Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.28.5

← 8.28.4 8.28.6 →

Passage 8.28.5: Teuthis strikes Athena, causing his illness and a curse of sterility on Arcadia

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐνταῦθα Ἀθηνᾶν λέγουσι Μέλανι τῷ Ὦπος εἰκασμένην ἀποτρέπειν τῆς ὁδοῦ Τεῦθιν τῆς οἴκαδε· ὁ δέ, ἅτε οἰδοῦντος αὐτῷ τοῦ θυμοῦ, παίει τὴν θεὸν τῷ δόρατι ἐς τὸν μηρόν, ἀπήγαγε δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς Αὐλίδος ὀπίσω τὸν στρατόν. ἀναστρέψας δὲ ἐς τὴν οἰκείαν, τὴν θεὸν ἔδοξεν αὐτὴν τετρωμένην φανῆναί οἱ τὸν μηρόν· τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου κατέλαβε Τεῦθιν φθινώδης νόσος, μόνοις τε Ἀρκάδων τοῖς ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἀπεδίδου καρπὸν οὐδένα ἡ γῆ.

English Translation

At this place, they say, Athena appeared resembling Melas, the son of Opus, and sought to deter Teuthis from his journey back home. But he, his anger swelling within him, struck the goddess with his spear in her thigh, and nevertheless withdrew his army from Aulis, leading them back again. When he returned home, it is said that the goddess herself appeared to him wounded in the thigh. After this event Teuthis fell ill with a wasting disease, and from that time onward the land yielded no fruit whatsoever for these Arcadians alone.

Proper Nouns

Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ) deity
Melas (Μέλας) person
Teuthis (Τεῦθις) person
Also in: 8.28.4
Arcadians (Ἀρκάδες) person
Ops (Ὦψ) person
Aulis (Αὐλίς) place Q4821780
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