Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.40.4

← 9.40.3 9.40.5 →

Passage 9.40.4: Ariadne's wooden statue by Daedalus, dedicated to Apollo at Delos.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

πείθομαι τοῦτο Ἀριάδνην λαβεῖν παρὰ Δαιδάλου, καὶ ἡνίκα ἠκολούθησε τῷ Θησεῖ, τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐπεκομίζετο οἴκοθεν· ἀφαιρεθέντα δὲ αὐτῆς τὸν Θησέα οὕτω φασὶν οἱ Δήλιοι τὸ ξόανον τῆς θεοῦ ἀναθεῖναι τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τῷ Δηλίῳ, ἵνα μὴ οἴκαδε ἐπαγόμενος ἐς ἀνάμνησίν τε Ἀριάδνης ἐφέλκηται καὶ ἀεὶ νέας ἐπὶ τῷ ἔρωτι εὑρίσκηται τὰς συμφοράς. πέρα δὲ οὐκ οἶδα ὑπόλοιπα ὄντα τῶν Δαιδάλου· τοῖς γὰρ ἀνατεθεῖσιν ὑπὸ Ἀργείων ἐς τὸ Ἡραῖον καὶ ἐς Γέλαν τὴν ἐν Σικελίᾳ κομισθεῖσιν ἐξ Ὀμφάκης, ἀφανισθῆναί σφισιν ὁ χρόνος καθέστηκεν αἴτιος.

English Translation

I am persuaded that Ariadne received this image from Daedalus, and when she accompanied Theseus, she brought the statue from home. According to the Delians, when she was taken away from Theseus, he dedicated this wooden figure of the goddess to Delian Apollo, so that he would not carry it home and thus, reminded constantly of Ariadne's memory, continue to find renewed suffering due to his love. Beyond this, I do not know of any other surviving works by Daedalus, for those dedicated by the Argives in the Heraion and those brought to Gela in Sicily from Omphake have perished, destroyed by time.

Proper Nouns

Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Delians (Δήλιοι) other
Also in: 1.18.5 8.21.3
Delian (Δήλιος) other
Argives (Ἀργεῖοι) other
Daedalus (Δαίδαλος) person Q3712559
Theseus (Θησεύς) person
Ariadne (Ἀριάδνη) person
Gela (Γέλα) place Q58008539
Also in: 8.46.2
Sicily (Σικελία) place Q1460
Heraion (Ἡραῖον) place Q1607754
Omphace (Ὀμφάκη) place Q23640647
Also in: 8.46.2
← 9.40.3 9.40.5 →