Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.35.1 Class: Mythic

πλησίον δὲ αὐτοῦ Διονύσου ναὸς Μελαναίγιδος· τούτῳ μουσικῆς ἀγῶνα κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον ἄγουσι, καὶ ἁμίλλης κολύμβου καὶ πλοίων τιθέασιν ἆθλα· καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος ἐπίκλησιν Ἰφιγενείας ἐστὶν ἱερὸν καὶ Ποσειδῶν χαλκοῦς τὸν ἕτερον πόδα ἔχων ἐπὶ δελφῖνος. παρελθοῦσι δὲ ἐς τὸ τῆς Ἑστίας, ἄγαλμα μέν ἐστιν οὐδέν, βωμὸς δέ·

Proper Nouns:

Διόνυσος Μελαναίγις Ποσειδῶν Ἄρτεμις Ἑστία Ἰφιγένεια

Near it is a sanctuary of Dionysus called Melanaigis; for him they celebrate annually a musical contest, and they offer prizes also for competition in swimming and boat-races. There is also a temple of Artemis surnamed Iphigenia, and a bronze statue of Poseidon standing with one foot upon a dolphin. Passing into the sanctuary of Hestia, there is no image present, only an altar.

Passage 2.35.2 Class: Mythic

καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ θύουσιν Ἑστίᾳ. Ἀπόλλωνος δέ εἰσι ναοὶ τρεῖς καὶ ἀγάλματα τρία· καὶ τῷ μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπίκλησις, τὸν δὲ Πυθαέα οὕτως ὀνομάζουσι, καὶ Ὅριον τὸν τρίτον. τὸ μὲν δὴ τοῦ Πυθαέως ὄνομα μεμαθήκασι παρὰ Ἀργείων· τούτοις γὰρ Ἑλλήνων πρώτοις ἀφικέσθαι Τελέσιλλά φησι τὸν Πυθαέα ἐς τὴν χώραν Ἀπόλλωνος παῖδα ὄντα· τὸν δὲ Ὅριον ἐφʼ ὅτῳ καλοῦσιν, σαφῶς μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμι εἰπεῖν, τεκμαίρομαι δὲ περὶ γῆς ὅρων πολέμῳ σφᾶς ἢ δίκῃ νικήσαντας ἐπὶ τῷδε τιμὰς Ἀπόλλωνι Ὁρίῳ νεῖμαι.

Proper Nouns:

Πυθαεύς Τελέσιλλα Ἀπόλλων Ἀργεῖοι Ἑστία Ὅριος

Upon it they sacrifice to Hestia. There are three temples and three statues of Apollo. One of these has no special epithet, another they name Pytheus, and the third is called Horios ("of Boundaries"). They learned the name Pytheus from the Argives, for, according to Telesilla, Pytheus, a son of Apollo, was the first among the Greeks to come to their land. As for the one they call Horios, I cannot say precisely why they gave him this name, but I conjecture that they so honored Apollo under the title "Horios" after winning, whether by war or in arbitration, some dispute over territorial boundaries.

Passage 2.35.3 Class: Historical

τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τῆς Τύχης νεώτατον μὲν λέγουσιν Ἑρμιονεῖς τῶν παρά σφισιν εἶναι, λίθου δὲ Παρίου κολοσσὸς ἕστηκεν. κρήνας δὲ τὴν μὲν σφόδρα ἔχουσιν ἀρχαίαν, ἐς δὲ αὐτὴν οὐ φανερῶς τὸ ὕδωρ κάτεισιν, ἐπιλείποι δὲ οὐκ ἄν ποτε, οὐδʼ εἰ πάντες καταβάντες ὑδρεύοιντο ἐξ αὐτῆς· τὴν δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν πεποιήκασιν, ὄνομα δέ ἐστιν τῷ χωρίῳ Λειμών, ὅθεν ῥεῖ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐς αὐτήν.

Proper Nouns:

Λειμών Πάριος Τύχη Ἑρμιονεύς

The sanctuary of Tyche, according to the Hermioneans, is the most recent among the temples in their city, and in it stands a colossal statue made from Parian marble. They possess one very ancient spring, into which the water flows down invisibly. It would never run dry, even if all the people descended at once to draw water from it. Another spring was constructed in our own times; the place from which its water flows into it is called Leimon ("Meadow").

Passage 2.35.4 Class: Mythic

τὸ δὲ λόγου μάλιστα ἄξιον ἱερὸν Δήμητρός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ Πρωνός. τοῦτο τὸ ἱερὸν Ἑρμιονεῖς μὲν Κλύμενον Φορωνέως παῖδα καὶ ἀδελφὴν Κλυμένου Χθονίαν τοὺς ἱδρυσαμένους φασὶν εἶναι. Ἀργεῖοι δέ, ὅτε ἐς τὴν Ἀργολίδα ἦλθε Δημήτηρ, τότε Ἀθέραν μὲν λέγουσι καὶ Μύσιον ὡς ξενίαν παράσχοιεν τῇ θεῷ, Κολόνταν δὲ οὔτε οἴκῳ δέξασθαι τὴν θεὸν οὔτε ἀπονεῖμαί τι ἄλλο ἐς τιμήν· ταῦτα δὲ οὐ κατὰ γνώμην Χθονίᾳ τῇ θυγατρὶ ποιεῖν αὐτόν. Κολόνταν μὲν οὖν φασιν ἀντὶ τούτων συγκαταπρησθῆναι τῇ οἰκίᾳ, Χθονίαν δὲ κομισθεῖσαν ἐς Ἑρμιόνα ὑπὸ Δήμητρος Ἑρμιονεῦσι ποιῆσαι τὸ ἱερόν.

Proper Nouns:

Δήμητρα Δήμητρα Δήμητρα Κλύμενος Κλύμενος Κολόντας Μύσιος Πρῶνος Φορωνεύς Χθονία Χθονία Ἀθέρας Ἀργεῖος Ἀργολίς Ἑρμιονεύς Ἑρμιονεύς Ἑρμιόνη

The sanctuary most worthy of mention is that of Demeter on Pron. According to the people of Hermione, this sanctuary was founded by Clymenus, the son of Phoroneus, and by Clymenus' sister Chthonia. But the Argives say that when Demeter came into the Argolis, Atheras and Mysius offered hospitality to the goddess, while Colontas neither welcomed her into his house nor showed her any other form of honor—and in so doing acted against the wishes of his daughter, Chthonia. For this, they say, Colontas was consumed by fire along with his house; but Chthonia was taken by Demeter to Hermione, where she established this sanctuary for the people of Hermione.

Passage 2.35.5 Class: Historical

Χθονία δʼ οὖν ἡ θεός τε αὐτὴ καλεῖται καὶ Χθόνια ἑορτὴν κατὰ ἔτος ἄγουσιν ὥρᾳ θέρους, ἄγουσι δὲ οὕτως. ἡγοῦνται μὲν αὐτοῖς τῆς πομπῆς οἵ τε ἱερεῖς τῶν θεῶν καὶ ὅσοι τὰς ἐπετείους ἀρχὰς ἔχουσιν, ἕπονται δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες. τοῖς δὲ καὶ παισὶν ἔτι οὖσι καθέστηκεν ἤδη τὴν θεὸν τιμᾶν τῇ πομπῇ· οὗτοι λευκὴν ἐσθῆτα καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς κεφαλαῖς ἔχουσι στεφάνους. πλέκονται δὲ οἱ στέφανοί σφισιν ἐκ τοῦ ἄνθους ὃ καλοῦσιν οἱ ταύτῃ κοσμοσάνδαλον, ὑάκινθον ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ὄντα καὶ μεγέθει καὶ χρόᾳ· ἔπεστι δέ οἱ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῷ θρήνῳ γράμματα.

Proper Nouns:

Χθονία

The goddess herself is called Chthonia, and each year they celebrate a festival called the Chthonia during summertime, which they perform in this manner. Leading their procession are the priests of the gods and those who hold annual offices, followed by men and women. Even the children take part in honoring the goddess by joining the procession; they wear white garments and wreaths on their heads. Their wreaths are woven from the flower that the locals call kosmosandalon, which, in my view, resembles a hyacinth both in size and color; it even bears the same markings found in the lament associated with the hyacinth.

Passage 2.35.6 Class: Historical

τοῖς δὲ τὴν πομπὴν πέμπουσιν ἕπονται τελείαν ἐξ ἀγέλης βοῦν ἄγοντες διειλημμένην δεσμοῖς τε καὶ ὑβρίζουσαν ἔτι ὑπὸ ἀγριότητος. ἐλάσαντες δὲ πρὸς τὸν ναὸν οἱ μὲν ἔσω φέρεσθαι τὴν βοῦν ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν ἀνῆκαν ἐκ τῶν δεσμῶν, ἕτεροι δὲ ἀναπεπταμένας ἔχοντες τέως τὰς θύρας, ἐπειδὰν τὴν βοῦν ἴδωσιν ἐντὸς τοῦ ναοῦ, προσέθεσαν τὰς θύρας.

Proper Nouns:

ναός ἱερόν

Those conducting the procession are followed by others leading a full-grown cow chosen from the herd, bound in ropes and still violent from its wildness. Once they have driven it towards the temple, some loosen the ropes to let the cow run inside the sanctuary, while others, who until then hold the doors open wide, shut them as soon as they see the cow enter within.

Passage 2.35.7 Class: Mythic

τέσσαρες δὲ ἔνδον ὑπολειπόμεναι γρᾶες, αὗται τὴν βοῦν εἰσιν αἱ κατεργαζόμεναι· δρεπάνῳ γὰρ ἥτις ἂν τύχῃ τὴν φάρυγγα ὑπέτεμε τῆς βοός. μετὰ δὲ αἱ θύραι τε ἠνοίχθησαν καὶ προσελαύνουσιν οἷς ἐπιτέτακται βοῦν δὲ δευτέραν καὶ τρίτην ἐπὶ ταύτῃ καὶ ἄλλην τετάρτην. κατεργάζονταί τε δὴ πάσας κατὰ ταὐτὰ αἱ γρᾶες καὶ τόδε ἄλλο πρόσκειται τῇ θυσίᾳ θαῦμα· ἐφʼ ἥντινα γὰρ ἂν πέσῃ τῶν πλευρῶν ἡ πρώτη βοῦς, ἀνάγκη πεσεῖν καὶ πάσας.

Proper Nouns:

δρέπανον

Inside remain four old women whose duty it is to dispatch the cow; for one of them, whoever happens to do so, cuts the throat of the cow with a sickle. Thereupon the doors are opened, and those who are appointed bring forward a second cow, and upon this a third, and another, a fourth. The old women then dispatch them all in the same manner. Moreover, a further marvel accompanies the sacrifice: whichever side the first cow falls upon, all the others must necessarily fall upon that same side.

Passage 2.35.8 Class: Historical

θυσία μὲν δρᾶται τοῖς Ἑρμιονεῦσι τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον· πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ γυναικῶν ἱερασαμένων τῇ Δήμητρι εἰκόνες ἑστήκασιν οὐ πολλαί, καὶ παρελθόντι ἔσω θρόνοι τέ εἰσιν, ἐφʼ ὧν αἱ γρᾶες ἀναμένουσιν ἐσελαθῆναι καθʼ ἑκάστην τῶν βοῶν, καὶ ἀγάλματα οὐκ ἄγαν ἀρχαῖα Ἀθηνᾶ καὶ Δημήτηρ. αὐτὸ δὲ ὃ σέβουσιν ἐπὶ πλέον ἢ τἄλλα, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ εἶδον, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἀνὴρ ἄλλος οὔτε ξένος οὔτε Ἑρμιονέων αὐτῶν· μόναι δὲ ὁποῖόν τί ἐστιν αἱ γρᾶες ἴστωσαν.

Proper Nouns:

Δήμητρἰ Δημήτηρ Ἀθηνᾶ Ἑρμιονεύς Ἑρμιονεύς

The sacrifice at Hermione is performed in the manner described above. Before the temple stand a few statues, dedicated by women who once served as priestesses of Demeter. Upon entering, there are seats on which the old women sit, awaiting the successive driving-in of each cow. Here also are statues, not particularly ancient, representing Athena and Demeter. But as for that object which they revere above all else, neither I myself have seen it, nor indeed has any other man, whether foreigner or citizen of Hermione itself; only the elderly women alone know what manner of thing it is.

Passage 2.35.9 Class: Mythic

ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος ναός· εἰκόνες δὲ περὶ πάντα ἑστήκασιν αὐτόν. οὗτος ὁ ναός ἐστιν ἀπαντικρὺ τοῦ τῆς Χθονίας, καλεῖται δὲ Κλυμένου, καὶ τῷ Κλυμένῳ θύουσιν ἐνταῦθα. Κλύμενον δὲ οὐκ ἄνδρα Ἀργεῖον ἐλθεῖν ἔγωγε ἐς Ἑρμιόνα ἡγοῦμαι, τοῦ θεοῦ δέ ἐστιν ἐπίκλησις, ὅντινα ἔχει λόγος βασιλέα ὑπὸ γῆν εἶναι.

Proper Nouns:

Κλυμένης Κλυμένης Κλυμένης Χθονία Ἀργεῖος Ἑρμιόνη

There is also another temple, and statues stand all around it. This temple is directly opposite that of Chthonia. It is called the temple of Clymenus, and here they sacrifice to Clymenus. Now, I myself do not believe that Clymenus was an Argive who came to Hermione, but rather that this is a surname of the god whom tradition says is king beneath the earth.

Passage 2.35.10 Class: Mythic

παρὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦτόν ἐστιν ἄλλος ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα Ἄρεως, τοῦ δὲ τῆς Χθονίας ἐστὶν ἱεροῦ στοὰ κατὰ τὴν δεξιάν, Ἠχοῦς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων καλουμένη· φθεγξαμένῳ δὲ ἀνδρὶ τὰ ὀλίγιστα ἐς τρὶς ἀντιβοῆσαι πέφυκεν. ὄπισθεν δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ τῆς Χθονίας χωρία ἐστὶν ἃ καλοῦσιν Ἑρμιονεῖς τὸ μὲν Κλυμένου, τὸ δὲ Πλούτωνος, τὸ τρίτον δὲ αὐτῶν λίμνην Ἀχερουσίαν. περιείργεται μὲν δὴ πάντα θριγκοῖς λίθων, ἐν δὲ τῷ τοῦ Κλυμένου καὶ γῆς χάσμα· διὰ τούτου δὲ Ἡρακλῆς ἀνῆγε τοῦ Ἅιδου τὸν κύνα κατὰ τὰ λεγόμενα ὑπὸ Ἑρμιονέων.

Proper Nouns:

Κλύμενος Πλούτων Χθονία Ἀχερουσία Ἄρης Ἅιδης Ἑρμιονεύς Ἑρμιονεύς Ἠχώ Ἡρακλῆς

Beside this place there is another temple, containing an image of Ares; and at the right-hand side of the temple of Chthonia stands a portico called by the natives "Echo"; for even if a man speaks but lightly here, the sound is naturally echoed back at least three times. Behind the temple of Chthonia are precincts which the people of Hermione call, one of them that of Clymenus, another that of Pluto, and the third of them Lake Acherusia. All these precincts are enclosed with walls of stone, and inside the precinct of Clymenus there is a chasm in the earth. Through this opening, according to the tradition of the Hermionians, Heracles brought up from Hades the dog of the underworld.

Passage 2.35.11 Class: Historical

πρὸς δὲ τῇ πύλῃ, καθʼ ἣν ὁδὸς εὐθεῖά ἐστιν ἄγουσα ἐπὶ Μάσητα, Εἰλειθυίας ἐστὶν ἐντὸς τοῦ τείχους ἱερόν. ἄλλως μὲν δὴ κατὰ ἡμέραν ἑκάστην καὶ θυσίαις καὶ θυμιάμασι μεγάλως τὴν θεὸν ἱλάσκονται καὶ ἀναθήματα δίδοται πλεῖστα τῇ Εἰλειθυίᾳ· τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα οὐδενὶ πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἄρα ταῖς ἱερείαις ἔστιν ἰδεῖν.

Proper Nouns:

Εἰλείθυια Εἰλείθυια Μάσητα

Near the gate by which a straight road leads toward Masēs, within the city wall, stands a sanctuary of Eileithyia. Daily they greatly propitiate the goddess with sacrifices and offerings of incense, and many votive gifts are dedicated to Eileithyia. However, no one except only the priestesses may look upon the statue.

Legend:

Chapter 2.35