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they followed. 5. LIKEWISE, A COLLECTION AND EXPLANATION OF THE HISTORIES WHICH GREGORY, AMONG THE SAINTS, MENTIONED ALSO IN HIS SECOND INVECTIVE AGAINST JULIAN 5.1 The first history is that concerning the crown of Ariadne, and the Lock of Berenice, and concerning the Swan, and the Bull, and the Lion, and the Serpent-bearer. And they are these. Ariadne was the daughter of Minos, the king of the Cretans. She fell in love with Theseus, the king of the Athenians, who had come for the destruction of the Minotaur. Dionysus then took her from Theseus, and brought her to Naxos, and was united with her. And in her honor he depicted a crown in the sky with stars. And that of the Lock of Berenice is this. Berenice was the wife of Ptolemy in Alexandria, who was called Euergetes. Therefore, when her husband Ptolemy was at war, she vowed that if he should return unharmed, she would cut off her own lock of hair and offer it as a votive gift in the temple; and Berenice offered it. There was then a certain astronomer, Conon, in her time, and to flatter her he says that the gods placed this lock among the stars. And now indeed there is a certain cluster-like arrangement of stars in the sky, which they call Berenice's Lock. And that concerning the Swan is this. Zeus, having fallen in love, as some say, with Nemesis, but others, with Leda, wishing to have intercourse with her and not be seen by Hera, transformed himself into a swan, and was united with his beloved. Now therefore this swan was placed as a constellation in the sky. And there is, he says, the Swan depicted by stars. And that concerning the Bull is this. A certain bull was sent forth by Poseidon around Greece. This one ravaged the land and did much harm. Coming against this, Theseus killed it. And the gods, wishing to show the great deed of Theseus and also to appease Poseidon, placed the bull as a constellation in the sky; and now the Bull is depicted by stars in the sky. And the history concerning the Lion is this. A lion, a wild animal, was in Nemea (this is a region of the Peloponnese). This lion, therefore, was ravaging those in the region. Theseus therefore, being king of the Mycenaeans and being angry with Heracles, sends Heracles for the destruction of the lion. And Heracles, having come, killed it. And the gods, wishing to make the contest of Heracles glorious, depicted the lion in the sky with stars. And now the Lion is among the stars. And that concerning the Serpent-bearer is this. This Serpent-bearer is said to be Asclepius, the patron of medicine. And the serpent is a symbol of agelessness; for it is said that the serpent sheds its old age and is renewed. Since, therefore, Asclepius through medicine renews human bodies, they depict him with the serpent. The gods, therefore, wishing to consecrate him instead of a statue, consecrated him in the sky with stars. 5.2 The second history is that concerning "Salmoneus thundering from a hide." And it is this. Salmoneus was the son of Aeolus, and king of the Thessalians. This man, having become impious toward the gods, tying dry and hard hides to his chariots, and striking certain cauldrons along with the hides, would produce sounds; and carrying burning torches in his hands, he boasted that he, like Zeus, could both thunder and lighten, until he was struck by Zeus's thunderbolt and destroyed. And he left behind an underage daughter named Tyro. She, having been raised by her own paternal uncle Cepheus, fell in love with the local river, Enipeus. And Poseidon, having made himself like this river, had intercourse with Tyro instead of Enipeus. And she conceived Pelias and Neleus, and was pregnant with them. And she was married to Cretheus; and later Tyro gave birth, seemingly by Cretheus, but in truth by Poseidon. And later Tyro also had children from Cretheus himself. 5.3 The third history is that concerning Zopyrus in Babylon. And it is this. Cyrus, the king of the Persians, besieging Babylon for a long time, and since it was hard to sack and he was vexed for a long while, a certain Zopyrus, brave in spirit, as the deed showed, and not without honor in the presence of the
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ἕποντο. 5.τ ὉΜΟΙΩΣ ΣΥΝΑΓΩΓΗ ΚΑΙ ἘΞΗΓΗΣΙΣ ὯΝ ἘΜΝΗΣΘΗ ἹΣΤΟΡΙΩΝὉ ἘΝ ἉΓΙΟΙΣ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΣ ΚΑΙ ἘΝ ΤΩΙ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΩΙ ΚΑΤΑ ἸΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΥ ΣΤΗΛΙΤΕΥΤΙΚΩΙ ΛΟΓΩΙ 5.1 Πρώτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ Ἀριάδνης στεφάνου, καὶ τοῦ Βερονίκης Πλοκάμου, καὶ περὶ τοῦ Κύκνου, καὶ τοῦ Ταύρου, καὶ τοῦ Λέοντος, καὶ τοῦ Ὀφιούχου. εἰσὶ δὲ αὕται. Ἀριάδνη θυγάτηρ ὑπῆρχε Μίνωος, τοῦ Κρητῶν βασιλέως. αὕτη ἠράσθη Θησέως, τοῦ Ἀθηνῶν βασιλέως, ἐλθόντος ἐπ' ἀναιρέσει τοῦ Μινωταύρου. ἐκ τοῦ οὖν Θησέως ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν ὁ ∆ιόνυσος, καὶ ἀνήγαγεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ Νάξῳ, καὶ συνεμίγη αὐτῇ. καὶ πρὸς τιμὴν αὐτῆς στέφανον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ δι' ἀστέρων ὑπεζωγράφησεν. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Πλοκάμου τῆς Βερονίκης ἐστὶν αὕτη. Βερονίκη γυνή τις ἦν τοῦ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Πτολεμαίου, τοῦ Εὐεργέτου καλουμένου. τοῦ οὖν ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς τοῦ Πτολεμαίου ὄντος ἐν πολέμοις, ηὔξατο ὅτι, εἰ ὑποστρέψει ἄτρωτος, τὸν πλόκαμον ἀποκαρεῖσα τὸν ἑαυτῆς, ἀναθήσει ἀνάθημα ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ· καὶ ἀνέθηκεν ἡ Βερονίκη. Κόμων οὖν τις ἦν ἀστρονόμος ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῆς χρόνων, καὶ πρὸς κολακείαν αὐτῆς φησιν ὅτι οἱ θεοὶ τὸν πλόκαμον τοῦτον ἐν ἄστροις ἀνέθηκαν. καὶ νῦν μέν ἐστί τις βοτρυοειδὴς θέσις ἀστέρων ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὃ καλοῦσι Πλόκαμον Βερονίκης. Ἡ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Κύκνου ἐστὶν αὕτη. ὁ Ζεὺς ἐρασθεὶς ὡς οἱ μὲν λέγουσι τῆς Νεμέσεως, οἱ δέ, τῆς Λήδας, βουλόμενος συγγενέσθαι αὐτῇ καὶ μὴ ὁραθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς Ἥρας ἐξωμοιώθη κύκνῳ, καὶ συνεγένετο τῇ ἐρωμένῃ. νῦν οὖν οὗτος ὁ κύκνος κατεστηρίχθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. καὶ ἔστι, φησίν, ὑποζωγραφηθεὶς δι' ἄστρων ὁ Κύκνος. Ἡ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Ταύρου ἐστὶν αὕτη. ταῦρός τις ὑπὸ τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος ἀνεδόθη περὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα. οὗτος ἐλυμαίνετο τὴν χώραν καὶ ἐσίνετο πολλά. ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἐλθὼν ὁ Θησεὺς ἀνεῖλεν αὐτόν. καὶ βουλόμενοι οἱ θεοὶ μέγα τὸ ἔργον δεῖξαι τοῦ Θησέως καὶ θεραπεῦσαι καὶ τὸν Ποσειδῶνα, κατεστήριξαν τὸν ταῦρον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· καὶ νῦν ἐστι διὰ ἀστέρων ὑποζωγραφηθεὶς ὁ Ταῦρος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Ἡ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Λέοντος ἱστορία ἐστὶν αὕτη. λέων ζῷον ἄγριον ἦν ἐν τῇ Νεμέᾳ (χώρα δὲ αὕτη τῆς Πελοποννήσου). οὗτος οὖν ὁ λέων ἐλυμαίνετο τοὺς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ. Θησεὺς οὖν βασιλεύων τῶν Μυκηνῶν καὶ μηνιῶν τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ, πέμπει τὸν Ἡρακλέα ἐπ' ἀναιρέσει τοῦ λέοντος. καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ἀνεῖλεν αὐτόν. καὶ οἱ θεοὶ βουλόμενοι ἐπίδοξον ποιῆσαι τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦ Ἡρακλέους δι' ἄστρων ἐζωγράφησαν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τὸν λέοντα. καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ὁ Λέων ἐν ἄστροις. Ἡ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Ὀφιούχου ἐστὶν αὕτη. λέγεται εἶναι οὗτος ὁ Ὀφιοῦχος ὁ Ἀσκληπιός, ἔφορος τῆς ἰατρικῆς. σύμβολον δὲ ὁ ὄφις τοῦ ἀγήρω· λέγεται γὰρ ἀποδύεσθαι τὸ γῆρας ὁ ὄφις καὶ ἀνανεοῦσθαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ Ἀσκληπιὸς διὰ τῆς ἰατρικῆς ἀνανεοῖ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα σώματα, ποιοῦσιν αὐτὸν μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. θέλοντες οὖν οἱ θεοὶ ἀντὶ ἀγάλματος αὐτὸν ἀνιερῶσαι, δι' ἀστέρων αὐτὸν ἀνιέρωσαν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. 5.2 ∆ευτέρα ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ Τὸν Σαλμωνέα ἐκ βύρσης βροντᾶν. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Σαλμωνεὺς Αἰόλου μὲν ἦν υἱός, βασιλεὺς δὲ Θετταλῶν. οὗτος ἀσεβὴς εἰς θεοὺς γενόμενος, προσάπτων ἅρμασι βύρσας ξηράς τε καὶ σκληράς, καὶ λέβητάς τινας μετὰ τῶν βυρσῶν κτυπῶν, ἤχους ἀπετέλει· μετὰ χεῖράς τε βαστάζων καιομένας λαμπάδας ἐμεγαλαύχει καθάπερ Ζεὺς βροντᾶν τε καὶ ἀστράπτειν, ἕως ὑπὸ ∆ιὸς κεραυνωθεὶς ἀνῃρέθη. Καὶ κατέλιπε θυγατέρα ἀφήλικα ὀνόματι Τυρώ. αὕτη τραφεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου θείου πρὸς πατρὸς Κηφέως, ἠράσθη τοῦ ἐγχωρίου ποταμοῦ Ἐνιπέως. τούτῳ δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ ὁμοιωθεὶς ὁ Ποσειδῶν, συνεγένετο ἀντὶ Ἐνιπέως τῇ Τυροῖ. καὶ συνέλαβε Πελίαν καὶ Νηλέα, καὶ εἶχε τούτους ἐγκύους. ἐγαμήθη δὲ αὕτη ὑπὸ Κρηθέως· καὶ ὕστερον ἔτεκεν ἡ Τυρώ, τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν ἐκ Κρηθέως, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ ἐκ Ποσειδῶνος. ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κρηθέως ἔσχε παῖδας ἡ Τυρώ. 5.3 Τρίτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὸν Ζώπυρον τὸν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Κῦρος ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς πολιορκῶν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα ἐπὶ χρόνον πολύν, καὶ δυσπορθήτου οὔσης αὐτῆς καὶ ἀσχάλλοντος ἐπὶ πολὺν καιρόν, Ζώπυρός τις ἀνδρεῖος τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς ἔδειξε τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ οὐκ ἄδοξος παρὰ τῷ