Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.38.3

← 9.38.2 9.38.4 →

Passage 9.38.3: Tomb of Hesiod; an oracle ordered his bones brought to Orchomenus, a crow revealed the spot.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τάφοι δὲ Μινύου τε καὶ Ἡσιόδου· καταδέξασθαι δέ φασιν οὕτω τοῦ Ἡσιόδου τὰ ὀστᾶ. νόσου καταλαμβανούσης λοιμώδους καὶ ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰ βοσκήματα ἀποστέλλουσι θεωροὺς παρὰ τὸν θεόν· τούτοις δὲ ἀποκρίνασθαι λέγουσι τὴν Πυθίαν, Ἡσιόδου τὰ ὀστᾶ ἐκ τῆς Ναυπακτίας ἀγαγοῦσιν ἐς τὴν Ὀρχομενίαν, ἄλλο δὲ εἶναί σφισιν οὐδὲν ἴαμα. τότε δὲ ἐπερέσθαι δεύτερα, ὅπου τῆς Ναυπακτίας αὐτὰ ἐξευρήσουσι· καὶ αὖθις τὴν Πυθίαν εἰπεῖν ὡς μηνύσοι κορώνη σφίσιν.

English Translation

There are tombs of Minyas and Hesiod. About the bones of Hesiod, they recount this story: when a plague afflicted both the people and their cattle, they sent envoys to the god [at Delphi]. These envoys received an answer from the Pythian oracle instructing them that their only remedy was to bring Hesiod's bones from the region of Naupactus to Orchomenus. Then the envoys asked again in a second inquiry where precisely in the region of Naupactus they would find these bones, and the Pythia further responded that a crow would show them the location.

Proper Nouns

god (θεός) deity
crow (κορώνη) other
Minyas (Μινύας) person
Pythia (Πυθία) person
Hesiod (Ἡσίοδος) person
Naupactia (Ναυπακτία) place Q12877190
Orchomenus (Ὀρχομενία) place Q13574822
← 9.38.2 9.38.4 →