Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.41.2

← 8.41.1 8.41.3 →

Passage 8.41.2: The river Lymax near Phigalia, named for Rhea's purification impurities.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ποταμὸς δὲ ὁ καλούμενος Λύμαξ ἐκδίδωσι μὲν ἐς τὴν Νέδαν παρʼ αὐτὴν ῥέων Φιγαλίαν, γενέσθαι δὲ τοὔνομά φασι τῷ ποταμῷ καθαρσίων τῶν Ῥέας ἕνεκα. ὡς γὰρ δὴ τεκοῦσαν τὸν Δία ἐκάθηραν ἐπὶ ταῖς ὠδῖσιν αἱ Νύμφαι, τὰ καθάρματα ἐς τοῦτον ἐμβάλλουσι τὸν ποταμόν· ὠνόμαζον δὲ ἄρα οἱ ἀρχαῖοι αὐτὰ λύματα. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρος, ἀπολυμαίνεσθαί τε ἐπὶ λύσει τοῦ λοιμοῦ τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ ἐμβάλλειν τὰ λύματα εἰπὼν σφᾶς ἐς θάλασσαν.

English Translation

The river called Lymax flows into the Neda, passing right by Phigalia. They say that the river acquired its name from the purifications associated with Rhea. For when Rhea had given birth to Zeus, the nymphs cleansed her after her labor and cast the impurities into this river; the ancients used to call such impurities "lymata." Homer, too, bears witness to this usage when he speaks of the Greeks purifying themselves to end the plague and throwing their impurities, which he calls "lymata," into the sea.

Proper Nouns

Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Nymphs (Νύμφαι) deity
Rhea (Ῥέα) deity
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Lymax (Λύμαξ) place Q15205042
Also in: 8.41.4 8.41.10
Neda (Νέδα) place Q1641987
Phigalia (Φιγαλία) place Q7623270
← 8.41.1 8.41.3 →