Volume 1

Herodotus : the fourth, fifth, and sixth books / With introduction, notes, appendices, indices, maps by Reginald Walter Macan.

  • Herodotus
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Herodotus : the fourth, fifth, and sixth books / With introduction, notes, appendices, indices, maps by Reginald Walter Macan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    464/528 (page 336)
    VI TToXXa? Kp’yeiwv a/jb^LSpv<p6a<i rore Orjaei. CO? TTore Tfc? epeei koX eirBaaopbevtov avOpoiTroiv heuvo^ 6(jn<i ae\iKTO<; dircoXero Bovpl Bapbaa6ei<i.^' ravra Trdvra avveXdovra roiai 'Kp’^eioicn (j)6^ov Trapet'^e. 15 Kol Bt] (T(f)L 7rpo9 ravra eBo^e tm KijpvKL tmv 'iroXepbicov '^pdcrOaL, Bo^av Be cr^L eiroleov TOiovBe' oVco? 0 %'jrapTirjTr]<i Krjpv^ Trpo- (77}pLaivoL TL AaKeBaLpiovloL(Xt, eTToievv kul ol ^ApyeioL to)vto tovto. obscurity whatever. This explanation, however, involves the conclusion that for the truth, the whole truth, we must look elsewhere than to the story of the Argive war as told by Hdt. In this explanation the female of Argos becomes Telesilla the poetess, who, according to another tradition, with the women of Argos succeeded in driving Kleomenes out of the town, after he had defeated the men of Argos in a pitched battle. This story is indeed “incompatible with the state- ments of Herodotos,” but it does not follow that Grote is right in concluding that “the story probably grew up out of the oracle itself.” It is possible that the oracle grew up out of the story, and that the story was substan- tially true. So Clinton, Fast. Hell. ii.^ p. 21, 510 B.O., after quoting the authorities for the exploit of Telesilla (Plutarch, Virt. Mul. p. 245 D E, Pausanias 2. 20, 8), adds : “Herodotus confirms the fact by recording the oracle to which it gave occasion.” The oracle is plainly a vaticinium post eventum in Clinton’s opinion. That the traditions in Pausanias and Plutarch are from an Argive source (Sokrates of Argos), while the story in Hdt. is in the main Spartan, is a further sugges- tion of Duncker’s, which helps to ex- plain the discrepancies. The fact that Sokrates was a late author does not make it improbable that traditions preserved through him are primitive or early : every one now sees that we are largely indebted to the latest authors (Strabo, Pausanias, Plutarch et al.) for our knowledge of primitive and early traditions, legends, myths, customs, and historic facts. D. Two other interpretations suggest themselves as explaining the origin of the response—either of which gives a much clearer sense and application: {a) Assuming that ^ dTjXeia means Hera, and so Argos, the verses might refer to war between Argos and Epidauros, with which place the serpent was early associated. Asklepios, if not himself actually a serpent, might be represented by a serpent. Cp. Head, Hist. Num. 360, Mahly, Die Schlange im, Mythus etc., p. 8. (&) Finally, it may be asked whether this oracle had originally any- thing to say to Argos and Hera, much less to Kleomenes or Telesilla, at all ? The 6(f>Ls was notoriously associated with Athene (4. 189 supra, cp. 8. 41, 55), and the victory of the female over the male was her victory (Erechtheus, Erich- thonios = Poseidon on the one side, and the 6<f)Ls or dpanur on the other). The transfer of this old enigma to Argos may have been facilitated by the Homeric use of the word ’ApyeioL. It is not unlikely that the Delphic versifiers had a stock of such ready-made riddles on hand. 13. Stivos, though found in Hdt. coupled with ao^6s, in epic or oracular language must be taken in its older meaning ‘dread.’ 6<j)is. Stein interprets as the crest or symbol of Argos, the enchorial hero {’Apy€t<l>6vT7]s = dcpLOKrSvos). Cp. Soph. Ant. 125, Eurip. Phoen. 1137. As Busolt remarks {Gh-. O. i.^ 214 n.) the proper crest of the city of Argos was the wolf, or wolf s-head (cp. Head, Hist. Num. p. 366) ; but that would hardly be a reason against interpreting the here to stand for Argo^ And it may be added that Sepeia, or Hesepeia, is another point of suggestion between the oracle and the event (<n)^ = 6^is). d^kiKTos (d intensive), the better read- ing, may be taken as equivalent to the vulgate rpii\LKTos. 14. ravra irdvra seems vague. Cp. -irdvra ravra 5. 36 supra. 16. TTpoo-qiiaivoi. The signal may have been given by a horn or trumpet. Cp. L. & S. suh V. arjpuitvu), II. 2.