ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτω λέγουσι· τοῦ Λάδωνος δὲ τῶν πηγῶν ἀπέχει στάδια ἑξήκοντα ἡ Κλειτορίων πόλις, ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ Λάδωνός ἐστιν αὐλὼν στενὸς παρὰ τὸν Ἀροάνιον ποταμόν. πρὸς δὲ τῇ πόλει διαβήσῃ ποταμὸν καλούμενον Κλείτορα. ἐκδίδωσιν οὖν ὁ Κλείτωρ ἐς τὸν Ἀροάνιον, οὐ πλέον τῆς πόλεως σταδίους ἀπέχοντα ἑπτά.
εἰσὶ δὲ ἰχθῦς ἐν τῷ Ἀροανίῳ καὶ ἄλλοι καὶ οἱ ποικιλίαι καλούμενοι· τούτους λέγουσι τοὺς ποικιλίας φθέγγεσθαι κίχλῃ τῇ ὄρνιθι ἐοικός. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγρευθέντας μὲν εἶδον, φθεγγομένων δὲ ἤκουσα οὐδὲν καταμείνας πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ καὶ ἐς ἡλίου δυσμάς, ὅτε δὴ φθέγγεσθαι μάλιστα ἐλέγοντο οἱ ἰχθῦς.
τῇ δὲ Κλειτορίων πόλει τὸ μὲν ὄνομα ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐτέθη τοῦ Ἀζᾶνος, οἰκεῖται δʼ ἐν ὁμαλῷ, κύκλῳ δὲ ὄρη περιέχοντά ἐστιν οὐ μεγάλα. Κλειτορίοις δὲ ἱερὰ τὰ ἐπιφανέστατα Δήμητρος τό τε Ἀσκληπιοῦ, τρίτον δέ ἐστιν Εἰλειθυίας εἶναι, καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἐποίησεν οὐδένα ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς· Λύκιος δὲ Ὠλὴν ἀρχαιότερος τὴν ἡλικίαν, Δηλίοις ὕμνους καὶ ἄλλους ποιήσας καὶ ἐς Εἰλείθυιαν , εὔλινόν τε αὐτὴν ἀνακαλεῖ— δῆλον ὡς τῇ πεπρωμένῃ τὴν αὐτήν—καὶ Κρόνου πρεσβυτέραν φησὶν εἶναι.
Κλειτορίοις δὲ καὶ Διοσκούρων, καλουμένων δὲ θεῶν Μεγάλων ἐστὶν ἱερὸν ὅσον τέσσαρα ἀπέχον στάδια ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως· καὶ ἀγάλματά ἐστιν αὐτοῖς χαλκᾶ. πεποίηται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ὄρους κορυφῆς σταδίοις τριάκοντα ἀπωτέρω τῆς πόλεως ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα Ἀθηνᾶς Κορίας.
Sixty furlongs from the springs of the Ladon is the city of Clitor. The road from the springs of the Ladon is a narrow defile beside the river Aroanius. At the city you will cross the river Clitor, which falls into the Aroanius not more than seven furlongs from the city. Amongst the fish in the Aroanius are the so-called spotted fish. They say these spotted fish sing like a thrush. I saw them after they had been caught, but I did not hear them utter a sound, though I tarried by the river till sunset, when they were said to sing most.
The city of Clitor got its name from the son of Azan: it stands on level ground surrounded by low hills. The most famous sanctuaries at Clitor are those of Demeter, Aesculapius, and Ilithyia. . . . did not enumerate them. Olen, a Lycian, who lived in an earlier age, composed various hymns for the Delians, including one on Ilithyia, wherein he calls her ‘the spinner deft,’ clearly identifying her with Fate, and says that she is older than Cronus. The Clitorians have also a sanctuary of the Dioscuri under the name of the Great Gods : it is about four furlongs from the city, and the images of the deities are of bronze.
On the top of a mountain thirty furlongs from the city stands a temple of Athena Coria, with an image of the goddess.
ἐπανάγει δὲ ὁ λόγος με ἐπὶ Στύμφαλον καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς Φενεατῶν καὶ Στυμφαλίων ὅρους, τὸ ὀνομαζόμενον Γερόντειον. Στυμφάλιοι δὲ τεταγμένοι μὲν οὐ μετὰ Ἀρκάδων ἔτι εἰσὶν, ἀλλὰ ἐς τὸ Ἀργολικὸν συντελοῦσι μεταστάντες ἐς αὐτὸ ἐθελονταί· γένους δὲ εἶναι σφᾶς τοῦ Ἀρκάδων τὰ ἔπη μαρτυρεῖ τὰ Ὁμήρου, καὶ ὁ Στύμφαλος ὁ οἰκιστὴς ἀπόγονος ἦν τρίτος Ἀρκάδος τοῦ Καλλιστοῦς. λέγεται δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἑτέρωθι οἰκισθῆναι τῆς χώρας καὶ οὐκ ἐς τὴν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν πόλιν.
ἐν δὲ τῇ Στυμφάλῳ τῇ ἀρχαίᾳ Τήμενόν φασιν οἰκῆσαι τὸν Πελασγοῦ καὶ Ἥραν ὑπὸ τοῦ Τημένου τραφῆναι τούτου καὶ αὐτὸν ἱερὰ τῇ θεῷ τρία ἱδρύσασθαι καὶ ἐπικλήσεις τρεῖς ἐπʼ αὐτῇ θέσθαι· παρθένῳ μὲν ἔτι οὔσῃ Παιδί, γημαμένην δὲ τῷ Διὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν Τελείαν, διενεχθεῖσαν δὲ ἐφʼ ὅτῳ δὴ ἐς τὸν Δία καὶ ἐπανήκουσαν ἐς τὴν Στύμφαλον ὠνόμασεν ὁ Τήμενος Χήραν. τάδε μὲν ὑπὸ Στυμφαλίων λεγόμενα οἶδα ἐς τὴν θεόν·
ἡ δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν πόλις τῶν μὲν εἰρημένων οὐδέν, ἄλλα δὲ εἶχε τοσάδε. ἔστιν ἐν τῇ Στυμφαλίων πηγή, καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης ὕδωρ βασιλεὺς Ἀδριανὸς Κορινθίοις ἤγαγεν ἐς τὴν πόλιν. ἐν δὲ τῇ Στυμφάλῳ χειμῶνος μὲν ὥρᾳ λίμνην τε οὐ μεγάλην ἡ πηγὴ καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ποταμὸν ποιεῖ τὸν Στύμφαλον· ἐν θέρει δὲ προλιμνάζει μὲν οὐδὲν ἔτι, ποταμὸς δὲ αὐτίκα ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τῆς πηγῆς. οὗτος ἐς χάσμα γῆς κάτεισιν ὁ ποταμός, ἀναφαινόμενος δὲ αὖθις ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι μεταβάλλει τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀντὶ Στυμφάλου καλοῦσιν Ἐρασῖνον.
ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ὕδατι τῷ ἐν Στυμφάλῳ κατέχει λόγος ὄρνιθάς ποτε ἀνδροφάγους ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τραφῆναι· ταύτας κατατοξεῦσαι τὰς ὄρνιθας Ἡρακλῆς λέγεται. Πείσανδρος δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Καμιρεὺς ἀποκτεῖναι τὰς ὄρνιθας οὔ φησιν, ἀλλὰ ὡς ψόφῳ κροτάλων ἐκδιώξειεν αὐτάς. γῆς δὲ τῆς Ἀράβων ἡ ἔρημος παρέχεται καὶ ἄλλα θηρία καὶ ὄρνιθας καλουμένας Στυμφαλίδας, λεόντων καὶ παρδάλεων οὐδέν τι ἡμερωτέρας ἀνθρώποις·
αὗται τοῖς ἐπὶ ἄγραν αὐτῶν ἀφικνουμένοις ἐπιπέτανται, καὶ τιτρώσκουσί τε τοῖς ῥάμφεσι καὶ ἀποκτείνουσιν. ὅσα μὲν δὴ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου φοροῦσιν ἄνθρωποι, διατρυπῶσιν αἱ ὄρνιθες· ἢν δὲ ἐσθῆτα φλοΐνην παχεῖαν πλέξωνται, τὰ ῥάμφη τῶν Στυμφαλίδων ὑπὸ τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἔχεται τῆς φλοΐνης, καθὰ καὶ πτέρυγες ὀρνίθων τῶν μικρῶν προσέχονται τῷ ἰξῷ. αὗται μέγεθος μὲν κατὰ γέρανόν εἰσιν αἱ ὄρνιθες, ἐοίκασι δὲ ἴβεσι, ῥάμφη δὲ ἀλκιμώτερα φέρουσι καὶ οὐ σκολιὰ ὥσπερ αἱ ἴβεις.
εἰ μὲν δὴ καὶ αἱ κατʼ ἐμὲ ὄρνιθες αἱ Ἀράβιοι τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ ποτὲ ὀρνίθων τὸ ὄνομα, εἶδος δὲ οὐ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐκείναις ἔχουσιν, οὐκ οἶδα· εἰ δὲ τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἱέραξι καὶ ἀετοῖς καὶ Στυμφαλίδες εἰσὶν ὄρνιθες, Ἀράβιόν τε εἶναί μοι θρέμμα αἱ ὄρνιθες αὗται φαίνονται, καὶ δύναιτο ἂν πετομένη ποτὲ ἀπόμοιρα ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐς Ἀρκαδίαν ἀφικέσθαι ἐπὶ Στύμφαλον. ὑπὸ μὲν δὴ τῶν Ἀράβων ἄλλο τί που ἐξ ἀρχῆς καλοῖντο ἂν καὶ οὐ Στυμφαλίδες· τοῦ Ἡρακλέους δὲ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν πρὸ τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ τετιμημένον ἐξενίκησεν ὡς καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ Ἀράβων Στυμφαλίδας καὶ ἐπὶ ἡμῶν ὀνομάζεσθαι.
ἐν Στυμφάλῳ δὲ καὶ ἱερὸν Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστιν ἀρχαῖον Στυμφαλίας· τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα ξόανόν ἐστι τὰ πολλὰ ἐπίχρυσον. πρὸς δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ τῷ ὀρόφῳ πεποιημέναι καὶ οἱ Στυμφαλίδες εἰσὶν ὄρνιθες· σαφῶς μὲν οὖν χαλεπὸν ἦν διαγνῶναι πότερον ξύλου ποίημα ἦν ἢ γύψου, τεκμαιρομένοις δὲ ἡμῖν ἐφαίνετο εἶναι ξύλου μᾶλλον ἢ γύψου. εἰσὶ δὲ αὐτόθι καὶ παρθένοι λίθου λευκοῦ, σκέλη δέ σφισίν ἐστιν ὀρνίθων, ἑστᾶσι δὲ ὄπισθε τοῦ ναοῦ.
λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν γενέσθαι θαῦμα τοιόνδε. ἐν Στυμφάλῳ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος τῆς Στυμφαλίας τὴν ἑορτὴν τά τε ἄλλα ἦγον οὐ σπουδῇ καὶ τὰ ἐς αὐτὴν καθεστηκότα ὑπερέβαινον τὰ πολλά. ἐσπεσοῦσα οὖν ὕλη κατὰ τοῦ βαράθρου τὸ στόμα, ᾗ κάτεισιν ὁ ποταμός , ἀνεῖργε μὴ καταδύεσθαι τὸ ὕδωρ, λίμνην τε ὅσον ἐπὶ τετρακοσίους σταδίους τὸ πεδίον σφίσι γενέσθαι λέγουσι.
φασὶ δὲ ἕπεσθαι θηρευτὴν ἄνδρα ἐλάφῳ φευγούσῃ, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐς τὸ τέλμα ἵεσθαι, τὸν δὲ ἄνδρα τὸν θηρευτὴν ἐπακολουθοῦντα ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ κατόπιν τῆς ἐλάφου νήχεσθαι· καὶ οὕτω τὸ βάραθρον τήν τε ἔλαφον καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ τὸν ἄνδρα ὑπεδέξατο. τούτοις δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπακολουθῆσαί φασιν, ὥστε ἐς ἡμέραν Στυμφαλίοις ἐξήραντο ἅπαν τοῦ πεδίου τὸ λιμνάζον· καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι τὴν ἑορτὴν φιλοτιμίᾳ πλέονι ἄγουσι.
I return to Stymphalus and to Geronteum, the boundary between the cantons of Pheneus and Stymphalus. The Stymphalians are no longer ranked among the Arcadians, but belong to the Argive confederacy, which they joined voluntarily. But that they are of the Arcadian stock is proved by the verses of Homer, and Stymphalus their founder was a grandson of Arcas, son of Callisto. It is said, however, that the original settlement was not on the site of the present city, but in another part of the district.
They say that Temenus, son of Pelasgus, dwelt in old Stymphalus, that Hera was brought up by him, that he founded three sanctuaries in honour of the goddess, and bestowed three surnames on her: while she was yet a girl he called her Child ; when she married Zeus he called her Full-grown; and when she had quarrelled with Zeus for some reason and returned to Stymphalus, he named her Widow. I know that these things are said about the goddess by the Stymphalians.
The present city has none of the objects I have mentioned : on the other hand it has the following. In the Stymphalian territory there is a spring from which the Emperor Hadrian brought water to Corinth. In winter the spring forms a small mere, from which again the river Stymphalus issues; but in summer there is no mere, and the river rises directly from the spring. This river goes down into a chasm in the ground, and reappearing in Argolis takes a new name, being called the Erasinus instead of the Stymphalus.
The story goes that man-eating birds once bred beside the water of Stymphalus: these birds Hercules is said to have shot down. However, Pisander of Camirus says that he did not kill them, but chased them away by the noise of rattles. Amongst the wild creatures of the Arabian desert, there are birds called Stymphalian, which are every whit as fierce and dangerous to men as lions and leopards. They fly at the men who come to hunt them, wound them with their beaks, and kill them. They pierce armour of bronze and iron; but if the hunters wear thick garments of plaited bark, the beaks of the Stymphalian birds are held fast by the garment of bark, just as the wings of small birds are held by bird-lime. These birds are of the size of a crane, and they resemble ibises, but their beaks are stronger and not hooked like the beak of an ibis. Now, whether the Arabian birds of the present day differ in species from their namesakes which were once found in Arcadia, I do not know; but if there have always been Stymphalian birds, just as there have always been hawks and eagles, then I think that these birds are natives of Arabia: a flock of them might at some time have flown to Stymphalus in Arcadia. Probably the Arabs called them originally by some name other than Stymphalian ; but the renown of Hercules, and the superiority of Greeks over barbarians, prevailed so far as to cause the birds in the Arabian desert to be known even to the present day by the name of Stymphalian. 5. In Stymphalus there is also an old sanctuary of Stymphalian Artemis: the image is of wood, mostly gilded. At the roof of the temple are represented the Stymphalian birds. It was difficult to distinguish clearly whether they were made of wood or gypsum, but so far as I could judge they seemed to be of wood rather than of gypsum. Here, too, are figures of virgins with the legs of birds, made of white marble: they stand behind the temple.
It is said that the following miracle took place in our own day. They used to celebrate the festival of Stymphalian Artemis at Stymphalus carelessly, omitting most of the established customs connected with it. Well, some timber drifting into the mouth of the chasm, down which the river goes, dammed up the water, and the plain, they say, was turned into a lake for a space of four hundred furlongs. It is said that a deer pursued by a huntsman plunged into the marsh, and that the huntsman in the heat of the chase swam after it, and so both deer and man were engulphed in the chasm. The water of the river, they say, followed after them, and thus by their means the Stymphalian plain was drained in a day of all the stagnant water. From that time they have celebrated the festival of Artemis with more zeal.
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