Pausanias Analysis

Passage 6.5.5

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Passage 6.5.5: Polydamas subdues a lion on Mount Olympus.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

οὗτοι πολλάκις οἱ λέοντες καὶ ἐς τὴν περὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον πλανῶνται χώραν· τούτου δὲ τοῦ ὄρους ἡ μὲν ἐς Μακεδονίαν πλευρά, ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ Θεσσαλοὺς καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τέτραπται τὸν Πηνειόν· ἐνταῦθα ὁ Πουλυδάμας λέοντα ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ, μέγα καὶ ἄλκιμον θηρίον, κατειργάσατο οὐδενὶ ἐσκευασμένος ὅπλῳ. προήχθη δὲ ἐς τὸ τόλμημα φιλοτιμίᾳ πρὸς τὰ Ἡρακλέους ἔργα, ὅτι καὶ Ἡρακλέα ἔχει λόγος κρατῆσαι τοῦ ἐν Νεμέᾳ λέοντος.

English Translation

These lions frequently roam also into the region around Mount Olympus. Of this mountain, one side faces toward Macedonia, while the other turns toward Thessaly and the river Peneius. Here, on Olympus, Polydamas subdued a lion, a great and powerful beast, without using any weapon at all. He was inspired to undertake this daring feat by a rivalry with the exploits of Heracles, knowing that tradition also has Heracles overcoming the lion in Nemea.

Proper Nouns

Thessalians (Θεσσαλοί) other
Polydamas (Πουλυδάμας) person
Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς) person
Macedonia (Μακεδονία) place Q83958
Nemea (Νεμέα) place Q748108
Peneios (Πηνειός) place Q376328
Olympus (Ὄλυμπος) place Q290144
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