Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.44.6

← 8.44.5 8.44.7 →

Passage 8.44.6: The Katharoi ("Pure Ones")—bound by secret oaths who refuse to utter the gods' names.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐπίκλησις μὲν δή ἐστιν αὐτοῖς Καθαροί, περὶ μεγίστων δὲ αὐτόθι καθεστήκασιν οἱ ὅρκοι· καὶ ὀνόματα μὲν τῶν θεῶν οὐκ ἴσασιν ἢ καὶ εἰδότες οὐ θέλουσιν ἐξαγορεύειν, Καθαροὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τοιῷδε ἄν τις κληθῆναι τεκμαίροιτο, ὅτι αὐτοῖς οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ὁ Πάλλας ἔθυσε καθὰ καὶ ὁ πατήρ οἱ τῷ Λυκαίῳ Διί.

English Translation

Their epithet, in fact, is "Katharoi" ("Pure Ones"), and among them the most solemn oaths are held sacredly binding. They either do not know the names of the gods, or, if they do know them, refuse to utter them aloud. One might conjecture that they came to be called Katharoi for the following reason: because Pallas did not sacrifice to the Lykaian Zeus in the same manner as his father had.

Proper Nouns

Lycaean Zeus (Λύκαιος Ζεύς) deity
gods (θεοί) deity
Katharoi (Καθαροί) other
Pallas (Πάλλας) person
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