the god. It is said that later on men called after her Thyiads all women who rave in honor of Dionysus. At any rate they hold that Delphus was a son of Apollo and Thyia. Others say that his mother was Melaena, daughter of Cephisus.

  [5] χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον καὶ Πυθὼ τὴν πόλιν, οὐ Δελφοὺς μόνον ἐκάλεσαν οἱ περιοικοῦντες, καθὰ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ πεποιημένα ἐν καταλόγῳ Φωκέων ἐστίν. οἱ μὲν δὴ γενεαλογεῖν τὰ πάντα ἐθέλοντες παῖδα εἶναι Δελφοῦ Πύθην καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου βασιλεύσαντος γενέσθαι τῇ πόλει τὸ ὄνομα ἥγηνται: λόγος δὲ ὃς ἥκει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐς τοὺς πολλούς, τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοξευθέντα σήπεσθαί φησιν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὄνομα τῇ πόλει γενέσθαι Πυθώ: πύθεσθαι γὰρ δὴ τὰ σηπόμενα οἱ τότε ἔλεγον, καὶ τοῦδε ἕνεκα Ὅμηρος πεποίηκεν ὡς ἡ τῶν Σειρήνων νῆσος ἀνάπλεως ὀστῶν εἴη, ὅτι οἱ τῆς ᾠδῆς αὐτῶν ἀκούοντες ἐπύθοντο ἄνθρωποι.

  [6.5] Afterwards the dwellers around called the city Pytho, as well as Delphi, just as Homer so calls it in the list of the Phocians. Those who would find pedigrees for everything think that Pythes was a son of Delphus, and that because he was king the city was called Pytho. But the most widespread tradition has it that the victim of Apollo’s arrows rotted here, and that this was the reason why the city received the name Pytho. For the men of those days used pythesthai for the verb “to rot,” and hence Homer in his poem says that the island of the Sirens was full of bones, because the men who heard their singing rotted (epythonto).

  [6] τὸν δὲ ἀποθανόντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ποιηταὶ μὲν δράκοντα εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ μαντείῳ φύλακα ὑπὸ Γῆς τετάχθαι φασί: λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὡς Κριοῦ δυναστεύοντος ἀνδρὸς περὶ Εὔβοιαν παῖς γένοιτο ὑβριστής,
καὶ ἐσύλησε μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἱερόν, ἐσύλησε δὲ καὶ οἴκους ἀνδρῶν εὐδαιμόνων. ὡς δὲ ἐπεστράτευε καὶ δεύτερον, ἐνταῦθα οἱ Δελφοὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα ἱκέτευον ἀμῦναί σφισι τὸν ἐπιόντα κίνδυνον:

  [6.6] The poets say that the victim of Apollo was a dragon posted by Earth to be a guard for the oracle. It is also said that he was a violent son of Crius, a man with authority around Euboea. He pillaged the sanctuary of the god, and he also pillaged the houses of rich men. But when he was making a second expedition, the Delphians besought Apollo to keep from them the danger that threatened them.

  [7] καὶ ἡ Φημονόη πρόμαντις τηνικαῦτα οὖσα ἐν ἑξαμέτρῳ σφίσιν ἔχρησεν:”ἀγχοῦ δὴ βαρὺν ἰὸν ἐπ᾽ ἀνέρι Φοῖβος ἐφήσει

  σίντῃ Παρνησσοῖο: φόνου δέ ἑ Κρήσιοι ἄνδρες

  χεῖρας ἁγιστεύσουσι: τὸ δὲ κλέος οὔ ποτ᾽ ὀλεῖται.

  “

  [6.7] Phemonoe, the prophetess of that day, gave them an oracle in hexameter verse:–

  At close quarters a grievous arrow shall Apollo shoot

  At the spoiler of Parnassus; and of his blood-guilt

  The Cretans shall cleanse his hands; but the renown shall never die.

  7. ἔοικε δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸ ἱερὸν τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβεβουλεῦσθαι πλείστων ἤδη. οὗτός τε ὁ Εὐβοεὺς λῃστὴς καὶ ἔτεσιν ὕστερον τὸ ἔθνος τὸ Φλεγυῶν, ἔτι δὲ Πύρρος ὁ Ἀχιλλέως ἐπεχείρησεν αὐτῷ, καὶ δυνάμεως μοῖρα τῆς Ξέρξου, καὶ οἱ χρόνον τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς χρήμασιν ἐπελθόντες οἱ ἐν Φωκεῦσι δυνάσται, καὶ ἡ Γαλατῶν στρατιά. ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα οὐδὲ τῆς Νέρωνος ἐς πάντα ὀλιγωρίας ἀπειράτως ἕξειν, ὃς τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα πεντακοσίας θεῶν τε ἀναμὶξ ἀφείλετο καὶ ἀνθρώπων εἰκόνας χαλκᾶς.