ἄγουσι δὲ ἑορτὴν αὐτόθι Τεγεᾶται κατὰ ἔτος· καί σφισιν ἐπιστρατεῦσαι Λακεδαιμονίους ποτὲ ὑπὸ τὸν καιρὸν
τῆς ἑορτῆς λέγουσι,
καὶ---νείφειν γὰρ τὸν θεόν---τοὺς μὲν ῥιγοῦν
καὶ ὄντας ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις κάμνειν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐκείνων κρύφα πῦρ καῦσαι,
καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἠνωχλοῦντο ὑπὸ τοῦ κρυμοῦ, τὰ
ὅπλα ἐνδύντες ἐξελθεῖν τε ἐπὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους
καὶ σχεῖν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τὸ πλέον φασίν. ἐθεασάμην δὲ
καὶ ἄλλα ἐν Τεγέᾳ τοσάδε, Ἀλέου οἰκίαν
καὶ Ἐχέμου
μνῆμα καὶ ἐπειργασμένην ἐς στήλην τὴν Ἐχέμου
πρὸς Ὕλλον μάχην.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι
Τεγέα
Τεγεάται
Ἀλεός
Ἐχεμος
Ὕλλος
The Tegeans hold a yearly festival there. They say that the Lacedaemonians once attacked them at the time of the festival: the god brought snow, so that the Lacedaemonians, chilled and under arms, were worn out by the cold, while the Tegeans secretly lit a fire. Untroubled by the frost, they armed themselves, marched out against the Lacedaemonians, and, they say, gained the advantage in the fight. I also saw in Tegea these other objects: the house of Aleus, the tomb of Echemus, and a relief carved on a stele depicting the battle between Echemus and Hyllus.