πλησίον δὲ Ἱλαείρας καὶ Φοίβης ἐστὶν ἱερόν· ὁ δὲ ποιήσας τὰ ἔπη τὰ Κύπρια θυγατέρας αὐτὰς Ἀπόλλωνός φησιν εἶναι. κόραι δὲ ἱερῶνταί σφισι παρθένοι, καλούμεναι κατὰ ταὐτὰ ταῖς θεαῖς καὶ αὗται Λευκιππίδες. τὸ μὲν δὴ ἕτερον τῶν ἀγαλμάτων ἱερασαμένη τις ταῖς θεαῖς Λευκιππὶς ἐπεκόσμησε, πρόσωπον ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀρχαίου ποιησαμένη τῆς ἐφʼ ἡμῶν τέχνης τὸ δὲ ἕτερον μὴ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπικοσμεῖν αὐτὴν ἀπεῖπεν ὄνειρον. ἐνταῦθα ἀπήρτηται ᾠὸν τοῦ ὀρόφου κατειλημένον ταινίαις· εἶναι δέ φασιν ᾠὸν ἐκεῖνο ὃ τεκεῖν Λήδαν ἔχει λόγος.
ὑφαίνουσι δὲ κατὰ ἔτος αἱ γυναῖκες τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι χιτῶνα τῷ ἐν Ἀμύκλαις, καὶ τὸ οἴκημα ἔνθα ὑφαίνουσι Χιτῶνα ὀνομάζουσιν. οἰκία δὲ αὐτοῦ πεποίηται πλησίον· τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς φασιν αὐτὴν οἰκῆσαι τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας, χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐκτήσατο Φορμίων Σπαρτιάτης. παρὰ τοῦτον ἀφίκοντο οἱ Διόσκουροι ξένοις ἀνδράσιν ἐοικότες· ἥκειν δὲ ἐκ Κυρήνης φήσαντες καταχθῆναί τε ἠξίουν παρʼ αὐτῷ καὶ οἴκημα ᾐτοῦντο ᾧ μάλιστα ἔχαιρον, ἡνίκα μετὰ ἀνθρώπων ἦσαν.
ὁ δὲ οἰκίας μὲν τῆς ἄλλης ἐκέλευεν αὐτοὺς ἔνθα ἂν ἐθέλωσιν οἰκῆσαι, τὸ δὲ οἴκημα οὐκ ἔφη δώσειν· θυγάτηρ γὰρ ἔτυχέν οἱ παρθένος ἔχουσα ἐν αὐτῷ δίαιταν. ἐς δὲ τὴν ὑστεραίαν παρθένος μὲν ἐκείνη καὶ θεραπεία πᾶσα ἡ περὶ τὴν παῖδα ἠφάνιστο, Διοσκούρων δὲ ἀγάλματα ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι εὑρέθη καὶ τράπεζά τε καὶ σίλφιον ἐπʼ αὐτῇ.
τάδε μὲν οὕτω γενέσθαι λέγουσιν· ἰόντι δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας ἀπὸ τοῦ Χιτῶνος Χίλωνός ἐστιν ἡρῷον τοῦ σοφοῦ νομιζομένου καὶ Ἀθηνοδώρου τῶν ὁμοῦ Δωριεῖ τῷ Ἀναξανδρίδου σταλέντων ἐς Σικελίαν· ἐστάλησαν δὲ τὴν Ἐρυκίνην χώραν νομίζοντες τῶν ἀπογόνων τῶν Ἡρακλέους εἶναι καὶ οὐ βαρβάρων τῶν ἐχόντων. Ἡρακλέα γὰρ ἔχει λόγος παλαῖσαι πρὸς Ἔρυκα ἐπὶ τοῖσδε εἰρημένοις, ἢν μὲν Ἡρακλῆς νικήσῃ, γῆν τὴν Ἔρυκος Ἡρακλέους εἶναι, κρατηθέντος δὲ τῇ πάλῃ βοῦς τὰς Γηρυόνου—
ταύτας γὰρ τότε ἤλαυνεν Ἡρακλῆς, διανηξαμένας δὲ ἐπὶ Σικελίαν κατὰ τὸν ἔλαιον τὸν κυφὸν ἀνευρήσων ἐπιδιέβη—τὰς οὖν βοῦς ἔδει κρατηθέντος Ἡρακλέους τὸν Ἔρυκα ἄγοντα οἴχεσθαι. τὸ δὲ εὐμενὲς ἐκ τῶν θεῶν οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὰ Ἡρακλεῖ καὶ ὕστερον Δωριεῖ τῷ Ἀναξανδρίδου παρεγένετο, ἀλλὰ Ἡρακλῆς μὲν ἀποκτίννυσιν Ἔρυκα, Δωριέα δὲ αὐτόν τε καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς διέφθειραν τὸ πολὺ Ἐγεσταῖοι.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ καὶ Λυκούργῳ τῷ θεμένῳ τοὺς νόμους οἷα δὴ θεῷ πεποιήκασι καὶ τούτῳ ἱερόν. τάφος δέ ἐστιν ὄπισθε μὲν τοῦ ναοῦ τῷ Λυκούργου παιδὶ Εὐκόσμῳ, πρὸς δὲ τῷ βωμῷ Λαθρίας καὶ Ἀναξάνδρας· αἱ δὲ αὐταί τε ἦσαν δίδυμοι καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ σφᾶς οἱ Ἀριστοδήμου παῖδες ἅτε ὄντες καὶ αὐτοὶ δίδυμοι λαμβάνουσι, θυγατέρες δὲ ἦσαν Θερσάνδρου τοῦ Ἀγαμηδίδα, βασιλεύοντος μὲν Κλεωναίων, τετάρτου δὲ ἀπογόνου Κτησίππου τοῦ Ἡρακλέους. τοῦ ναοῦ δὲ ἀπαντικρὺ μνῆμα Θεοπόμπου τοῦ Νικάνδρου, τὸ δὲ Εὐρυβιάδου Λακεδαιμονίων τριήρεσιν ἐπʼ Ἀρτεμισίῳ καὶ Σαλαμῖνι ναυμαχήσαντος πρὸς Μήδους, πλησίον δὲ Ἀστραβάκου καλούμενόν ἐστιν ἡρῷον.
τὸ δὲ χωρίον τὸ ἐπονομαζόμενον Λιμναῖον Ὀρθίας ἱερόν ἐστιν Ἀρτέμιδος. τὸ ξόανον δὲ ἐκεῖνο εἶναι λέγουσιν ὅ ποτε Ὀρέστης καὶ Ἰφιγένεια ἐκ τῆς Ταυρικῆς ἐκκλέπτουσιν· ἐς δὲ τὴν σφετέραν Λακεδαιμόνιοι κομισθῆναί φασιν Ὀρέστου καὶ ἐνταῦθα βασιλεύοντος. καί μοι εἰκότα λέγειν μᾶλλόν τι δοκοῦσιν ἢ Ἀθηναῖοι. ποίῳ γὰρ δὴ λόγῳ κατέλιπεν ἂν ἐν Βραυρῶνι Ἰφιγένεια τὸ ἄγαλμα; ἢ πῶς, ἡνίκα Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν χώραν ἐκλιπεῖν παρεσκευάζοντο, οὐκ ἐσέθεντο καὶ τοῦτο ἐς τὰς ναῦς;
καίτοι διαμεμένηκεν ἔτι καὶ νῦν τηλικοῦτο ὄνομα τῇ Ταυρικῇ θεῷ, ὥστε ἀμφισβητοῦσι μὲν Καππάδοκες καὶ οἱ τὸν Εὔξεινον οἰκοῦντες τὸ ἄγαλμα εἶναι παρὰ σφίσιν, ἀμφισβητοῦσι δὲ καὶ Λυδῶν οἷς ἐστιν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν Ἀναιίτιδος. Ἀθηναίοις δὲ ἄρα παρώφθη γενόμενον λάφυρον τῷ Μήδῳ· τὸ γὰρ ἐκ Βραυρῶνος ἐκομίσθη τε ἐς Σοῦσα καὶ ὕστερον Σελεύκου δόντος Σύροι Λαοδικεῖς ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἔχουσι.
μαρτύρια δέ μοι καὶ τάδε, τὴν ἐν Λακεδαίμονι Ὀρθίαν τὸ ἐκ τῶν βαρβάρων εἶναι ξόανον· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ Ἀστράβακος καὶ Ἀλώπεκος οἱ Ἴρβου τοῦ Ἀμφισθένους τοῦ Ἀμφικλέους τοῦ Ἄγιδος τὸ ἄγαλμα εὑρόντες αὐτίκα παρεφρόνησαν· τοῦτο δὲ οἱ Λιμνᾶται Σπαρτιατῶν καὶ Κυνοσουρεῖς καὶ οἱ ἐκ Μεσόας τε καὶ Πιτάνης θύοντες τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι ἐς διαφοράν, ἀπὸ δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐς φόνους προήχθησαν, ἀποθανόντων δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ βωμῷ πολλῶν νόσος ἔφθειρε τοὺς λοιπούς.
καί σφισιν ἐπὶ τούτῳ γίνεται λόγιον αἵματι ἀνθρώπων τὸν βωμὸν αἱμάσσειν· θυομένου δὲ ὅντινα ὁ κλῆρος ἐπελάμβανε, Λυκοῦργος μετέβαλεν ἐς τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐφήβοις μάστιγας, ἐμπίπλαταί τε οὕτως ἀνθρώπων αἵματι ὁ βωμός. ἡ δὲ ἱέρεια τὸ ξόανον ἔχουσά σφισιν ἐφέστηκε· τὸ δέ ἐστιν ἄλλως μὲν κοῦφον ὑπὸ σμικρότητος, ἢν δὲ οἱ
μαστιγοῦντές ποτε ὑποφειδόμενοι παίωσι κατὰ ἐφήβου κάλλος ἢ ἀξίωμα, τότε ἤδη τῇ γυναικὶ τὸ ξόανον γίνεται βαρὺ καὶ οὐκέτι εὔφορον, ἡ δὲ ἐν αἰτίᾳ τοὺς μαστιγοῦντας ποιεῖται καὶ πιέζεσθαι διʼ αὐτούς φησιν. οὕτω τῷ ἀγάλματι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ Ταυρικῇ θυσιῶν ἐμμεμένηκεν ἀνθρώπων αἵματι ἥδεσθαι· καλοῦσι δὲ οὐκ Ὀρθίαν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ Λυγοδέσμαν τὴν αὐτήν, ὅτι ἐν θάμνῳ λύγων εὑρέθη, περιειληθεῖσα δὲ ἡ λύγος ἐποίησε τὸ ἄγαλμα ὀρθόν.
Hard by is a sanctuary of Hilaira and Phoebe: the author of the epic called the Cypria says they were daughters of Apollo. Young maidens act as their priestesses, who, like the goddesses, are called Leucippides. One of these priestesses decorated one of the images by replacing the ancient face with a face in the style of art of to-day ; but a dream forbade her to decorate the other image also.
An egg is here hung by ribbons from the roof: they say it is the famous egg which Leda is reported to have given birth to. Every year the women weave a tunic for the Apollo of Amyclae, and they give the name of Tunic to the building where they weave it.
Near it is a house which the sons of Tyndareus are said to have originally inhabited; but afterwards it was acquired by one Phormio, a Spartan. To him came the Dioscuri in the likeness of strangers. They said they had come from Cyrene, and desired to lodge in his house, and they begged he would let them have the chamber which they had loved most dearly while they dwelt among men. He made them free of all the rest of his house; only that one chamber he said he would not give, for it was his daughter’s bower, and she was a maiden. On the morrow the maiden and all her girlish finery had vanished, and in the chamber were found images of the Dioscuri and a table with silphium on it. So runs the tale.
Going in the direction of the gate from the Tunic you come to a shrine of the hero Chilon, the reputed sage, and of the Athenians . . . who sailed with Dorieus, son of Anaxandrides, on his expedition to Sicily. They went on the expedition in the belief that the land of Eryx belonged of right to the descendants of Hercules, and not to the barbarians who occupied it. For the story goes that Hercules wrestled with Eryx on these terms: if Hercules won, the land of Eryx was to be his; but if he were beaten, Eryx was to take the kine of Geryon and depart. For Hercules was driving these kine; they had swum across to Sicily, and Hercules had crossed over to find them. But the favour of the gods did not attend Dorieus, son of Anaxandrides, as it had attended Hercules before; for Hercules slew Eryx, but Dorieus and most of his army with him were slain by the Egestaeans. 5. The Lacedaemonians have also made a sanctuary for the lawgiver Lycurgus as for a god. Behind the temple is the grave of his son Eucosmus, and beside the altar is the grave of Lathria and Anaxandra. They were twin sisters, and therefore the sons of Aristodemus, being also twins, took them to wife. They were daughters of Thersander, son of Agamedidas. Thersander was king of the Cleestonaeans, and was a grandson of Ctesippus, son of Hercules. Opposite the temple is the tomb of Theopompus, son of Nicander ; also the tomb of Eurybiadas, who commanded the Lacedaemonian galleys in the sea-fights with the Medes at Artemisium and Salamis. Hard by is what is called the shrine of the hero Astrabacus. 6. The place called Limnaeum is a sanctuary of Artemis Orthia. The wooden image is said to be the famous one which Orestes and Iphigenia once stole from the Tauric land. The Lacedaemonians say it was brought to their country because Orestes was king of the country. This story seems to me more likely than the one which the Athenians tell. For what could have induced Iphigenia to leave the image at Brauron? or why, when the Athenians were preparing to evacuate the country, did they not take the image with them on board ship? To this day the name of the Tauric goddess stands so high that the Cappadocians on the Euxine claim to possess the image, and a like claim is set up by the Lydians who own the sanctuary of Artemis Anaeitis. And yet we are asked to believe that the Athenians calmly allowed the image to fall into the hands of the Mede! For the image at Brauron was carried to Susa, and was afterwards presented by Seleucus to the Syrians of Laodicea, who possess it to this day. There are, besides, the following proofs that the Orthia at Lacedaemon is the very wooden image that was brought from the land of the barbarians. In the first place, Astrabacus and Alopecus, the sons of Irbus, who was the son of Amphisthenes, who was the son of Amphicles, who was the son of Agis, went mad as soon as they found the image. In the second place, when the Spartan Limnatians, the Cynosurians, and the people of Mesoa and Pitane were sacrificing to Artemis they fell out, and from words they came to bloodshed, and after many had been slain on the altar a plague wasted the rest.
Thereupon they were bidden by an oracle to wet the altar with human blood. A man upon whom the lot fell was sacrificed; but Lycurgus changed the custom into that of scourging the lads, and so the altar reeks with human blood. The priestess stands by them holding the wooden image. It is small and light; but if the scourgers lay on lightly because a lad is handsome or noble, then the image grows so heavy in the woman’s hands that she can hardly hold it, and she lays the blame on the scourgers, saying they are weighing her down. Thus has the relish for human blood continued ingrained in the image since the days when the sacrifices were offered to it in the Tauric land. They call the image Lygodesma (‘willow-bound’) as well as Orthia (‘upright’), because it was found in a thicket of willows, and the willows twining round it kept the image upright.
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