V. CORONA .
HAEC existimatur Ariadnes fuisse a Libero patre inter sidera collocata. dicitur enim in insula Dia cum Ariadne Libero nuberet, hanc primum coronam muneri accepisse a Uenere et Horis, cum omnes dei in eius nuptiis dona conferrent. sed ut ait qui Cretica conscripsit, quo tempore Liber ad Minoa uenit, cogitans Ariadnen comprimere, hanc coronam ei muneri dedit; qua delectata, non recusauit condicionem. dicitur etiam a Uulcano facta ex auro et indicis gemmis, per quas Theseus existimatur de tenebris labyrinthi ad lucem uenisse; quod aurum et gemmae in obscuro fulgorem luminis efficiebant.
V. The Crown
This is thought to have been Ariadne's, placed among the stars by Dionysus. For it is said that on the island of Dia, when Ariadne was marrying Dionysus, she first received this crown as a gift from Aphrodite and the Horae, when all the gods brought gifts at her wedding. But as the author of the Cretica says, at the time when Dionysus came to Minos, intending to lie with Ariadne, he gave her this crown as a gift; delighted with it, she did not refuse his proposal. It is also said to have been made by Hephaestus of gold and Indian gems, by means of which Theseus is thought to have come from the darkness of the labyrinth to the light; for the gold and the gems produced a gleam of light in the dark.
Qui autem Argolica conscripserunt, hanc afferunt causam. quod Liber cum impetrasset a parente, ut Semelam matrem ab inferis reduceret, et quaerens ad eos descensionem, ad Argiuorum fines peruenisset, obuiam ei quendam factum nomine Hypolipnum, hominem dignum huius saeculi, qui petenti Libero descensionem monstraret. hunc autem cum uidisset Hypolipnus puerum aetate miranda corporis pulchritudine reliquis praestantem, mercedem petisse ab eo, quae sine detrimento eius daretur. Liberum autem matris cupidum, si eam reduxisset, iurasse quod uellet se facturum; ita tamen, quod deus homini non pudenti iuraret. quo Hypolipnus descensum monstrauit. igitur cum Liber ad eum locum uenisset et uellet descendere, coronam quam a Uenere muneri acceperat, deposuit in eo loco, qui στέφανος est a facto appellatus; noluit enim secum ferre, ne inmortale donum mortuorum tactu coinquinaretur. qui cum matrem incolumem reduxisset, coronam dicitur inter astra collocasse, ut aeterna memoria nominis afficeretur.
Those who wrote the Argolica give this reason: that Dionysus, having obtained from his father that he might bring back his mother Semele from the dead, and, seeking the way down to them, having come to the territory of the Argives, a certain man named Hypolipnus met him, a man worthy of this age [?], who was to show the descent to Dionysus when he asked. When Hypolipnus saw him, a boy, remarkable for his age and surpassing the rest in beauty of body, he asked from him a payment that could be given without loss to him. Dionysus, longing for his mother, swore that if he brought her back he would do whatever he wished; but on terms [?] that a god was swearing to a man who felt no shame. After this Hypolipnus showed the way down. And so when Dionysus had come to that place and wished to descend, he laid down the crown which he had received as a gift from Aphrodite, in the place which is called στέφανος from the deed; for he did not wish to carry it with him, lest the immortal gift be defiled by the touch of the dead. When he had brought his mother back unharmed, he is said to have placed the crown among the stars, so that he might be honoured with eternal memory of his name.
Alii dicunt hanc coronam Thesei esse, et hac re propter eum collocatam. nam qui in astris dicitur Engonasin, is Theseus esse existimatur, de quo posterius plura dicemus. dicitur enim, cum Theseus Cretam ad Minoa cum VII uirginibus et sex pueris uenisset, Minoa de uirginibus Eriboeam quandam nomine, candore corporis inductum, comprimere uoluisse. quod Theseus se passurum negauit, ut qui Neptuni filius esset et ualeret contra tyrannum pro uirginis incolumitate disceptare; itaque cum iam non de puella, sed de genere Thesei controuersia facta esset, utrum is Neptuni filius esset necne, dicitur Minos anulum aureum de digito sibi detraxisse et in mare proiecisse. quem referre iubet Thesea, si uellet se credi Neptuni filium esse; se enim ex Ioue procreatum facile posse declarare. itaque comprecatus patrem petiit aliquid signi, ut satisfaceret se ex eo natum; statimque tonitrum et fulgorem caeli indicium significationis fecisse. simili de causa Theseus, sine ulla precatione aut religione parentis, in mare se proiecit. quem confestim delphinum magna multitudo mari prouoluta, lenissimis fluctibus ad Nereidas perduxit; a quibus anulum Minois, et a Thetide coronam, quam nuptiis a Uenere muneri acceperat, retulit, compluribus lucentem gemmis. alii autem a Neptuni uxore accepisse dicunt coronam, quam Ariadnae Theseus dono dicitur dedisse, cum ei propter uirtutem et animi magnitudinem uxor esset concessa; hanc autem post Ariadnes mortem Liberum inter sidera collocasse.
Others say that this is Theseus's crown, and that it was placed [in the sky] for this reason, on his account. For the one who is called Engonasin among the stars is thought to be Theseus, of whom we shall say more later. For it is said that when Theseus had come to Crete, to Minos, with seven maidens and six boys, Minos wished to ravish one of the maidens, Eriboea by name, drawn by the whiteness of her body; Theseus said he would not endure it, as one who was son of Poseidon and had the strength to argue against a tyrant for a maiden's safety; and so when the dispute was no longer about the girl but about Theseus's birth — whether he was Poseidon's son or not — Minos is said to have drawn a gold ring from his finger and thrown it into the sea; he bids Theseus bring it back if he wished to be believed Poseidon's son; he himself, he said, could easily declare that he was begotten of Zeus. And so Theseus, praying to his father, asked for some sign by which to satisfy [Minos] that he was born of him; and at once [Poseidon] made thunder and lightning of the sky a token of confirmation. For a similar reason Theseus, without any prayer or reverence to his father, threw himself into the sea. At once a great multitude of dolphins, rolling up from the sea, led him on the gentlest waves to the Nereids; from them he brought back Minos's ring, and from Thetis the crown, which she had received at her wedding as a gift from Aphrodite, shining with very many gems. Others, however, say that he received from Poseidon's wife the crown which Theseus is said to have given to Ariadne as a gift, when she was granted to him as wife for his courage and greatness of spirit; and that after Ariadne's death Dionysus set it among the stars.
VI. ENGONASIN.
Hunc Eratosthenes Herculem dicit, supra draconem collocatum, de quo ante diximus, eumque paratum ut ad decertandum, sinistra manu pellem leonis, dextra clauam tenentem. conatur interficere draconem Hesperidum custodem, qui numquam oculos operuisse somno coactus existimatur, quo magis custos adpositus esse demonstratur. de quo etiam Panyasis in Heraclea dicit. horum igitur pugnam Iuppiter admiratus, inter astra constituit. habet enim draco caput erectum, Hercules autem dextro genu nixus, sinistro pede capitis eius dextram partem obprimere conatur; dextra manu sublata ut feriens, sinistra proiecta cum pelle leonis, ut cum maxime dimicans apparet. etsi quis sit hic negat Aratus quemquam posse demonstrare, tamen conabimur demonstrare, ut aliquid uerisimile dicamus.
VI. Engonasin (the Kneeler)
Eratosthenes says that this is Heracles, set above the dragon of whom we spoke before, and that he is prepared for the fight, holding the lion's skin in his left hand and the club in his right. He is trying to kill the dragon, the guardian of the Hesperides, who is thought never to have closed his eyes in sleep, by which he is shown to have been set as guard all the more. Of this Panyasis also speaks in the Heraclea. Zeus, admiring the fight of these two, set them among the stars. For the dragon has his head raised, and Heracles, resting on his right knee, tries with his left foot to press down the right side of its head; his right hand is raised as if to strike, his left stretched out with the lion's skin, so that he appears to be at the very height of the fight. Although Aratus denies that anyone can show who this is, we shall nonetheless try to show it, so as to say something plausible.
Araethus autem, ut ante diximus, hunc Cetea Lycaonis filium, Mcgistus patrem, dicit; qui uidetur, ut lamentans filiam in ursae figuram conuersam, genu nixus palmas diuersas tendere ad caelum, ut eam sibi dii restituant. Hegesianax autem Thesea dixit esse, qui Troezene saxum extollere uidetur, quod existimatur Aegeus sub eo ellopium ensem posuisse, et Aethrae Thesei matri praedixisse, ne ante eum Athenas mitteret, quam sua uirtute lapide sublato, potuisset gladium patri referre. itaque niti uidetur, ut quam altissime possit, lapidem extollat. hac etiam de causa nonnulli lyram, quae proxima ei signo est collocata, Thesei esse dixerunt, quod ut eruditus omni genere artium, lyram quoque didicisse uidebatur. idque et Anacreon dicit: ἀγχοῦ δ' Αἰγείδεω Θησέος ἐστὶ λύρη. alii autem Thamyrim a Musis excaecatum, ut supplicem ad genua iacentem dicunt; alii Orphea a Thraciis mulieribus interfici, quod uiderit Liberi patris initia.
Araethus, as we said before, says that this is Ceteus, son of Lycaon, father of Megisto; who is seen, as though lamenting his daughter changed into the shape of a bear, to stretch out his hands, palms turned different ways, to heaven, that the gods may restore her to him. Hegesianax, however, says that he is Theseus, who is seen lifting the rock at Troezen, beneath which Aegeus is thought to have placed his sword [ellopium: corrupt] and to have told Aethra, Theseus's mother, beforehand that she should not send him to Athens until, by his own strength, with the stone lifted, he could bring the sword back to his father. And so he seems to strain to lift the stone as high as he can. For this reason too some have said that the Lyre, which is placed next to this sign, is Theseus's, because, as one educated in every kind of art, he was seen to have learned the lyre as well. And Anacreon says this: ἀγχοῦ δ' Αἰγείδεω Θησέος ἐστὶ λύρη ('and near is the lyre of Theseus, son of Aegeus'). Others say that it is Thamyris, blinded by the Muses, lying as a suppliant at their knees; others, Orpheus, killed by the Thracian women because he had seen the rites of Dionysus.
Aeschylus autem in fabula, quae inscribitur Προμηθεὺς λυόμενος, Herculem ait esse, non cum dracone, sed cum Liguribus depugnantem. dicit enim, quo tempore Hercules ab Geryone boues abduxerit, iter fecisse per Ligurum fines; quos conatos ab eo pecus abducere, manus contulisse et complures eorum sagittis confixisse. sed postquam Herculi tela defecerint, multitudine barbarorum et inopia armorum defessum, se ingeniculasse, multis iam uulneribus acceptis. Iouem autem misertum filii, curasse, ut circa eum magna lapidum copia esset; quibus se Herculem defendisse et hostes fugasse. itaque Iouem similitudinem pugnantis inter sidera constituisse. hunc etiam nonnulli Ixiona brachiis uinctis esse dixerunt, quod uim Iunoni uoluerit adferre; alii Promethea in monte Caucaso uinctum.
Aeschylus, however, in the play entitled Προμηθεὺς λυόμενος ('Prometheus Unbound'), says that it is Heracles, fighting not with the dragon but with the Ligurians. For he says that at the time when Heracles drove off the cattle from Geryon, he made his way through the territory of the Ligurians; that they tried to drive off the herd from him, and he came to blows and pierced many of them with arrows. But after Heracles' missiles ran out, wearied by the multitude of barbarians and by his lack of weapons, he went down on his knees, having already received many wounds. Zeus, pitying his son, saw to it that a great quantity of stones lay about him; with these Heracles defended himself and put his enemies to flight. And so Zeus set the likeness of the fighter among the stars. Some have also said that this is Ixion, with arms bound, because he wished to force Hera; others, Prometheus bound on Mount Caucasus.
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