Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.30.9

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Passage 9.30.9: Libethra, Orpheus’ tomb and a Dionysian oracle foretelling a boar will destroy the city.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλον ἐν Λαρίσῃ λόγον, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ. πόλις οἰκοῖτο Λίβηθρα, ᾗ ἐπὶ Μακεδονίας τέτραπται τὸ ὄρος, καὶ εἶναι οὐ πόρρω τῆς πόλεως τὸ τοῦ Ὀρφέως μνῆμα· ἀφικέσθαι δὲ τοῖς Λιβηθρίοις παρὰ τοῦ Διονύσου μάντευμα ἐκ Θρᾴκης, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃ τὰ ὀστᾶ τοῦ Ὀρφέως ἥλιος, τηνικαῦτα ὑπὸ συὸς ἀπολεῖσθαι Λιβηθρίοις τὴν πόλιν. οἱ μὲν διʼ οὐ πολλῆς φροντίδος ἐποιοῦντο τὸν χρησμόν, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι θηρίον οὕτω μέγα καὶ ἄλκιμον ἔσεσθαι νομίζοντες ὡς ἑλεῖν σφισι τὴν πόλιν, συὶ δὲ θρασύτητος μετεῖναι μᾶλλον ἢ ἰσχύος.

English Translation

I also heard in Larisa another tale concerning Olympus—that at the foot of the mountain facing Macedonia there once existed a city called Libethra, and not far from that city stood the tomb of Orpheus. The Libethrians had received from Dionysus an oracle from Thrace, declaring that whenever the sun should behold the bones of Orpheus, then their city Libethra would be destroyed by a boar. They paid little heed to this prophecy, simply deeming that no creature, certainly no animal so mighty and strong, would ever be able to capture their city, and supposing that a boar was more likely known for bold rashness rather than actual strength.

Proper Nouns

Dionysus (Διόνυσος) deity
Libethrians (Λιβήθριοι) person
Orpheus (Ὀρφεύς) person
Thrace (Θρᾴκη) place Q41741
Larisa (Λάρισα) place Q178405 Pleiades
Libethra (Λίβηθρα) place Q1753318
Macedonia (Μακεδονία) place Q83958
Olympus (Ὄλυμπος) place Q290144
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