Pausanias Analysis

Passage 7.17.9

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Passage 7.17.9: Sanctuary of the Mother Dindymene and Attis.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

Δυμαίοις δὲ ἔστι μὲν Ἀθηνᾶς ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἀρχαῖον, ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλο ἱερόν σφισι Δινδυμήνῃ μητρὶ καὶ Ἄττῃ πεποιημένον. Ἄττης δὲ ὅστις ἦν, οὐδὲν οἷός τε ἦν ἀπόρρητον ἐς αὐτὸν ἐξευρεῖν, ἀλλὰ Ἑρμησιάνακτι μὲν τῷ τὰ ἐλεγεῖα γράψαντι πεποιημένα ἐστὶν ὡς υἱός τε ἦν Καλαοῦ Φρυγὸς καὶ ὡς οὐ τεκνοποιὸς ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς τεχθείη· ἐπεὶ δὲ ηὔξητο, μετῴκησεν ἐς Λυδίαν τῷ Ἑρμησιάνακτος λόγῳ καὶ Λυδοῖς ὄργια ἐτέλει Μητρός, ἐς τοσοῦτο ἥκων παρʼ αὐτῇ τιμῆς ὡς Δία αὐτῇ νεμεσήσαντα ὗν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα ἐπιπέμψαι τῶν Λυδῶν.

English Translation

The Dymaeans possess a temple of Athena and an extremely ancient statue. They also have another sanctuary, dedicated to the Mother Dindymene and to Attis. As for who this Attis was, I was unable to discover anything definite about him, since it is not permitted to speak openly concerning him. However, according to Hermesianax, who composed elegiac verses, Attis was the son of Calaüs, a Phrygian, and was born incapable of begetting offspring. When he had grown up, according to Hermesianax’s account, he migrated to Lydia and performed there the rites sacred to the Mother, and gained such great honor from her that Zeus, angered by this, sent a boar among the Lydians to disrupt these practices.

Proper Nouns

Dindymene (Δινδυμήνη) deity
Also in: 9.25.3
Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Mother (Meter) (Μήτηρ) deity
Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ) deity
Attis (Ἄττης) deity
Also in: 7.20.3
Kalaos (Καλαός) person
Phrygians (Φρύξ) person
Also in: 1.23.8
Hermesianax (Ἑρμησιάναξ) person
Dymaeans (Δυμαῖοι) place
Lydia (Λυδία) place
Lydians (Λυδοί) place Q1778719
Also in: 9.22.4
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