IX. Περὶ Λυγκέως
Λέγεται ὡς Λυγκεὺς καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ γῆν ἑώρα. τοῦτο δὲ ψευδές. τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς ἔχει ὧδε. Λυγκεὺς πρῶτος ἤρξατο μεταλλεύειν χαλκὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ τὰ λοιπά· ἐν δὲ τῇ μεταλλείᾳ λύχνους καταφέρων ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν, τοὺς μὲν κατελίμπανεν ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου, αὐτὸς δὲ θυλάκους ἀνέφερε τοῦ χαλκοῦ καὶ τοῦ σιδήρου. ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι „Λυγκεὺς καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ γῆν ὁρᾷ καὶ καταδύνων ἀργύριον ἀναφέρει.“
9. Lynceus
It is said that Lynceus could see even what is under the earth. This is false. The truth is this. Lynceus was the first to begin mining copper, silver and the rest; and in the mine, carrying lamps down under the earth, he would leave some at the place, while he himself brought up sacks of copper and iron. So people said: “Lynceus sees even what is under the earth, and when he goes down he brings up silver.”
X. Περὶ Καινέως
Καινέα φασὶν ὅτι ἄτρωτος ἦν. ὅστις δὲ ὑπολαμβάνει ἄτρωτον εἶναί τινα ἀπὸ σιδήρου ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, ματαιάζει. ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια ἔχει ὧδε. Καινεὺς ἦν ἀνὴρ Θετταλὸς τὸ γένος, ἀγαθὸς τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ ἐπιστήμων τοῦ μάχεσθαι· γενόμενος δὲ ἐν πολλαῖς μάχαις οὐδέποτε ἐτρώθη, οὐδὲ ὅτε Λαπίθαις συμμαχῶν πρὸς Κενταύρους ἀπέθανεν· ἀλλὰ συλλαβόντες αὐτόν, μόνον κατέχωσαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐτελεύτησεν. ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ Λαπίθαι, ἀνελόμενοι τὸν νεκρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ εὑρόντες μὴ τετρωμένον τὸ σῶμα, „Καινεὺς τόν τε ἄλλον βίον ἄτρωτος ἦν καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἄτρωτος.“
10. Caeneus
They say that Caeneus was invulnerable. Whoever supposes that a man can be invulnerable to iron is talking nonsense. The truth is this. Caeneus was a Thessalian by birth, good at warlike things and skilled in fighting; though he had been in many battles he was never wounded, not even when he died fighting as an ally of the Lapiths against the Centaurs; instead they seized him and simply buried him alive, and so he died. So the Lapiths, taking up his body and finding the corpse unwounded, said: “Caeneus was unwounded for the rest of his life and died unwounded.”
XI. Περὶ Κύκνου
Ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ περὶ Κύκνου τοῦ ἐν Κολωναῖς· καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνόν φασιν ὅτι ἄτρωτος ἦν. καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν αἰχμητὴς καὶ ἐπιστήμων μάχης· ἀπέθανε δὲ ἐν Τροίᾳ ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως λίθῳ βληθείς, καὶ οὐδὲ τότε ἐτρώθη. ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὁρῶντες τὸν νεκρὸν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἄτρωτος ἦν, ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν λέγουσιν τοὺς ἀγωνιστάς, ἐάν τις ἄτρωτος ᾖ. οὕτως κἀκεῖνοι ἐκλήθησαν ἄτρωτοι. κατηγορεῖ δὲ τούτων τῶν λόγων καὶ ἐμοὶ μαρτυρεῖ Αἴας ὁ Τελαμώνιος· καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνος ἐλέγετο ἄτρωτος, καὶ ἀπέθανε ξίφει τρωθεὶς ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ.
11. Cycnus
The same account applies to Cycnus of Colonae: they say that he too was invulnerable. He too was a spearman and skilled in fighting; he died at Troy, struck by a stone thrown by Achilles, and not even then was he wounded. So people, seeing his body, said that he was unwounded, just as now we say of athletes that someone is “unwounded” if he has never been hurt. In this way those men also were called unwounded. Ajax son of Telamon speaks against these stories and bears witness for me: for he too was said to be invulnerable, and he died wounded by a sword, by his own hand.
XII. Περὶ Δαιδάλου καὶ Ἰκάρου
Φασὶν ὅτι Μίνως Δαίδαλον καὶ Ἴκαρον τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καθεῖρξε διά τινα αἰτίαν, Δαίδαλος δὲ ποιήσας πτέρυγας ἀμφοτέροις προσθετάς, ἐξέπτη μετὰ τοῦ Ἰκάρου. νοῆσαι δὲ ἄνθρωπον πετόμενον ἀμήχανον, καὶ ταῦτα πτέρυγας ἔχοντα προσθετάς. τὸ οὖν λεγόμενον ἦν τοιοῦτον. Δαίδαλος ὢν ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ, καθεὶς ἑαυτὸν διὰ θυρίδος καὶ τὸν υἱὸν κατασπάσας, σκαφίδι ἐμβάς, ἀπήει. αἰσθόμενος δὲ ὁ Μίνως πέμπει πλοῖα διώξοντα. οἱ δὲ ὡς ἤσθοντο διωκόμενοι, ἀνέμου λάβρου καὶ φορου ὄντος, πετόμενοι ἐφαίνοντο. εἶτα πλέοντες οὐρίῳ Κρητικῷ νότῳ ἐν τῷ πελάγει περιτρέπονται· καὶ ὁ μὲν Δαίδαλος περισῴζεται εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὁ δὲ Ἴκαρος διαφθείρεται (ὅθεν ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνου Ἰκάριον πέλαγος ἐκλήθη), ἐκβληθέντα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων ὁ πατὴρ ἔθαψεν.
12. Daedalus and Icarus
They say that Minos shut up Daedalus and his son Icarus for some reason, and that Daedalus made attachable wings for them both and flew out with Icarus. But it is inconceivable that a human being should fly, and that too with wings attached. What was actually said was this. Daedalus, being in the prison, let himself down through a window, pulled his son down after him, got into a small boat and sailed away. When Minos found out, he sent ships to pursue them. As the pursued men noticed this, with a violent and favourable wind blowing, they appeared to be flying. Then, sailing in a fair Cretan southerly wind in the open sea, they were capsized: Daedalus was brought safely to land, but Icarus perished (whence the sea was called the Icarian Sea after him), and when he was washed up by the waves his father buried him.
XIII. Περὶ Ἀταλάντης καὶ Μειλανίωνος
Λέγεται περὶ Ἀταλάντης καὶ Μειλανίωνος ὡς ὁ μὲν ἐγένετο λέων, ἡ δὲ λέαινα. ἦν δὲ τὸ ἀληθὲς τοιοῦτον. Ἀταλάντη καὶ Μειλανίων ἐκυνηγέτουν. ἀναπείθει δὲ τὴν κόρην ὁ Μειλανίων μιγῆναι αὐτῷ. εἰσέρχονται δὲ εἴς τι σπήλαιον μιχθησόμενοι. ἦν δὲ ἐν τῷ ἄντρῳ εὐνὴ λέοντος καὶ λεαίνης, οἳ δή, ἀκούσαντες φωνῆς, ἐξελθόντες ἐμπίπτουσι τοῖς περὶ Ἀταλάντην καὶ ἀναιροῦσιν αὐτούς. μετὰ δὲ χρόνον τοῦ λέοντος καὶ τῆς λεαίνης ἐξελθόντων, ἰδόντες τούτους οἱ συγκυνηγετοῦντες τῷ Μειλανίωνι, ἔδοξαν αὐτοὺς εἰς ταῦτα τὰ ζῷα μεταβληθῆναι. εἰσβάλλοντες οὖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν διεφήμιζον ὡς οἱ περὶ Ἀταλάντην [καὶ Μειλανίωνα] εἰς λέοντας μετεβλήθησαν.
13. Atalanta and Meilanion
It is said of Atalanta and Meilanion that he became a lion and she a lioness. The truth was this. Atalanta and Meilanion were hunting. Meilanion tried to persuade the girl to lie with him, and they went into a cave to make love. In the cave was the lair of a lion and a lioness; hearing a voice, these came out, fell on Atalanta and her companion and killed them. Some time later, when the lion and the lioness had come out, Meilanion’s fellow-hunters saw them and supposed that the pair had been changed into these animals. So, coming into the city, they spread the report that Atalanta [and Meilanion] had been changed into lions.
XIV. Περὶ Καλλιστοῦς
Καὶ ὁ περὶ Καλλιστοῦς λόγος τοιοῦτος, ὡς κυνηγετοῦσα ἄρκτος ἐγένετο. ἐγὼ δέ φημι καὶ ταύτην εἰς ξύλοχόν που καταντήσασαν, ὅπου ἐτύγχανεν ἄρκτος, θηρεύουσαν καταβρωθῆναι· τοὺς δὲ ⟨συγ⟩κυνηγετοῦντας, ἰδόντας εἰσελθοῦσαν μέν, μηκέτι δὲ ἐξερχομένην, εἰπεῖν ὡς ἡ κόρη ἄρκτος ἐγένετο.
14. Callisto
The story about Callisto is of the same kind, that while hunting she became a bear. I say that she too came upon a thicket somewhere, where there happened to be a bear, and was devoured while hunting; and her fellow ⟨hunters⟩, who had seen her go in but not come out again, said that the girl had become a bear.
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