26

Osiris of Zeus. Then, when the mythographers arrived, to fill the theater and for a strong and unchangeable belief to arise for those who came after. And in general they say that the Greeks appropriate for themselves the most 2.1.27 illustrious heroes and gods of the Egyptians. For Heracles, being Egyptian by birth, traversed much of the inhabited world on account of his courage. And the Greeks appropriate him, and indeed that he was a different one from the one born of Alcmene who later came to be among the Greeks. 2.1.28 They also say that Perseus was born in Egypt and that the birth of Isis was transferred to Argos by the Greeks, who mythologized her to be Io who was transformed into the form of a cow. And that some consider this same goddess to be Isis, others Demeter, others Thesmo2.1.29phoros, others Selene and others Hera. And that some consider Osiris to be Sarapis, others Dionysus, others Pluto, others Ammon, 2.1.30 others Zeus, and others Pan. They say that Isis became the inventor of many medicines and of the science of healing; and she also discovered the drug of immortality, by which, when her son Horus was plotted against by the Titans and found dead in the water, she not only raised him up, giving him his soul, but 2.1.31 also made him partake of immortality. And Horus, being the last of the gods, reigned over Egypt. And they say that when his name is translated he is Apollo, and that having been taught both the art of healing and divination by his mother Isis, 2.1.32 he benefits mankind through oracles and healings. And it is agreed by most that in the age of Isis, certain large-bodied giants, adorned in a monstrous fashion, waged war against the gods around Zeus and Osiris. And that the Egyptians legislated to marry sisters because Isis was married to Osiris, who was her brother.” 2.1.33 And these things they relate concerning these matters. But concerning the consecrated animals in Egypt, some such account as this prevails among them: “Some say that the gods who came into being at the beginning, being few and being overpowered by the multitude and impiety of the earth-born men, made themselves like certain irrational animals and thus escaped; then, in gratitude for their salvation, they consecrated the natures of these animals, to which they had made themselves like. 2.1.34 But others say that in engagements against enemies, having fashioned images of the animals which they now honor, the leaders wore them on their heads and had this as a sign of their command; and in victories against their enemies, they deified the animals whose images they carried, as if they had been the causes of victory. 2.1.35 And others bring forward a third reason, saying that they have been honored on account of the usefulness of the animals. For the female cow gives birth and plows, and sheep give birth and provide covering and nourishment through milk and cheese, and the dog hunts with men and is a guardian; wherefore the god among them called Anubis has a dog’s head, showing that he was the 2.1.36 bodyguard of those around Osiris and Isis. Some say that when Isis was searching for Osiris, dogs went before her and kept away both wild beasts 2.1.37 and those who met her. And that the cat is useful against asps and other biting reptiles, and the ichneumon breaks the eggs of crocodiles and also kills the crocodiles by rolling in mud and leaping into their open mouths, and having eaten through their internal 2.1.38 parts, renders them dead. And of the birds, the ibis is useful against snakes and locusts and caterpillars, and the hawk against scorpions and horned vipers and the small biting beasts, and on account of 2.1.39 its contribution to divination; and the eagle because it is royal. They say the goat has been deified, just as Priapus is by the Greeks, on account of its generative organ; for this animal is most prone to intercourse, and the part of the body which is the cause of generation is fittingly honored, as being the origin of the nature of animals. And in general the private part, not the Egyptians

26

∆ιὸς Ὄσιριν. ἔπειτα παρελθόντων τῶν μυθογράφων ἐμπλῆσαι τὸ θέατρον καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις ἰσχυρὰν πίστιν καὶ ἀμετάθετον γενέσθαι. καθόλου δέ φασι τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐξιδιάζεσθαι τοὺς ἐπι2.1.27 φανεστάτους Αἰγυπτίων ἥρωάς τε καὶ θεούς. καὶ γὰρ Ἡρακλέα τὸ γένος Αἰγύπτιον ὄντα δι' ἀνδρείαν ἐπελθεῖν πολλὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης. ἐξοικειοῦσθαι δὲ αὐτὸν τοὺς Ἕλληνας, καὶ μὴν ἕτερον ὄντα τοῦ ἐξ Ἀλκμήνης παρ' Ἕλλησιν2.1.28 ὕστερόν ποτε γενομένου. φασὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν Περσέα γενέσθαι κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τῆς Ἴσιδος τὴν γένεσιν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων εἰς Ἄργος μεταφερεσθαι, μυθολογούντων αὐτὴν εἶναι Ἰὼ τὴν εἰς βοὸς τύπον μεταμορφωθεῖσαν. τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ τοὺς μὲν Ἶσιν, τοὺς δὲ ∆ήμητραν, τοὺς δὲ Θεσμο2.1.29 φόρον, ἄλλους δὲ Σελήνην καὶ ἄλλους Ἥραν νομίζειν. τὸν δὲ Ὄσιριν τοὺς μὲν Σάραπιν, τοὺς δὲ ∆ιόνυσον, τοὺς δὲ Πλούτωνα, τοὺς δὲ Ἄμμωνα, 2.1.30 τοὺς δὲ ∆ία, ἑτέρους δὲ Πᾶνα νομίζειν. εὑρέτιν δὲ γενέσθαι φασὶ τὴν Ἶσιν φαρμάκων πολλῶν καὶ ἰατρικῆς ἐπιστήμης· εὑρεῖν δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀθανασίας φάρμακον, δι' οὗ τὸν υἱὸν Ὧρον ὑπὸ τῶν Τιτάνων ἐπιβουλευθέντα καὶ νεκρὸν εὑρεθέντα καθ' ὕδατος μὴ μόνον ἀναστῆσαι δοῦσαν τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλὰ 2.1.31 καὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας ποιῆσαι μεταλαβεῖν. τὸν δὲ Ὧρον ὕστατον ὄντα τῶν θεῶν βασιλεῦσαι τῆς Αἰγύπτου. μεθερμηνευόμενον δέ φασιν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα τήν τε ἰατρικὴν καὶ μαντικὴν ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς Ἴσιδος διδαχ2.1.32 θέντα διὰ τῶν χρησμῶν καὶ θεραπειῶν εὐεργετεῖν. συμφωνεῖται δὲ παρὰ τοῖς πλείστοις ὅτι τοῖς περὶ τὸν ∆ία καὶ τὸν Ὄσιριν θεοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἴσιδος ἡλικίαν μεγαλόσωμοί τινες γίγαντες ἐπὶ τὸ τερατῶδες κοσμούμενοι πόλεμον ἤγειραν. νομοθετῆσαι δὲ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους γαμεῖν ἀδελφὰς διὰ τὸ τὴν Ἶσιν τῷ Ὀσίριδι ἀδελφῷ ὄντι αὐτῆς γαμηθῆναι.» 2.1.33 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τούτων ἱστοροῦσιν. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀφιερωμένων ζῴων κατ' Αἴγυπτον τοιοῦτός τις παρ' αὐτοῖς κατέχει λόγος· «Τινὲς μέν φασι τοὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενομένους θεούς, ὀλίγους ὄντας καὶ κατισχυομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας τῶν γηγενῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμοιωθῆναί τισιν ἀλόγοις ζῴοις καὶ οὕτως διαφυγεῖν· ἔπειτα χάριν ἀποδιδόντας τῆς σωτηρίας ἀφιερῶσαι τὰς φύσεις αὐτῶν τῶν ζῴων, οἷς ἀφωμοιώ2.1.34 θησαν. οἱ δέ φασιν ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους συμβολαῖς κατασκευάσαντας εἰκόνας τῶν ζῴων ἃ νῦν τιμῶσι φορεῖν ταύτας τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ τοῦτο γνώρισμα τῆς ἀρχῆς ἔχειν· ἐν δὲ ταῖς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν νίκαις, ὡς ἂν αἴτια γενόμενα τὰ ζῷα, ὧν τὰς εἰκόνας ἔφερον, ἀποθεῶσαι. 2.1.35 ἕτεροι δὲ τρίτην αἰτίαν φέρουσι, τῆς χρείας ἕνεκα τῶν ζῴων φάσκοντες αὐτὰ τετιμῆσθαι. τὴν μὲν γὰρ θήλειαν βοῦν τίκτειν καὶ ἀροῦν, τὰ δὲ πρόβατα τίκτειν καὶ σκέπην παρέχειν καὶ τὴν διὰ τοῦ γάλακτος καὶ τοῦ τυροῦ τροφήν, τὸν δὲ κύνα συνθηρεύειν ἀνθρώποις καὶ φυλακτικὸν εἶναι· διόπερ τὸν θεὸν τὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς καλούμενον Ἄνουβιν κυνὸς ἔχειν κεφαλήν, ἐμφαίνοντες ὅτι σω2.1.36 ματοφύλαξ ἦν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ὄσιριν καὶ τὴν Ἶσιν. ἔνιοι δέ φασι τῆς Ἴσιδοςπροηγουμένους τοὺς κύνας καθ' ὃν καιρὸν ἐζήτει τὸν Ὄσιριν τά τε θηρία 2.1.37 καὶ τοὺς ἀπαντῶντας ἀπείργειν. καὶ τὸν μὲν αἴλουρον πρὸς τὰς ἀσπίδας εὔθετον ὑπάρχειν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δάκετα τῶν ἑρπετῶν, τὸν δὲ ἰχνεύμονα τὰ τῶν κροκοδείλων ᾠὰ συντρίβειν ἀναιρεῖν τε τοὺς κροκοδείλους πηλῷ κυλιόμενον καὶ ἐπιπηδῶντα κεχηνόσι τοῖς στόμασι, διαφαγόντα δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ ἐντὸς τῆς 2.1.38 κοιλίας νεκροὺς ἀπεργάζεσθαι. τῶν δὲ ὀρνέων τὴν μὲν ἶβιν χρησίμην ὑπάρχειν πρός τε τοὺς ὄφεις καὶ τὰς ἀκρίδας καὶ τὰς κάμπας, τὸν δὲ ἱέρακα πρὸς τοὺς σκορπίους καὶ κεράστας καὶ τὰ μικρὰ τῶν δακέτων θηρίων καὶ διὰ 2.1.39 τὸ συμβάλλεσθαι ταῖς μαντείαις· τὸν δ' ἀετὸν διὰ τὸ βασιλικὸν εἶναι. τὸν δὲ τράγον φασὶν ἀποτεθεῶσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν τὸν Πρίηπον, διὰ τὸ γεννητικὸν μόριον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ζῷον εἶναι τοῦτο κατωφερέστατον πρὸς τὰς συνουσίας, τὸ δὲ μόριον τοῦ σώματος τὸ τῆς γενέσεως αἴτιον τιμᾶσθαι προσηκόντως, ὡς ἂν ἀρχέγονον τῆς τῶν ζῴων φύσεως. καθόλου δὲ τὸ αἰδοῖον οὐκ Αἰγυπτίους