διαφόρως δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἱστορεῖται καὶ τὰ Νιόβῆς. Οὐ γὰρ Ταντάλου φασὶν αὐτὴν γενέσθαι, ἀλλ’ Ἀσσάονος μὲν θυγατέρα, Φιλόττου δὲ γυναῖκα· εἰς ἔριν δὲ ἀφικομένην Λητοῖ περὶ καλλιτεκνίας ὑποσχεῖν τίσιν τοιάνδε· τὸν μὲν Φίλοττον ἐν κυνηγίᾳ διαφθαρῆναι, τὸν δὲ Ἀσσάονα τῆς θυγατρὸς πόθῳ ἐχόμενον αὐτὴν αὑτῷ γήμασθαι·
μὴ ἐνδιδούσης δὲ τῆς Νιόβης, τοὺς παῖδας αὐτῆς εἰς εὐωχίαν καλέσαντα καταπρῆσαι. Καὶ τὴν μὲν διὰ ταύτην τὴν συμφορὰν ἀπὸ πέτρας ὑψηλοτάτης αὑτὴν ῥῖψαι, ἔννοιαν δὲ λαβόντα τῶν σφετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων διαχρήσασθαι τὸν Ἀσσάονα ἑαυτόν.
From the Lydiaca of Xanthus, the second book of Neanthes, and Simmias of Rhodes.
1. The story of Niobe is differently told by various authorities; some, for instance, say that she was not the daughter of Tantalus, but of Assaon, and the wife of Philottus; and for having had her dispute with Leto about the beauty of their children, her punishment was as follows: 2. Philottus perished while hunting; Assaon, consumed with love for his own daughter, desired to take her to wife; on Niobe refusing to accede to his desires, he asked her children to a banquet, and there burned them all to death. 3. As a result of this calamity, she flung herself from a high rock; Assaon, when he came to ponder upon these his sins, made away with himself.
Ἐκ δὲ Οἰνώνης καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου παῖς ἐγένετο Κόρυθος. Οὗτος ἐπίκουρος ἀφικόμενος εἰς Ἴλιον Ἑλένης ἠράσθη, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκείνη μάλα φιλοφρόνως ὑπεδέχετο· ἦν δὲ τὴν ἰδέαν κράτιστος· φωράσας δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ ἀνεῖλεν.
Νίκανδρος μέντοι τὸν Κόρυθον οὐκ Οἰνώνης, ἀλλὰ Ἑλένης καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου φησὶν γενέσθαι, λέγων ἐν τούτοις· ἠρία τ’ εἰν Ἀίδαο κατοιχομένου Κορύθοιο, ὅντε καὶ ἁρπακτοῖσιν ὑποδμηθεῖς1ʼ ὑμεναίοις Τυνδαρίς, αἴν’ ἀχέουσα, κακὸν γόνον ἤρατο βούτεω.
From the second book of Hellanicus’ Troica, and from Cephalon of Gergitha
1. OF the union of Oenone and Alexander was born a boy named Corythus. He came to Troy to help the Trojans, and there fell in love with Helen. She indeed received him with the greatest warmth— he was of extreme beauty—but his father discovered his aims and killed him. 2. Nicander however says that he was the son, not of Oenone, but of Helen and Alexander, speaking of him as follows:—
There was the tomb of fallen Corythus, / Whom Helen bare, the fruit of marriage-rape, / In bitter woe, the Herdsman’s evil brood.
Ἐν δὲ Κρήτῃ ἠράσθη Λύκαστος τῆς Κύδωνος θυγατρὸς Εὐλιμένης, ἣν ὁ πατὴρ Ἀπτέρῳ καθωμολόγητο πρωτεύοντι τότε Κρητῶν· ταύτῃ κρύφα συνὼν ἐλελήθει. Ὡς δὲ τῶν Κρητικῶν τινες πόλεων ἐπισυνέστησαν Κύδωνι καὶ πολὺ περιῆσαν, πέμπει τοὺς πευσομένους εἰς θεοῦ, ὅ τι ἂν ποιῶν κρατήσειεν τῶν πολεμίων.
Καὶ αὐτῷ θεσπίζεται τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἥρωσι σφαγιάσαι παρθένον. Ἀκούσας δὲ τοῦ χρηστηρίου Κύδων διεκλήρου τὰς παρθένους πάσας, καὶ κατὰ δαίμονα ἡ θυγάτηρ λαγχάνει.
Λύκαστος δὲ δείσας περὶ αὐτῆς μηνύει τὴν φθορὰν καὶ ὡς ἐκ πολλοῦ χρόνου συνείη αὐτῇ· ὁ δὲ πολὺς ὅμιλος πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐδικαίου αὐτὴν τεθνάναι.
Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐσφαγιάσθη, ὁ Κύδων τὸν ἱερέα κελεύει αὐτῆς διατεμεῖν τὸ ἐπομφάλιον, καὶ οὕτως εὑρέθη ἔγκυος. Ἄπτερος δὲ δόξας ὑπὸ Λυκάστου δεινὰ πεπονθέναι λοχήσας αὐτὸν ἀνεῖλε καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν ἔφυγε πρὸς Ξάνθον εἰς Τέρμερα.
1. In Crete Lycastus fell in love with Eulimene, the daughter of Cydon, though her father had already betrothed her to Apterus, who was at that time the most famous man among the Cretans; and he used to consort with her without the knowledge of her father and her intended spouse. 2. But when some of the Cretan cities revolted against Cydon, and easily withstood his attacks, he sent ambassadors to inquire of the oracle by what course of action he could get the better of his enemies, and the answer was given him that he must sacrifice a virgin to the heroes worshipped in the country. 3. Cydon, on hearing the oracle’s reply, cast lots upon all the virgins of his people, and, as the gods would have it, the fatal lot fell upon his own daughter. Then Lycastus, in fear for her life, confessed that he had corrupted her and had indeed been her lover for a long time; but the assembly only voted all the more inflexibly that she must die. 4. After she had been sacrificed, Cydon told the priest to cut through her belly by the navel, and this done she was found to be with child. Apterus considering himself mortally injured by Lycastus, laid an ambush and murdered him: and for that crime was obliged to go into exile and flee to the court of Xanthus at Termera.
Λέγεται δὲ καὶ Ῥῆσον, πρὶν ἐς Τροίαν ἐπίκουρον ἐλθεῖν, ἐπὶ πολλὴν γῆν ἰέναι προσαγόμενόν τε καὶ δασμὸν ἐπιτιθέντα. Ἔνθα δὴ καὶ εἰς Κίον ἀφικέσθαι κατὰ κλέος γυναικὸς καλῆς· Ἀργανθώνη αὐτῇ ὄνομα.
Αὕτη τὴν μὲν κατ’ οἶκον δίαιταν καὶ μονὴν ἀπεστύγει, ἀθροισαμένη δὲ κύνας πολλοὺς ἐθήρευεν οὐ μάλα τινὰ προσιεμένη. Ἐλθὼν οὖν ὁ Ῥῆσος εἰς τόνδε τὸν χῶρον βίᾳ μὲν αὐτὴν οὐκ ἦγεν, ἔφη δὲ θέλειν αὐτῇ συγκυνηγεῖν· καὶ αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁμοίως ἐκείνῃ τὴν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ὁμιλίαν ἐχθαίρειν· ἡ δὲ ταῦτα λέξαντος ἐκείνου κατῄνεσε πειθομένη αὐτὸν ἀληθῆ λέγειν.
Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ διαγενομένου εἰς πολὺν ἔρωτα παραγίνεται τοῦ Ῥήσου· καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἡσυχάζει αἰδοῖ κατεχομένη· ἐπειδὴ δὲ σφοδρότερον ἐγίνετο τὸ πάθος, ἀπετόλμησεν εἰς λόγους ἐλθεῖν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὕτως ἐθέλων αὐτὴν ἐκεῖνος ἠγάγετο γυναῖκα.
Ὕστερον δέ, πολέμου γενομένου τοῖς Τρωσί, μετῄεσαν αὐτὸν οἱ βασιλεῖς ἐπίκουρον· ἡ δὲ Ἀργανθώνη, εἴτε καὶ δι’ ἔρωτα, ὃς πολὺς ὑπῆν αὐτῇ, εἴτε καὶ ἄλλως καταμαντευομένη τὸ μέλλον, βαδίζειν αὐτὸν οὐκ εἴα.
Ῥῆσος δὲ μάλα κακιζόμενος ἐπὶ τῇ μονῇ οὐκ ἠνέσχετο, ἀλλὰ ἦλθεν εἰς Τροίαν καὶ μαχόμενος ἐπὶ ποταμῷ τῷ νῦν ἀπ’ ἐκείνου Ῥήσῳ καλουμένῳ, πληγεὶς ὑπὸ Διομήδους ἀποθνήσκει.
Ἡ δὲ ὡς ᾔσθετο τεθνηκότος αὐτοῦ, αὖτις ἀπεχώρησεν εἰς τὸν τόπον, ἔνθα ἐμίγη πρῶτον αὐτῷ, καὶ περὶ αὐτὸν ἀλωμένη θαμὰ ἐβόα τοὔνομα τοῦ Ῥήσου· τέλος δὲ σῖγα τῷ ποταμῷ προσημένη διὰ λύπην ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀπηλλάγη. Παρθενίου Νικαέως περὶ ἐρωτικῶν παθημάτων τέλος
From the first book of the Bithyniaca of Asclepiades of Myrlea
1. RHESUS, so the story goes, before he went to help Troy, travelled over many countries, subduing them and imposing contributions; and in the course of his career he came to Cius, attracted by the fame of a beautiful woman called Arganthone. 2. She had no taste for indoor life and staying at home, but she got together a great pack of hounds and used to hunt, never admitting anybody to her company. When Rhesus came to this place, he made no attempt to take her by force; he professed to desire to hunt with her, saying that he, like her, hated the company of men; and she was delighted at what he said, believing that he was speaking the truth. 3. After some considerable time had passed, she fell deeply in love with him: at first, restrained by shame, she would not confess her affection; but then, her passion growing stronger, she took courage to tell him, and so by mutual consent he took her to wife. 4. Later on, when the Trojan war broke out, the princes on the Trojan side sent to fetch him as an ally; but Arganthone, either because of her very great love for him, or because she somehow knew the future, would not let him go. But Rhesus could not bear the thought of becoming soft and unwarlike by staying at home. He went to Troy, and there, fighting at the river now called Rhesus after him, was wounded by Diomed and died. 5. Arganthone, when she heard of his death, went once more to the place where they had first come together, and wandering about there called unceasingly “Rhesus, Rhesus”; and at last, refusing all meat and drink for the greatness of her grief, passed away from among mankind.
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