29

Bacchius from the Bacchantes, Lenaeus from the 2.2.10 treading of grapes in wine-presses, and Bromius from the roaring that occurred at his birth. 2.2.11 And they say that he was accompanied by Satyrs in dances and tragedies, who provided him with delight and pleasure, and that he introduced the theater and the system of musical performances. Such are the things concerning 2.2.12 Dionysus. They say Priapus was the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, because those who have drunk wine are naturally aroused to the pleasures of Aphrodite. But some say that the ancients mythically called the private parts of men 'Priapus'. 2.2.13 Some say that the generative member is the cause of the generation of humans, and for this reason it has obtained immortal honor for all time; just as the Egyptians said that Isis, while searching for the limbs of Osiris, being unable to find his private part, ordained that it be honored as a god and set up 2.2.14 erect in the temple. But also among the Greeks, not only in the Dionysian rites, but also in all the others, this god receives some honor, being introduced into the sacrifices with laughter and sport; as also Hermaphroditus, who, having been born of Hermes and Aphrodite, received 2.2.15 his name. They say that this god at certain times appears among men and is born having a body's nature mixed of man and woman; some say that such portents, being born rarely, 2.2.16 are significant sometimes of bad things, sometimes of good. The Muses are daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, but some say of Ouranos and Gaea. Most mythologize them as virgins, and say they received their name 2.2.17 from initiating (myein) men, that is, teaching them noble things. Concerning Heracles, the Greeks say such things: From Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius, and Zeus was born Perseus; and from Perseus and Andromeda, Electryon; and from him was born Alcmene, with whom Zeus united to beget Heracles. And while uniting with her, Zeus made the night three times as long; and this union of Zeus alone did not happen for the sake of erotic desire, as with other 2.2.18 women, but for the most part for the sake of begetting a child. But Hera, being jealous, held back the birth-pangs of Alcmene, and brought Eurystheus to light before the proper time, because Zeus had proclaimed that the one born on that day would rule the race of the Perseids. 2.2.19 And when Alcmene gave birth, she exposed the infant, as they say, for fear of Hera. But Athena, admiring the infant, persuaded Hera to offer it her breast. But when the child sucked the nipple more violently than was natural for his age, Hera, feeling pain, threw the infant down, but Athena, carrying it away, 2.2.20 urged its mother to nurse it. After these things, Hera sent two serpents to destroy the infant, but the child, not being terrified, with each of his hands squeezed the neck and strangled the serpents. And when Heracles became a man, Eurystheus, who held the kingship of the Argive land, 2.2.21 commanded him to perform twelve labors. And when he fell into great helplessness, Hera sent madness upon him, and he, being distressed in soul, fell into a frenzy; and as the affliction increased, becoming out of his mind, he tried to kill his companion and nephew Iolaus, and when he fled, he shot down his own children, whom he had by Megara, the daughter of king Creon, 2.2.22 as if they were enemies. And after this, having quietly come to his senses, he performs the twelve labors for Eurystheus. He also destroys the Centaurs, 2.2.23 among whom was also Chiron, who was famed for the art of medicine. They say that something unique happened concerning the birth of this god. For Zeus united first with a mortal woman, Niobe the daughter of Phoroneus, and last with Alcmene, the mother of Heracles. And they trace her lineage as the sixteenth from Niobe. And with her he ended his intercourse with mortal 2.2.24 women. But after completing the labors, Heracles his own

29

Βάκχιον ἀπὸ τῶν Βακχῶν, Ληναῖον δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ 2.2.10 πατεῖσθαι τὰς σταφυλὰς ἐν ληνοῖς, Βρόμιον δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν αὐτοῦ 2.2.11 γενομένου βρόμου. καὶ Σατύρους δέ φασιν αὐτὸν περιάγεσθαι ἐν ταῖς ὀρχήσεσι καὶ ταῖς τραγῳδίαις τέρψιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἡδονὴν παρέχοντας, καταδεῖξαι δὲ θέατρον καὶ μουσικῶν ἀκροαμάτων σύστημα. τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ περὶ 2.2.12 ∆ιονύσου. Τὸν δὲ Πρίηπον υἱὸν εἶναί φασι ∆ιονύσου καὶ Ἀφροδίτης, διὰ τὸ τοὺς οἰνωθέντας φυσικῶς ἐντετάσθαι πρὸς τὰς ἀφροδισιακὰς ἡδονάς. τινὲς δέ φασι τὸ αἰδοῖον τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς παλαιοὺς μυθικῶς Πρίηπον ὀνομά2.2.13 ζειν. ἔνιοι δὲ λέγουσι τὸ γεννητικὸν μόριον αἴτιον ὑπάρχειν τῆς γενέσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα τυχεῖν τῆς ἀθανάτου τιμῆς· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὴν Ἶσιν ἔφησαν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Ὀσίριδος ἀναζητοῦσαν, τὸ αἰδοῖον αὐτοῦ μὴ δυναμένην εὑρεῖν, καταδεῖξαι τιμᾶν ὡς θεὸν καὶ ἀνα2.2.14 θεῖναι κατὰ τὸ ἱερὸν ἐντεταμένον. ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησιν οὐ μόνον ἐν ταῖς ∆ιονυσιακαῖς τελεταῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἁπάσαις οὗτος ὁ θεὸς τυγχάνει τινὸς τιμῆς, μετὰ γέλωτος καὶ παιδιᾶς παρεισαγόμενος ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις· ὡς καὶ τὸν Ἑρμαφρόδιτον, ὃν ἐξ Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Ἀφροδίτης γεννηθέντα τυχεῖν2.2.15 τῆς προσηγορίας. τοῦτον δέ φασι τὸν θεὸν κατά τινας χρόνους φαίνεσθαι παρ' ἀνθρώποις καὶ γεννᾶσθαι τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν ἔχοντα μεμιγμένην ἐξ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικός· ἔνιοι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα τέρατα ὑπάρχειν φασὶ σπανίως 2.2.16 τε γεννώμενα σημαντικὰ ποτὲ μὲν κακῶν, ποτὲ δ' ἀγαθῶν γίνεσθαι. Τὰς δὲ Μούσας θυγατέρας εἶναι ∆ιὸς καὶ Μνημοσύνης, τινὲς δὲ Οὐρανοῦ καὶ Γῆς. παρθένους τε αὐτὰς οἱ πλεῖστοι μυθολογοῦσιν τυχεῖν τε τῆς προσηγορίας 2.2.17 ἀπὸ τοῦ μυεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τοῦτο δέ ἐστι διδάσκειν τὰ καλά. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους Ἕλληνες τοιαῦτά φασι· ∆ανάης τῆς Ἀκρισίου καὶ ∆ιὸςγενέσθαι Περσέα, Περσέως δὲ καὶ Ἀνδρομέδας Ἠλεκτρύωνα, ἐκ δὲ τούτου γενέσθαι τὴν Ἀλκμήνην, ᾗ μιγέντα τὸν ∆ία γεννῆσαι τὸν Ἡρακλέα. μισγόμενον δὲ αὐτῇ τὸν ∆ία τριπλασίονα τὴν νύκτα ποιῆσαι· μόνην δὲ ταύτην τοῦ ∆ιὸς τὴν ὁμιλίαν οὐκ ἐρωτικῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἕνεκα γενέσθαι, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν 2.2.18 ἄλλων γυναικῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς παιδοποιίας χάριν. τὴν δὲ Ἥραν ζηλοτυποῦσαν παρακατασχεῖν μὲν τῆς Ἀλκμήνης τὰς ὠδῖνας, τὸν δὲ Εὐρυσθέα πρὸ τοῦ καθήκοντος χρόνου πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἀγαγεῖν, τοῦ ∆ιὸς προαγορεύσαντος τὸν τεχθησόμενον κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν βασιλεῦσαι τοῦ Περσει2.2.19 δῶν γένους. τεκοῦσα δὲ Ἀλκμήνη ἐξέθηκεν, ὥς φασι, τὸ βρέφος, φόβῳ τῆς Ἥρας. τὴν δὲ Ἀθηνᾶν ἀγασθεῖσαν τὸ βρέφος πεῖσαι τὴν Ἥραν ὑποσχεῖναὐτῷ τὴν θηλήν. τοῦ δὲ παιδὸς ὑπὲρ τὴν ἡλικίαν βιαιότερον ἐπισπασαμένου τὴν θηλὴν ἡ μὲν Ἥρα διαλγήσασα τὸ βρέφος ἔρριψεν, Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ κομίσασα 2.2.20 αὐτὸ τὴν μητέρα τρέφειν παρεκελεύσατο. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἡ μὲν Ἥρα δύο δράκοντας ἀπέστειλε τοὺς ἀναλώσοντας τὸ βρέφος, ὁ δὲ παῖς οὐ καταπλαγεὶς ἑκατέρᾳ τῶν χειρῶν τὸν αὐχένα θλίψας ἀπέπνιξεν τοὺς δράκοντας. ἀνδρὶ δὲ γενομένῳ τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ Εὐρυσθεὺς ὁ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔχων τῆς Ἀργείας 2.2.21 προστάττει ἄθλους ἐκτελέσαι δώδεκα. εἰς πολλὴν δὲ ἀμηχανίαν ἐμπεσόντος αὐτοῦ Ἥρα μὲν ἔπεμψεν αὐτῷ λύσσαν, ὁ δὲ τῇ ψυχῇ δυσφορῶν εἰς μανίαν ἐνέπεσεν· τοῦ πάθους δὲ αὐξομένου τῶν φρενῶν ἐκτὸς γενόμενος τὸν ἑταῖρον καὶ ἀδελφιδοῦν Ἰόλαον ἐπεβάλετο κτείνειν, τοῦ δὲ φυγόντος, τοὺς ἰδίους παῖδας ἐκ Μεγάρας τῆς Κρέοντος τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατρὸς γενομένους 2.2.22 αὐτῷ κατετόξευσεν ὡς πολεμίους. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἠρέμα καταστὰς ὑπουργεῖ τῷ Εὐρυσθεῖ τοὺς δώδεκα ἄθλους. ἀναιρεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς Κενταύρους, 2.2.23 μεθ' ὧν καὶ Χείρωνα τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἰατρικῇ βοώμενον. Φασὶ δὲ ἴδιόν τι συμβῆναι κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν τοῦδε τοῦ θεοῦ. Ζεὺς γὰρ πρώτῃ μὲν ἐμίγη γυναικὶ θνητῇ Νιόβῃ τῇ Φορωνέως, ἐσχάτῃ δὲ Ἀλκμήνῃ τῇ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους μητρί. ταύτην δὲ ἀπὸ Νιόβης ἑκκαιδεκάτην γενεαλογοῦσιν. ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τὴν πρὸς τὰς 2.2.24 θνητὰς ὁμιλίαν κατέλυσεν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τελέσας τοὺς ἄθλους ὁ Ἡρακλῆς τὴν μὲν ἑαυτοῦ