Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.12.1 Class: Skeptical

πέτρα δέ ἐστιν ἀνίσχουσα ὑπὲρ τῆς γῆς· ἐπὶ ταύτῃ Δελφοὶ στᾶσάν φασιν ᾆσαι τοὺς χρησμοὺς γυναῖκα ὄνομα Ἡροφίλην, Σίβυλλαν δὲ ἐπίκλησιν. τὴν δὲ πρότερον γενομένην, ταύτην ταῖς μάλιστα ὁμοίως οὖσαν ἀρχαίαν εὕρισκον, ἣν θυγατέρα Ἕλληνες Διὸς καὶ Λαμίας τῆς Ποσειδῶνός φασιν εἶναι, καὶ χρησμούς τε αὐτὴν γυναικῶν πρώτην ᾆσαι καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Λιβύων Σίβυλλαν λέγουσιν ὀνομασθῆναι.

Proper Nouns:

Δελφοί Ζεύς Λίβυες Λαμία Ποσειδῶν Σίβυλλα Ἕλληνες Ἡροφίλη

There is a rock projecting above the ground; the Delphians say that on this rock a woman named Herophile, surnamed the Sibyl, stood to chant her oracles. Examining earlier traditions, I found that this woman was particularly similar to an earlier one whom the Greeks declare to have been the daughter of Zeus and Lamia, herself child of Poseidon, and they say that she was the first woman to chant prophecies and was named Sibyl by the Libyans.

Passage 10.12.2 Class: Non-skeptical

ἡ δὲ Ἡροφίλη νεωτέρα μὲν ἐκείνης, φαίνεται δὲ ὅμως πρὸ τοῦ πολέμου γεγονυῖα καὶ αὕτη τοῦ Τρωικοῦ, καὶ Ἑλένην τε προεδήλωσεν ἐν τοῖς χρησμοῖς, ὡς ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ Εὐρώπης τραφήσοιτο ἐν Σπάρτῃ, καὶ ὡς Ἴλιον ἁλώσεται διʼ αὐτὴν ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων. Δήλιοι δὲ καὶ ὕμνον μέμνηνται τῆς γυναικὸς ἐς Ἀπόλλωνα. καλεῖ δὲ οὐχ Ἡροφίλην μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν αὑτήν, καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος γυνὴ γαμετή, τοτὲ δὲ ἀδελφὴ καὶ αὖθις θυγάτηρ φησὶν εἶναι.

Proper Nouns:

Δήλιοι Εὐρώπη Σπάρτη Τρωικὸς πόλεμος Ἀπόλλων Ἀπόλλων Ἀσία Ἄρτεμις Ἑλένη Ἕλληνες Ἡροφίλη Ἴλιον

Herophile was younger than that Sibyl, yet she also appears to have lived before the Trojan War. In her prophecies she foretold of Helen, declaring that she would be raised in Sparta for the ruin of Asia and Europe, and that through her Ilium would fall to the Greeks. The Delians preserve memory of a hymn composed by this woman addressed to Apollo. In its verses she names herself not only Herophile but also Artemis, and states that sometimes she is Apollo's wife, sometimes his sister, and at other times his daughter.

Passage 10.12.3 Class: Skeptical

ταῦτα μὲν δὴ μαινομένη τε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ κάτοχος πεποίηκεν· ἑτέρωθι δὲ εἶπε τῶν χρησμῶν ὡς μητρὸς μὲν ἀθανάτης εἴη μιᾶς τῶν ἐν Ἴδῃ νυμφῶν, πατρὸς δὲ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ οὕτω λέγει τὰ ἔπη· εἰμὶ δʼ ἐγὼ γεγαυῖα μέσον θνητοῦ τε θεᾶς τε, νύμφης δʼ ἀθανάτης, πατρὸς δʼ αὖ κητοφάγοιο, μητρόθεν Ἰδογενής, πατρὶς δέ μοί ἐστιν ἐρυθρή Μάρπησσος, μητρὸς ἱερή, ποταμός τʼ Ἀιδωνεύς.

Proper Nouns:

Μάρπησσος θεά Ἀιδωνεύς Ἴδη

She composed these verses while inspired and possessed by the god. Elsewhere in her oracles she says her mother was one of the immortal nymphs of Ida, and her father a mortal man. The verses run as follows: "I am born midway between mortal and goddess, Of an immortal nymph and a father who feeds upon fish, From my mother’s side I am Ida-born, And my fatherland is red Marpessos, sacred to the Mother, And the river Aidoneus."

Passage 10.12.4 Class: Non-skeptical

ἦν δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν τῇ Ἴδῃ τῇ Τρωικῇ πόλεως Μαρπήσσου τὰ ἐρείπια καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκήτορες ὅσον ἑξήκοντα ἄνθρωποι· ὑπέρυθρος δὲ πᾶσα ἡ περὶ τὴν Μάρπησσον γῆ καὶ δεινῶς ἐστιν αὐχμώδης, ὥστε καὶ τῷ Ἀϊδωνεῖ ποταμῷ καταδύεσθαί τε ἐς τὴν χώραν καὶ ἀνασχόντι τὸ αὐτὸ αὖθις πάσχειν, τέλος δὲ καὶ ἀφανίζεσθαι κατὰ τῆς γῆς, αἴτιον ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἐστιν ὅτι λεπτή τε κατὰ τοῦτο καὶ σηραγγώδης ἐστὶν ἡ Ἴδη. ἀπέχει δὲ Ἀλεξανδρείας τῆς ἐν τῇ Τρῳάδι τεσσαράκοντα ἡ Μάρπησσος καὶ διακόσια στάδια.

Proper Nouns:

Μάρπησσος Μάρπησσος Τρωική Τρῳάς Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ἀϊδωνεύς Ἴδη

Even now on Trojan Ida remain the ruins of the city Marpessos, with inhabitants numbering around sixty people dwelling among them. All the land around Marpessos is of a deep red color and desperately dry, so that even the river Aidoneus sinks underground into this area; and when it eventually re-emerges, it suffers the same fate once more, finally disappearing completely below the earth. The cause, in my opinion, is that at this point Ida is thin and cavernous. Marpessos lies two hundred and forty stadia from Alexandria in the Troad.

Passage 10.12.5 Class: Skeptical

τὴν δὲ Ἡροφίλην οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ταύτῃ νεωκόρον τε τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος γενέσθαι τοῦ Σμινθέως καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνείρατι τῷ Ἑκάβης χρῆσαί φασιν αὐτὴν ἃ δὴ καὶ ἐπιτελεσθέντα ἴσμεν. αὕτη ἡ Σίβυλλα ᾤκησε μὲν τὸ πολὺ τοῦ βίου ἐν Σάμῳ, ἀφίκετο δὲ καὶ ἐς Κλάρον τὴν Κολοφωνίων καὶ ἐς Δῆλόν τε καὶ ἐς Δελφούς· ὁπότε δὲ ἀφίκοιτο, ἐπὶ ταύτης ἱσταμένη τῆς πέτρας ᾖδε.

Proper Nouns:

Δελφοί Δῆλος Κλάρος Κολοφών Σάμος Σίβυλλα Σμινθεύς Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ἀπόλλων Ἑκάβη Ἡροφίλη

The people of Alexandria say that this Herophile became attendant of Apollo Smintheus, and that she prophesied regarding the dream of Hecuba; we know these things were fulfilled. This Sibyl spent most of her life on Samos, but came also to Clarus in the land of the Colophonians, as well as to Delos and Delphi. Whenever she arrived at Delphi, she would stand upon this very rock and sing her prophecies.

Passage 10.12.6 Class: Non-skeptical

τὸ μέντοι χρεὼν αὐτὴν ἐπέλαβεν ἐν τῇ Τρῳάδι, καί οἱ τὸ μνῆμα ἐν τῷ ἄλσει τοῦ Σμινθέως ἐστὶ καὶ ἐλεγεῖον ἐπὶ τῆς στήλης· ἅδʼ ἐγὼ ἁ Φοίβοιο σαφηγορίς εἰμι Σίβυλλα τῷδʼ ὑπὸ λαϊνέῳ σάματι κευθομένα, παρθένος αὐδάεσσα τὸ πρίν, νῦν δʼ αἰὲν ἄναυδος, μοίρᾳ ὑπὸ στιβαρᾷ τάνδε λαχοῦσα πέδαν. ἀλλὰ πέλας Νύμφαισι καὶ Ἑρμῇ τῷδʼ ὑπόκειμαι, μοῖραν ἔχοισα κάτω τᾶς τότʼ ἀνακτορίας. ὁ μὲν δὴ παρὰ τὸ μνῆμα ἕστηκεν Ἑρμῆς λίθου τετράγωνον σχῆμα· ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς δὲ ὕδωρ τε κατερχόμενον ἐς κρήνην καὶ τῶν Νυμφῶν ἐστι τὰ ἀγάλματα.

Proper Nouns:

Νύμφαι Νύμφαι Σίβυλλα Σμινθεύς Τροία Φοῖβος Ἑρμῆς

But destiny overtook her in the Troad, and her tomb is located within the grove of the Smintheus, bearing upon the column the following elegiac inscription: "I, who lie hidden beneath this stone tomb, Am the Sibyl, the clear-speaking prophetess Of Phoebus Apollo. Formerly a vocal maiden, Now forever silent, having received by stern fate This binding shackle. Near Nymphs and Hermes I rest here below, possessing beneath the earth The lot of one who once was royal." Near this tomb stands Hermes, a square statue of stone. On the left flows water descending into a fountain, and there are images of the Nymphs.

Passage 10.12.7 Class: Skeptical

Ἐρυθραῖοι δὲ---ἀμφισβητοῦσι γὰρ τῆς Ἡροφίλης προθυμότατα Ἑλλήνων---Κώρυκόν τε καλούμενον ὄρος καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει σπήλαιον ἀποφαίνουσι, τεχθῆναι τὴν Ἡροφίλην ἐν αὐτῷ λέγοντες, Θεοδώρου δὲ ἐπιχωρίου ποιμένος καὶ νύμφης παῖδα εἶναι· Ἰδαίαν δὲ ἐπίκλησιν γενέσθαι τῇ νύμφῃ κατʼ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδέν, τῶν δὲ χωρίων τὰ δασέα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἴδας τότε ὀνομάζεσθαι. τὸ δὲ ἔπος τὸ ἐς τὴν Μάρπησσον καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Ἀϊδωνέα, τοῦτο οἱ Ἐρυθραῖοι τὸ ἔπος ἀφαιροῦσιν ἀπὸ τῶν χρησμῶν.

Proper Nouns:

Θεόδωρος Κώρυκος Μάρπησσα Ἀϊδωνεύς Ἐρυθραῖοι Ἡροφίλη Ἰδαία

The Erythraeans—who among the Greeks dispute most zealously about Herophile—point out a mountain called Corycus, and in this mountain a cave, claiming that Herophile was born therein and that she was daughter to a local shepherd named Theodorus and a nymph. They say the name of this nymph was Idaea, named thus for no other reason than that the thickly wooded places were then called “idae” by the inhabitants. However, the verse concerning Marpessus and the river Aidoneus, this verse the Erythraeans remove entirely from her oracles.

Passage 10.12.8 Class: Skeptical

τὴν δὲ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ χρησμοὺς κατὰ ταὐτὰ εἰποῦσαν ἐκ Κύμης τῆς ἐν Ὀπικοῖς εἶναι, καλεῖσθαι δὲ αὐτὴν Δημὼ συνέγραψεν Ὑπέροχος ἀνὴρ Κυμαῖος. χρησμὸν δὲ οἱ Κυμαῖοι τῆς γυναικὸς ταύτης ἐς οὐδένα εἶχον ἐπιδείξασθαι, λίθου δὲ ὑδρίαν ἐν Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερῷ δεικνύουσιν οὐ μεγάλην, τῆς Σιβύλλης ἐνταῦθα κεῖσθαι φάμενοι τὰ ὀστᾶ.

Proper Nouns:

Δημώ Κυμαῖοι Κυμαῖος Κύμη Σίβυλλα Ἀπόλλων Ὀπικοί Ὑπέροχος

Concerning another Sibyl, named Demo, Hyperochus, a man of Cumae, wrote that she came from Cumae in the Opican land, and likewise uttered oracles. The people of Cumae, however, had no oracle uttered by this woman to show; but they show in the sanctuary of Apollo a small stone water-jar, saying that the bones of this Sibyl rest there.

Passage 10.12.9 Class: Skeptical

ἐπετράφη δὲ καὶ ὕστερον τῆς Δημοῦς παρʼ Ἑβραίοις τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς Παλαιστίνης γυνὴ χρησμολόγος, ὄνομα δὲ αὐτῇ Σάββη· Βηρόσου δὲ εἶναι πατρὸς καὶ Ἐρυμάνθης μητρός φασι Σάββην· οἱ δὲ αὐτὴν Βαβυλωνίαν, ἕτεροι δὲ Σίβυλλαν καλοῦσιν Αἰγυπτίαν.

Proper Nouns:

Αἰγυπτία Βαβυλωνία Βηρόσος Δημοῦς Παλαιστίνη Σάββη Σίβυλλα Ἐρυμάνθη Ἑβραῖοι

Afterwards, among the Hebrews dwelling in Palestine, a woman named Sabbe was also revered as a prophetess. They say that Sabbe was the daughter of Berosus by her mother Erymanthe; but some assert that she was Babylonian, while others call her the Egyptian Sibyl.

Passage 10.12.10 Class: Non-skeptical

Φαεννὶς δὲ θυγάτηρ βασιλεύσαντος ἀνδρὸς ἐν Χάοσι καὶ αἱ Πέλειαι παρὰ Δωδωναίοις ἐμαντεύσαντο μὲν ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ αὗται, Σίβυλλαι δὲ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἐκλήθησαν. τῆς μὲν δὴ πυθέσθαι τὴν ἡλικίαν καὶ ἐπιλέξασθαι τοὺς χρησμούς Ἀντιόχου γὰρ μετὰ τὸ ἁλῶναι Δημήτριον αὐτίκα ἐς τὴν ἀρχὴν καθισταμένου γέγονε Φαεννίς. τὰς Πελειάδας δὲ Φημονόης τε ἔτι προτέρας γενέσθαι λέγουσι καὶ ᾆσαι γυναικῶν πρώτας τάδε τὰ ἔπη· Ζεὺς ἦν, Ζεὺς ἐστίν, Ζεὺς ἔσσεται· ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ. Γᾶ καρποὺς ἀνίει, διὸ κλῄζετε Ματέρα γαῖαν.

Proper Nouns:

Γῆ Δημήτριος Δωδωναῖοι Ζεύς Ζεύς Μήτηρ Γῆ Πελειάδες Πελειάδες Σίβυλλα Φαεννίς Φαεννίς Φημονόη Χάος Ἀντίοχος

Phaennis, daughter of a king who ruled among the Chaonians, and also the doves at Dodona, made prophecy inspired by the god; yet none of these was ever called Sibyl by men. As for Phaennis, we may determine her lifetime by examining her oracles, for she lived when Antiochus succeeded immediately to the throne after Demetrius had been captured. They say the Peleiades lived even earlier than Phemonoe, and that these women were the first to sing these verses: "Zeus was, Zeus is, Zeus shall be; O mighty Zeus. Earth produces fruits, so proclaim Earth as mother."

Passage 10.12.11 Class: Skeptical

χρησμολόγους δὲ ἄνδρας Κύπριόν τε Εὔκλουν καὶ Ἀθηναίους Μουσαῖον τὸν Ἀντιοφήμου καὶ Λύκον τὸν Πανδίονος, τούτους τε γενέσθαι καὶ ἐκ Βοιωτίας Βάκιν φασὶ κατάσχετον ἄνδρα ἐκ νυμφῶν· τούτων πλὴν Λύκου τῶν ἄλλων ἐπελεξάμην τοὺς χρησμούς. τοσαῦται μὲν ἄχρι ἐμοῦ λέγονται γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες ἐκ θεοῦ μαντεύσασθαι· ἐν δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τῷ πολλῷ καὶ αὖθις γένοιτο ἂν ἕτερα τοιαῦτα.

Proper Nouns:

Βάκις Βοιωτία Εὔκλους Κύπριος Λύκος Μουσαῖος Πανδίων Ἀθηναῖος Ἀντιοφήμης

It is said that certain men were prophets, including Euclus from Cyprus and from Athens Musaeus the son of Antiophemus and Lycus the son of Pandion, and also Bacis from Boeotia, a man possessed by the nymphs. Among these prophets that I have mentioned, I have quoted oracles from all except Lycus. Thus far have women and men inspired by the god prophesied down to my own time; but in the more remote future there may again be others who will perform similar deeds.

Legend:

Chapter 10.12