Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.29.2

← 2.29.1 2.29.3 →

Passage 2.29.2: Founding myth of Aegina and Aeacus.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

Αἰγινῆται δὲ οἰκοῦσιν ἔχοντες τὴν νῆσον ἀπαντικρὺ τῆς Ἐπιδαυρίας. ἀνθρώπους δʼ οὐκ εὐθὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς λέγουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ γενέσθαι· Διὸς δὲ ἐς ἔρημον κομίσαντος Αἴγιναν τὴν Ἀσωποῦ τῇ μὲν τὸ ὄνομα ἐτέθη τοῦτο ἀντὶ Οἰνώνης, Αἰακοῦ δὲ αἰτήσαντος ὡς ηὐξήθη παρὰ Διὸς οἰκήτορας, οὕτω οἱ τὸν Δία ἀνεῖναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φασὶν ἐκ τῆς γῆς. βασιλεύσαντα δὲ ἐν τῇ γῇ πλὴν Αἰακὸν οὐδένα εἰπεῖν ἔχουσιν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ τῶν Αἰακοῦ παίδων τινὰ ἴσμεν καταμείναντα, Πηλεῖ μὲν συμβὰν καὶ Τελαμῶνι ἐπὶ φόνῳ φεύγειν τῷ Φώκου, τῶν δὲ αὖ Φώκου παίδων περὶ τὸν Παρνασσὸν οἰκησάντων ἐν τῇ νῦν καλουμένῃ Φωκίδι.

English Translation

The Aeginetans inhabit an island situated opposite the territory of Epidaurus. They say that human beings were not present there from the beginning, but the island was initially uninhabited. When Zeus carried off Aegina, the daughter of Asopus, and brought her to this desert isle, it received this name, Aegina, in place of its former name, Oenone. After Aeacus entreated Zeus for inhabitants, as the place was deserted, they recount that Zeus caused the people to spring forth from the earth itself. According to them, no one except Aeacus held royal power in this land, since we do not know of any of Aeacus's sons who remained: Peleus and Telamon had to flee from the island because of the murder of Phocus, and the sons of Phocus themselves settled around Mount Parnassus, in the region now called Phocis.

Proper Nouns

Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Aeacus (Αἰακός) person
Aeginetans (Αἰγινῆται) person
Aegina (Αἴγινα) person
Also in: 2.5.1 2.5.2 5.22.6
Oenone (Οἰνώνη) person
Peleus (Πηλεύς) person
Telamon (Τελαμών) person
Phocus (Φῶκος) person
Asopos (Ἀσωπός) person
Aegina (Αἴγινα) place Q191082
Parnassus (Παρνασσός) place Q105261
Phocis (Φωκίς) place Q2637650
Epidaurus (Ἐπίδαυρος) place Q233576
← 2.29.1 2.29.3 →