Antoninus Liberalis · Metamorphoses Μεταμορφώσεων συναγωγή

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 40.1–41.10: Britomartis and the Fox

Britomartis, fleeing Minos and then a fisherman, vanishes in a grove on Aegina and is worshipped as Aphaea. Cephalus and Procris test each other's faithfulness, and Procris receives from Minos a javelin and a hound that cannot miss. The hound pursues the Teumessian fox that cannot be caught, until Zeus turns both to stone.

Sections 40.1–41.10 · 797 words · click a number to copy its link

XL. Βριτόμαρτις

Κασσιεπείας τῆς Ἀραβίου καὶ Φοίνικος τοῦ Ἀγήνορος ἐγένετο Κάρμη· ταύτῃ μιγεὶς Ζεὺς ἐγέννησε Βριτόμαρτιν. αὕτη φυγοῦσα τὴν ὁμιλίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠγάπησεν ἀεὶ παρθένος εἶναι.

40. Britomartis

Phoenix, the son of Agenor, and Cassiepeia, the daughter of Arabius, had a daughter, Carme; Zeus lay with her and fathered Britomartis. She shunned the company of people and loved to remain a virgin for ever.

καὶ παρεγένετο πρῶτα μὲν ἐπ᾽ Ἄργος ἐκ Φοινίκης παρὰ τὰς Ἐρασίνου θυγατέρας Βύζην καὶ Μελίτην καὶ Μαῖραν καὶ Ἀγχιρόην. ἔπειτα δ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ Ἄργους εἰς Κεφαλληνίαν ἀνέβη καὶ αὐτὴν ὠνόμασαν οἱ Κεφαλλῆνες Λαφρίαν καὶ ἱερὰ ἤγαγον ὡς θεῷ.

First she came from Phoenicia to Argos, to the daughters of Erasinus, Byze, Melite, Maera and Anchirhoe. Then from Argos she went up to Cephallenia, and the Cephallenians called her Laphria and offered sacrifices to her as to a goddess.

ἔπειτα ἔρχεται εἰς Κρήτην καὶ αὐτὴν ἰδὼν Μίνως καὶ ἐρασθεὶς ἐδίωκεν· ἡ δὲ κατέφυγε παρ᾽ ἄνδρας ἁλιέας· οἱ δὲ αὐτὴν κατέδυσαν εἰς τὰ δίκτυα καὶ ὠνόμασαν ἐκ τούτου Κρῆτες Δίκτυνναν καὶ ἱερὰ προσήνεγκαν. ἐκφυγοῦσα δὲ Μίνωα ἐξίκετο ἡ Βριτόμαρτις εἰς Αἴγιναν ἐν πλοίῳ σὺν ἀνδρὶ ἁλιεῖ Ἀνδρομήδει.

Then she went to Crete, and Minos saw her, fell in love with her and pursued her; she took refuge with some fishermen, who let her down into their nets; and from this the Cretans called her Dictynna (from diktya, 'nets') and offered her sacrifices. Having escaped Minos, Britomartis came to Aegina in a boat with a fisherman, Andromedes.

καὶ ὁ μὲν αὐτῇ ἐνεχείρησεν ὀρεγόμενος μιχθῆναι, ἡ δὲ Βριτόμαρτις ἀποβᾶσα ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου κατέφυγεν εἰς ἄλσος, ὅθιπέρ ἐστι ⟨ἔτι⟩ νῦν αὐτῆς τὸ ἱερόν, κἀνταῦθα ἐγένετο ἀφανής [καὶ ὠνόμασαν αὐτὴν Ἀφαίαν]· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἱερῷ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ⟨ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος ἐφάνη ξόανον.⟩ τὸν δὲ τόπον, ἐν ᾧ ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο ἡ Βριτόμαρτις, ἀφιέρωσαν Αἰγινῆται καὶ ⟨αὐτὴν⟩ ὠνόμασαν Ἀφαίαν καὶ ἱερὰ ἐπετέλεσαν ὡς θεῷ.

He tried to lay hands on her, longing to lie with her, but Britomartis left the boat and fled into a grove, where her sanctuary ⟨still⟩ is now, and there she vanished (aphanes) [and they named her Aphaea]; and in the sanctuary of Artemis ⟨a wooden statue appeared in place of her body.⟩ The people of Aegina consecrated the place where Britomartis vanished, named ⟨her⟩ Aphaea and performed sacred rites for her as for a goddess.

XLI. Ἀλώπηξ

Κέφαλος ὁ Δηίονος ἔγημεν ἐν Θορικῷ τῆς Ἀττικῆς Πρόκριν τὴν θυγατέρα τὴν Ἐρεχθέως. ἦν δὲ ὁ Κέφαλος νέος καὶ καλὸς καὶ ἀνδρεῖος· ἐρασθεῖσα δὲ διὰ τὸ κάλλος ἥρπασεν αὐτὸν Ἠὼς καὶ ἐποιήσατο σύνοικον. * * *

41. The Fox

Cephalus, the son of Deion, married at Thoricus in Attica Procris, the daughter of Erechtheus. Cephalus was young, handsome and brave; and Eos (Dawn), falling in love with him because of his beauty, carried him off and made him her consort. * * *

τότε οὖν ὁ Κέφαλος ἐπειρᾶτο τῆς Πρόκριδος, εἰ συμμένειν ἀδιάφορος αὐτῷ ἐθελήσαι. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν καθ᾽ ἥντινα πρόφασιν ἐσκήψατο εἰς θήρας ἰέναι, Πρόκριδι δὲ εἰσαπέστελλεν ἄνδρα οἰκιήτην ἀγνῶτα φέροντα χρυσὸν πολὺν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐδίδασκε λέγειν πρὸς τὴν Πρόκριν, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ξένος ἐρασθεὶς διδοῖ τοῦτο τὸ χρυσίον, εἰ αὐτῷ συγγένοιτο.

Then Cephalus tested Procris, to see whether she would remain true to him. He himself made some pretext of going out hunting, and sent to Procris a servant she did not know, carrying much gold, and instructed him to say to Procris that a stranger who had fallen in love with her was giving her this gold if she would lie with him.

ἡ δὲ Πρόκρις τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπολέγεται τὸν χρυσόν, ἐπεὶ δὲ διπλάσιον εἰσέπεμψεν, ὁμολογεῖ καὶ προσδέχεται τὸν λόγον. ὁ δὲ Κέφαλος ὅτι αὐτὴν ἔγνω παρελθοῦσαν εἰς τὸν οἶκον καὶ κατακλινεῖσαν ὡς παρὰ τὸν ξένον, δᾷδα καιομένην παρήνεγκε καὶ κατεφώρασεν αὐτήν.

Procris at first refused the gold, but when he sent twice as much, she agreed and accepted the proposal. When Cephalus knew [?] that she had come into the house and lain down as if with the stranger, he brought in a burning torch and caught her in the act.

Πρόκρις δὲ καταλιποῦσα τὸν Κέφαλον ὑπ᾽ αἰσχύνης ᾤχετο φεύγουσα παρὰ Μίνωα τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Κρητῶν. καταλαβοῦσα δ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐχόμενον ὑπ᾽ ἀτεκνίας ὑπισχνεῖτο ⟨θεραπεύσειν⟩ καὶ ἐδίδασκε τὸν τρόπον αὐτῷ, ᾧ γένοιντο παῖδες. ὁ γὰρ Μίνως οὔρεσκεν ὄφεις καὶ σκορπίους καὶ σκολοπένδρας καὶ ἀπέθνῃσκον αἱ γυναῖκες ὅσαις ἐμίγνυτο.

Procris, out of shame, left Cephalus and fled to Minos, king of the Cretans. Finding him afflicted with childlessness, she promised ⟨to cure him⟩ and taught him the way by which he might have children. For Minos passed snakes, scorpions and centipedes in his urine, and the women he lay with died.

Πασιφάη δ᾽ ἡ Ἡλίου θυγάτηρ ἀθάνατος ⟨ἦν⟩. ἥ γ᾽ οὖν Πρόκρις ἐπὶ τῇ γονῇ Μίνωος μηχανᾶται τοιόνδε· κύστιν αἰγὸς ἐνέβαλεν εἰς γυναικὸς φύσιν καὶ ὁ Μίνως τοὺς ὄφεις πρότερον ἐξέκρινεν εἰς τὴν κύστιν, ἔπειτα δὲ παρὰ τὴν Πασιφάην εἰσιὼν ἐμίγνυτο. καὶ ἐπεὶ αὐτοῖς ἐγένοντο παῖδες, ὁ Μίνως διδοῖ τῇ Πρόκριδι τὸν ἄκοντα καὶ τὸν κύνα· τούτους δὲ οὐδὲν ἐξέφυγε θηρίον, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐχειροῦντο.

But Pasiphae, the daughter of Helios, ⟨was⟩ immortal. So Procris devised the following for the begetting of Minos' children: she put a goat's bladder into a woman's genitals, and Minos first discharged the snakes into the bladder, and then went in to Pasiphae and lay with her. When they had children, Minos gave Procris the javelin and the dog; no wild beast escaped them, but they caught everything.

καὶ ἡ Πρόκρις δεξαμένη ἀφίκετο εἰς Θορικὸν τῆς Ἀττικῆς, ὅπου ᾤκει ὁ Κέφαλος, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ ἐκυνηγέτει ἐξαλλάξασα τὴν ἐσθῆτα καὶ τὴν κουρὰν τῆς κεφαλῆς εἰς ἄνδρα καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτὴν ἰδὼν ἐγνώρισεν. Κέφαλος δὲ ἰδὼν ὅτι αὐτῷ μὲν οὐδὲν ἐπετύγχανε τῶν πρὸς τὴν θήραν, ἅπαντα δὲ συνέφερε πρὸς τὴν Πρόκριν, ἐπεθύμησεν αὐτὸς τὸν ἄκοντα τοῦτον λαβεῖν. καὶ ⟨τὸν κύνα Πρόκρις⟩ προσυπέσχετο δώσειν, εἰ αὐτῇ τῆς ὥρας ἐθελήσαι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ χαρίσασθαι.

Procris took them and came to Thoricus in Attica, where Cephalus lived, and went hunting with him, having changed her clothes and the cut of her hair to a man's; and no one who saw her recognised her. Cephalus, seeing that he himself had no success in hunting while everything went well for Procris, desired to have this javelin for himself. And ⟨Procris⟩ promised to give him ⟨the dog⟩ as well, if he would grant her the favour of his youthful beauty.

ὁ δὲ Κέφαλος παρ⟨αδ⟩έχεται τὸν λόγον καὶ ὅτε κατεκλίνησαν, ἐξέφηνεν ἑαυτὴν ἡ Πρόκρις καὶ ὠνείδισε τὸν Κέφαλον, ᾗ αὐτὸς πολὺ αἴσχιον ἐξαμάρτοι. καὶ τὸν μὲν κύνα καὶ τὸν ἄκοντα λαμβάνει Κέφαλος· Ἀμφιτρύων δὲ χρήζων τοῦ κυνὸς ἐξίκετο παρὰ τὸν Κέφαλον, εἴγε ἐθελήσειεν ἅμα αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλώπεκα βῆναι σὺν τῷ κυνί, καὶ ὑπέσχετο τῆς λείας Ἀμφιτρύων ἀποίσειν τῷ Κεφάλῳ τὴν μοῖραν, ἣν ἂν ἐκ τῶν Τηλεβοῶν λάβῃ.

Cephalus accepted the proposal, and when they had lain down together, Procris revealed herself and reproached Cephalus, because he had done [?] much more shamefully than she. Cephalus received the dog and the javelin; and Amphitryon, needing the dog, came to Cephalus, asking whether he would go with him against the fox with the dog, and Amphitryon promised to bring Cephalus a share of whatever booty he took from the Teleboans.

ἐφάνη γὰρ ἐν ⟨τῷ⟩ χρόνῳ τούτῳ Καδμείοις ἀλώπηξ, χρῆμά τι ἐξηλλαγμένον· αὕτη συνεχῶς ἐκ τοῦ Τευμησσοῦ κατιοῦσα πολλάκις τοὺς Καδμείους ἥρπαξέ τε * * * καὶ αὐτῇ προὐτίθεσαν παιδίον διὰ τριακοστῆς ἡμέρας, ἡ δὲ κατήσθιε λαμβάνουσα.

For at that time a fox had appeared to the Cadmeans, a monstrous creature; it came down again and again from Teumessus and often seized the Cadmeans * * *, and they used to set out a child for it every thirtieth day, and it took the child and devoured it.

καὶ ἐπειδὴ †Ἀμφιτρύωνος ἰόντος† ἐδεήθη Καδμείων ἐπὶ Τηλεβόας αὐτῷ συστρατεῦσαι, [καὶ] οἱ δ᾽ οὐκ ἔφασαν εἰ μὴ αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀλώπεκα συνεξέλοι, συντίθεται Ἀμφιτρύων ἐπὶ τούτοις πρὸς τοὺς Καδμείους. καὶ ἐλθὼν πρὸς τὸν Κέφαλον ἔλεγε τὴν συνθήκην καὶ ἔπειθε βῆναι εἰς ἄθλον ⟨σὺν⟩ τῷ κυνί, ὁ δὲ Κέφαλος ἀποδέχεται ⟨τὸν λόγον⟩ καὶ ἐλθὼν κυνηγετεῖ τὴν ἀλώπεκα.

When †Amphitryon, going†, asked the Cadmeans to join him in the campaign against the Teleboans, [and] they said they would not unless he helped them destroy the fox, and on these terms Amphitryon made an agreement with the Cadmeans. He went to Cephalus, told him of the agreement and persuaded him to go to the contest ⟨with⟩ the dog; Cephalus accepted ⟨the proposal⟩, came and hunted the fox.

ἦν δὲ θεμιτὸν οὔτε τὴν ἀλώπεκα καταληφθῆναι ὑπό τινος διώκοντος οὔτε τὸν κύνα ἐκφυγεῖν διωκόμενον οὐδέν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένοντο ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ τῶν Θηβαίων, Ζεὺς ἐποίησεν ἀμφοτέρους λίθους.

It was ordained that the fox could not be caught by any pursuer, and that the dog could not fail to catch whatever it pursued. When they were in the plain of the Thebans, Zeus turned them both to stone.

People and places in this passage

English translation by GreekMythology.com (2026). Original text: Edgar Martini (ed.), Antonini Liberalis Μεταμορφώσεων συναγωγή, in Mythographi Graeci II.1, Leipzig: Teubner, 1896.

Text layer: Greek text: public domain (Martini, Teubner 1896; our OCR correction of the Internet Archive scan). English translation © GreekMythology.com.. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.