Pausanias Analysis

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Chapter 5.14

PassageSentenceBucketConfidenceGreekEnglishRationale
5.14.1 1 other high ὁ δὲ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ βωμὸς παρέχεται καὶ ἄλλο τοιόνδε ἐς θαῦμα· The altar in Olympia offers another marvel of the following kind. Describes an altar in Olympia and introduces a marvel; this is antiquarian/descriptive rather than a mythic event or historical event.
5.14.1 2 other high οἱ γὰρ ἰκτῖνες πεφυκότες ἁρπάζειν μάλιστα ὀρνίθων ἀδικοῦσιν οὐδὲν ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τοὺς θύοντας· Kites, which by nature especially snatch meat from birds, commit no harm against those sacrificing at Olympia. Describes animal behavior at Olympia and a local cultic observation, not a mythic or historical event.
5.14.1 3 other high ἢν δὲ ἁρπάσῃ ποτὲ ἰκτῖνος ἤτοι σπλάγχνα ἢ τῶν κρεῶν, νενόμισται τῷ θύοντι οὐκ αἴσιον εἶναι τὸ σημεῖον. But if ever a kite does seize either entrails or pieces of the flesh, it is thought by the sacrificer to be an unfavorable omen. Describes a sacrificial omen and ritual belief, not a mythic tale or historical event.
5.14.1 4 mythic high φασὶ δὲ Ἡρακλεῖ τῷ Ἀλκμήνης θύοντι ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ διʼ ὄχλου μάλιστα γενέσθαι τὰς μυίας· They say that when Heracles, the son of Alcmene, was sacrificing at Olympia, flies became especially troublesome due to their multitude. Heracles is a mythic figure, and the sentence reports a mythic episode at Olympia.
5.14.1 5 mythic high ἐξευρόντα οὖν αὐτὸν ἢ καὶ ὑπʼ ἄλλου διδαχθέντα Ἀπομυίῳ θῦσαι Διί, καὶ οὕτως ἀποτραπῆναι τὰς μυίας πέραν τοῦ Ἀλφειοῦ. Therefore, having himself either discovered the solution or been taught it by someone else, he sacrificed to Zeus Apomyios ("Fly-driver"), and thus the flies departed, being driven beyond the Alpheios. Sacrifice to Zeus Apomyios and the miraculous driving off of flies is a mythic etiological event affecting the landscape.
5.14.1 6 other high λέγονται δὲ κατὰ ταὐτὰ καὶ Ἠλεῖοι θύειν τῷ Ἀπομυίῳ Διί, ἐξελαύνοντες τῆς Ἠλείας Ὀλυμπίας τὰς μυίας. For this very reason, it is said, the Eleans themselves perform sacrifices to Zeus Apomyios, driving the flies away from Olympia in Elis. Describes a cult practice and local explanatory detail about flies at Olympia, not a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event.
5.14.2 1 mythic high τῆς δὲ λεύκης μόνης τοῖς ξύλοις ἐς τοῦ Διὸς τὰς θυσίας καὶ ἀπʼ οὐδενὸς δένδρου τῶν ἄλλων οἱ Ἠλεῖοι χρῆσθαι νομίζουσι, κατʼ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν προτιμῶντες ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν τὴν λεύκην, ὅτι δὲ Ἡρακλῆς ἐκόμισεν αὐτὴν ἐς Ἕλληνας ἐκ τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος χώρας. Only the wood of the white poplar do the Eleans regard as appropriate for sacrifices to Zeus, making use of no other tree whatsoever. Explains a cult practice by reference to Heracles bringing the white poplar from Thesprotia, a mythic origin story.
5.14.2 2 mythic high καί μοι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ἐφαίνετο, ἡνίκα τῷ Διὶ ἔθυεν ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ, τῶν ἱερείων τὰ μηρία ἐπὶ λεύκης καῦσαι ξύλων· To my thinking, their preference for the white poplar is based not on any quality peculiar to the tree itself but because Heracles brought it to Greece from the land of Thesprotia. Heracles is a mythic figure, and the sentence explains a cultic preference as caused by his mythic action in bringing the tree to Greece.
5.14.2 3 mythic high τὴν δὲ λεύκην ὁ Ἡρακλῆς πεφυκυῖαν παρὰ τὸν Ἀχέροντα εὗρε τὸν ἐν Θεσπρωτίᾳ ποταμόν, καὶ τοῦδε ἕνεκά φασιν αὐτὴν Ἀχερωίδα ὑπὸ Ὁμήρου καλεῖσθαι. It seemed to me that Heracles himself employed its wood when sacrificing to Zeus at Olympia, burning upon white poplar wood the thighs of the sacrificial victims. Heracles finding the white poplar by the Acheron is a mythic aetiology tied to the landscape and Homeric naming.
5.14.3 1 other high εἶχον δὲ ἄρα καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ ἐς τόδε ἔχουσιν οὐ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδείως πρὸς γένεσιν πόας τε καὶ δένδρων· ἀλλὰ πλεῖσται μὲν ὑπὸ Μαιάνδρου μυρῖκαι καὶ μάλιστα αὔξονται, Ἀσωπὸς δὲ ὁ Βοιώτιος βαθυτάτας πέφυκεν ἐκτρέφειν τὰς σχοίνους, τὸ δένδρον δὲ ἡ περσεία μόνου χαίρει τοῦ Νείλου τῷ ὕδατι. From the beginning, rivers have had, and still have now, different qualities, each suited differently to nourishing grasses and trees; thus, great numbers of tamarisks grow most abundantly beside the Maeander; the Boeotian Asopus is naturally best at growing the tallest reeds; and as a tree, the Egyptian persea delights solely in the waters of the Nile. Describes rivers and trees and their natural qualities, not mythic or historical events.
5.14.3 2 other high οὕτω καὶ τὴν λεύκην θαῦμα οὐδὲν καὶ αἴγειρόν τε καὶ κότινον, τὴν μὲν ἐπὶ Ἀχέροντι ἀναφῦναι πρώτῳ, κότινον δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀλφειῷ, τὴν δὲ αἴγειρον γῆς τῆς τῶν Κελτῶν καὶ Ἠριδανοῦ τοῦ Κελτικοῦ θρέμμα εἶναι. So too, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the white poplar first appeared beside the Acheron, the wild olive by the Alpheios, and that the black poplar should be native to the land of the Celts and the Celtic Eridanus. Geographical/antiquarian description of where trees are said to originate, not a mythic event or historical event.
5.14.4 1 other high φέρε δή, ἐποιησάμεθα γὰρ βωμοῦ τοῦ μεγίστου μνήμην, ἐπέλθωμεν καὶ τὰ ἐς ἅπαντας ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τοὺς βωμούς· Come then—since I have already mentioned the altar of Zeus the Greatest—let us proceed to enumerate all the altars at Olympia. A transitional, descriptive remark introducing a list of altars at Olympia; not a mythic or historical event.
5.14.4 2 other high ἐπακολουθήσει δὲ ὁ λόγος μοι τῇ ἐς αὐτοὺς τάξει, καθʼ ἥντινα Ἠλεῖοι θύειν ἐπὶ τῶν βωμῶν νομίζουσι. My account shall follow the very order in which the Eleans customarily sacrifice upon these altars. Describes the order of ritual sacrifice and narrative arrangement, not a mythic or historical event.
5.14.4 3 other high θύουσι δὲ Ἑστίᾳ μὲν πρώτῃ, δευτέρῳ δὲ τῷ Ὀλυμπίῳ Διὶ ἰόντες ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν τὸν ἐντὸς τοῦ ναοῦ, τρίτα δὲ Λαοίτᾳ Διὶ καὶ Ποσειδῶνι Λαοίτᾳ· ἐπὶ ἑνὸς βωμοῦ καὶ αὕτη καθέστηκεν ἡ θυσία. First they sacrifice to Hestia, secondly to Olympian Zeus as they approach his altar within the temple, and thirdly to Zeus Laoitas and Poseidon Laoitas; this sacrifice is also offered upon a single altar. Ritual practice and altar arrangement; descriptive cult detail rather than a mythic or historical event.
5.14.5 1 other high τέταρτα καὶ πέμπτα Ἀρτέμιδι θύουσι καὶ Ληίτιδι Ἀθηνᾷ, ἕκτα Ἐργάνῃ· On the fourth and fifth days they sacrifice to Artemis and to Athena surnamed Leitis, and on the sixth to Athena Ergane. Describes ritual sacrifice schedule and cult epithets, not a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event.
5.14.5 2 other high ταύτῃ τῇ Ἐργάνῃ καὶ οἱ ἀπόγονοι Φειδίου, καλούμενοι δὲ φαιδρυνταί, γέρας παρὰ Ἠλείων εἰληφότες τοῦ Διὸς τὸ ἄγαλμα ἀπὸ τῶν προσιζανόντων καθαίρειν, οὗτοι θύουσιν ἐνταῦθα πρὶν ἢ λαμπρύνειν τὸ ἄγαλμα ἄρχονται. It is Athena Ergane to whom the descendants of Pheidias—called the Phaidryntai—offer sacrifice here before they begin to clean the statue of Zeus, having received from the Eleans the privilege of cleansing the statue from any impurities that have settled upon it. Describes a cult practice and priestly privilege at Olympia, not a mythic event or historical narrative.
5.14.5 3 other high ἔστι δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ ἄλλος βωμὸς πλησίον τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος παρʼ αὐτὸν τετράγωνος ἀνήκων ἠρέμα ἐς ὕψος. There is also another altar of Athena near the temple, and beside it is a square altar of Artemis, gently rising upwards. Purely descriptive note about altars and their placement near a temple; no mythic event or historical event is narrated.
5.14.6 1 other high μετὰ δὲ τοὺς κατειλεγμένους Ἀλφειῷ καὶ Ἀρτέμιδι θύουσιν ἐπὶ ἑνὸς βωμοῦ· After those mentioned above, they sacrifice to Alpheios and Artemis upon a single altar. Describes a cult practice and altar arrangement, not a mythic event or historical event after 500 BC.
5.14.6 2 other high τὸ δὲ αἴτιον τούτου παρεδήλωσε μέν που καὶ Πίνδαρος ἐν ᾠδῇ, γράφομεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τοῖς Λετριναίοις. The reason for this has been made clear by Pindar somewhere in an ode; and I myself have also written about it in my account of the Letrinians. This is an antiquarian reference to Pindar and the author's own discussion, not a narrated myth or historical event.
5.14.6 3 other high τούτου δὲ οὐ πόρρω καὶ ἄλλος τῷ Ἀλφειῷ βωμὸς πεποίηται, παρὰ δὲ αὐτόν ἐστιν Ἡφαίστου· Not far from this altar stands another dedicated to Alpheios, and close beside it is one of Hephaestus. Describes nearby altars and their placement; purely topographical/descriptive.
5.14.6 4 other high τοῦ δὲ Ἡφαίστου τὸν βωμόν εἰσιν Ἠλείων οἳ ὀνομάζουσιν Ἀρείου Διός· Some of the Eleans, however, call this altar of Hephaestus the altar of Ares Zeus. A descriptive antiquarian note about local naming of an altar, not an event.
5.14.6 5 mythic high λέγουσι δὲ οἱ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι καὶ ὡς Οἰνόμαος ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ τούτου θύοι τῷ Ἀρείῳ Διί, ὁπότε τῶν Ἱπποδαμείας μνηστήρων καθίστασθαι μέλλοι τινὶ ἐς ἵππων ἅμιλλαν. These same Eleans also say that Oenomaus offered sacrifice on this altar to Ares Zeus whenever he was about to contend in chariot-racing with one of Hippodameia's suitors. Oenomaus and Hippodameia’s suitors belong to the mythic cycle, and the altar is linked to that mythic story.
5.14.7 1 mythic high μετὰ τοῦτον πεποίηται μὲν Ἡρακλεῖ βωμὸς ἐπίκλησιν Παραστάτῃ, πεποίηται δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς Ἐπιμήδει καὶ Ἴδᾳ καὶ Παιωναίῳ τε καὶ Ἰάσῳ· Next to this has been made an altar to Heracles, surnamed Parastates ("Protector"), and altars have also been erected for Epimedes, Ida, Paeonaeus, and Iasus, who were brothers of Heracles. Heracles and his brothers are mythic figures, and the sentence describes altars dedicated to them.
5.14.7 2 other high τὸν δὲ τοῦ Ἴδα βωμὸν Ἀκεσίδα ὑπὸ ἑτέρων οἶδα καλούμενον. I know, however, that Ida's altar is called Acesidas by some. A naming/antiquarian note about an altar; no event is being narrated.
5.14.7 3 mythic high ἔνθα δὲ τῆς οἰκίας τὰ θεμέλιά ἐστι τῆς Οἰνομάου, δύο ἐνταῦθά εἰσι βωμοί, Διός τε Ἑρκείου ---τοῦτον ὁ Οἰνόμαος ἐφαίνετο αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσασθαι ---, τῷ δὲ Κεραυνίῳ Διὶ ὕστερον ἐποιήσαντο ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν βωμόν, ὅτʼ ἐς τοῦ Οἰνομάου τὴν οἰκίαν κατέσκηψεν ὁ κεραυνός. At the site where the foundations of Oenomaus' house stood, there are two altars: one of Zeus Herkeios ("Protector of the Household"), which is said to have been built by Oenomaus himself; and another, to Zeus Keraunios ("Zeus of the Thunderbolt"), erected later, in my opinion, when the thunderbolt fell upon the house of Oenomaus. Explains altars linked to Oenomaus and a thunderbolt striking his house, a mythic etiological event affecting the landscape.
5.14.8 1 other high τὰ δὲ ἐς τὸν μέγαν βωμὸν ὀλίγῳ μέν τι ἡμῖν πρότερόν ἐστιν εἰρημένα, καλεῖται δὲ Ὀλυμπίου Διός· We have already given a brief account earlier of the great altar, called that of Olympian Zeus. Describes a known altar and repeats earlier account; purely descriptive/antiquarian, not an event.
5.14.8 2 other high πρὸς αὐτῷ δέ ἐστιν Ἀγνώστων θεῶν βωμὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Καθαρσίου Διὸς καὶ Νίκης καὶ αὖθις Διὸς ἐπωνυμίαν Χθονίου. Near it stands an altar of the Unknown gods, and after that one, altars dedicated to Zeus Katharsios ("the Purifier"), to Nike ("Victory"), and then again to Zeus under the surname Chthonius ("of the Underworld"). Describes altars and their placement near a site; this is topographical/antiquarian rather than a mythic event or historical event.
5.14.8 3 mythic medium εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ θεῶν πάντων βωμοὶ καὶ Ἥρας ἐπίκλησιν Ὀλυμπίας, πεποιημένος τέφρας καὶ οὗτος· Κλυμένου δέ φασιν αὐτὸν ἀνάθημα εἶναι. There are also altars to all the gods collectively, and to Hera surnamed Olympia; this one too, like the others, is made of ashes, and is said to have been dedicated by Clymenus. An altar said to be dedicated by Clymenus belongs to legendary/mythic antiquarian tradition.
5.14.8 4 mythic high μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Ἑρμοῦ βωμός ἐστιν ἐν κοινῷ, διότι Ἑρμῆν λύρας, Ἀπόλλωνα δὲ εὑρέτην εἶναι κιθάρας Ἑλλήνων ἐστὶν ἐς αὐτοὺς λόγος. After it is an altar shared by Apollo and Hermes in common, because the Greeks say Hermes invented the lyre, while Apollo discovered the kithara. Explains a cult altar by reference to Hermes and Apollo's mythic invention of musical instruments.
5.14.9 1 other high ἐφεξῆς δὲ Ὁμονοίας βωμὸς καὶ αὖθις Ἀθηνᾶς, ὁ δὲ Μητρὸς θεῶν. Next is an altar of Concord, then again one of Athena, and another of the Mother of the Gods. Lists altars and their sequence in the city; purely descriptive/topographical.
5.14.9 2 other high τῆς ἐσόδου δὲ τῆς ἐς τὸ στάδιόν εἰσιν ἐγγύτατα βωμοὶ δύο· τὸν μὲν αὐτῶν Ἑρμοῦ καλοῦσιν Ἐναγωνίου, τὸν δὲ ἕτερον Καιροῦ. Closest to the entrance to the stadium are two altars; one of these they name Hermes Enagonios ("of the Contest"), and the other Kairos ("Opportunity"). Describes altars and their location at the stadium entrance, a topographical/antiquarian detail rather than a mythic or historical event.
5.14.9 3 mythic high Ἴωνι δὲ οἶδα τῷ Χίῳ καὶ ὕμνον πεποιημένον Καιροῦ· γενεαλογεῖ δὲ ἐν τῷ ὕμνῳ νεώτατον παίδων Διὸς Καιρὸν εἶναι. I know that Ion the Chian composed a hymn to Kairos, and in that hymn he makes Kairos the youngest son of Zeus. Refers to Kairos as a divine son of Zeus and a hymn's mythic genealogy.
5.14.9 4 other high πλησίον δὲ τοῦ Σικυωνίων θησαυροῦ ἤτοι Κουρήτων ἢ τοῦ Ἀλκμήνης ἐστὶν Ἡρακλέους· λέγεται γὰρ καὶ ἀμφότερα. Near the treasury of the Sicyonians there is the treasury either of the Curetes or of Alcmene, mother of Heracles; for both accounts are told. Describes the location of treasuries and reports variant identifications; this is antiquarian/topographical, not an event.
5.14.10 1 other high ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ Γαίῳ καλουμένῳ, βωμός ἐστιν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Γῆς, τέφρας καὶ οὗτος· Upon the place called Gaios there stands an altar to Earth, also made of ashes. Topographical description of an altar at a named place; no mythic or historical event.
5.14.10 2 mythic high τὰ δὲ ἔτι ἀρχαιότερα καὶ μαντεῖον τῆς Γῆς αὐτόθι εἶναι λέγουσιν. Older traditions say that there was once an oracle of Earth there. An oracle of Earth belongs to archaic mythic/religious tradition and concerns a legendary sacred site.
5.14.10 3 other high ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου Στομίου Θέμιδι ὁ βωμὸς πεποίηται. On the summit called Stomion is an altar constructed for Themis. Purely topographical/descriptive statement about an altar’s location; no event is narrated.
5.14.10 4 other high τοῦ δὲ Καταιβάτου Διὸς προβέβληται μὲν πανταχόθεν πρὸ τοῦ βωμοῦ φράγμα, ἔστι δὲ πρὸς τῷ βωμῷ τῷ ἀπὸ τῆς τέφρας τῷ μεγάλῳ. Around every side of the altar of Zeus Kataibates stands an enclosure; this altar is close to the great altar of ashes. Describes the altar’s enclosure and its location relative to another altar; purely topographical/descriptive.
5.14.10 5 other high μεμνήσθω δέ τις οὐ κατὰ στοῖχον τῆς ἱδρύσεως ἀριθμουμένους τοὺς βωμούς, τῇ δὲ τάξει τῇ Ἠλείων ἐς τὰς θυσίας συμπερινοστοῦντα ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον. Let someone bear in mind that my enumeration of the altars is not according to their positioning, but follows the order in which the Eleans make their sacrifices. Methodological note about ordering of altars and sacrifices, not an event or mythic/historical claim.
5.14.10 6 other high πρὸς δὲ τῷ τεμένει τοῦ Πέλοπος Διονύσου μὲν καὶ Χαρίτων ἐν κοινῷ, μεταξὺ δὲ αὐτῶν Μουσῶν καὶ ἐφεξῆς τούτων Νυμφῶν ἐστι βωμός. Near the precinct of Pelops there is a common altar of Dionysus and the Graces, with an altar of the Muses between them, and next in order comes an altar dedicated to the Nymphs. Topographical description of altars near Pelops’ precinct; no event is narrated.