ὅτι ὁ Τάνταλος ἐν Ἅιδου κολάζεται, πέτρον ἔχων ὕπερθεν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιφερόμενον, ἐν λίμνῃ τε διατελῶν καὶ περὶ τοὺς ὤμους ἑκατέρωσε δένδρα μετὰ καρπῶν ὁρῶν παρὰ τῇ λίμνῃ πεφυκότα· τὸ μὲν οὖν ὕδωρ ψαύει αὐτοῦ τῶν γενύων, καὶ ὅτε θέλοι σπάσασθαι τούτου ξηραίνεται, τῶν δὲ καρπῶν ὁπότε βούλοιτο μεταλήψεσθαι μετεωρίζονται μέχρι νεφῶν ὑπʼ ἀνέμων τὰ δένδρα σὺν τοῖς καρποῖς. κολάζεσθαι δὲ αὐτὸν οὕτως λέγουσί τινες, ὅτι τὰ τῶν θεῶν ἐξελάλησεν ἀνθρώποις μυστήρια, καὶ ὅτι τῆς ἀμβροσίας τοῖς ἡλικιώταις μετεδίδου.
Tantalus is punished in Hades by having a stone impending over him, by being perpetually in a lake and seeing at his shoulders on either side trees with fruit growing beside the lake. The water touches his jaws, but when he would take a draught of it, the water dries up; and when he would partake of the fruits, the trees with the fruits are lifted by winds as high as the clouds. Some say that he is thus punished because he blabbed to men the mysteries of the gods, and because he attempted to share ambrosia with his fellows.
ὅτι Βροτέας κυνηγὸς ὢν τὴν Ἄρτεμιν οὐκ ἐτίμα· ἔλεγε δέ, ὡς οὐδʼ ἂν ὑπὸ πυρός τι πάθοι· ἐμμανὴς οὖν γενόμενος ἔβαλεν εἰς πῦρ ἑαυτόν.
Broteas, a hunter, did not honor Artemis, and said that even fire could not hurt him. So he went mad and threw himself into fire.
ὅτι Πέλοψ σφαγεὶς ἐν τῷ τῶν θεῶν ἐράνῳ καὶ καθεψηθεὶς ὡραιότερος ἐν τῇ ἀναζωώσει γέγονε, καὶ κάλλει διενεγκὼν Ποσειδῶνος ἐρώμενος γίνεται, ὃς αὐτῷ δίδωσιν ἅρμα ὑπόπτερον· τοῦτο καὶ διὰ θαλάσσης τρέχον τοὺς ἄξονας οὐχ ὑγραίνετο.
Pelops, after being slaughtered and boiled at the banquet of the gods, was fairer than ever when he came to life again, and on account of his surpassing beauty he became a minion of Poseidon, who gave him a winged chariot, such that even when it ran through the sea the axles were not wet.
τοῦ δὲ βασιλεύοντος Πίσης Οἰνομάου θυγατέρα ἔχοντος Ἱπποδάμειαν, καὶ εἴτε αὐτῆς ἐρῶντος, ὥς τινες λέγουσιν, εἴτε χρησμὸν ἔχοντος τελευτῆσαι ὑπὸ τοῦ γήμαντος αὐτήν, οὐδεὶς αὐτὴν ἐλάμβανεν εἰς γυναῖκα· ὁ μὲν γὰρ πατὴρ οὐκ ἔπειθεν αὑτῷ συνελθεῖν, οἱ δὲ μνηστευόμενοι ἀνῃροῦντο ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ.
Now Oenomaus, the king of Pisa, had a daughter Hippodamia, and whether it was that he loved her, as some say, or that he was warned by an oracle that he must die by the man that married her, no man got her to wife; for her father could not persuade her to cohabit with him, and her suitors were put by him to death.
ἔχων γὰρ ὅπλα τε καὶ ἵππους παρὰ Ἄρεος ἆθλον ἐτίθει τοῖς μνηστῆρσι τὸν γάμον, καὶ τὸν μνηστευόμενον ἔδει ἀναλαβόντα τὴν Ἱπποδάμειαν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἅρμα φεύγειν ἄχρι τοῦ Κορινθίων ἰσθμοῦ, τὸν δὲ Οἰνόμαον εὐθέως διώκειν καθωπλισμένον καὶ καταλαβόντα κτείνειν· τὸν δὲ μὴ καταληφθέντα ἔχειν γυναῖκα τὴν Ἱπποδάμειαν. καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον πολλοὺς μνηστευομένους ἀπέκτεινεν, ὡς δέ τινες λέγουσι δώδεκα· τὰς δὲ κεφαλὰς τῶν μνηστήρων ἐκτεμὼν τῇ οἰκίᾳ προσεπαττάλευε.
For he had arms and horses given him by Ares, and he offered as a prize to the suitors the hand of his daughter, and each suitor was bound to take up Hippodamia on his own chariot and flee as far as the Isthmus of Corinth, and Oenomaus straightway pursued him, in full armour, and if he overtook him he slew him; but if the suitor were not overtaken, he was to have Hippodamia to wife. And in this way he slew many suitors, some say twelve; and he cut off the heads of the suitors and nailed them to his house.
παραγίνεται τοίνυν καὶ Πέλοψ ἐπὶ τὴν μνηστείαν· οὗ τὸ κάλλος ἰδοῦσα ἡ Ἱπποδάμεια ἔρωτα ἔσχεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πείθει Μυρτίλον τὸν Ἑρμοῦ παῖδα συλλαβέσθαι αὐτῷ· ἦν δὲ Μυρτίλος ἡνίοχος Οἰνομάου.
So Pelops also came a-wooing; and when Hippodamia saw his beauty, she conceived a passion for him, and persuaded Myrtilus, son of Hermes, to help him; for Myrtilus was charioteer to Oenomaus.
Μυρτίλος οὖν ἐρῶν αὐτῆς καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτῇ χαρίσασθαι, ταῖς χοινικίσι τῶν τροχῶν τοὺς ἥλους οὐκ ἐμβαλὼν ἐποίησε τὸν Οἰνόμαον ἐν τῷ τρέχειν ἡττηθῆναι καὶ ταῖς ἡνίαις συμπλακέντα συρόμενον ἀποθανεῖν, κατὰ δέ τινας ἀναιρεθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Πέλοπος· ὃ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν κατηράσατο τῷ Μυρτίλῳ γνοὺς τὴν ἐπιβουλήν, ἵνα ὑπὸ Πέλοπος ἀπόληται.
Accordingly Myrtilus, being in love with her and wishing to gratify her, did not insert the linchpins in the boxes of the wheels, and thus caused Oenomaus to lose the race and to be entangled in the reins and dragged to death; but according to some, he was killed by Pelops. And in dying he cursed Myrtilus, whose treachery he had discovered, praying that he might perish by the hand of Pelops.
λαβὼν οὖν Πέλοψ τὴν Ἱπποδάμειαν καὶ διερχόμενος ἐν τόπῳ τινί, τὸν Μυρτίλον ἔχων μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ, μικρὸν ἀναχωρεῖ κομίσων ὕδωρ διψώσῃ τῇ γυναικί· Μυρτίλος δὲ ἐν τούτῳ βιάζειν αὐτὴν ἐπεχείρει. μαθὼν δὲ τοῦτο παρʼ αὐτῆς ὁ Πέλοψ ῥίπτει τὸν Μυρτίλον περὶ Γεραιστὸν ἀκρωτήριον εἰς τὸ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου κληθὲν Μυρτῷον πέλαγος· ὁ δὲ ῥιπτούμενος ἀρὰς ἔθετο κατὰ τοῦ Πέλοπος γένους.
Pelops, therefore, got Hippodamia; and on his journey, in which he was accompanied by Myrtilus, he came to a certain place, and withdrew a little to fetch water for his wife, who was athirst; and in the meantime Myrtilus tried to rape her. But when Pelops learned that from her, he threw Myrtilus into the sea, called after him the Myrtoan Sea, at Cape Geraestus; and Myrtilus, as he was being thrown, uttered curses against the house of Pelops.
παραγενόμενος δὲ Πέλοψ ἐπʼ ὠκεανὸν καὶ ἁγνισθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἡφαίστου, ἐπανελθὼν εἰς Πῖσαν τῆς Ἤλιδος τὴν Οἰνομάου βασιλείαν λαμβάνει, χειρωσάμενος τὴν πρότερον Ἀπίαν καὶ Πελασγιῶτιν λεγομένην, ἣν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ Πελοπόννησον ἐκάλεσεν.
When Pelops had reached the Ocean and been cleansed by Hephaestus, he returned to Pisa in Elis and succeeded to the kingdom of Oenomaus, but not till he had subjugated what was formerly called Apia and Pelasgiotis, which he called Peloponnesus after himself.
ὅτι υἱοὶ Πέλοπος Πιτθεὺς Ἀτρεὺς Θυέστης καὶ ἕτεροι· γυνὴ δὲ Ἀτρέως Ἀερόπη τοῦ Κατρέως, ἥτις ἤρα Θυέστου. ὁ δὲ Ἀτρεὺς εὐξάμενός ποτε τῶν αὑτοῦ ποιμνίων, ὅπερ ἂν κάλλιστον γένηται, τοῦτο θῦσαι Ἀρτέμιδι, λέγουσιν ἀρνὸς φανείσης χρυσῆς ὅτι κατημέλησε τῆς εὐχῆς·
The sons of Pelops were Pittheus, Atreus, Thyestes, and others. Now the wife of Atreus was Aerope, daughter of Catreus, and she loved Thyestes. And Atreus once vowed to sacrifice to Artemis the finest of his flocks; but when a golden lamb appeared, they say that he neglected to perform his vow,
πνίξας δὲ αὐτὴν εἰς λάρνακα κατέθετο κἀκεῖ ἐφύλασσε ταύτην· ἣν Ἀερόπη δίδωσι τῷ Θυέστῃ μοιχευθεῖσα ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ. χρησμοῦ γὰρ γεγονότος τοῖς Μυκηναίοις ἑλέσθαι βασιλέα Πελοπίδην, μετεπέμψαντο Ἀτρέα καὶ Θυέστην. λόγου δὲ γενομένου περὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐξεῖπε Θυέστης τῷ πλήθει τὴν βασιλείαν δεῖν ἔχειν τὸν ἔχοντα τὴν ἄρνα τὴν χρυσῆν· συνθεμένου δὲ τοῦ Ἀτρέως δείξας ἐβασίλευσε.
and having choked the lamb, he deposited it in a box and kept it there, and Aerope gave it to Thyestes, by whom she had been debauched. For the Mycenaeans had received an oracle which bade them choose a Pelopid for their king, and they had sent for Atreus and Thyestes. And when a discussion took place concerning the kingdom, Thyestes declared to the multitude that the kingdom ought to belong to him who owned the golden lamb, and when Atreus agreed, Thyestes produced the lamb and was made king.
Ζεὺς δὲ Ἑρμῆν πέμπει πρὸς Ἀτρέα καὶ λέγει συνθέσθαι πρὸς Θυέστην περὶ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι Ἀτρέα, εἰ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύσει ὁ Ἥλιος· Θυέστου δὲ συνθεμένου τὴν δύσιν εἰς ἀνατολὰς ὁ Ἥλιος ἐποιήσατο· ὅθεν ἐκμαρτυρήσαντος τοῦ δαίμονος τὴν Θυέστου πλεονεξίαν, τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀτρεὺς παρέλαβε καὶ Θυέστην ἐφυγάδευσεν.
But Zeus sent Hermes to Atreus and told him to stipulate with Thyestes that Atreus should be king if the sun should go backward; and when Thyestes agreed, the sun set in the east; hence the deity having plainly attested the usurpation of Thyestes, Atreus got the kingdom and banished Thyestes.
αἰσθόμενος δὲ τῆς μοιχείας ὕστερον κήρυκα πέμψας ἐπὶ διαλλαγὰς αὐτὸν ἐκάλει· καὶ ψευσάμενος εἶναι φίλος, παραγενομένου τοὺς παῖδας, οὓς εἶχεν ἐκ νηίδος νύμφης, Ἀγλαὸν καὶ Καλλιλέοντα καὶ Ὀρχομενόν, ἐπὶ τὸν Διὸς βωμὸν καθεσθέντας ἱκέτας ἔσφαξε, καὶ μελίσας καὶ καθεψήσας παρατίθησι Θυέστῃ χωρὶς τῶν ἄκρων, ἐμφορηθέντι δὲ δείκνυσι τὰ ἄκρα καὶ τῆς χώρας αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλει.
But afterwards being apprized of the adultery, he sent a herald to Thyestes with a proposal of accommodation; and when he had lured Thyestes by a pretence of friendship, he slaughtered the sons, Aglaus, Callileon, and Orchomenus, whom Thyestes had by a Naiad nymph, though they had sat down as suppliants on the altar of Zeus. And having cut them limb from limb and boiled them, he served them up to Thyestes without the extremities; and when Thyestes had eaten heartily of them, he showed him the extremities, and cast him out of the country.
Θυέστης δὲ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ζητῶν Ἀτρέα μετελθεῖν ἐχρηστηριάζετο περὶ τούτου καὶ λαμβάνει χρησμόν, ὡς εἰ παῖδα γεννήσει τῇ θυγατρὶ συνελθών. ποιεῖ οὖν οὕτω καὶ γεννᾷ ἐκ τῆς θυγατρὸς Αἴγισθον, ὃς ἀνδρωθεὶς καὶ μαθών, ὅτι Θυέστου παῖς ἐστι, κτείνας Ἀτρέα Θυέστῃ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποκατέστησεν.
But seeking by all means to pay Atreus out, Thyestes inquired of the oracle on the subject, and received an answer that it could be done if he were to beget a son by intercourse with his own daughter. He did so accordingly, and begot Aegisthus by his daughter. And Aegisthus, when he was grown to manhood and had learned that he was a son of Thyestes, killed Atreus, and restored the kingdom to Thyestes.
τὸν δʼ Ἀγαμέμνονα τροφὸς μετὰ τοῦ Μενελάου / ἄγει πρὸς Πολυφείδεα, κρατοῦντα Σικυῶνος, / ὃς πάλιν τούτους πέπομφε πρὸς Αἰτωλὸν Οἰνέα. / μετʼ οὐ πολὺ Τυνδάρεως τούτους κατάγει πάλιν, / οἳ τὸν Θυέστην μὲν αὐτὸν Ἥρας βωμῷ φυγόντα / ὁρκώσαντες διώκουσιν οἰκεῖν τὴν Κυθηρίαν. / οἱ δὲ Τυνδάρεω γαμβροὶ γίνονται θυγατράσιν, / ὁ Ἀγαμέμνων μὲν λαβὼν σύνευνον Κλυταιμνήστραν, / κτείνας αὐτῆς τὸν σύζυγον Τάνταλον τὸν Θυέστου / σὺν τέκνῳ πάνυ νεογνῷ, Μενέλαος Ἑλένην. /
But the nurse took Agamemnon and Menelaus / to Polyphides, lord of Sicyon, / who again sent them to Oeneus, the Aetolian. / Not long afterwards Tyndareus brought them back again, / and they drove away Thyestes to dwell in Cytheria, / after that they had taken an oath of him at the altar of Hera, to which he had fled. / And they became the sons-in-law of Tyndareus by marrying his daughters, / Agamemnon getting Clytaemnestra to wife, / after he had slain her spouse Tantalus, the son of Thyestes, / together with his newborn babe, while Menelaus got Helen. /
Ἀγαμέμνων δὲ βασιλεύει Μυκηναίων καὶ γαμεῖ Τυνδάρεω θυγατέρα Κλυταιμνήστραν, τὸν πρότερον αὐτῆς ἄνδρα Τάνταλον Θυέστου σὺν τῷ παιδὶ κτείνας, καὶ γίνεται αὐτῷ παῖς μὲν Ὀρέστης, θυγατέρες δὲ Χρυσόθεμις Ἠλέκτρα Ἰφιγένεια. Μενέλαος δὲ Ἑλένην γαμεῖ καὶ βασιλεύει Σπάρτης, Τυνδάρεω τὴν βασιλείαν δόντος αὐτῷ.
And Agamemnon reigned over the Mycenaeans and married Clytaemnestra, daughter of Tyndareus, after slaying her former husband Tantalus, son of Thyestes, with his child. And there were born to Agamemnon a son Orestes, and daughters, Chrysothemis, Electra, and Iphigenia. And Menelaus married Helen and reigned over Sparta, Tyndareus having ceded the kingdom to him.
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