Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.24.10

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Passage 3.24.10: The tomb and statue of Las at Arainos

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

ἐν δὲ Ἀραΐνῳ καλουμένῳ χωρίῳ τάφος Λᾶ καὶ ἀνδριὰς ἐπὶ τῷ μνήματι ἔπεστι. τοῦτον τὸν Λᾶν οἰκιστὴν εἶναι λέγουσιν οἱ ταύτῃ, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν φασιν ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως, Ἀχιλλέα δὲ κατᾶραί σφισιν ἐς τὴν χώραν Ἑλένην παρὰ Τυνδάρεω γυναῖκα αἰτοῦντα. λέγοντι δὲ ἐπʼ ἀληθείᾳ Πάτροκλός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν Λᾶν ἀποκτείνας· οὗτος γὰρ καὶ ὁ μνηστευσάμενός ἐστιν Ἑλένην. καὶ ὅτι μὲν τῶν Ἑλένης μνηστήρων Ἀχιλλεὺς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Καταλόγῳ γυναικῶν, μηδὲν τοῦτο ἔστω τεκμήριον οὐκ αἰτῆσαι Ἑλένην αὐτόν·

English Translation

In a place called Arainos there is the tomb of Las and upon the tomb stands a statue. The people there say this Las was their founder, and they claim he was killed by Achilles, who came to their country to court Helen as his wife from Tyndareus. But, according to the truth of the matter, it was Patroclus who slew Las; for it was he who in fact had been Helen's suitor. The fact that Achilles is not listed among Helen's suitors in the "Catalogue of Women" should not be taken as proof that he had not sought Helen in marriage.

Proper Nouns

Catalogue (Κατάλογος) other
Laos (Λᾶς) person
Patroclus (Πάτροκλος) person
Tyndareus (Τυνδάρεως) person
Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς) person
Helen (Ἑλένη) person
Arais (Ἀραΐς) place
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