Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.26.2

← 9.26.1 9.26.3 →

Passage 9.26.2: The Sphinx's mountain lair and Oedipus' defeat of her.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

προελθόντων δὲ τὸ ὄρος ἐστὶν ὅθεν τὴν Σφίγγα λέγουσιν ὁρμᾶσθαι ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τῶν ἁρπαζομένων αἴνιγμα ᾄδουσαν· οἱ δὲ κατὰ λῃστείαν σὺν δυνάμει ναυτικῇ πλανωμένην φασὶν αὐτὴν ἐς τὴν πρὸς Ἀνθηδόνι σχεῖν θάλασσαν, καταλαβοῦσαν δὲ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο ἁρπαγαῖς χρῆσθαι, πρὶν ἐξεῖλεν Οἰδίπους αὐτὴν ὑπερβαλόμενος πλήθει στρατιᾶς ἣν ἀφίκετο ἔχων ἐκ Κορίνθου.

English Translation

As one proceeds, there is a mountain from which they say the Sphinx launched herself, singing forth her riddle to the ruin of those she carried off. But others assert that, living as a pirate, she wandered about with a naval force, and landed at the sea near Anthedon, and occupied this mountain, engaging in acts of robbery, until Oedipus overcame her, surpassing her in battle with a greater force, which he brought with him from Corinth.

Proper Nouns

Sphinx (Σφίγξ) other
Also in: 1.24.5 9.26.3
Oedipus (Οἰδίπους) person
Corinth (Κόρινθος) place Q1363688 Pleiades
Anthedon (Ἀνθηδών) place Q2857905
← 9.26.1 9.26.3 →