Pausanias Analysis

Passage 5.7.2

← 5.7.1 5.7.3 →

Passage 5.7.2: Alpheios and Arethousa transformed into a river and a spring.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τοιάδε ἐς τὸν Ἀλφειόν, ὡς ἀνὴρ εἴη θηρευτής, ἐρασθῆναι δὲ αὐτὸν Ἀρεθούσης, κυνηγετεῖν δὲ καὶ ταύτην. καὶ Ἀρέθουσαν μὲν οὐκ ἀρεσκομένην γήμασθαι περαιωθῆναί φασιν ἐς νῆσον τὴν κατὰ Συρακούσας, καλουμένην δὲ Ὀρτυγίαν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐξ ἀνθρώπου γενέσθαι πηγήν· συμβῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος καὶ Ἀλφειῷ τὴν ἀλλαγὴν ἐς τὸν ποταμόν.

English Translation

Other tales about Alpheios are as follows: they say he was a hunter who fell in love with Arethousa, herself a huntress; but Arethousa, unwilling to marry him, crossed over to the island near Syracuse called Ortygia, and there was transformed from a human into a spring. Through love, Alpheios too experienced the same transformation and became a river.

Proper Nouns

Alpheios (Ἀλφειός) deity
Arethusa (Ἀρέθουσα) deity
Syracuse (Συρακοῦσαι) place Q4420718
Ortygia (Ὀρτυγία) place Q1233234
Also in: 5.7.3 8.54.3
← 5.7.1 5.7.3 →