Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.1.1

← 1.44.10 2.1.2 →

Passage 2.1.1: Naming origins of Corinth and Sicyon

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

ἡ δὲ Κορινθία χώρα μοῖρα οὖσα τῆς Ἀργείας ἀπὸ Κορίνθου τὸ ὄνομα ἔσχηκε. Διὸς δὲ εἶναι Κόρινθον οὐδένα οἶδα εἰπόντα πω σπουδῇ πλὴν Κορινθίων τῶν πολλῶν· Εὔμηλος δὲ ὁ Ἀμφιλύτου τῶν Βακχιδῶν καλουμένων, ὃς καὶ τὰ ἔπη λέγεται ποιῆσαι, φησὶν ἐν τῇ Κορινθίᾳ συγγραφῇ---εἰ δὲ Εὐμήλου γε ἡ συγγραφή---Ἐφύραν Ὠκεανοῦ θυγατέρα οἰκῆσαι πρῶτον ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ, Μαραθῶνα δὲ ὕστερον τὸν Ἐπωπέως τοῦ Ἀλωέως τοῦ Ἡλίου φεύγοντα ἀνομίαν καὶ ὕβριν τοῦ πατρὸς ἐς τὰ παραθαλάσσια μετοικῆσαι τῆς Ἀττικῆς, ἀποθανόντος δὲ Ἐπωπέως ἀφικόμενον ἐς Πελοπόννησον καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν διανείμαντα τοῖς παισὶν αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν αὖθις ἀναχωρῆσαι, καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν Σικυῶνος τὴν Ἀσωπίαν, ἀπὸ δὲ Κορίνθου τὴν Ἐφυραίαν μετονομασθῆναι.

English Translation

The land of Corinth was originally part of the Argive territory, and took its name from Corinth. That Corinth was a son of Zeus, I know of no one who has seriously asserted, except indeed the generality of the Corinthians themselves. Eumelus, however, the son of Amphilytus, one of the family called the Bacchiadae, who is said also to have composed epic poems, says in his Corinthian History (if indeed this work truly belongs to Eumelus), that Ephyra, daughter of Ocean, was first to dwell in this land, and that afterward Marathon, son of Epopeus, son of Aloeus, son of Helios, fleeing from his father’s lawlessness and insolence, migrated to the sea-coast of Attica; that upon the death of Epopeus he returned to the Peloponnese, divided the kingdom among his sons, and then again withdrew back to Attica. It was from his son Sicyon that the land called Asopia took its name; and from his son Corinth, the region previously known as Ephyraea was renamed.

Proper Nouns

Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Helios (Ἥλιος) deity
Oceanus (Ὠκεανός) deity
Bacchiads (Βακχίδης) person
Eumelos (Εὔμηλος) person Q391254
Corinthians (Κόρινθιος) person
Marathon (Μαραθών) person
Aloeus (Ἀλωεύς) person
Amphilytus (Ἀμφιλύτης) person
Epopeus (Ἐπωπεύς) person
Ephyra (Ἐφύρα) person
Corinthia (Κορινθία) place Q12899460
Corinth (Κόρινθος) place Q1363688 Pleiades
Peloponnese (Πελοπόννησος) place Q78967
Sicyon (Σικυών) place Q368628 Pleiades
Argolis (Ἀργεία) place Q12649101
Asopia (Ἀσωπία) place Q19409002 Pleiades
Also in: 2.3.10
Attica (Ἀττική) place Q122443
Ephyraia (Ἐφυραία) place Q56295637
Also in: 2.3.10
← 1.44.10 2.1.2 →