Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.30.11

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Passage 9.30.11: Libethra destroyed by the river Sys; Orpheus's bones taken to Macedonia

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

αὐτίκα δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐπερχομένῃ νυκτὶ ὅ τε θεὸς κατέχει πολὺ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ Σῦς---τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον χειμάρρων καὶ ὁ Σῦς ἐστι---, τότε οὖν οὗτος ὁ ποταμὸς κατέβαλε μὲν τὰ τείχη Λιβηθρίοις, θεῶν δὲ ἱερὰ καὶ οἴκους ἀνέτρεψεν ἀνθρώπων, ἀπέπνιξε δὲ τούς τε ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει ζῷα ὁμοίως τὰ πάντα. ἀπολλυμένων δὲ ἤδη Λιβηθρίων, οὕτως οἱ ἐν Δίῳ Μακεδόνες κατά γε τὸν λόγον τοῦ Λαρισαίου ξένου ἐς τὴν ἑαυτῶν τὰ ὀστᾶ κομίζουσι τοῦ Ὀρφέως.

English Translation

Indeed, on the very next night, the god sent down vast quantities of water from heaven, and the river Sys—one of the torrents flowing around Olympus is called Sys— burst forth. At that time this river destroyed the walls of Libethra, toppled both the sanctuaries of the gods and the dwellings of men, and equally drowned all the human beings and animals in the city. And when Libethra had been thus destroyed, the Macedonians in Dion, according to the account given by the guest from Larisa, thereafter carried away the bones of Orpheus into their own territory.

Proper Nouns

god (θεός) deity
Larisaean (Λαρισαῖος) person
Also in: 10.7.8
Macedonians (Μακεδόνες) person
Orpheus (Ὀρφεύς) person
Dion (Δῖον) place Q9207638
Also in: 9.30.7 10.13.5
Libethrians (Λιβήθριοι) place
Sys (Σῦς) place
Olympus (Ὄλυμπος) place Q290144
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