τὸ δὲ ἕτερον τῶν ὀρῶν τὸ Ἐλάιον ἀπωτέρω μὲν Φιγαλίας ὅσον τε σταδίοις τριάκοντά ἐστι, Δήμητρος δὲ ἄντρον αὐτόθι ἱερὸν ἐπίκλησιν Μελαίνης. ὅσα μὲν δὴ οἱ ἐν Θελπούσῃ λέγουσιν ἐς μῖξιν τὴν Ποσειδῶνός τε καὶ Δήμητρος, κατὰ ταὐτά σφισιν οἱ Φιγαλεῖς νομίζουσι, τεχθῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς Δήμητρος οἱ Φιγαλεῖς φασιν οὐχ ἵππον ἀλλὰ τὴν Δέσποιναν ἐπονομαζομένην ὑπὸ Ἀρκάδων·
τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου λέγουσι θυμῷ τε ἅμα ἐς τὸν Ποσειδῶνα αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Περσεφόνης τῇ ἁρπαγῇ πένθει χρωμένην μέλαιναν ἐσθῆτα ἐνδῦναι καὶ ἐς τὸ σπήλαιον τοῦτο ἐλθοῦσαν ἐπὶ χρόνον ἀπεῖναι πολύν. ὡς δὲ ἐφθείρετο μὲν πάντα ὅσα ἡ γῆ τρέφει, τὸ δὲ ἀνθρώπων γένος καὶ ἐς πλέον ἀπώλλυτο ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ, θεῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἠπίστατο ἄρα οὐδεὶς ἔνθα ἀπεκέκρυπτο ἡ Δημήτηρ, τὸν δὲ Πᾶνα ἐπιέναι μὲν
τὴν Ἀρκαδίαν καὶ ἄλλοτε αὐτὸν ἐν ἄλλῳ θηρεύειν τῶν ὀρῶν, ἀφικόμενον δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ Ἐλάιον κατοπτεῦσαι τὴν Δήμητρα σχήματός τε ὡς εἶχε καὶ ἐσθῆτα ἐνεδέδυτο ποίαν· πυθέσθαι δὴ τὸν Δία ταῦτα παρὰ τοῦ Πανὸς καὶ οὕτως ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πεμφθῆναι τὰς Μοίρας παρὰ τὴν Δήμητρα, τὴν δὲ πεισθῆναί τε ταῖς Μοίραις καὶ ἀποθέσθαι μὲν τὴν ὀργήν, ὑφεῖναι δὲ καὶ τῆς λύπης. σφᾶς δὲ ἀντὶ τούτων φασὶν οἱ Φιγαλεῖς τό τε σπήλαιον νομίσαι τοῦτο ἱερὸν Δήμητρος καὶ ἐς αὐτὸ ἄγαλμα ἀναθεῖναι ξύλου.
πεποιῆσθαι δὲ οὕτω σφίσι τὸ ἄγαλμα· καθέζεσθαι μὲν ἐπὶ πέτρᾳ, γυναικὶ δὲ ἐοικέναι τἄλλα πλὴν κεφαλήν· κεφαλὴν δὲ καὶ κόμην εἶχεν ἵππου, καὶ δρακόντων τε καὶ ἄλλων θηρίων εἰκόνες προσεπεφύκεσαν τῇ κεφαλῇ· χιτῶνα δὲ ἐνεδέδυτο καὶ ἐς ἄκρους τοὺς πόδας· δελφὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς ἦν αὐτῇ, περιστερὰ δὲ ἡ ὄρνις ἐπὶ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ. ἐφʼ ὅτῳ μὲν δὴ τὸ ξόανον ἐποιήσαντο οὕτως, ἀνδρὶ οὐκ ἀσυνέτῳ γνώμην ἀγαθῷ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐς μνήμην δῆλά ἐστι· Μέλαιναν δὲ ἐπονομάσαι φασὶν αὐτήν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ θεὸς μέλαιναν τὴν ἐσθῆτα εἶχε.
τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τὸ ξόανον οὔτε ὅτου ποίημα ἦν οὔτε ἡ φλὸξ τρόπον ὅντινα ἐπέλαβεν αὐτό, μνημονεύουσιν· ἀφανισθέντος δὲ τοῦ ἀρχαίου Φιγαλεῖς οὔτε ἄγαλμα ἄλλο ἀπεδίδοσαν τῇ θεῷ καὶ ὁπόσα ἐς ἑορτὰς καὶ θυσίας τὰ πολλὰ δὴ παρῶπτό σφισιν, ἐς ὃ ἡ ἀκαρπία ἐπιλαμβάνει τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἱκετεύσασιν αὐτοῖς χρᾷ τάδε ἡ Πυθία·
Ἀρκάδες Ἀζᾶνες βαλανηφάγοι, οἳ Φιγάλειαν / νάσσασθʼ, ἱππολεχοῦς Δῃοῦς κρυπτήριον ἄντρον, / ἥκετε πευσόμενοι λιμοῦ λύσιν ἀλγινόεντος, / μοῦνοι δὶς νομάδες, μοῦνοι πάλιν ἀγριοδαῖται. / Δῃὼ μέν σε ἔπαυσε νομῆς, Δῃὼ δὲ νομῆας / ἐκ δησισταχύων καὶ ἀναστοφάγων πάλι θῆκε, / νοσφισθεῖσα γέρα προτέρων τιμάς τε παλαιάς. / καί σʼ ἀλληλοφάγον θήσει τάχα καὶ τεκνοδαίτην, / εἰ μὴ πανδήμοις λοιβαῖς χόλον ἱλάσσεσθε / σήραγγός τε μυχὸν θείαις κοσμήσετε τιμαῖς. /
ὡς δὲ οἱ Φιγαλεῖς ἀνακομισθὲν τὸ μάντευμα ἤκουσαν, τά τε ἄλλα ἐς πλέον τιμῆς ἢ τὰ πρότερα τὴν Δήμητρα ἦγον καὶ Ὀνάταν τὸν Μίκωνος Αἰγινήτην πείθουσιν ἐφʼ ὅσῳ δὴ μισθῷ ποιῆσαί σφισιν ἄγαλμα Δήμητρος· τοῦ δὲ Ὀνάτα τούτου Περγαμηνοῖς ἐστιν Ἀπόλλων χαλκοῦς, θαῦμα ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα μεγέθους τε ἕνεκα καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τέχνῃ. τότε δὴ ὁ ἀνὴρ οὗτος ἀνευρὼν γραφὴν ἢ μίμημα τοῦ ἀρχαίου ξοάνου—τὰ πλείω δέ, ὡς λέγεται, καὶ κατὰ ὀνειράτων ὄψιν—ἐποίησε χαλκοῦν Φιγαλεῦσιν ἄγαλμα, γενεαῖς μάλιστα δυσὶν ὕστερον τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐπιστρατείας τοῦ Μήδου.
μαρτυρεῖ δέ μοι τῷ λόγῳ· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν Ξέρξου διάβασιν ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην Συρακουσῶν τε ἐτυράννει καὶ Σικελίας τῆς ἄλλης Γέλων ὁ Δεινομένους· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐτελεύτησε Γέλων, ἐς Ἱέρωνα ἀδελφὸν Γέλωνος περιῆλθεν ἡ ἀρχή· Ἱέρωνος δὲ ἀποθανόντος πρότερον πρὶν ἢ τῷ Ὀλυμπίῳ Διὶ ἀναθεῖναι τὰ ἀναθήματα ἃ εὔξατο ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων ταῖς νίκαις, οὕτω Δεινομένης ὁ Ἱέρωνος ἀπέδωκεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατρός.
Ὀνάτα καὶ ταῦτα ποιήματα, καὶ ἐπιγράμματα ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ, τὸ μὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀναθήματός ἐστιν αὐτῶν, σόν ποτε νικήσας, Ζεῦ Ὀλύμπιε, σεμνὸν ἀγῶνα / τεθρίππῳ μὲν ἅπαξ, μουνοκέλητι δὲ δίς, / δῶρα Ἱέρων τάδε σοι ἐχαρίσσατο· παῖς δʼ ἀνέθηκε / Δεινομένης πατρὸς μνῆμα Συρακοσίου·
τὸ δὲ ἕτερον λέγει τῶν ἐπιγραμμάτων· υἱὸς μέν με Μίκωνος Ὀνάτας ἐξετέλεσσεν, / νάσῳ ἐν Αἰγίνᾳ δώματα ναιετάων. / ἡ δὲ ἡλικία τοῦ Ὀνάτα κατὰ τὸν Ἀθηναῖον Ἡγίαν καὶ Ἀγελάδαν συμβαίνει τὸν Ἀργεῖον.
ταύτης μάλιστα ἐγὼ τῆς Δήμητρος ἕνεκα ἐς Φιγαλίαν ἀφικόμην. καὶ ἔθυσα τῇ θεῷ, καθὰ καὶ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι νομίζουσιν, οὐδέν· τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων τῶν ἡμέρων τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ἀμπέλου καρπὸν καὶ μελισσῶν τε κηρία καὶ ἐρίων τὰ μὴ ἐς ἐργασίαν πω ἥκοντα ἀλλὰ ἔτι ἀνάπλεα τοῦ οἰσύπου, ἃ τιθέασιν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν τὸν ᾠκοδομημένον πρὸ τοῦ σπηλαίου, θέντες δὲ καταχέουσιν αὐτῶν ἔλαιον, ταῦτα ἰδιώταις τε ἀνδράσι καὶ ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος Φιγαλέων τῷ κοινῷ καθέστηκεν ἐς τὴν θυσίαν.
ἱέρεια δέ σφισίν ἐστιν ἡ δρῶσα, σὺν δὲ αὐτῇ καὶ τῶν ἱεροθυτῶν καλουμένων ὁ νεώτατος· οἱ δέ εἰσι τῶν ἀστῶν τρεῖς ἀριθμόν. ἔστι δὲ δρυῶν τε ἄλσος περὶ τὸ σπήλαιον καὶ ὕδωρ ψυχρὸν ἄνεισιν ἐκ τῆς γῆς. τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ὀνάτα ποιηθὲν οὔτε ἦν κατʼ ἐμὲ οὔτε εἰ ἐγένετο ἀρχὴν Φιγαλεῦσιν ἠπίσταντο οἱ πολλοί·
τῶν δὲ ἐντυχόντων ἡμῖν ἔλεγεν ὁ πρεσβύτατος γενεαῖς πρότερον τρισὶν ἢ κατʼ αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖν ἐς τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐκ τοῦ ὀρόφου πέτρας, ὑπὸ τούτων δὲ καταγῆναι καὶ ἐς ἅπαν ἔφασκεν αὐτὸ ἀφανισθῆναι· καὶ ἔν γε τῷ ὀρόφῳ δῆλα καὶ ἡμῖν ἔτι ἦν, καθὰ ἀπερρώγεσαν αἱ πέτραι.
1. The other mountain, Mount Elaius, is about thirty furlongs from Phigalia: there is a cave there sacred to Demeter surnamed the Black.
All that the people of Thelpusa say touching the loves of Poseidon and Demeter is believed by the Phigalians ; but the Phigalians say that Demeter gave birth, not to a horse, but to her whom the Arcadians name the Mistress, and they say that afterwards Demeter, wroth with Poseidon, and mourning the rape of Proserpine, put on black raiment, and entering this grotto tarried there in seclusion a long while. But when all the fruits of the earth were wasting away, and the race of man was perishing still more of hunger, none of the other gods, it would seem, knew where Demeter was hid; but Pan, roving over Arcadia, and hunting now on one mountain, now on another, came at last to Mount Elaius, and spied Demeter, and saw the plight she was in, and the garb she wore. So Zeus learnt of this from Pan, and sent the Fates to Demeter, and she hearkened to the Fates, and swallowed her wrath, and abated even from her grief.
For that reason the Phigalians say that they accounted the grotto sacred to Demeter, and set up in it an image of wood. The image, they say, was made thus: it was seated on a rock, and was in the likeness of a woman, all but the head; the head and the hair were those of a horse, and attached to the head were figures of serpents and other wild beasts ; she was clad in a tunic that reached even to her feet ; on one of her hands was a dolphin, and on the other a dove. Why they made the image thus is plain to any man of ordinary sagacity who is versed in legendary lore. They say they surnamed her Black, because the garb the goddess wore was black. They do not remember who made this wooden image, nor how it caught fire.
When the old image disappeared the Phigalians did not give the goddess another in its stead, and as to the festivals and sacrifices, why they neglected most of them, until a dearth came upon the land; then they besought the god, and the Pythian priestess answered them as follows :— Arcadians, Azanians, acorn-eaters, who inhabit Phigalia, the cave where the Horse-mother Deo lay hid, You come to learn a riddance of grievous famine, You who alone have been nomads twice, and twice tasted the berries wild. ’Twas Deo stopped your pasturing, and ’twas Deo caused you again To go without the cakes of herdsmen who drag the ripe ears home, Because she was robbed of privileges that men of old bestowed on her and of her ancient honours. And soon shall she make you to eat each other, and to feast on your children, If you appease not her wrath with libations offered of the whole people, And if you adorn not the nook of the tunnel with honours divine. When the oracle was reported to them, the Phigalians held Demeter in higher honour than before, and in particular they induced Onatas, the Aeginetan, son of Micon, to make them an image of Demeter for so much. There is a bronze Apollo at Pergamus by this Onatas, which is one of the greatest marvels both for size and workmanship. So he made a bronze image for the Phigalians, guided by a painting or a copy which he discovered of the ancient wooden image; but he relied mainly, it is said, on directions received in dreams. This was about a generation after the expedition of the Medes against Greece. Of this I have evidence. For at the time when Xerxes crossed into Europe, Gelo, son of Dinomanes, was tyrant of Syracuse and of all the rest of Sicily ; but when Gelo died, the sovereignty devolved on his brother Hiero ; and as Hiero died before he dedicated to Olympian Zeus the offerings which he had vowed for his victories in the chariot-race, they were offered by his son Dinomanes in his stead. These offerings are also works of Onatas ; and there are inscriptions at Olympia. The one over the votive offering is this :— For his victories in thy august contests, Olympian Zeus, One victory with the four-horse car, and two with the race-horse, Hiero bestowed these gifts on thee: they were dedicated by his son, Dinomenes, in memory of his Syracusan sire. The other inscription runs :— Onatas, son of Micon, wrought me: He dwelt in a house in the isle of Aegina. Onatas may have been a contemporary of the Athenian Hegias, and of Ageladas the Argive. 5. Chiefly for the sake of this Demeter I went to Phigalia, but I sacrificed no victim to the goddess, such being the custom of the natives ; instead, they bring the fruit of the vine and of other cultivated trees, also honeycombs, and wool which is yet unspun and full of grease; these they lay on the altar, which is built in front of the grotto, and having laid them on it they pour oil on them. Such is the rule of sacrifice observed both by private persons, and once a year by the Phigalian community. They have a priestess who performs the rites, and she is assisted by the youngest of the sacrificers, as they are called, who are citizens, three in number.
There is a grove of oaks round about the grotto, and cold water wells up from a spring. The image made by Onatas was no longer in existence in my time, and most of the Phigalians were not aware that it had ever existed; but the oldest man we met said that three generations before his time some stones from the roof had fallen on the image, smashing and annihilating it ; and sure enough in the roof we could still clearly see the places from which the stones had broken off.
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