ἀνωτέρω δὲ ὀλίγον τείχους τε περίβολος τῆς Λυκοσούρας ἐστὶ καὶ οἰκήτορες ἔνεισιν οὐ πολλοί. πόλεων δέ, ὁπόσας ἐπὶ τῇ ἠπείρῳ ἔδειξε γῆ καὶ ἐν νήσοις, Λυκόσουρά ἐστι πρεσβυτάτη, καὶ ταύτην εἶδεν ὁ ἥλιος πρώτην· ἀπὸ ταύτης δὲ οἱ λοιποὶ ποιεῖσθαι πόλεις μεμαθήκασιν ἄνθρωποι.
ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δὲ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τῆς Δεσποίνης τὸ ὄρος ἐστὶ τὸ Λύκαιον· καλοῦσι δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ Ὄλυμπον καὶ Ἱεράν γε ἕτεροι τῶν Ἀρκάδων κορυφήν. τραφῆναι δὲ τὸν Δία φασὶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ· καὶ χώρα τέ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ Λυκαίῳ Κρητέα καλουμένη—αὕτη δὲ ἡ Κρητέα ἐστὶν ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς Ἀπόλλωνος ἄλσους ἐπίκλησιν Παρρασίου—καὶ τὴν Κρήτην, ἔνθα ὁ Κρητῶν ἔχει λόγος τραφῆναι Δία, τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο εἶναι καὶ οὐ τὴν νῆσον ἀμφισβητοῦσιν οἱ Ἀρκάδες.
ταῖς Νύμφαις δὲ ὀνόματα, ὑφʼ ὧν τὸν Δία τραφῆναι λέγουσι, τίθενται Θεισόαν καὶ Νέδαν καὶ Ἁγνώ· καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Θεισόας πόλις ᾠκεῖτο ἐν τῇ Παρρασίᾳ, τὰ δὲ ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ μοίρας τῆς Μεγαλοπολίτιδός ἐστιν ἡ Θεισόα κώμη· τῆς Νέδας δὲ ὁ ποταμὸς τὸ ὄνομα ἔσχηκε· τῆς δὲ Ἁγνοῦς, ἣ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Λυκαίῳ πηγὴ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ποταμῷ τῷ Ἴστρῳ πέφυκεν ἴσον παρέχεσθαι τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν χειμῶνι ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ θέρους.
ἢν δὲ αὐχμὸς χρόνον ἐπέχῃ πολὺν καὶ ἤδη σφίσι τὰ σπέρματα ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ τὰ δένδρα αὐαίνηται, τηνικαῦτα ὁ ἱερεὺς τοῦ Λυκαίου Διὸς προσευξάμενος ἐς τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ θύσας ὁπόσα ἐστὶν αὐτῷ νόμος, καθίησι δρυὸς κλάδον ἐπιπολῆς καὶ οὐκ ἐς βάθος τῆς πηγῆς· ἀνακινηθέντος δὲ τοῦ ὕδατος ἄνεισιν ἀχλὺς ἐοικυῖα ὁμίχλῃ, διαλιποῦσα δὲ ὀλίγον γίνεται νέφος ἡ ἀχλὺς καὶ ἐς αὑτὴν ἄλλα ἐπαγομένη τῶν νεφῶν ὑετὸν τοῖς Ἀρκάσιν ἐς τὴν γῆν κατιέναι ποιεῖ.
ἔστι δὲ ἐν τῷ Λυκαίῳ Πανός τε ἱερὸν καὶ περὶ αὐτὸ ἄλσος δένδρων καὶ ἱππόδρομός τε καὶ πρὸ αὐτοῦ στάδιον· τὸ δὲ ἀρχαῖον τῶν Λυκαίων ἦγον τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐνταῦθα. ἔστι δὲ αὐτόθι καὶ ἀνδριάντων βάθρα, οὐκ ἐπόντων ἔτι ἀνδριάντων· ἐλεγεῖον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν βάθρων ἑνὶ Ἀστυάνακτός φησιν εἶναι τὴν εἰκόνα, τὸν δὲ Ἀστυάνακτα εἶναι γένος τῶν ἀπὸ Ἀρκάδος.
τὸ δὲ ὄρος παρέχεται τὸ Λύκαιον καὶ ἄλλα ἐς θαῦμα καὶ μάλιστα τόδε. τέμενός ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῷ Λυκαίου Διός, ἔσοδος δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐς αὐτὸ ἀνθρώποις· ὑπεριδόντα δὲ τοῦ νόμου καὶ ἐσελθόντα ἀνάγκη πᾶσα αὐτὸν ἐνιαυτοῦ πρόσω μὴ βιῶναι. καὶ τάδε ἔτι ἐλέγετο, τὰ ἐντὸς τοῦ τεμένους γενόμενα ὁμοίως πάντα καὶ θηρία καὶ ἀνθρώπους οὐ παρέχεσθαι σκιάν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐς τὸ τέμενος θηρίου καταφεύγοντος οὐκ ἐθέλει οἱ συνεσπίπτειν ὁ κυνηγέτης, ἀλλὰ ὑπομένων ἐκτὸς καὶ ὁρῶν τὸ θηρίον οὐδεμίαν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ θεᾶται σκιάν. χρόνον μὲν δὴ τὸν ἴσον ἔπεισί τε ὁ ἥλιος τὸν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καρκίνον καὶ ἐν Συήνῃ τῇ πρὸ Αἰθιοπίας οὔτε ἀπὸ δένδρων οὔτε ἀπὸ τῶν ζῴων γενέσθαι σκιὰν ἔστι· τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ Λυκαίῳ τέμενος τὸ αὐτὸ ἐς τὰς σκιὰς ἀεί τε καὶ ἐπὶ πασῶν πέπονθε τῶν ὡρῶν.
ἔστι δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἄκρᾳ τῇ ἀνωτάτω τοῦ ὄρους γῆς χῶμα, Διὸς τοῦ Λυκαίου βωμός, καὶ ἡ Πελοπόννησος τὰ πολλά ἐστιν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ σύνοπτος· πρὸ δὲ τοῦ βωμοῦ κίονες δύο ὡς ἐπὶ ἀνίσχοντα ἑστήκασιν ἥλιον, ἀετοὶ δὲ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἐπίχρυσοι τά γε ἔτι παλαιότερα ἐπεποίηντο. ἐπὶ τούτου τοῦ βωμοῦ τῷ Λυκαίῳ Διὶ θύουσιν ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ· πολυπραγμονῆσαι δὲ οὔ μοι τὰ ἐς τὴν θυσίαν ἡδὺ ἦν, ἐχέτω δὲ ὡς ἔχει καὶ ὡς ἔσχεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς.
ἔστι δὲ ἐν τοῖς πρὸς ἀνατολὰς τοῦ ὄρους Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερὸν ἐπίκλησιν Παρρασίου· τίθενται δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Πύθιον ὄνομα. ἄγοντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ κατὰ ἔτος ἑορτὴν θύουσι μὲν ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ κάπρον τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τῷ Ἐπικουρίῳ, θύσαντες δὲ ἐνταῦθα αὐτίκα τὸ ἱερεῖον κομίζουσιν ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Παρρασίου σὺν αὐλῷ τε καὶ πομπῇ, καὶ τά τε μηρία ἐκτεμόντες καίουσι καὶ δὴ καὶ ἀναλίσκουσιν αὐτόθι τοῦ ἱερείου τὰ κρέα.
ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω ποιεῖν νομίζουσι, τοῦ Λυκαίου δὲ τὰ πρὸς τῆς ἄρκτου γῆ ἐστιν ἡ Θεισοαία· οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι μάλιστα οἱ ταύτῃ νύμφην τὴν Θεισόαν ἄγουσιν ἐν τιμῇ. διὰ δὲ τῆς χώρας τῆς Θεισοαίας ῥέοντες ἐμβάλλουσιν ἐς τὸν Ἀλφειὸν Μυλάων, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτῷ Νοῦς καὶ Ἀχελῷος καὶ Κέλαδός τε καὶ Νάλιφος. Ἀχελῴω δὲ τῷ Ἀρκάδι εἰσὶν ἄλλοι δύο ὁμώνυμοί τε αὐτῷ ποταμοὶ καὶ τὰ ἐς δόξαν φανερώτεροι·
τὸν μέν γε ἐπὶ τὰς Ἐχινάδας κατιόντα Ἀχελῷον διὰ τῆς Ἀκαρνάνων καὶ διʼ Αἰτωλίας ἔφησεν ἐν Ἰλιάδι Ὅμηρος ποταμῶν τῶν πάντων ἄρχοντα εἶναι, ἕτερον δὲ Ἀχελῷον ῥέοντα ἐκ Σιπύλου τοῦ ὄρους ἐποιήσατο αὐτόν τε τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸν Σίπυλον τοῦ λόγου προσθήκην τοῦ ἐς Νιόβην· τρίτῳ δʼ οὖν καὶ τῷ περὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Λύκαιόν ἐστιν ὄνομα Ἀχελῷος.
τῆς Λυκοσούρας δέ ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ Νόμια ὄρη καλούμενα, καὶ Πανός τε ἱερὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐστι Νομίου καὶ τὸ χωρίον ὀνομάζουσι Μέλπειαν, τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς σύριγγος μέλος ἐνταῦθα Πανὸς εὑρεθῆναι λέγοντες. κληθῆναι δὲ τὰ ὄρη Νόμια προχειρότατον μέν ἐστιν εἰκάζειν ἐπὶ τοῦ Πανὸς ταῖς νομαῖς, αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ Ἀρκάδες νύμφης εἶναί φασιν ὄνομα.
A little higher up is the circuit of the walls of Lycosura, which contains a few inhabitants. Of all cities on earth, whether on the mainland or on islands, Lycosura is the oldest, and it was the first city that ever the sun beheld. The rest of mankind learned to build cities on its model.
To the left of the sanctuary of the Mistress is Mount Lycaeus, which they also call Olympus, while others of the Arcadians name it the Sacred Peak. They say that Zeus was reared on this mountain. There is a place on Lycaeus called Cretea: it is to the left of the grove of Parrhasian Apollo, and the Arcadians maintain that the Crete where, according to the Cretan legend, Zeus was reared, is this place, and not the island of Crete.
The names of the nymphs by whom they say Zeus was reared are, according to them, Thisoa, Neda, and Hagno. A city in Parrhasia was named after Thisoa: in my time Thisoa is a village belonging to the district of Megalopolis. Neda gave her name to the river Neda ; and Hagno gave her name to a spring on Mount Lycaeus, which like the river Danube flows with an equal body of water winter and summer. If there is a long drought, and the seeds in the earth and the trees are withering, the priest of Lycaean Zeus looks to the water and prays ; and having prayed and offered the sacrifices enjoined by custom, he lets down an oak branch to the surface of the spring, but not deep into it; and the water being stirred, there rises a mist-like vapour, and in a little the vapour becomes a cloud, and gathering other clouds to itself it causes rain to fall on the land of Arcadia.
On Lycaeus there is a sanctuary of Pan, and round about it a grove of trees; also there is a hippodrome, and in front of it a stadium. Here of old they celebrated the Lycaean games. Here, too, are bases of statues, but the statues are no longer there : an elegiac inscription on one of the bases states that the statue was that of Astyanax, and that he was of the stock of Arcas.
Of the wonders of Mount Lycaeus the greatest is this. There is a precinct of Lycaean Zeus on the mountain and people are not allowed to enter it; but if any one disregards the rule and enters, he cannot possibly live more than a year. It is also said that inside the precinct all creatures, whether man or beast, cast no shadows; and, therefore, if his quarry takes refuge in the precinct, the huntsman will not follow it, but waits outside, and looking at the beast he sees that it casts no shadow. Now, at Syene, on the frontier of Ethiopia, so long as the sun is in the sign of Cancer, shadows are cast neither by trees nor animals ; but in the precinct on Mount Lycaeus the same absence of shadow may be observed at all times and seasons. On the topmost peak of the mountain there is an altar of Lycaean Zeus in the shape of a mound of earth, and most of Peloponnese is visible from it. In front of the altar, on the east, stand two pillars, on which there used formerly to be gilded eagles. On this altar they offer secret sacrifices to Lycaean Zeus, but I did not care to pry into the details of the sacrifice. Be it as it is and has been from the beginning.
On the eastern side of the mountain is a sanctuary of Parrhasian Apollo; they also give him the surname of Pythian. They celebrate an annual festival in honour of the god, at which they sacrifice a boar in the market-place to Apollo the Succourer, and after the sacrifice they immediately convey the victim to the sanctuary of Parrhasian Apollo in procession to the music of a flute, and having cut out the thigh bones they burn them and consume the flesh of the victim on the spot. This is their regular practice.
To the north of Lycaeus is the land of Thisoa, the inhabitants of which hold the nymph Thisoa in chief honour. The district of Thisoa is intersected by the rivers Mylaon, Nus, Achelous, Celadus, and Naliphus, all of which fall into the Alpheus. Besides the Arcadian Achelous there are two other more famous rivers of the same name. The one which flows through Acarnania and Aetolia, and falls into the sea at the Echinadian islands, is said by Homer in the Iliad to be the prince of rivers: another Achelous which flows from Mount Sipylus is mentioned by him, along with Mount Sipylus itself, in connection with the story of Niobe. The river at Mount Lycaeus is the third river that bears the name of Achelous.
On the right of Lycosura are the Nomian mountains, as they are called. There is a sanctuary of Nomian Pan on them, and they name the place Melpea, saying that here Pan invented the music of the pipe. It is most obvious to suppose that the Nomian Mountains were so called with reference to Pan’s pastures (nomai), but the Arcadians themselves say they are named after a nymph.
Cite This Text