And now rose the Serpent, companion of the northern Waggon, bringing the bride-adorning season) to the marriage halls, a messenger with news of things to come : for Harmonia’s bridegroom along with his agemate bride was destined to change his human shape for a serpent’s. The Blessed, one after another, brought their gifts of honour to Cadmos as he hastened to his chamber, Zeus gave success in all things. Horsemaster Seabluehair proffered the gifts of the sea, in honour to his sister Hera the renowned, for she was Ares” mother. Hermes gave a sceptre, Ares a spear, Apollo a bow. Hephaistos lifted upon Harmonia’s head a crown plumed with precious stones of many colours, a golden circlet hung over her temples. Goldenthrone Hera provided a jewel-set throne. Aphrodite wishing to delight Ares in the deep shrewdness of her mind, clasped a golden necklace showing pale about the girl’s blushing neck, a clever work of Hephaistos set with sparkling gems in masterly refinement. This he had made for his - Cyprian bride, a gift for his first glimpse of Archer Eros. For the heavyknee bridegroom always expected that Cythereia would bear him a hobbling son, having the image of his father in his feet. But his thought was mistaken ; and when he beheld a whole-footed son brilliant with wings like Maia’s son Hermes, he made this magnificent necklace.?
It was like a serpent with starspangled back and coiling shape. For as the two-headed amphisbaina in very sooth winds the coils between and spits her poison from either mouth, rolling along and along with double-gliding motion, and head crawling joins with head while she jumps about with twirling waves of her back sideways: so that magnificent necklace twisted shaking its crooked back, with its pair of curving necks, which came to meet at the midnipple, a flexible two-headed serpent thick with scales ; and by the curving joints of the work the golden circle of the moving spine bent round, until the head slid about with undulating movement and belched a mimic hissing through the jaws.
With the two mouths on each side, where is the beginning and the end, was a golden eagle that seemed to be cutting the open air, upright between the serpents heads, high-shining with fourfold nozzle of the four wings. One wing was covered with yellow jasper, one had the allwhite stone of Selene, which fades as the horned goddess wanes, and waxes when Mene newkindled distils her horn’s liquid light and milks out the self-gotten fire of Father Helios, A third had the gleaming pearl, which by its gleam makes the gray swell of the Erythraian Sea sparkle shining. Right in the middle of the other, the Indian agate spat out its Liquid light, gently shining in bright beauty.
Where the two heads of the serpent came together from both sides, the mouths gaped wide and enclosed the eagle with both their jaws, enfolding it from this side and that. Over the shining front, rubies in the eyes shot their native brilliancy, which sent forth a sharp gleam, like a fiery lamp) being kindled. Proud with the manifold shapes of stones was a sea, and an emerald stone grass-green welcomed the crystal adjoining like the foam, and showed the image of the white-crested brine becoming dark ; here all clever work was fashioned, here all the brine-bred herds of the deep sparkled in shining gold as though leaping about, and many a supple traveller danced halfseen, the dolphin skimming the brine which waggled its mimic tail self-moved ; flocks of many-coloured birds—you might almost think you heard the windy beat of their flapping wings, when Cythereia gave the glorious necklace to her girl, golden, bejewelled, to hang by the bride’s neck.
Soon Harmonia yoked by the cestus-girdle that guides wedded desire, carried in her womb the seed of many children whom she brought forth soon one : by one: turn by turn she was delivered of her) teeming burden by the birth of daughters, after four times nine circuits of the Moon had been fulfilled. First Autonoe leapt from her mother’s fruitful womb, ho her first birth-pangs after nine months’ course with child. Then came Ino to be her sister, the beautiful “consort of Athamas who bore him two children, Third appeared Agaue, who afterwards married with) the giant stock and bore a son like to her fang-born husband. Then Semele fourth of the daughters “grew up, the image of the Graces in her love-striking - looks, preserved for Zeus although youngest of the “sisters, she alone was given by nature the prerogative of unconquerable beauty. Last of all Harmonia added a little son to the brood of sisters, and made Cadmos happy—Polydoros, the morning star of the Aonian nation, younger than rosy-cheek Semele ; but Pentheus a lawless prince pushed him aside, and took the sceptre in Thebes, All this old Time was to Cadmos now chose husbands for his daughters, and gave them over in four successive bridals, settling their weddings one by one. First Aristaios laden with gifts, he of the herds and he of the wilds, as he was named, the blood of allwise Apollo and Cyrene so ready with her hands, wedded Autonoe according to the rules of lawful marriage. Agenorides did not refuse his daughter to a goodson well acquainted with the art of feeding many: nay, - he gave her to a very clever husband, a lifesaving son of Apollo, after he had calmed the pestilential star of fiery Maira by the life-preserving breezes of heavensent winds, The wedding feast also was very rich, since he gave the unyoked maid oxen - for her treasure, he gave goats, he gave tain-bred flocks ; many a line of burden-bearers “was forced to lift the load of great jars full of olive-oil, his marriage gifts, much travail of the, clever honeybee he brought, in the riddled comb her masterpiece.
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