Pausanias Analysis

Passage 5.7.7

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Passage 5.7.7: Heracles institutes a running contest, crowning winners with a Hyperborean olive branch

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τὸν δὲ Ἡρακλέα παίζοντα---εἶναι γὰρ δὴ αὐτὸν πρεσβύτατον ἡλικίᾳ---συμβαλεῖν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐς ἅμιλλαν δρόμου καὶ τὸν νικήσαντα ἐξ αὐτῶν κλάδῳ στεφανῶσαι κοτίνου· παρεῖναι δὲ αὐτοῖς πολὺν δή τι οὕτω τὸν κότινον ὡς τὰ χλωρὰ ἔτι τῶν φύλλων ὑπεστρῶσθαι σφᾶς καθεύδοντας. κομισθῆναι δὲ ἐκ τῆς Ὑπερβορέων γῆς τὸν κότινόν φασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους ἐς Ἕλληνας, εἶναι δὲ ἀνθρώπους οἳ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄνεμον οἰκοῦσι τὸν Βορέαν.

English Translation

While Heracles was playing—since he was indeed the eldest by age—he set his brothers to compete in a running race, and crowned the victor among them with a branch of wild olive. They had an abundance of olive leaves so great that they covered themselves still fresh while they slept. It is said that this olive was brought from the land of the Hyperboreans by Heracles to the Greeks, and that these people live beyond the North Wind.

Proper Nouns

Boreas (Βορέας) deity Q109220
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) people
Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς) person
Hyperboreans (Ὑπερβόρεοι) place Q11925683
Also in: 10.5.9
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