Pausanias Analysis

Passage 5.8.1

← 5.7.10 5.8.2 →

Passage 5.8.1: Clymenus founds the Olympic contest and altar to Heracles; Endymion later seizes power.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τούτων δὲ ὕστερον Κλύμενον τὸν Κάρδυος, πεντηκοστῷ μάλιστα ἔτει μετὰ τὴν συμβᾶσαν ἐπὶ Δευκαλίωνος ἐν Ἕλλησιν ἐπομβρίαν ἐλθόντα ἐκ Κρήτης, γένος ἀπὸ Ἡρακλέους ὄντα τοῦ Ἰδαίου, τόν τε ἀγῶνα ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ θεῖναι καὶ Κούρησι τοῖς τε ἄλλοις καὶ Ἡρακλεῖ τῷ προγόνῳ λέγουσιν ἱδρύσασθαι βωμόν, Παραστάτην ἐπωνυμίαν τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ θέμενον. Ἐνδυμίων δὲ ὁ Ἀεθλίου Κλύμενόν τε ἔπαυσε τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ δρόμου τοῖς υἱοῖς ἆθλα ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔθηκε.

English Translation

After these events, about fifty years after the great flood that befell the Greeks during Deucalion's time, it is said that Clymenus, son of Cardys, came from Crete—he who traced his lineage back to Heracles of Ida. They say he established the contest at Olympia, and built an altar there for the Curetes and for Heracles, his own ancestor, giving Heracles the surname "Parastates" (the Helper). Endymion, son of Aethlius, however, deposed Clymenus from power and established royal authority at Olympia as the prize in a footrace among his own sons.

Proper Nouns

Curetes (Κοῦρες) other
Parastates (Παραστάτης) other
Deucalion (Δευκαλίων) person Q109979545
Cardys (Κάρδυς) person
Clymenus (Κλύμενος) person
Aethlius (Ἀεθλίος) person
Endymion (Ἐνδυμίων) person
Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς) person
Idaios (Ἰδαῖος) person
Also in: 6.12.2
Crete (Κρήτη) place Q34374 Pleiades
Olympia (Ὀλυμπία) place Q38888 Pleiades
← 5.7.10 5.8.2 →