XXV. Μητιόχη καὶ Μενίππη
[Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος ἑτεροιουμένων δ΄ καὶ Κόριννα γεροίων α΄.]
Ὠρίωνος τοῦ Ὑριέως ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ θυγατέρες ἐγένοντο Μητιόχη καὶ Μενίππη. αὗται, ὅτε Ὠρίωνα ἠφάνισεν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων Ἄρτεμις, ἐτρέφοντο παρὰ τῇ μητρί. καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ μὲν ἐδίδασκεν αὐτὰς ἱστοὺς ἐξυφαίνειν, Ἀφροδίτη δὲ αὐταῖς ἔδωκε κάλλος.
25. Metioche and Menippe
[Nicander tells this story in Book 4 of the Heteroeumena, and Corinna in Book 1 of the Geroia (Old Tales).]
Orion, the son of Hyrieus, in Boeotia, had daughters, Metioche and Menippe. When Artemis removed Orion from among men, they were brought up by their mother. Athena taught them to weave on the loom, and Aphrodite gave them beauty.
ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἀονίαν ὅλην ἔλαβε λοιμὸς καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπέθνῃσκον, θεωροὺς ἀπέστειλαν παρὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα τὸν Γορτύνιον καὶ αὐτοῖς εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς ἱλάσσασθαι δύο τοὺς ἐριουνίους θεούς· ἔφη δὲ καταπαύσειν αὐτοὺς τὴν μῆνιν, εἰ δύο δυσὶν ἑκοῦσαι παρθένοι θύματα γένοιντο.
When a plague seized all Aonia and many were dying, they sent envoys to Gortynian Apollo, and the god told them to propitiate the two Eriounian gods [?]; he said they would end their wrath if two maidens of their own will became victims to the two gods.
πρὸς [δὲ] δὴ τὸ μαντεῖον οὐδεμία τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει παρθένων ὑπήκουσεν, ἄχρι γυνὴ θῆσσα τὸν χρησμὸν ἐξήνεγκε πρὸς τὰς θυγατέρας τοῦ Ὠρίωνος. αἱ δ’ ὡς ἐπύθοντο περὶ τὸν ἱστὸν ἔχουσαι, ⟨ἑκοῦσαι⟩ τὸν ὑπὲρ ἀστῶν θάνατον ἐδέξαντο πρὶν ἢ τὴν ἐπιδήμιον ἐπιπεσοῦσαν αὐτὰς ἀφανίσαι νόσον· τρὶς δὲ βοησάμεναι χθονίους δαίμονας, ὅτι αὐτοῖς ἑκοῦσαι θύματα γίνονται, ἐπάταξαν ἑαυτὰς τῇ κερκίδι παρὰ τὴν κλεῖδα καὶ ἀνέρρηξαν τὴν σφαγήν.
No maiden in the city answered the oracle, until a serving-woman brought the oracle to the daughters of Orion. When they heard it, as they were at their loom, they accepted ⟨of their own will⟩ death on behalf of the citizens before the epidemic disease that had fallen upon them could destroy them; three times they cried aloud to the gods of the underworld that they were becoming victims to them of their own will, struck themselves with the shuttle by the collarbone and tore open their throats.
καὶ αὗται μὲν ἀμφότεραι κατέπεσον ἐς τὴν γῆν· Φερσεφόνη δὲ καὶ Ἅιδης οἰκτείραντες τὰ μὲν σώματα τῶν παρθένων ἠφάνισαν, ἀντὶ δ’ ἐκείνων ἀστέρας ἀνήνεγκαν ἐκ τῆς γῆς· οἱ δὲ φανέντες ἀνηνέχθησαν εἰς οὐρανόν, καὶ αὐτοὺς ὠνόμασαν ἄνθρωποι κομήτας.
Both of them fell to the ground; Persephone and Hades, pitying them, made the bodies of the maidens vanish, and in their place sent up stars from the earth; and these, once they appeared, were carried up into the sky, and men called them comets.
ἱδρύσαντο δὲ πάντες ⟨οἱ⟩ Ἄονες ἐν Ὀρχομενῷ τῆς Βοιωτίας ἱερὸν ἐπίδημον τῶν παρθένων τούτων. καὶ αὐταῖς καθ’ ἕκαστον ἔτος κόροι τε καὶ κόραι μειλίγματα φέρουσιν. προσαγορεύουσι δ’ αὐτὰς ἄχρι νῦν Αἰολεῖς Κορωνίδας παρθένους.
All ⟨the⟩ Aonians founded at Orchomenus in Boeotia a public sanctuary of these maidens, and every year young men and girls bring them offerings of appeasement. To this day the Aeolians [?] call them the Coronid maidens.
XXVI. Ὕλας
[Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος ἑτεροιουμένων β΄.]
Ἡρακλῆς ὅτε μετὰ τῶν Ἀργοναυτῶν ἔπλει, στρατηγὸς ὑπ’ αὐτῶν ἀποδειχθεὶς συνεπήγετο μεθ’ αὑτοῦ καὶ Ὕλαν, παῖδα μὲν Κήυκος, †ἵτυπος† νέον δὲ καὶ καλόν.
26. Hylas
[Nicander tells this story in Book 2 of the Heteroeumena.]
When Heracles sailed with the Argonauts, having been appointed their leader by them, he also took Hylas with him, the son of Ceyx, †…†, young and handsome.
ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς τὸ στενὸν ἐξίκοντο τοῦ Πόντου καὶ τὰ σφυρὰ παρέπλευσαν τῆς Ἀργανθώνης καὶ ἐγένετο χειμὼν καὶ σάλος, ἐνταῦθα καταβαλόντες ἀγκύρας ἀνέπαυσαν τὴν ναῦν. καὶ Ἡρακλῆς παρεῖχε τοῖς ἥρωσι τὸ δεῖπνον.
When they reached the strait of the Pontus and sailed along the foot of Arganthone, and a storm and heavy sea arose, they cast anchor there and gave the ship rest. Heracles provided supper for the heroes.
ὁ δὲ παῖς Ὕλας ἔχων κρωσὸν ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν Ἀσκάνιον ποταμὸν ὕδωρ ἀποίσων τοῖς ἀριστεῦσιν· καὶ αὐτὸν ἰδοῦσαι νύμφαι, ⟨αἱ⟩ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τούτου θυγατέρες, ἠράσθησαν, ἀρυόμενον δὲ καταβάλλουσιν εἰς τὴν κρήνην.
The boy Hylas took a pitcher and went to the river Ascanius to bring water to the chieftains; and the nymphs, ⟨the⟩ daughters of this river, saw him and fell in love with him, and as he was drawing water they pulled him down into the spring.
καὶ ὁ μὲν Ὕλας ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο, Ἡρακλῆς δ’, ἐπεὶ αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐνόστει καταλιπὼν τοὺς ἥρωας ἐξερευνᾷ πανταχοῖ τὸν δρυμὸν καὶ ἐβόησε πολλάκις τὸν Ὕλαν. νύμφαι δὲ δείσασαι τὸν Ἡρακλέα, μὴ αὐτὸν εὕροι κρυπτόμενον παρ’ αὐταῖς, μετέβαλον τὸν Ὕλαν καὶ ἐποίησαν ἠχὼ καὶ πρὸς τὴν βοὴν πολλάκις ἀντεφώνησεν Ἡρακλεῖ.
Hylas vanished; and Heracles, since he did not come back to him, left the heroes and searched the forest everywhere, and called Hylas many times. The nymphs, afraid that Heracles might find him hidden among them, changed Hylas and made him into an echo, and he answered Heracles' shouting again and again.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ὡς οὐκ ἐδύνατο πλεῖστα πονησάμενος ἐξευρεῖν τὸν Ὕλαν, παρεγένετο πρὸς τὴν ναῦν καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἔπλει μετὰ τῶν ἀριστέων, Πολύφημον δὲ καταλείπει ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ, εἴ πως δύναιτο ζητῶν ἐξευρεῖν αὐτῷ τὸν Ὕλαν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Πολύφημος ἔφθη τελευτήσας, Ὕλᾳ δὲ θύουσιν ἄχρι νῦν παρὰ τὴν κρήνην οἱ ἐπιχώριοι καὶ αὐτὸν ἐξ ὀνόματος εἰς τρὶς ὁ ἱερεὺς φωνεῖ καὶ εἰς τρὶς ἀμείβεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ἠχώ.
Heracles, when after very great toil he could not find Hylas, went back to the ship and sailed on with the chieftains, but he left Polyphemus in that place, in case by searching he could find Hylas for him. Polyphemus died before he could find him [?]; but the local people sacrifice to Hylas by the spring to this day, and the priest calls him by name three times, and three times an echo answers him.
XXVII. Ἰφιγένεια
[Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος ἑτεροιουμένων δ΄.]
Θησέως καὶ Ἑλένης τῆς Διὸς ἐγένετο θυγάτηρ Ἰφιγένεια καὶ αὐτὴν ἐξέτρεφεν ἡ τῆς Ἑλένης ἀδελφὴ Κλυταιμήστρα, πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα εἶπεν αὐτὴ τεκεῖν· Ἑλένη γὰρ πυνθανομένων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἔφη κόρη παρὰ Θησέως ἀπελθεῖν.
27. Iphigenia
[Nicander tells this story in Book 4 of the Heteroeumena.]
Theseus and Helen, the daughter of Zeus, had a daughter, Iphigenia; she was brought up by Helen's sister Clytemnestra, who told Agamemnon that she herself had borne her; for when her brothers asked, Helen said she had come away from Theseus a virgin.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ στρατιὰ ἡ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ὑπὸ ἀπλοίας ἐν Αὐλίδι κατείχετο, προεσήμαινον οἱ μάντεις, ὅτι ἔσοιτο πλοῦς, ἐὰν Ἀρτέμιδι θύσωσι τὴν Ἰφιγένειαν. Ἀγαμέμνων δὲ διδοῖ σφάγιον αὐτὴν αἰτούντων τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, πρὸς δὲ τὸν βωμὸν ἀγομένην οἱ μὲν ἀριστεῖς οὐ προσέβλεψαν. ἀλλὰ πάντες ἔτρεψαν ἄλλῃ τὰς ὄψεις.
When the army of the Achaeans was held at Aulis by lack of sailing winds, the seers declared that there would be a voyage if they sacrificed Iphigenia to Artemis. Agamemnon, at the Achaeans' demand, gave her up as a victim; as she was led to the altar, the chieftains did not look at her, but all turned their eyes away.
Ἄρτεμις δὲ ἀντὶ τῆς Ἰφιγενείας παρὰ τὸν βωμὸν ἔφηνε μόσχον, αὐτὴν δὲ προσωτάτω τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἀπήνεγκεν εἰς τὸν Εὔξεινον λεγόμενον πόντον παρὰ Θόαντα τὸν Βορυσθένους παῖδα. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο τῶν νομάδων ἐκάλεσε Ταύρους. ἐπεὶ ἀντὶ τῆς Ἰφιγενείας παρὰ τὸν βωμὸν ἔφηνε ταῦρον, αὐτὴν δ’ ἡ θεὸς Ταυροπόλον.
Artemis made a calf appear at the altar in place of Iphigenia, and carried her far away from Greece to the sea called the Euxine, to Thoas, the son of Borysthenes. That nomad people she called Taurians, since she had made a bull (tauros) appear at the altar in place of Iphigenia, and Iphigenia herself the goddess called Tauropolos.
κατὰ δὲ χρόνον ⟨τὸν⟩ ἱκνούμενον ἀπῴκισε τὴν Ἰφιγένειαν εἰς τὴν Λευκὴν λεγομένην ⟨νῆσον⟩ παρὰ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα καὶ ἀλλάξασα ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν ἀγήρων καὶ ἀθάνατον δαίμονα καὶ ὠνόμασεν ἀντὶ τῆς Ἰφιγενείας Ὀρσιλοχίαν. ἐγένετο δὲ Ἀχιλλεῖ σύνοικος.
In course of time she settled Iphigenia on the ⟨island⟩ called Leuce, with Achilles, transformed her into an ageless and immortal divinity and named her Orsilochia instead of Iphigenia. And she became the consort of Achilles.
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