Pausanias Analysis

Current sentence-level mythic, historical, and other tags

Chapter 7.23

PassageSentenceBucketConfidenceGreekEnglishRationale
7.23.1 1 other high μετὰ δὲ τὸν Χάραδρον ἐρείπια οὐκ ἐπιφανῆ πόλεώς ἐστιν Ἀργυρᾶς, καὶ πηγή τε Ἀργυρᾶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς λεωφόρου καὶ Σέλεμνος ποταμὸς κατιὼν ἐς θάλασσαν. After the river Charadrus are the indistinct ruins of the city Argyras, as well as the spring Argyra, situated to the right of the main road, and the river Selemnos flowing down into the sea. A topographical description of ruins, a spring, and a river route; no mythic or historical event is narrated.
7.23.1 2 mythic high λόγος δὲ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἐς αὐτόν ἐστι, Σέλεμνον μειράκιον ὡραῖον ποιμαίνειν ἐνταῦθα, Ἀργυρᾶν δὲ εἶναι μὲν τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ νυμφῶν, ἐρασθεῖσαν δὲ αὐτὴν Σελέμνου φοιτᾶν τε ὡς αὐτόν φασιν ἐκ θαλάσσης ἀνιοῦσαν, καὶ καθεύδειν παρʼ αὐτῷ· The local inhabitants relate a story regarding this river, saying that a handsome young shepherd named Selemnos used to pasture his flock here, and that Argyra, one of the sea-nymphs, fell in love with him, and, enamored of Selemnos, she frequently came up from the sea to visit him and would sleep at his side. Explains a local myth about Selemnos and the sea-nymph Argyra, i.e. a mythic aetiology.
7.23.2 1 mythic high μετὰ δὲ οὐ πολὺν χρόνον οὔτε ὡραῖος ἔτι ἐφαίνετο Σέλεμνος οὔτε ὡς αὐτὸν φοιτήσειν ἔμελλεν ἡ νύμφη, Σέλεμνον δὲ μονωθέντα Ἀργυρᾶς καὶ τελευτήσαντα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος ἐποίησεν Ἀφροδίτη ποταμόν. But soon after, Selemnos no longer appeared handsome nor likely that the nymph would visit him again. Selemnos becomes a river through Aphrodite's action, a mythic transformation affecting the landscape.
7.23.2 2 mythic high λέγω δὲ τὰ ὑπὸ Πατρέων λεγόμενα. Having become lonely and dying from love after Argyra left him, Selemnos was transformed by Aphrodite into a river. Selemnos’ transformation by Aphrodite is a mythic etiological event affecting the landscape.
7.23.2 3 mythic high καὶ---ἤρα γὰρ καὶ ὕδωρ γενόμενος Ἀργυρᾶς, καθότι ἔχει καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀλφειῷ λόγος Ἀρεθούσης ἔτι ἐρᾶν αὐτόν---δωρεῖται καὶ τῷδε Ἀφροδίτη Σέλεμνον· I recount here what is told by the people of Patrae. Mentions Aphrodite’s gift of Seleumnus and compares it to the mythical story of Arethusa and Alpheius; this is mythic aetiology.
7.23.3 1 mythic medium ἐς λήθην ἄγει τὸν ποταμὸν Ἀργυρᾶς. The Argyra river leads into forgetfulness. A river leading into forgetfulness evokes the mythic theme of Lethe and its landscape effect.
7.23.3 2 mythic high ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ λόγον, τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σελέμνου σύμφορον καὶ ἀνδράσιν εἶναι καὶ γυναιξὶν ἐς ἔρωτος ἴαμα, λουομένοις ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ λήθην ἔρωτος γίνεσθαι. I have also heard another story concerning this river, that the water of the Selemnos is beneficial both for men and for women as a remedy for love, and that those who bathe in the river experience forgetfulness of passion. The river’s love-remedy and forgetfulness story is an etiological mythic tradition tied to the landscape.
7.23.3 3 mythic high εἰ δὲ μέτεστιν ἀληθείας τῷ λόγῳ, τιμιώτερον χρημάτων πολλῶν ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σελέμνου. If there is any truth to this story, the water of the Selemnos would be more precious to humankind than much wealth. The sentence concerns the legendary story attached to the Selemnos river water and its special value, reflecting mythic impact on the landscape.
7.23.4 1 other high ἀπωτέρω δὲ Ἀργυρᾶς ποταμός ἐστιν ὀνομαζόμενος Βολιναῖος, καὶ πόλις ποτὲ ᾠκεῖτο πρὸς αὐτῷ Βολίνα. Further on is the river Argyra, also called Bolinaeus, and beside it once stood a city called Bolina. Purely geographical/topographical description of a river and a former city site.
7.23.4 2 mythic high παρθένου δὲ ἐρασθῆναι Βολίνης Ἀπόλλωνα, τὴν δὲ φεύγουσαν ἐς τὴν ταύτῃ φασὶν ἀφεῖναι θάλασσαν αὑτήν, καὶ ἀθάνατον γενέσθαι χάριτι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος. They say Apollo fell in love with Bolina, a maiden, and as she fled from him threw herself into the sea here, thereafter becoming immortal through Apollo's favor. Apollo's love for Bolina, her leap into the sea, and becoming immortal are mythic actions and effects on the landscape.
7.23.4 3 mythic high ἐφεξῆς δὲ ἄκρα τε ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν ἔχει, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ λέγεται λόγος ὡς Κρόνος τῆς θαλάσσης ἐνταῦθα ἔρριψε τὸ δρέπανον, ᾧ τὸν πατέρα Οὐρανὸν ἐλυμήνατο· Next there is a headland projecting into the sea, and the story is told about it that Cronus cast into the sea at this spot the sickle with which he mutilated his father, Ouranos; Explains a landscape feature by reference to Cronus' mythic act against Ouranos.
7.23.4 4 other high ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄκραν Δρέπανον ὀνομάζουσιν. for this reason they also call the promontory Drepanon ("Sickle"). Explains a place-name for a promontory; this is geographical/antiquarian rather than mythic or historical.
7.23.4 5 other high ὀλίγον δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν λεωφόρον Ῥυπῶν ἐστι τὰ ἐρείπια· A short distance off the road lie the ruins of Rhypes. Purely geographical/topographical description of ruins by the road.
7.23.4 6 other high σταδίους δὲ Αἴγιον περὶ τοὺς τριάκοντα ἀπέχει Ῥυπῶν. From Rhypes to Aigion the distance is about thirty stades. A simple route/distance statement between places, with no mythic or historical event.
7.23.5 1 other high Αἰγίου δὲ τὴν χώραν διέξεισι μὲν ποταμὸς Φοῖνιξ, διέξεισι δὲ καὶ ἕτερος Μειγανίτας, ἐς θάλασσαν ῥέοντες. Through the territory of Aigion flows the river Phoenix, as also another river, the Meiganites; both rivers flow into the sea. Purely geographical description of rivers flowing through Aigion into the sea.
7.23.5 2 historical high στοὰ δὲ τῆς πόλεως πλησίον ἐποιήθη Στράτωνι ἀθλητῇ, Ὀλυμπίασιν ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τῆς αὐτῆς παγκρατίου καὶ πάλης ἀνελομένῳ νίκας. Close to the city is a portico built in honor of Straton, an athlete who won victories in the pancration and wrestling contests at Olympia on the same day. Refers to an Olympic athlete and a commemorative portico built for a post-mythic athletic victory.
7.23.5 3 historical medium αὕτη μὲν ἐγγυμνάζεσθαι τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐποιήθη· This portico was constructed to serve as a place of exercise for that man. Describes a portico built for a specific man; this is a later commemorative or practical architectural detail, not mythic.
7.23.5 4 other high Αἰγιεῦσι δὲ Εἰλειθυίας ἱερόν ἐστιν ἀρχαῖον, καὶ ἡ Εἰλείθυια ἐς ἄκρους ἐκ κεφαλῆς τοὺς πόδας ὑφάσματι κεκάλυπται λεπτῷ, ξόανον πλὴν προσώπου τε καὶ χειρῶν ἄκρων καὶ ποδῶν, ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ The people of Aigion have an ancient sanctuary of Eileithyia; the image of Eileithyia is entirely covered from head to foot with a finely woven garment, the wooden statue concealed except for the face, the tips of the hands, and the feet. Describes an ancient sanctuary and cult image, which is antiquarian/descriptive rather than mythic or historical event.
7.23.6 1 other high Πεντελησίου λίθου πεποίηται· καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ τῇ μὲν ἐς εὐθὺ ἐκτέταται, τῇ δὲ ἀνέχει δᾷδα. It is made of Pentelic marble; one hand is stretched straight forward, while the other holds up a torch. Purely descriptive material about the statue’s material and pose.
7.23.6 2 mythic high Εἰλειθυίᾳ δὲ εἰκάσαι τις ἂν εἶναι δᾷδας, ὅτι γυναιξὶν ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ πῦρ εἰσιν αἱ ὠδῖνες· One might suppose the torches are symbolic of Eileithyia, because childbirth pangs are, for women, like the flame of fire. Mentions Eileithyia and childbirth imagery, which belongs to mythic/religious explanation rather than historical or merely geographical description.
7.23.6 3 mythic high ἔχοιεν δʼ ἂν λόγον καὶ ἐπὶ τοιῷδε αἱ δᾷδες, ὅτι Εἰλείθυιά ἐστιν ἡ ἐς φῶς ἄγουσα τοὺς παῖδας. Another interpretation of torches in this context would be that Eileithyia is she who brings children into the light. Eileithyia is a mythic deity, and the sentence explains the torches by reference to her mythic role in bringing children into life/light.
7.23.6 4 other high ἔργον δὲ τοῦ Μεσσηνίου Δαμοφῶντός ἐστι τὸ ἄγαλμα. The statue is the work of Damophon of Messene. An attribution of a statue’s maker is antiquarian/descriptive, not mythic or historical.
7.23.7 1 other high τῆς δὲ Εἰλειθυίας οὐ μακρὰν Ἀσκληπιοῦ τέ ἐστι τέμενος καὶ ἀγάλματα Ὑγείας καὶ Ἀσκληπιοῦ· Not far from the sanctuary of Eileithyia is a precinct of Asclepius, containing statues of Hygieia and Asclepius. Purely topographical description of nearby sanctuaries and statues, with no event or historical claim.
7.23.7 2 other high ἰαμβεῖον δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ βάθρῳ τὸν Μεσσήνιον Δαμοφῶντα εἶναι τὸν εἰργασμένον φησίν. An inscription in verse on the pedestal states that the work was done by Damophon the Messenian. This is an inscription identifying the sculptor; it is epigraphic/descriptive, not mythic or historical narrative.
7.23.7 3 other high ἐν τούτῳ τοῦ Ἀσκληπιοῦ τῷ ἱερῷ ἐς ἀντιλογίαν ἀφίκετο ἀνήρ μοι Σιδόνιος, ὃς ἐγνωκέναι τὰ ἐς τὸ θεῖον ἔφασκε Φοίνικας καὶ τά τε ἄλλα Ἑλλήνων βέλτιον While visiting this temple of Asclepius, I became involved in a disagreement with a certain Sidonian man, who asserted that Phoenicians had superior knowledge of divine matters and especially surpassed the Greeks in this field. A visit to a temple and a reported disagreement about divine knowledge are descriptive/antiquarian, not a mythic event or a historical event after 500 BC.
7.23.7 4 mythic high καὶ δὴ καὶ Ἀσκληπιῷ πατέρα μὲν σφᾶς Ἀπόλλωνα ἐπιφημίζειν, θνητὴν δὲ γυναῖκα οὐδεμίαν μητέρα· In particular, he claimed that it was among themselves customary that Asclepius' father was Apollo, but that no mortal woman was named as his mother. Asclepius is a divine figure; the sentence concerns his parentage within mythic tradition.
7.23.8 1 mythic medium Ἀσκληπιὸν μὲν γὰρ ἀέρα γένει τε ἀνθρώπων εἶναι καὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ζῴοις ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς ὑγίειαν, Ἀπόλλωνα δὲ ἥλιον, καὶ αὐτὸν ὀρθότατα Ἀσκληπιῷ πατέρα ἐπονομάζεσθαι, ὅτι ἐς τὸ ἁρμόζον ταῖς ὥραις ποιούμενος ὁ ἥλιος τὸν δρόμον μεταδίδωσι καὶ τῷ ἀέρι ὑγιείας. For they say that Asclepius is air, existing for the race of humans and equally conducive to health for all living beings, and Apollo is the sun, being very rightly called father to Asclepius, because the sun, by making its annual path in harmony with the seasons, imparts health even to the air. Treats Asclepius and Apollo in mythic/theological explanation of nature.
7.23.8 2 other high ἐγὼ δὲ ἀποδέχεσθαι μὲν τὰ εἰρημένα, οὐδὲν δέ τι Φοινίκων μᾶλλον ἢ καὶ Ἑλλήνων ἔφην τὸν λόγον, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν Τιτάνῃ τῆς Σικυωνίων τὸ αὐτὸ ἄγαλμα Ὑγείαν τε ὀνομάζεσθαι καὶ †παιδὶ ἦν δῆλα ὡς τὸν ἡλιακὸν δρόμον ἐπὶ γῆς ὑγίειαν ποιοῦντα ἀνθρώποις. For my part, I accept what has been said, yet I maintain that this explanation belongs to Greeks as much as to Phoenicians. Philosophical/antiquarian comment about an explanation and a cult image, not a mythic event or historical event.
7.23.9 1 other high Αἰγιεῦσι δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς τε ναὸς καὶ Ἥρας ἐστὶν ἄλσος. The Aigians have a temple of Athena and a grove of Hera. A simple description of local cult buildings and grove; no mythic narrative or post-500 BC historical event.
7.23.9 2 other high Ἀθηνᾶς μὲν δὴ δύο ἀγάλματα λευκοῦ λίθου· τῆς δὲ Ἥρας τὸ ἄγαλμα ὅτι μὴ γυναιξίν, ἣ ἂν τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἔχῃ, ἄλλῳ γε δὴ οὐδενὶ ἔστι θεάσασθαι. Inside Athena's temple stand two statues made of white stone; but the image of Hera may not be viewed by anyone, except women—and then only the woman who holds the priesthood. Describes temple statues and cult access rules, not a mythic or historical event.
7.23.9 3 other high Διονύσου δὲ πρὸς τῷ θεάτρῳ πεποίηταί σφισιν ἱερὸν καὶ ἄγαλμα, οὐκ ἔχων πω γένεια. Near the theater, they have built a sanctuary and statue of Dionysus, which is represented without a beard. Describes a sanctuary and statue near the theater; this is topographical/antiquarian description, not a mythic event or historical event.
7.23.9 4 other high ἔστι δὲ καὶ Διὸς ἐπίκλησιν Σωτῆρος ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ τέμενος καὶ ἀγάλματα ἐσελθόντων ἐν ἀριστερᾷ, χαλκοῦ μὲν ἀμφότερα, τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἔχον πω γένεια ἐφαίνετο ἀρχαιότερον εἶναί μοι. In the marketplace there is also a precinct sacred to Zeus surnamed Soter (the Savior), and on the left as one enters are two bronze statues; of these two statues, the beardless one appeared to me to be the more ancient. Purely descriptive account of a sanctuary and statues in the marketplace; no mythic or post-500 BC historical event.
7.23.10 1 other high ἐν δὲ οἰκήματι κατευθὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ, χαλκοῦ καὶ ταῦτα, ἔστι μὲν Ποσειδῶν καὶ Ἡρακλῆς, ἐστι δὲ Ζεύς τε καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ· And within a building directly along the road there are also bronze statues: Poseidon and Heracles, and Zeus with Athena. A descriptive inventory of statues in a building along the road, with no event or mythic/historical narrative.
7.23.10 2 other high θεοὺς δὲ σφᾶς καλοῦσιν ἐξ Ἄργους, ὡς μὲν ὁ Ἀργείων ἔχει λόγος, ὅτι ἐποιήθησαν ἐν τῇ πόλει τῇ Ἀργείων, ὡς δὲ αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν οἱ Αἰγιεῖς, παρακαταθήκη σφίσιν ὑπὸ Ἀργείων ἐδόθη τὰ ἀγάλματα. They call these gods "from Argos," according to the Argive tradition, because their statues were fashioned in the city of Argos; but according to the Aegians themselves, the images were deposited with them in trust by the Argives. Antiquarian explanation of cult-images' origin and local tradition; not a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event.
7.23.11 1 historical medium καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ τάδε ἔτι προσταχθῆναί φασιν, ἑκάστῃ τοῖς ἀγάλμασιν ἡμέρᾳ θύειν· They say that the following additional command was also placed upon them—to offer sacrifice daily to the statues. Refers to an imposed cultic command tied to statues, not a mythic event; it concerns a later human practice.
7.23.11 2 other high αὐτοὶ δὲ σόφισμα εὑρόντες θύειν μὲν πλεῖστα ὅσα, κατευωχουμένοις δὲ τὰ ἱερεῖα ἐν κοινῷ ἀνάλωμα οὐδὲν ἐς αὐτὰ γίνεσθαι· But they devised a clever trick, for although they sacrificed a great deal indeed, they feasted together upon the sacrificial animals, with the result that there was no expense incurred by them for these sacrifices. Describes an economic/practical arrangement in sacrificial feasting, not a mythic event or a post-500 BC historical event.
7.23.11 3 historical medium τέλος δὲ ἀπαιτεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀργείων καὶ αὐτοὺς τὰ ἐς τὰς θυσίας ἀναλούμενα ἀπαιτεῖν· Eventually, however, the Argives demanded payment from them, and in turn they demanded to be reimbursed for the expenses incurred from the sacrifices. Describes a financial dispute between Argives and another group; this is post-mythic historical or antiquarian material rather than mythic event.
7.23.11 4 historical high τοὺς δὲ---οὐ γὰρ ἔχειν ἐκτῖσαι---καταλιπεῖν σφισιν αὐτοὺς τὰ ἀγάλματα. But, as the Argives were unable to pay, they left the statues themselves in their possession. Refers to Argives failing to pay an indemnity and leaving statues behind, a post-myth, historical transaction.