Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.26.1 Class: Mythic

ἐς Θαλάμας δὲ ἐξ Οἰτύλου μῆκος τῆς ὁδοῦ στάδιοι περὶ τοὺς ὀγδοήκοντά εἰσι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ἱερόν ἐστιν Ἰνοῦς καὶ μαντεῖον. μαντεύονται μὲν οὖν καθεύδοντες, ὁπόσα δʼ ἂν πυθέσθαι δεηθῶσιν, ὀνείρατα δείκνυσί σφισιν ἡ θεός. χαλκᾶ δὲ ἕστηκεν ἀγάλματα ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, τῆς τε Πασιφάης καὶ Ἡλίου τὸ ἕτερον· αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ἐν τῷ ναῷ σαφῶς μὲν οὐκ ἦν ἰδεῖν ὑπὸ στεφανωμάτων, χαλκοῦν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι λέγουσι. ῥεῖ δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐκ πηγῆς ἱερᾶς πιεῖν ἡδύ· Σελήνης δὲ ἐπίκλησις καὶ οὐ Θαλαμάταις ἐπιχώριος δαίμων ἐστὶν ἡ Πασιφάη.

Proper Nouns:

Θαλάμαι Θαλάμαι Οἴτυλον Πασιφάη Πασιφάη Σελήνη Ἥλιος Ἰνώ

From Oitylos to Thalamai the length of the road is about eighty stadia, and along the way there is a sanctuary and oracle of Ino. The method of prophecy used there is by sleep: whenever individuals seek to inquire of the goddess on any matter, she reveals to them dreams. Bronze statues stand in the open-air precinct of the sanctuary, one representing Pasiphae, the other Helios. The statue within the temple itself was not clearly visible due to being covered by garlands, but is said also to be of bronze. A stream of sweet-tasting water flows from a sacred spring. Pasiphae is here called Selene (Moon-goddess), and she is not a local deity original to the people of Thalamai.

Passage 3.26.2 Class: Mythic

Θαλαμῶν δὲ ἀπέχει σταδίους εἴκοσιν ὀνομαζομένη Πέφνος ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ. πρόκειται δὲ νησὶς πέτρας τῶν μεγάλων οὐ μείζων, Πέφνος καὶ ταύτῃ τὸ ὄνομα· τεχθῆναι δὲ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Διοσκούρους φασὶν οἱ Θαλαμᾶται. τοῦτο μὲν δὴ καὶ Ἀλκμᾶνα ἐν ᾄσματι οἶδα εἰπόντα· τραφῆναι δὲ οὐκέτι ἐν τῇ Πέφνῳ φασὶν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ Ἑρμῆν τὸν ἐς Πελλάναν κομίσαντα εἶναι.

Proper Nouns:

Διόσκουροι Θάλαμοι Θαλαμᾶται Πέφνος Πελλάνη Ἀλκμάν Ἑρμῆς

About twenty stades distant from Thalamae is a place by the sea named Pephnos. Directly offshore lies a small island no larger than a great rock, which is likewise called Pephnos. The inhabitants of Thalamae say that the Dioscuri were born there. Indeed, I know that Alcman also says this in one of his poems. They add, however, that the twins were no longer reared at Pephnos, but rather that Hermes took them and carried them to Pellana.

Passage 3.26.3 Class: Mythic

ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νησῖδι ἀγάλματα Διοσκούρων χαλκᾶ μέγεθος ποδιαῖα ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ τῆς νησῖδός ἐστιν· ταῦτα ἡ θάλασσα ἀποκινεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλει κατακλύζουσα ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος τὴν πέτραν. τοῦτό τε δὴ θαῦμά ἐστι καὶ οἱ μύρμηκες αὐτόθι λευκότερον ἢ ὡς μυρμήκων τὸ χρῶμα φαίνουσι. τὴν δὲ χώραν οἱ Μεσσήνιοι ταύτην αὑτῶν φασιν εἶναι τὸ ἀρχαῖον, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς Διοσκούρους μᾶλλόν τι αὑτοῖς καὶ οὐ Λακεδαιμονίοις προσήκειν νομίζουσιν.

Proper Nouns:

Διόσκουροι Διόσκουροι Λακεδαιμόνιοι Μεσσήνιοι

On this small island stand bronze statues of the Dioscuri, a foot tall and set in the open air. The sea itself, during winter storms, floods the rock but refuses to dislodge them. This is one marvel, and another is that the ants here appear whiter than is usual for ants. The Messenians claim that this territory originally belonged to them, so that they regard even the Dioscuri as belonging sooner to themselves than to the Lacedaemonians.

Passage 3.26.4 Class: Mythic

Πέφνου δὲ στάδια εἴκοσιν ἀπέχει Λεῦκτρα. ἐφʼ ὅτῳ μὲν δή ἐστιν ὄνομα τῇ πόλει Λεῦκτρα, οὐκ οἶδα· εἰ δʼ ἄρα ἀπὸ Λευκίππου τοῦ Περιήρους, ὡς οἱ Μεσσήνιοί φασι, τούτου μοι δοκοῦσιν ἕνεκα οἱ ταύτῃ θεῶν μάλιστα Ἀσκληπιὸν τιμᾶν, ἅτε Ἀρσινόης παῖδα εἶναι τῆς Λευκίππου νομίζοντες. λίθου δέ ἐστιν Ἀσκληπιοῦ τε ἄγαλμα καὶ Ἰνοῦς ἑτέρωθι.

Proper Nouns:

Λεύκιππος Λεῦκτρα Μεσσήνιοι Πέφνος Περιήρης Ἀρσινόη Ἀσκληπιός Ἀσκληπιός Ἰνώ

Leuctra is twenty stadia distant from Pephnos. For what reason the city was named Leuctra, I do not know. But if it was indeed from Leucippus, the son of Perieres, as the Messenians say, it seems to me this is why the people in this region especially honor Asclepius among the gods, believing him to be the son of Arsinoë, the daughter of Leucippus. Here there is a stone statue of Asclepius and another statue of Ino standing elsewhere.

Passage 3.26.5 Class: Mythic

πεποίηται δὲ καὶ Κασσάνδρας τῆς Πριάμου ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα, Ἀλεξάνδρας ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων καλουμένης· καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος Καρνείου ξόανά ἐστι κατὰ ταὐτὰ καθὰ δὴ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων νομίζουσιν οἱ Σπάρτην ἔχοντες. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἀκροπόλεώς ἐστιν ἱερὸν καὶ ἄγαλμα Ἀθηνᾶς, καὶ Ἔρωτός ἐστιν ἐν Λεύκτροις ναὸς καὶ ἄλσος· ὕδωρ δὲ ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος διαρρεῖ τὸ ἄλσος, τὰ δὲ φύλλα τῷ ἦρι ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων πίπτοντα οὐκ ἂν ὑπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος οὐδὲ πλεονάσαντος παρενεχθείη.

Proper Nouns:

Κάρνειος Κασσάνδρα Λακεδαιμόνιοι Λεῦκτρον Πρίαμος Σπάρτη Ἀθηνᾶ Ἀλεξάνδρα Ἀπόλλων Ἔρως

There is also a temple and a statue made for Cassandra, the daughter of Priam, who is called Alexandra by the locals. There are also wooden statues of Apollo Carneius fashioned in exactly the same manner as those worshipped by the Lacedaemonians who live in Sparta. On the acropolis there is a temple and a statue of Athena, and at Leuctra there is a sanctuary and grove sacred to Eros; in wintertime a stream of water flows through the grove, yet in springtime the leaves falling from the trees are neither carried away nor moved at all, not even when the water flows abundantly.

Passage 3.26.6 Class: Historical

ὃ δὲ οἶδα ἐν τῇ πρὸς θαλάσσῃ χώρᾳ τῆς Λευκτρικῆς ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ συμβάν, γράφω. ἄνεμος πῦρ ἐς ὕλην ἐνεγκὼν τὰ πολλὰ ἠφάνισε τῶν δένδρων· ὡς δὲ ἀνεφάνη τὸ χωρίον ψιλόν, ἄγαλμα ἐνταῦθα ἱδρυμένον εὑρέθη Διὸς Ἰθωμάτα. τοῦτο οἱ Μεσσήνιοί φασι μαρτύριον εἶναί σφισι τὰ Λεῦκτρα τὸ ἀρχαῖον τῆς Μεσσηνίας εἶναι· δύναιτο δʼ ἂν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων τὰ Λεῦκτρα ἐξ ἀρχῆς οἰκούντων ὁ Ἰθωμάτας Ζεὺς παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἔχειν τιμάς.

Proper Nouns:

Ζεύς Ἰθωμάτας Ζεύς Ἰθωμάτας Λακεδαιμόνιοι Λευκτρική Λεῦκτρα Μεσσήνιοι Μεσσηνία

But what I know having happened in my own time in the coastal region of Leuktra, I will record. A wind carried fire into a wood and destroyed most of the trees. When the place was left bare, there was discovered, set up there, a statue of Zeus Ithomatas. This, according to the Messenians, is proof that Leuktra originally belonged to Messenia; yet it is also possible that Zeus Ithomatas received honor from the Lacedaemonians residing there from ancient times.

Passage 3.26.7 Class: Mythic

Καρδαμύλη δέ, ἧς καὶ Ὅμηρος μνήμην ἐποιήσατο ἐν Ἀγαμέμνονος ὑποσχέσεσι δώρων, Λακεδαιμονίων ἐστὶν ὑπήκοος τῶν ἐν Σπάρτῃ, βασιλέως Αὐγούστου τῆς Μεσσηνίας ἀποτεμομένου. ἀπέχει δὲ Καρδαμύλη θαλάσσης μὲν ὀκτὼ σταδίους, Λεύκτρων δὲ καὶ ἑξήκοντα. ἐνταῦθα οὐ πόρρω τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ τέμενος ἱερὸν τῶν Νηρέως θυγατέρων ἐστίν· ἐς γὰρ τοῦτο ἀναβῆναι τὸ χωρίον φασὶν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης αὐτὰς Πύρρον ὀψομένας τὸν Ἀχιλλέως, ὅτε ἐς Σπάρτην ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑρμιόνης ἀπῄει γάμον. ἐν δὲ τῷ πολίσματι Ἀθηνᾶς τε ἱερὸν καὶ Ἀπόλλων ἐστὶ Κάρνειος, καθὰ Δωριεῦσιν ἐπιχώριον.

Proper Nouns:

Αὐγουστῖνος (Αὔγουστος) Δωριεῖς Κάρνειος Καρδαμύλη Λακεδαιμόνιοι Λεῦκτρα Μεσσηνία Νηρεύς Πύρρος Σπάρτη Σπάρτη Ἀγαμέμνων Ἀθηνᾶ Ἀπόλλων Ἀχιλλεύς Ἑρμιόνη Ὅμηρος

Kardamyle, mentioned also by Homer among the places Agamemnon promised as gifts, is subject to the Lacedaemonians of Sparta, Augustus having detached it from Messenia. Kardamyle stands eight stades from the sea, and sixty from Leuktra. Near the shore there is a sacred precinct dedicated to the daughters of Nereus; for it is said that they ascended here from the sea to behold Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, when he came to Sparta for his marriage to Hermione. Within the town itself are sanctuaries of Athena and Apollo Karneios, whose worship is customary among the Dorians.

Passage 3.26.8 Class: Mythic

πόλιν δὲ ὀνομαζομένην ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν Ἐνόπην τοῖς Ὁμήρου, Μεσσηνίους ὄντας, ἐς δὲ τὸ συνέδριον συντελοῦντας τὸ Ἐλευθερολακώνων, καλοῦσιν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν Γερηνίαν. ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει Νέστορα οἱ μὲν τραφῆναι λέγουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἐς τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν φεύγοντα τὸ χωρίον, ἡνίκα Πύλος ἡλίσκετο ὑπὸ Ἡρακλέους.

Proper Nouns:

Γερηνία Μεσσήνιοι Νέστωρ Πύλος Ἐλευθερολάκωνες Ἐνόπη Ἡρακλῆς Ὅμηρος

The city which in Homeric verses is called Enope, inhabited by Messenians who in my day belong to the league of the Eleutherolakones, is today called Gerenia. Regarding this city, some say that Nestor was raised there, while others claim he fled there when Pylos was captured by Heracles.

Passage 3.26.9 Class: Mythic

ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῇ Γερηνίᾳ Μαχάονος τοῦ Ἀσκληπιοῦ μνῆμα καὶ ἱερόν ἐστιν ἅγιον, καὶ ἀνθρώποις νόσων ἰάματα παρὰ τῷ Μαχάονι ἔστιν εὑρέσθαι. καὶ Ῥόδον μὲν τὸ χωρίον τὸ ἱερὸν ὀνομάζουσιν, ἄγαλμα δὲ τοῦ Μαχάονος χαλκοῦν ἐστιν ὀρθόν· ἐπίκειται δέ οἱ τῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανος, ὃν οἱ Μεσσήνιοι κίφος καλοῦσι τῇ ἐπιχωρίῳ φωνῇ. Μαχάονα δὲ ὑπὸ Εὐρυπύλου τοῦ Τηλέφου τελευτῆσαί φησιν ὁ τὰ ἔπη ποιήσας τὴν μικρὰν Ἰλιάδα.

Proper Nouns:

Γερηνία Εὐρύπυλος Μαχάων Μεσσήνιοι Τήλεφος Ἀσκληπιός Ἰλιάς Ῥόδος

Here in Gerenia there is the tomb of Machaon, son of Asklepios, and a holy sanctuary; and those suffering from diseases can seek cures from Machaon. They call the sacred place Rhodos, and there is a bronze statue of Machaon standing upright. Upon his head is placed a wreath, which the Messenians in their local dialect call a "kiphos". The poet of the epic called the Little Iliad says that Machaon died at the hands of Eurypylos, son of Telephos.

Passage 3.26.10 Class: Mythic

διὸ καὶ τάδε αὐτὸς οἶδα περὶ τὸ Ἀσκληπιεῖον τὸ ἐν Περγάμῳ γινόμενα· ἄρχονται μὲν ἀπὸ Τηλέφου τῶν ὕμνων, προσᾴδουσι δὲ οὐδὲν ἐς τὸν Εὐρύπυλον, οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν ἐν τῷ ναῷ θέλουσιν ὀνομάζειν αὐτόν, οἷα ἐπιστάμενοι φονέα ὄντα Μαχάονος. ἀνασώσασθαι δὲ Νέστορα λέγεται τοῦ Μαχάονος τὰ ὀστᾶ· Ποδαλείριον δέ, ὡς ὀπίσω πορθήσαντες Ἴλιον ἐκομίζοντο, ἁμαρτεῖν τοῦ πλοῦ καὶ ἐς Σύρνον τῆς Καρικῆς ἠπείρου φασὶν ἀποσωθέντα οἰκῆσαι.

Proper Nouns:

Εὐρύπυλος Καρική Μαχάων Νέστωρ Πέργαμος Ποδαλείριος Σύρνος Τήλεφος Ἀσκληπιεῖον Ἴλιος

Therefore I myself know the following about the rites performed at the sanctuary of Asclepius at Pergamum: they begin their hymns with Telephus, but they include no singing in honor of Eurypylus, nor do they even wish to pronounce his name anywhere within the temple, knowing as they do that he was the slayer of Machaon. It is said that Nestor gathered up Machaon's bones. As for Podaleirius, they say that when the Greeks, having sacked Ilium, sailed back home, he lost his course and found safety on Syrnus on the coast of Caria, where he then settled.

Passage 3.26.11 Class: Historical

τῆς δὲ χώρας τῆς Γερηνίας ὄρος Καλάθιόν ἐστιν· ἐν αὐτῷ Κλαίας ἱερὸν καὶ σπήλαιον παρʼ αὐτὸ τὸ ἱερόν, ἔσοδον μὲν στενήν, τὰ δὲ ἔνδον παρεχόμενον θέας ἄξια. Γερηνίας δὲ ὡς ἐς μεσόγαιαν ἄνω τριάκοντα ἀπέχει σταδίους Ἀλαγονία, καὶ τὸ πόλισμα κατηρίθμησα ἤδη καὶ τοῦτο ἐν Ἐλευθερολάκωσι· θέας δὲ αὐτόθι ἄξια Διονύσου καὶ Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστιν ἱερά.

Proper Nouns:

Γερηνία Διόνυσος Καλάθιον Κλαία Ἀλαγονία Ἀρτεμις Ἐλευθερολάκων

In the district of Gerenia there is a mountain named Kalathion; upon it is a sanctuary of Klaia, and beside the sanctuary is a cave; its entrance is narrow, but inside it provides sights well worth viewing. About thirty stades inland from Gerenia lies Alagonia, which is another town that I have already counted among the Eleutherolakones. Here there are sanctuaries dedicated to Dionysus and Artemis, also worthy of seeing.

Legend:

Chapter 3.26