Pausanias Analysis

Passage 1.19.1

← 1.18.9 1.19.2 →

Passage 1.19.1: Theseus hurls a cart onto the roof of the sanctuary of Apollo Delphinios.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

μετὰ δὲ τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Ὀλυμπίου πλησίον ἄγαλμά ἐστιν Ἀπόλλωνος Πυθίου· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλο ἱερὸν Ἀπόλλωνος ἐπίκλησιν Δελφινίου. λέγουσι δὲ ὡς ἐξειργασμένου τοῦ ναοῦ πλὴν τῆς ὀροφῆς ἀγνὼς ἔτι τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀφίκοιτο Θησεὺς ἐς τὴν πόλιν· οἷα δὲ χιτῶνα ἔχοντος αὐτοῦ ποδήρη καὶ πεπλεγμένης ἐς εὐπρεπές οἱ τῆς κόμης, ὡς ἐγίνετο κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Δελφινίου ναόν, οἱ τὴν στέγην οἰκοδομοῦντες ἤροντο σὺν χλευασίᾳ, ὅ τι δὴ παρθένος ἐν ὥρᾳ γάμου πλανᾶται μόνη· Θησεὺς δὲ ἄλλο μὲν αὐτοῖς ἐδήλωσεν οὐδέν, ἀπολύσας δὲ ὡς λέγεται τῆς ἁμάξης τοὺς βοῦς, ἥ σφισι παρῆν, τὸν ὄροφον ἀνέρριψεν ἐς ὑψηλότερον ἢ τῷ ναῷ τὴν στέγην ἐποιοῦντο.

English Translation

Beyond the temple of Olympian Zeus, close by, there is a statue of Apollo Pythios; there is also another sanctuary of Apollo surnamed Delphinios. They say that when this temple had been completed except for the roof, Theseus arrived in the city, still unknown to all. And since he was wearing a long robe reaching down to his feet, and his hair was arranged in an attractive manner, as he happened to pass by the temple of Apollo Delphinios, the builders who were engaged in constructing the roof mocked him, asking sarcastically why a maiden, ready for a wedding, wandered about alone. Theseus said nothing in reply, but, as the story goes, he loosed the oxen from a nearby cart they had with them, and hurled the cart up onto the building, higher even than where the builders were making the roof of the temple.

Proper Nouns

Delphinios (of Delphinian Apollo) (Δελφίνιος) deity
Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Pythios (Πύθιος) deity
Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Olympian (Ὀλύμπιος) deity
Theseus (Θησεύς) person
← 1.18.9 1.19.2 →