Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.2.4

← 9.2.3 9.2.5 →

Passage 9.2.4: Oedipus kills his father on the Schiste road.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

ἐγὼ δὲ ἄνευ θεοῦ πείθομαι νόσον λύσσαν τοῦ Ἀκταίωνος ἐπιλαβεῖν τοὺς κύνας· μανέντες δὲ καὶ οὐ διαγινώσκοντες διαφορήσειν ἔμελλον πάντα τινὰ ὅτῳ περιτύχοιεν. καθότι δὲ τοῦ Κιθαιρῶνος Πενθεῖ τῷ Ἐχίονος ἐγένετο ἡ συμφορὰ ἢ Οἰδίποδα ὅπῃ τεχθέντα ἐξέθεσαν, οἶδεν οὐδείς, καθάπερ γε ἴσμεν τὴν Σχιστὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἐπὶ Φωκέων, ἐφʼ ᾗ τὸν πατέρα Οἰδίπους ἀπέκτεινεν, ὁ δὲ Κιθαιρὼν τὸ ὄρος Διὸς ἱερὸν Κιθαιρωνίου ἐστίν ἃ δὴ καὶ ἐς πλέον ἐπέξειμι, ἐπειδὰν ἐς αὐτὰ ὁ λόγος καθήκῃ μοι.

English Translation

But I myself, without divine intervention, am inclined to believe that madness, a disease, seized the dogs of Actaeon, and that, driven insane and incapable of distinguishing their master, they would have torn apart whomever they encountered. Now, no one knows precisely where on Mount Cithaeron Pentheus son of Echion met disaster or where Oedipus was exposed at birth. Unlike these places, we do know the Schiste road which leads toward Phocis, on which Oedipus killed his father. Mount Cithaeron is sacred to Zeus Cithaeronius; concerning these matters I shall return and speak more fully as soon as my account reaches that point.

Proper Nouns

Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Oedipus (Οἰδίπους) person
Pentheus (Πενθεύς) person
Also in: 1.20.3 2.2.7 9.5.4
Actaeon (Ἀκταίων) person
Echion (Ἐχίων) person
Also in: 9.5.3 9.5.4
Cithaeron (Κιθαιρών) place Q1147780
Cithaeronian (Κιθαιρώνιος) place
Schiste Road (Σχιστὴ ὁδός) place Q12885060
Phocians (Φωκεῖς) place Q21095133
Also in: 1.25.4
← 9.2.3 9.2.5 →