XXVIII. Τυφῶν
[Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος ἑτεροιουμένων δ΄.]
Τυφὼν ἐγένετο Γῆς υἱὸς ἐξαίσιος δαίμων πρὸς ἰσχύν, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὄψιν παρηλλαγμένος· ἐπεφύκεσαν γὰρ ⟨αὐτῷ⟩ κεφαλαὶ πλεῖσται καὶ χέρες καὶ πτέρυγες, ἐκ δὲ τῶν μηρῶν μέγισται δρακόντων σπεῖραι, φωνὰς δὲ παντοίας ἠφίει καὶ αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ὑπέμεινεν εἰς ἀλκήν.
28. Typhon
[Nicander tells this story in Book 4 of the Heteroeumena.]
Typhon was a son of Earth, a divinity of prodigious strength and monstrous in appearance; for very many heads, hands and wings had grown ⟨on him⟩, and from his thighs huge coils of serpents; he uttered all kinds of sounds, and nothing could stand up to his might.
οὗτος ἐπεθύμησε τοῦ Διὸς ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπερχόμενον οὐδεὶς ὑπέμενε τῶν θεῶν, ἀλλὰ δείσαντες ἔφυγον πάντες εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ καὶ Ζεὺς ὑπελείφθησαν μόνοι. Τυφὼν δ’ ἐκ ποδὸς ἐδίωκεν. οἱ δὲ προμηθείᾳ διέφυγον ἀλλάξαντες εἰς ζῷα τὰς ὄψεις·
He desired to have the rule of Zeus, and when he attacked, none of the gods could stand against him, but in fear they all fled to Egypt; only Athena and Zeus were left. Typhon followed hard on their heels. They escaped by forethought [?], changing their appearance into animals:
καὶ Ἀπόλλων μὲν ἐγένετο ἱέραξ, Ἑρμῆς δὲ ἶβις, Ἄρης δὲ λεπιδωτὸς ἰχθύς, Ἄρτεμις δὲ αἴλουρος, τράγῳ δὲ εἰκάζεται Διόνυσος, ἑλλῷ δ’ Ἡρακλῆς, βοῒ δ’ Ἥφαιστος, μυγαλῇ δὲ Λητώ, καὶ ὡς ἕκαστος ἔτυχε τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν μετέβαλε τὴν ὄψιν. ἔπει⟨τα⟩ δὲ Τυφῶνα Ζεὺς βάλλει κεραυνῷ, καιόμενος δὲ ὁ Τυφὼν ἔκρυψεν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἠφάνισε τὴν φλόγα τῇ θαλάσσῃ.
Apollo became a hawk, Hermes an ibis, Ares a lepidotus fish, Artemis a cat; Dionysus took the likeness of a goat, Heracles of a fawn, Hephaestus of an ox, Leto of a shrew-mouse; and each of the other gods changed his appearance as chance would have it. ⟨Then⟩ Zeus struck Typhon with a thunderbolt, and Typhon, burning, hid himself and quenched the flame in the sea.
Ζεὺς δ’ οὐκ ἀνίησιν, ἀλλ’ ὃ μέγιστον ὄρος ἐπιβάλλει Τυφῶνι τὴν Αἴτνην καὶ αὐτῷ φύλακα τὸν Ἥφαιστον ἐπὶ τῶν ἄκρων ἐφίστησιν· ὁ δ’ ἐνερείσας τοὺς ἄκμονας αὐτοῦ τῷ τραχήλῳ διάπυρον ἐργάζεται μύδρον.
But Zeus did not let him go; he threw upon Typhon the greatest of mountains, Etna, and set Hephaestus on its summit as his guard; and Hephaestus, setting his anvils on Typhon's neck, works the red-hot iron.
XXIX. Γαλινθιάς
[Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος ἑτεροιουμένων δ΄.]
Προίτου θυγάτηρ ἐν Θήβαις ἐγένετο Γαλινθιάς. αὕτη ⟨ἡ⟩ παρθένος ἦν συμπαίκτρια καὶ ἑταιρὶς Ἀλκμήνης τῆς Ἠλεκτρύωνος. ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἀλκμήνην ὁ τόκος ἤπειγε τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, Μοῖραι καὶ Εἰλείθυια πρὸς χάριν τῆς Ἥρας κατεῖχον ἐν ταῖς ὠδῖσι τὴν Ἀλκμήνην.
29. Galinthias
[Nicander tells this story in Book 4 of the Heteroeumena.]
Proetus had a daughter in Thebes, Galinthias. This maiden was the playmate and companion of Alcmena, the daughter of Electryon. When the birth of Heracles was pressing upon Alcmena, the Fates (Moirai) and Eileithyia, as a favour to Hera, held Alcmena fast in her labour.
καὶ αὗται μὲν ἐκαθέζοντο κρατοῦσαι τὰς ἑαυτῶν χεῖρας, Γαλινθιὰς δὲ δείσασα μὴ Ἀλκμήνην ἐκστήσωσι βαρυνομένην οἱ πόνοι. δραμοῦσα παρά τε τὰς Μοίρας καὶ τὴν Εἰλείθυιαν ἐξήγγειλεν ὅτι Διὸς βουλῇ γέγονε τῇ Ἀλκμήνῃ παῖς κόρος, αἱ δὲ ἐκείνων ἐμαὶ καταλέλυνται.
They sat there clasping their hands together, and Galinthias, fearing that the pains, as they grew heavy upon Alcmena, would drive her out of her mind, ran to the Fates and Eileithyia and announced that by the will of Zeus a boy had been born to Alcmena, and that their †…† had been undone.
πρὸς δὴ τοῦτ’ ἔκπληξις ἔλαβε τὰς Μοίρας καὶ ἀνῆκαν [εὐθὺς] τὰς χεῖρας, Ἀλκμήνην δὲ κατέλιπον εὐθὺς αἱ ὠδῖνες καὶ ἐγένετο Ἡρακλῆς. αἱ δὴ Μοῖραι πένθος ἐποιήσαντο καὶ τῆς Γαλινθιάδος ἀφείλοντο τὴν κορείαν, ὅτι θνητὴ οὖσα θεοὺς ἐξηπάτησε. καὶ αὐτὴν ἐποίησαν δολερὰν γαλῆν καὶ δίαιταν ἔδωκαν ἐν τῷ μυχῷ καὶ ἄμορφον ἀπέδειξαν τὴν εὐνήν· θορέσκεται μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῶν ὤτων, τίκτει δ’ ἀναφέρουσα τὸ κυόμενον ἐκ τοῦ τραχήλου.
At this the Fates were seized with astonishment and [at once] let go their hands, and the pains at once left Alcmena, and Heracles was born. The Fates were grieved, and they took away Galinthias' maidenhood, because, though a mortal, she had deceived the gods. They made her a crafty weasel (gale), gave her a dwelling in the inner recesses and made her mating unseemly: for she is mated through the ears, and gives birth by bringing up her young through the throat.
ταύτην Ἑκάτη πρὸς τὴν μεταβολὴν τῆς ὄψεως ᾤκτειρε καὶ ἀπέδειξεν ἱερὰν αὐτῆς διάκονον· Ἡρακλῆς δ’ ἐπεὶ ηὐξήθη τὴν χάριν ἐμνημόνευσε καὶ αὐτῆς ἐποίησεν ἀφίδρυμα παρὰ τὸν οἶκον καὶ ἱερὰ προσήνεγκεν. ταῦτα νῦν ἔτι τὰ ἱερὰ Θηβαῖοι φυλάττουσι καὶ πρὸ Ἡρακλέους ἑορτῆς θύουσι Γαλινθιάδι πρώτῃ.
Hecate took pity on her for the change in her appearance and made her her own sacred attendant; and Heracles, when he had grown up, remembered the favour, set up a shrine to her beside his house and brought her offerings. The Thebans still keep these rites, and before the festival of Heracles they sacrifice first to Galinthias.
XXX. Βυβλίς
[Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος ἑτεροιουμένων β΄.]
Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Ἀκακαλλίδος τῆς Μίνω θυγατρὸς ἐγένετο παῖς ἐν Κρήτῃ Μίλητος. τοῦτον ἡ Ἀκακαλλὶς δείσασα Μίνω ἐξέβαλεν εἰς τὴν ὕλην, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιφοιτῶντες λύκοι βουλῇ Ἀπόλλωνος ἐφύλαττον καὶ ὤρεγον παρὰ μέρος γάλα. ἔπειτα δὲ βουκόλοι περιτυχόντες ἀνείλοντο καὶ ἔτρεφον ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις.
30. Byblis
[Nicander tells this story in Book 2 of the Heteroeumena.]
Apollo and Acacallis, the daughter of Minos, had a son in Crete, Miletus. Acacallis, fearing Minos, exposed him in the wood, and wolves came to him by the will of Apollo, guarded him and gave him milk in turn. Then herdsmen came upon him, took him up and brought him up in their homes.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ παῖς ηὔξετο καὶ ἐγένετο καλὸς καὶ δραστήριος καὶ ὁ Μίνως κατὰ πόθον ἐνεχείρει βιάζεσθαι, τότε νυκτὸς ὁ Μίλητος ἐμβὰς εἰς ἄκατον βουλῇ Σαρπηδόνος εἰς Καρίαν ἀποδιδράσκει καὶ πόλιν ἐνταυθοῖ κτίσας Μίλητον ἔγημεν Εἰδοθέην τὴν Εὐρύτου θυγατέρα τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Καρῶν. καὶ ἐγένοντο δίδυμοι παῖδες αὐτῷ Καῦνος [καὶ Βυβλίς], ἀφ’ οὗ πόλις ἐστὶν ἔτι νῦν ἐν Καρίᾳ Καῦνος, καὶ Βυβλίς.
When the boy grew up and became handsome and energetic, and Minos, out of desire, tried to force him, then Miletus, on the advice of Sarpedon, boarded a boat by night and escaped to Caria; he founded a city there, Miletus, and married Eidothea, the daughter of Eurytus, king of the Carians. Twins were born to him, Caunus [and Byblis], after whom there is still today a city in Caria called Caunus, and Byblis.
ταύτης ἐγίγνοντο πλεῖστοι μνηστῆρες ἐπιχώριοι καὶ κατὰ κλέος ἐκ τῶν πέριξ πόλεων. ἡ δὲ τῶν μὲν λόγον ἐποιεῖτο βραχύν. αὐτὴν δὲ ἄφατος ἔρως ἐξέμηνε τοῦ Καύνου. καὶ τὸ πάθος ἄχρι μὲν ἐδύνατο κρύπτειν ἐλελήθει τοὺς γονεῖς· ἐπεὶ δὲ καθ’ ἡμέραν εἴχετο χαλεπωτέρῳ δαίμονι, νυκτὸς ἔγνω καταβαλεῖν κατὰ τῆς πέτρας ἑαυτήν.
She had very many suitors [?], from her own country and, because of her fame, from the cities round about. But she took little account of them; an unspeakable love for Caunus drove her mad. As long as she could hide her passion, her parents did not notice; but when day by day she was gripped by a harsher divinity, she resolved to throw herself from the rock by night.
καὶ ἡ μὲν εἰς τὸ πλησίον ὄρος παρελθοῦσα ῥίπτειν ἑαυτὴν ἐπεχείρησε, νύμφαι δὲ κατέσχον οἰκτείρασαι καὶ πολὺν ὕπνον ἐνέβαλον καὶ αὐτὴν ἤλλαξαν ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπου εἰς δαίμονα καὶ ὠνόμασαν ἁμαδρυάδα νύμφην Βυβλίδα καὶ ἐποιήσαντο συνδίαιτον ἑταιρίδα. καλεῖται δὲ καὶ τὸ ῥέον ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ἐκείνης ἄχρι νῦν παρὰ τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις δάκρυον Βυβλίδος.
She went to the nearby mountain and was trying to throw herself down, but the nymphs, pitying her, held her back, cast a deep sleep upon her, changed her from a human being into a divinity, named her Byblis, a hamadryad nymph, and made her their companion and housemate. And to this day the water that flows from that rock is called by the local people the Tear of Byblis.
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