Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.2.7

← 4.2.6 4.3.1 →

Passage 4.2.7: Idas and Lynceus, sons of Aphareus

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

Ἀφαρεῖ δὲ τῶν παίδων πρεσβύτερος μὲν καὶ ἀνδρειότερος Ἴδας, νεώτερος δὲ ἦν Λυγκεύς, ὃν ἔφη Πίνδαρος---ὅτῳ πιστὰ---οὕτως ὀξὺ ὁρᾶν ὡς καὶ διὰ στελέχους θεᾶσθαι δρυός. Λυγκέως μὲν δὴ παῖδα οὐκ ἴσμεν γενόμενον, Ἴδα δὲ Κλεοπάτραν θυγατέρα ἐκ Μαρπήσσης, ἣ Μελεάγρῳ συνῴκησεν. ὁ δὲ τὰ ἔπη ποιήσας τὰ Κύπρια Πρωτεσιλάου φησίν, ὃς ὅτε κατὰ τὴν Τρῳάδα ἔσχον Ἕλληνες ἀποβῆναι πρῶτος ἐτόλμησε, Πρωτεσιλάου τούτου τὴν γυναῖκα Πολυδώραν μὲν τὸ ὄνομα, θυγατέρα δὲ Μελεάγρου φησὶν εἶναι τοῦ Οἰνέως. εἰ τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἀληθές, αἱ γυναῖκες αὗται τρεῖς οὖσαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἀπὸ Μαρπήσσης ἀρξάμεναι προαποθανοῦσι πᾶσαι τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἑαυτὰς ἐπικατέσφαξαν.

English Translation

Of the sons of Aphareus, Idas was elder and braver, while the younger was Lynceus, who, according to Pindar—if one trusts him—had eyesight so sharp that he could see even through the trunk of an oak tree. No child of Lynceus, as far as we know, was ever born; but Idas had by Marpessa a daughter, Cleopatra, who married Meleager. The author of the epic poem called the Cypria says that the wife of Protesilaus—the one who first dared to land when the Greeks arrived at Troy—was named Polydora, and calls her daughter of Meleager son of Oeneus. If this is true, then these three women, beginning with Marpessa, all preceded their husbands in death, each one killing herself intentionally after her husband's demise.

Proper Nouns

Kypria (Κύπρια) other
Also in: 3.16.1
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) other
Cleopatra (Κλεοπάτρα) person
Lynceus (Λυγκεύς) person
Marpessa (Μαρπήσσα) person
Meleager (Μελέαγρος) person
Oineus (Οἰνεύς) person
Pindar (Πίνδαρος) person
Polydora (Πολυδώρα) person
Protesilaos (Πρωτεσίλαος) person
Aphareus (Ἀφαρεύς) person
Idas (Ἴδας) person
Troad (Τρωάς) place Q2454671
Also in: 6.4.9 10.14.4
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