§ i  (Comments are arranged by Odyssey book.line number, omitting glosses with no mythological content.)
Editorial interventions:
[text] marks an editorial addition to help the reader understand the text.
[...] denotes non-mythological material omitted from the translation.
{text} gives an etymological note, whether explaining a Greek word or giving the Greek where it shows how names were derived.
<...> means that there is something missing in the text itself, usually through a mistake or accident when scribes copied the text, and that we are not confident enough to provide a guess.
<.some text> indicates the material that we think dropped out of the text or our best guess to offer the reader some context.

§ 3.4  Pylos (Πύλον) Nestor was in Pylos. Pylos is a city in the western part of the Peloponnese near Methone.

§ 3.91  “of Amphitrite” (Ἀμφιτρίτης) “The sea.” The wife of Poseidon is also called this.

§ 10.494  “even in death [Teiresias retains his senses]” (τῷ καὶ τεθνηῶτι) Here’s why: Teiresias saw two serpents engaged in intercourse on Cithairon. After he observed them, he killed the female serpent and that’s how he became a woman. Later, when he killed the male snake, he returned to his original nature. Because he had experience as both sexes, Zeus and Hera made him judge in their dispute over who gets more pleasure during intercourse, the man or the woman. Teiresias said, “of the ten parts a man enjoys but a single portion, but a woman enjoys in her heart all ten”. Because of this Hera got angry and blinded him, but Zeus gave him the power of prophecy. [RSS]

§ 11.266  “and after her I saw Alcmene, Amphitryon’s wife” (τὴν δὲ μετ᾿ Ἀλκμήνην ἴδον Ἀμφιτρύωνος ἄκοιτιν) Teleboans marched against the Argives and killed Electryon’s sons while fighting over some cattle. After Amphitryon accidentally killed Electryon, he fled to Thebes. Alcmene, Electryon’s daughter, did not wish to get married until Amphitryon punished the Teleboans for what they did to her brothers. Amphitryon promised he would and took her to Thebes with him before marching against the Teleboans. <...> During this night, Zeus arrived at Amphitryon’s house bearing a drinking-cup, having taken Amphitryon’s form. Alcmene thought that her husband had come into her bedroom, so she asked if he had killed the Teleboans. Zeus relayed all that had transpired and also gave her the cup, claiming that he had gotten it as a war-prize of valor from the soldiers. Alcmene happily took it and stored it away. Then Zeus slept with her and departed. During the same night, Amphitryon arrived and slept with her too. Alcmene bore Heracles by Zeus and Iphicles by Amphitryon. This story is in Pherecydes. [CR]

§ 11.269  “Megara, the daughter of overweening Creon, whom the son of Amphitryon married” (καὶ Μεγάρην, Κρείοντος ὑπερθύμοιο θύγατρα, / τὴν ἔχεν Ἀμφιτρύωνος υἱός) Megara, the daughter of Creon, the king of Thebes, married Heracles and gave birth to sons, Therimachos, Creontiades, and Deicoon. When Heracles went into the underworld for the labor involving the hound, Hera persuaded Lycos, the king of Thebes, to crown Heracles’ sons in order to sacrifice them. Lycos did not believe that Heracles would return. When he did return, he killed Lycos and Lycos’ sons; then, driven mad by Hera, he killed his own sons. He was even about to kill his brother, Iphicles, but Athena got there first and stopped him. The story is in Asclepiades. [CR]

§ 11.271  “I saw the mother of Oidipous, fair Epicaste” (μητέρα τ᾿ Οἰδιπόδαο ἴδον, καλὴν Ἐπικάστην) Laiοs, the father of Oidipous, received a prophecy from Phoibοs [Apollo] that the son born of him would kill him. After he married Epicaste, he fathered Oidipous and exposed him. Sicyonian horsekeepers took him in and raised him. When he reached manhood, Oidipous went to Thebes in search of his parents. After he unintentionally killed his father and solved the riddle of the Sphinx, Oidipous took his mother as a wife without realizing it. From them were born Eteocles and Polyneices, and daughters Antigone and Ismene. Later, when Iocaste [= Epicaste] realized that she had slept with her own son, she hanged herself. As for Oidipous, when he was exiled by Creon he came to Attica and settled in the area called Colonos Hippeus. He took refuge as a suppliant in the temple of the gods Demeter, Athena Poliouchos {“city-protector”}, and Zeus. When Creon was trying to haul him back, he took Theseus as a protector, and when he was dying of old age, Oidipous begged Theseus to not show his tomb to any of the Thebans since he did not want his body to be desecrated. This is the story in Androtion. [CR]

§ 11.281  “And I saw Chloris, stunningly beautiful, whom Neleus once married because of her beauty, when he gave countless presents of courtship, the youngest daughter of Amphion” (καὶ Χλῶριν εἶδον περικαλλέα, τήν ποτε Νηλεὺς / γῆμεν ἑὸν διὰ κάλλος, ἐπεὶ πόρε μυρία ἕδνα, / ὁπλοτάτην κούρην Ἀμφίονος) When Neleus, the son of Poseidon and Tyro, was driven out of Iolcos by his brother Pelias, he came to Messene in the Peloponnese. He received land from the inhabitants of the region and founded Pylos. He married Chloris, the daughter of Amphion (the son of Iasos) and Phersephone (the daughter of Minyas). He ruled not only the Pylians but also those in Orchomenos, and he became prosperous. The story is in Pherecydes. [CR]

§ 11.287  “in addition to these she bore glorious Pero, a wonder to mortals. All those living around her wooed her in marriage, but Neleus would not give her to anyone unless he drove the horned, broad-browed cattle of Iphiclos from Phylace” (τοῖσι δ᾿ ἐπ᾿ ἰφθίμην Πηρὼ τέκε, θαῦμα βροτοῖσι, / τὴν πάντες μνώοντο περικτίται· οὐδέ τι Νηλεὺς / τῷ ἐδίδου, ὃς μὴ ἕλικας βοῦς εὐρυμετώπους / ἐκ Φυλάκης ἐλάσειε βίης Ἰφικλ[ηε]ίης) Neleus, the son of Poseidon, had a daughter by the name of Pero, a woman of outstanding beauty. He refused to give her to any man in marriage unless he first drove off the cattle of his mother Tyro from Iphiclos in Phylace. No one had any idea how to do it, except one person, Bias son of Amythaon, who alone promised that he would do it. He persuaded his brother Melampous to perform the deed. Although Melampous knew that he would be imprisoned for a year (he was a seer, after all), he went to Othrys for the cattle anyways. The guards and cowherds there caught him in the act and handed him over to Iphiclos. He was imprisoned and kept under guard, with two servants assigned to him, a husband and his wife. The man treated Melampous in a kindly manner, but the woman was rather mean to him. When the year was almost over, Melampous heard some worms above him discussing amongst themselves about how they had eaten through the main roof beam. When he heard this, Melampous summoned the servants and ordered them to carry him out of the room. They took hold of the couch, the woman at his feet and the man at his head. They hoisted him up and began carrying him out. And at that exact moment, the bearing-beam snapped and fell on the woman, killing her. The man reported what had happened to Phylacos, and Phylacos relayed the message to Iphiclos. They came to Melampous and asked him who he was. He responded that he was a seer. They promised to give him the cattle, if he found some way for Iphiclos to bear children. They made promises to abide by these terms. Melampous sacrificed a cow to Zeus and distributed out portions for all the birds. The birds came, with the exception of one, the vulture. Melampous asked all the birds if any of them knew a way by which Iphiclos could bear children. Not having an answer, they brought in the vulture. The vulture immediately identified the cause of his childless and found a way for him to procreate. As it happened, when Iphiclos was still young, Phylacos chased him with a knife because he saw him do something wrong. When Phylacos failed to catch him, he stuck the knife into a pear tree, and the bark grew around it. Because of his fear, Iphiclos never bore children. So, the vulture told him to retrieve the knife in the pear tree, wipe the rust off of it, and give the rust to Iphiclos to drink in his wine for ten days. In this way children would be born to him. Iphiclos did this, regained his reproductive strength, and bore a son, Podarces. He gave the cattle to Melampous, who took them to Pylos and gave them to Neleus as the bride-price for Pero. He took her to his brother Bias for marriage, and to him were born children: Perialces, Aretos, and Alphesiboia. The story is in Pherecydes in the seventh book. [CR]

§ 11.290  “drive from Phylace” (ἐκ Φυλάκης ἐλάσειε) After the death of her father Salmoneus Tyro came to her uncle Deioneus. Deioneus took her to Thessaly and gave her to his brother Cretheus. She had already had children by Poseidon, Neleus and Pelias. Well, Neleus demanded back his mother’s possessions from Iphiclos, the son of Phylacos, the son of Deioneus. Iphiclos did not return them. Melampous son of Amythaon (his ears had been cleaned by serpents and so he could understand the inarticulate speech of animals) tried to drive Iphiclos’ cattle away so that his brother, Bias, could marry Neleus’ daughter, Pero, but he was seized and thrown in prison. When Melampous heard the worms saying that only a little of the load-bearing beam remained, he demanded to be carried out. After his room collapsed in, Iphiclos learned of it and promised to give the cattle to Melampous if he could, through his art of divination, end his childlessness. Melampous learned the reason from a vulture: it was that knife which had been covered by the bark of a pear-tree, the one Phylacos had used to threaten Iphiclos while he was castrating animals in the countryside. And by sacrificing to the gods who were enraged because of the castration of the animals, Melampous made Iphiclos the father of Protesilaos and Podarces. [CR]

§ 11.298  “and I saw Leda, Tyndareos’ wife” (καὶ Λήδην εἶδον, τὴν Τυνδάρεως παράκοιτιν) Zeus desired Leda, the daughter of Thestios, so he turned himself into a swan, flew to her, and slept with her. In time she gave birth to an egg, which she put into a chest, and it was from this that the Dioscouroi and Helen were born. They were from the seed of Zeus, but they were called the children of Tyndareos. The story is in the post-Homeric poets. [CR]

§ 11.301a  “both, living” (τοὺς ἄμφω ζωούς) When Castor was killed by Meleagros (or Polyneices), Polydeuces, who was deathless because he was born of Zeus, begged his father to let him share his immortality with his brother so that every other day they would spend one day on Olympos, and the next in Hades. [RSS]

§ 11.318  “but the son of Zeus destroyed [Otos and Ephialtes]” (ἀλλ᾿ ὄλεσεν Διὸς υἱός) Post-Homeric poets say that Artemis sent a deer between the two of them, and when they cast their spears at the deer, they killed each other. [RSS]

§ 11.11.321b  “and Phaidra” (Φαίδρην τε) After Theseus, the son of Aegeus, had a son, Hippolytos, by the Amazon Antiope, he married Phaidra, the daughter of Minos, the king of Crete. Guarding against some plot by the boy’s stepmother, Theseus sent Hippolytos away from Athens to rule over Troizen. For he had a right to rule there through Aithra, Pittheus’ daughter. Phaidra came to desire Hippolytos greatly and started wasting away over him. She first dedicated a shrine of Aphrodite in Athens, which is now called the Hippolyteion. Later, she went to Troizen, intending to persuade the young man to sleep with her. When Hippolytos received her proposition poorly, it is said that Phaidra got scared and shifted the blame to him: she went to Theseus and claimed that it was Hippolytos who has propositioned her. Believing her, Theseus used one of the three wishes that, they say, he had gotten from Poseidon, who had promised to grant him whatever he prayed for. He asked for the destruction of his son. So, while Hippolytos was training his chariot-horses, they say, a bull suddenly appeared from the sea, upsetting the horses, and he was dragged to death. When Phaidra’s false accusation came to light, she hanged herself. The story is in Asclepiades. [CR]

§ 11.321d  “and Procris” (Πρόκριν τε) Cephalos, the son of Deioneus, married Procris, the daughter of Erechtheus, and lived in Thoricos. It is said that he, wanting to test his wife, went abroad for eight years, leaving his wife behind still a young bride. Then, changing his outfit and making himself look different, he went to his house carrying a piece of jewelry. He urged Procris to accept it and sleep with him. When Procris eyed the gift and saw that Cephalos was very handsome, she slept with him. Cephalos revealed himself and accused Procris. Even so, he reconciled with her and went out to hunt. When this became a common occurrence, Procris got suspicious that he was sleeping with another woman. She summoned his slave and asked if he knew anything. The slave said that Cephalos would go up to a certain mountain ridge and often say, “Nephele {“Cloud,” also the name of a woman}, come to me!” and this was all he knew. When she heard this, Procris went to this ridge and hid. When she heard him saying that very thing, she ran toward him. When Cephalos saw her unexpectedly, he lost his wits, and in that state he threw the javelin that he had in his hands at Procris, killing her. After summoning Erechtheus, he buried her lavishly. This is the story according to Pherecydes in his seventh book. [CR]

§ 11.321  “and beautiful Ariadne, daughter of baleful Minos” (καλήν τ᾿ Ἀριάδνην, κούρην Μίνωος ὀλοόφρονος) Theseus, the son of Aigeus, chosen by lot, sailed to Crete along with the other unmarried youths to be served up to the Minotaur for execution. When he arrived, Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, fell in love with him and gave him a ball of thread which she had gotten from Daidalos the craftsman. She gave him instructions: when he entered [the labyrinth], he was to fasten the end of the thread around the crossbar of entryway above and unravel it until he reached the innermost part. And, if he caught the Minotaur sleeping, he should seize it by the hairs on its head and sacrifice it to Poseidon. Then he could exit by rolling the ball of thread back up. Theseus took Ariadne and put her on his ship with the unmarried men and maidens who had not yet been served up to the Minotaur. After doing this, he sailed away in the middle of the night. He anchored on the island of Dia, disembarked, and fell asleep on the shore. Athena visited him in a dream and ordered him to leave Ariadne behind and return to Athens. He immediately woke up and did this. While Ariadne was lamenting, Aphrodite appeared and told her to take heart, for she would become the wife of Dionysos and would be famous. Thereupon the god appeared and slept with her. He gave her a golden crown which the gods later placed among the stars in honor of Dionysos. They say that she was killed by Artemis for giving up her virginity. The story is in Pherecydes. [CR]

§ 11.326b  “and Maira” (Μαῖράν τε) Maira, the daughter of Proitos (son of Thersandros) and Anteia (daughter of Amphianax), was outstandingly beautiful. Valuing her virginity above all, she attended Artemis on her hunts. Zeus desired her, came to her, and deflowered her without anyone noticing. She got pregnant and gave birth to a son named Locros, who founded Thebes with Amphion and Zethos. It is said that Maira was shot with a bow by Artemis since she no longer joined in the hunt. This story is in Pherecydes. [CR]

§ 11.326d  “and I saw Clymene” (Κλυμένην τε ἴδον) ... When Theseus heard this, he took Ariadne and went to Athens. [.papyrus omits Athena’s message to Theseus at night]. He woke up immediately and did this. Once Ariadne was abandoned, Aphrodite appeared to her and told her to take heart, for she would become the wife of Dionysos and would be famous. Thereupon the god appeared and slept with her...”<.papyrus breaks off>. Clymene, the daughter of Minyas (son of Poseidon), and Euryanassa (daughter of Hyperphas), married Phylacos son of Deion, and gave birth to a swift-footed son, Iphiclos. It is said that Iphiclos, on account of the outstanding speed of his feet, rivaled the winds and could run on top of grain stalks without bending the ears of grain on account of the lightness of his speed. Some say that Clymene herself had been earlier married to Helios, by whom she had a son, Phaethon. The story is in Hesiod. [CR]

§ 11.326  “and loathsome Eriphyle, who accepted gold at the price of her own husband” (στυγερήν τ᾿ Ἐριφύλην, / ἣ χρυσὸν φίλου ἀνδρὸς ἐδέξατο τιμήεντα) Amphiaraos, the son of Oicles, married Eriphyle, the daughter of Talaos. He had a disagreement with Adrastos regarding some matters. When they later reconciled, Amphiaraos swore an oath, promising that if he and Adrastos disagreed on any future matter, they would rely on Eriphyle to decide and follow her decision. Later on, when the campaign against Thebes was starting up, Amphiaraos tried to dissuade the Argives and foretold their forthcoming destruction. Eriphyle, having received the necklace of Harmonia from Polyneices, sided with Adrastos and those trying to force Amphiaraos to go. Amphiaraos realized that Eriphyle had taken the bribe and made many accusations against her. Although he went on the campaign, he ordered Alcmaion not to travel to Thebes with the Epigonoi until he killed his mother. It is said that Alcmaion did all of these things; he was driven mad because he had killed his mother, but the gods released him from his madness because he had killed his mother as a pious favor to his father. The story is in Asclepiades. [CR]

§ 11.519  but how great a hero was that son of Telephos whom he slew with the sword, the hero Eurypylos! And many of his comrades, the Ceteians, were slain about him, because of a woman’s gifts (ἀλλ᾿ οἷον τὸν Τηλεφίδην κατενήρατο χαλκῷ, /ἥρω᾿ Εὐρύπυλον, πολέες δ᾿ ἀμφ᾿ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι / Κήτειοι κτείνοντο γυναίων εἵνεκα δώρων) Eurypylos, the son of Astyoche and Telephos (the son of Heracles), inherited his father’s kingdom and ruled Mysia. When Priam learned he was in power, he sent him a message asking that he come to Troy as an ally. When Eurypylos said that he could not on account of his mother, Priam sent her a golden vine [= a necklace] as a gift. She took the vine and sent her son to war. Neoptolemos son of Achilles killed him. The story is in Acusilaus. [CR]

§ 11.543  “the spirit of Aias, son of Telamon, stood apart, still full of wrath for the victory that I had won over him in the contest by the ships for the arms of Achilles, whose [honored mother] had set them as a prize; and the judges were the sons of the Trojans and Pallas Athena. (Αἴαντος ψυχὴ Τελαμωνιάδαο / νόσφιν ἀφεστήκει, κεχολωμένη εἵνεκα νίκης, / τήν μιν ἐγὼ νίκησα δικαζόμενος παρὰ νηυσὶ / τεύχεσιν ἀμφ᾿ Ἀχιλῆος; [ἔθηκε δὲ πότνια] μήτηρ, / παῖδες [δὲ] Τρώων δίκασαν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη) Since Agamemnon was trying not to appear to favor either of those disputing over the arms of Achilles [Aias and Odysseus], he brought in some Trojan prisoners and asked them which of the two heroes had caused them the most grief. When the prisoners said “Odysseus,” Agamemnon judged that the one who had caused the enemy the most troubles was clearly the best and straightway gave Odysseus the arms. [RSS]

§ 11.582  “and I saw Tantalos suffering grievous pains” (Τάνταλον εἰσεῖδον κρατέρ᾿ ἄλγε᾿ ἔχοντα) Tantalos, the son of Zeus and Plouto, spent time with the gods and feasted with them, but he always wanted more. He stole the nectar and ambrosia and gave it to his companions although he was not allowed. Zeus grew angry because of this, cast him out of his dwelling in the heavens, and hung him out on a tall mountain, binding him by the hands. He also destroyed Sipylos, where Tantalos had been buried. The story is in Asclepiades [CR]

§ 12.39a  “first, the Seirenes” (Σειρῆνας μὲν πρῶτον) According to most, the Seirenes are the offspring of Acheloos and Sterope, the daughter of Porthaon, but some say of Acheloos and Terpsichore, one of the Muses. Because they chose to stay virgins, Aphrodite hated them and <.changed them into birds>. Having wings, they flew away to the region of Tyrrhenia and occupied the island called Anthemousa. Their names are: Aglaopheme, Thelxiepeia, Peisinoe (or Ligeia). According to Homer there are two, for he uses a dual form of the noun (Seirēnoiin, Od. 12.52, 167). [RSS]

§ 12.69  “That was the only seafaring ship to pass through them, the Argo, known to all” (οἴη δὴ κείνη γε παρέπλω ποντοπόρος νηῦς / Ἀργὼ πᾶσι μέλουσα) After Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, had two sons by Poseidon, Neleus and Pelias, she married Cretheus and had three sons by him: Aison, Pheres, and Amythaon. According to Hesiod, Aison and Polymele had Iason, but according to Pherecydes the mother was Alcimede. When Aison was dying, he entrusted his son to the care of his brother Pelias. He also gave the kingdom to him for the time being so that he could pass it along to his son when he was grown. But Iason’s mother, Alcimede, feared for her son and gave him to the Centaur Cheiron to raise. Cheiron did so, and when Iason came of age, he went to Iolcos and demanded that Pelias hand over his father’s kingdom. Pelias said that he first had to bring back the Golden Fleece from Colchis and destroy the fire-breathing bulls. When Jason heard this, he told Cheiron. Cheiron sent the heroes with him to help, and Athena built the Argo. Setting sail, they reached the land of the Bithynians and saw Phineus, who was blind for the following reason. Having had children by Cleopatra, the daughter of Boreas, Phineus later married Eurytia. When she, the mother-in-law, accused his children falsely, Phineus handed them over to her to be put to death. Zeus got angry at this and asked Phineus whether he preferred to die or become blind. He chose not to see the sun. Now Helios got upset and set the Harpies on him. Whenever he was about to these creatures would snatch his food away and inflict him with loss. This is how Phineus was punished. So when Jason and his men saw this Phineus, they begged him to instruct them how one had to sail through the so-called “Wandering Rocks” {Planctai}. He said that he would, if they stopped the Harpies from attacking him. They promised to do so and told him to go on. He asked them, “What is the speed that the Argo can reach?” When they said, “that of a dove {peleias},” he told them to release a dove {peristera} where the rocks come together, and if it got caught in between them, not to sail on. But if it made it through safely, then they could continue to sail through. They listened to Phineus and did what he said: after the dove was caught along its tailfeathers, the Clashing Rocks came together and struck against the Argo, [clipping off the last bit of stern], and they stayed shut, but the men were safe. The sons of Boreas, Zetes and Calais, drove the Harpies off from Phineus’ meals. And this is how they reached Colchis. This story is in Asclepiades. [RSS]

§ 12.85b  “there Scylla resides within” (ἔνθα δ᾿ ἐνὶ Σκύλλη ναίει) Scylla was daughter of Phorcys and Hecate and had a voice like that of a newborn puppy. Her size was astounding: she had twelve feet and six heads, in each mouth there were three rows of teeth, and her eyes blazed with fire. While the rest of her body was hidden in a cave beneath the watery depths, rooted to the rock, she held her heads high above the water so as to be able to reach the ships from that rock. It is said that Heracles killed her when he was leading back the cattle of Geryon and saw that she was insatiable. But it is said that her father, through fire, compelled her to be restored to life. The story is in Dionysius [of Samos]. [RSS]

§ 13.96b  “there is a certain harbor of Phorcys, the old man of the sea” (Φόρκυνος δέ τίς ἐστι λιμήν, ἁλίοιο γέροντος) Phorcys was a sea divinity. Once he dwelled next to the mountain in Achaia called Arymneion, living in a glen called Phorcys after him. When he decided to leave these usual haunts, he came to Cephallenia, chose a suitable place, and lived there. The place is called Ammos {“Sand”}. When he landed at the harbor of Ithaca, he decided to name it the “Harbor of Phorcys” after himself. The story is in Herodorus. [RSS]

§ 13.259a  “I fled when I killed the beloved son of Idomeneus” (φεύγω, ἐπεὶ φίλον υἷα κατέκτανον Ἰδομενῆος) Idomeneus was the son of Deucalion (son of Minos), a Cretan by birth, and outstanding in matters of war. In fact, appearing divinely inspired in every heroic battle, he survived completely unscathed up until the Greeks returned home. It is said that this man, when the storm near Euboia arose, under the guidance of Athena directed his path to Colophon along with Calchas and Sthenelos, and it was there that he died. The story is in Lycophron. [RSS]

§ 14.327  “he said that he [Odysseus] had gone to Dodona to hear the will of Zeus from the towering oak tree of the god” (τὸν δ᾿ ἐς Δωδώνην φάτο βήμεναι, ὄφρα θεοῖο / ἐκ δρυὸς ὑψικόμοιο Διὸς βουλὴν ἐπακούσῃ) While pasturing his flocks in the marshlands of Dodona, a shepherd stole a beautiful herd from his neighbor. He shut the animals up in his own pens and watched over them. Because of this, they say, the owner went looking for his stolen flock among the shepherds, and when he didn’t find them he asked the god, “Who was it?” It was then for the first time, they say, that the oak tree loosed its voice: “The newest {neōtatos} of your followers.” When the owner scrutinized the oracle, he found that his flock was with the shepherd that had been pasturing his animals in the spot most recently {neōsti}. For shepherds are called “followers.” The thief was named Mardylas. It is said that this man, enraged at the oak tree, wanted to cut it down at night, but a dove {peleias} popped out of the trunk and told him not to do it. Scared out of his mind, he no longer dared to do the deed and refrained from touching that sacred tree. And yet, the people of Epeiros remained angry at him for his shameless act, and so they punished him thus and exacted payment for his obstinacy on top of it. The story is in Proxenus. [RSS]

§ 14.533a  “they slept beneath a hollow rock, sheltered from the north wind” (πέτρῃ ὑπὸ γλαφυρῇ εὗδον Βορέω ὑπιωγῇ) Erechtheus, the king of Athens, had an extraordinarily beautiful daughter named Oreithyia. Once, he dressed her up in fine clothes and sent her as basket-carrier to the Acropolis to make a sacrifice to Athena Polias. Boreas, the (North) wind, desired her and, undetected by any of the onlookers or her guardians, he abducted the girl, took her to Thrace, and made her his wife. He had children by her, Zetes and Calais, who because of their prowess sailed to Colchis on the Argo with the heroes to get the fleece. The story is in Acusilaus. [RSS]

§ 15.16  “for her father and her brothers are presently urging her to wed Eurymachus” (ἤδη γάρ ῥα πατήρ τε κασίγνητοί τε κέλονται / Εὐρυμάχῳ γήμασθαι) Icarios, the son of Oibalos, married Dorodoce, the daughter of Ortilochos, or (according to Pherecydes) Asterodia, the daughter of Eurypylos (Telestor’s son), and fathered Penelope. When Laertes found out that Penelope was a standout in terms of beauty and wits compared to the others in her day, he led her home to be his son Odysseus’ wife. Her virtue was so great that she even surpassed Helen in the beauty of her virtue even though the latter was born of Zeus. The story is in Philostephanus and Pherecydes. [RSS]

§ 15.223  “When [a man] drew near to him [Telemachos], someone from far away who had fled from Argos for having killed a man” (σχεδόθεν δέ ἤλυθεν [ἀνὴρ] / τηλεδαπός, φεύγων ἐξ Ἄργεος ἄνδρα κατακτάς) Polypheides, the son of Mantios, <.text uncertain> married Aichme daughter of Haimon and lived in Eleusis. He had two sons, Harmonides and Theoclymenos, the latter of whom fled to Pylos after having killed one of his kinsmen. He came upon Telemachos when he was performing a sacrifice and asked him to save him by taking him away to Ithaca. Telemachos felt compassion for the man’s exile and pitied him since he was the same age, so he brought him back to Ithaca. When Theoclymenos, in an act of true divination, told him about his father’s situation, Telemachos honored him all the more. Because of this, Theoclymenos was treated kindly by Odysseus’ family and lived there until his death. The story is in Pherecydes. [RSS]

§ 15.225a  “but by lineage he was a descendant of Melampous” (ἀτὰρ γενεήν γε Μελάμποδος ἔκγονος ἦεν) Melampous, the son of Amythaon, made a number of incredible predictions through his skill in divination, but in particular the following feat was the most glorious. Here’s the story: the daughters of Proitos, king of the Argives, were Lysippe and Iphianassa, and they offended Hera because they were thoughtless, as young people often are. When they came to the goddess’ temple they scoffed at it, saying that their father’s house was more richly furnished, and for that they were driven insane. Melampous arrived and promised that he would completely cure them if he were to receive payment to match his services. After all, the disease had already lasted ten years and was bringing pain not only to the girls themselves, but to their parents too. When Proitos promised to give Melampous a part of the kingdom and whichever daughter he wanted in marriage, he cured their disease by appeasing Hera through prayers and sacrifices. He received Iphianassa in marriage, reaping her as a wedding gift in return for his cure. The story is in Pherecydes. [RSS]

§ 16.471a  “now above the city, where the Hill [lophos] of Hermes is” (ἤδη ὑπὲρ πόλιος, ὅθι Ἑρμαῖος λόφος ἐστίν) When Hermes, following the orders of Zeus, killed Argos (the one guarding Io), he was hauled into court. Hera and the other gods brought him to trial because he was the first divinity to have subjected himself to the pollution of mortals by having killed Argos. When the gods were judging the case, they were worried about offending Zeus since Hermes was on trial because he had acted on Zeus’ orders. They both wanted to remove the pollution and acquit him of manslaughter, so they threw the voting stones they had at him in anger—and so a mass of stones piled up at Hermes’ feet. This is why, even up to this day, people build piles of rocks and continually add stones to them along the roadways in honor of Hermes (the god is, after all, the guide and guardian of travelers), and they call these “hills {lophoi} of Hermes.” A lophos is anything rising from the ground into a crest. The story is in Anticlides. [RSS]

§ 17.207a  “which Ithacos, Neritos and Polyctor made (τὴν ποίησ᾿ Ἴθακος καὶ Νήριτος ἠδὲ Πολύκτωρ) Ithacos and Neritos were descendants of Zeus and lived in Cephallenia. They decided to leave their place of habitation and go to Ithaca. And when they saw a spot well formed for founding a city—it was situated higher than the surrounding areas—they settled there and founded Ithaca. The island was named Ithaca after Ithacos, the mountain nearby was called Neriton after Neritos. The story is in Acusilaus. [RSS]

§ 17.208a  “and around it was a grove of poplars growing by the water” (ἀμφὶ δ᾿ ἂρ᾿ αἰγείρων ὑδατοτρεφέων ἦν ἄλσος) Helios slept with Rhode, the daughter of Asopos, and fathered children: Phaethon, Lampetie, Aigle, Phaethousa. When Phaethon grew up, he asked his mother who his father was. When he learned it was Helios, he went east to the place where his father rose. After his paternity was confirmed, Phaethon asked his father to give him his chariot and reins for just a little while so that he could survey the whole cosmos. Hearing this, Helios immediately pushed back since he knew what would happen to Phaethon. But when Phaethon insisted, Helios relented, teaching him how to keep to a middle course. Phaethon mounted the chariot but drove it recklessly, resulting in his flying too low and scorching everything on the earth. Zeus put an end to his foolishness with a thunderbolt. Ηe fell along with the divine flame into the Eridanos River and died. His sisters came to the spot along the Celtic Sea and bewailed his death day and night without ceasing. For this Zeus pitied them and caused them to forget their sorrows by turning them into poplars, which are trees. It is said that amber is produced from them and that it is their ancient crying that creates this tear-like product on the tree. The story is in the tragedians. [RSS]

§ 18.85a  “to King Echetos, the bane of all men” (εἰς Ἔχετον βασιλῆα, βροτῶν δηλήμονα πάντων) Echetos was the son of Bouchetos (the one after whom the city Bouchetos on Sicily is named) and the tyrant of the Sicilians. It is said that he would abuse the locals in all sorts of ways, but when it came to foreigners, he would mutilate and kill them. His evilness was such that even those who lived far away would send someone to Echetos, if they really wanted to punish him and subject him to an unusual death. For he had contrived many instruments of torture. For all of this, his subjects did not put up with his hateful tyranny and stoned him to death. The story is in Mnaseas and Marsyas. [RSS]

§ 18.85b  “Echetos” (Ἔχετον) Echetos, the son of Euchenor, was king of Epeiros, a cruel and ruthless man. When his daughter Metope (or Amphissa) was seduced by Aichmodicos, he blinded her and forced her to grind barleycorn made of iron, telling her that he would restore her sight when she ground the barley into flour. As for Aichmodicos, Echetos invited him to a feast, then mutilated him by cutting off his genitals. Later, however, Echetos went mad, consumed his own flesh, and died. [RSS]

§ 19.174b  “ninety cities” (ἐννήκοντα πόληες) [...] Some say that Idomeneus, when he sailed back from Troy, was driven from Crete by Leucos, the adopted son that he had left behind as guardian of his kingdom, and <...> sacked ten cities. After the events in Troy the ten cities were rebuilt. [RSS]

§ 19.178  “among them is Cnossos, a great city, where ruled Minos, who conversed with great Zeus every ninth year” (τῇσι δ᾿ ἐνὶ Κνωσός, μεγάλη πόλις, ἐνθάδε Μίνως / ἐννέωρος βασίλευε Διὸς μεγάλου ὀαριστύς) The myth is told that Minos, the son of Europa and Zeus, lived in Crete and came to his father every nine years to be educated, such that he not only learned from a wise one [sophisthēs] what needed to be done, but what’s more, he also reported back what he had learned in the previous nine-year period from Zeus. This is why they made him king of all the cities, and he was so outstanding in his judgment and decision-making that he became the judge of unjust souls in the underworld. The story is in Plato (Minos 319b–320d). [RSS]

§ 19.432a  “they quickly came to the windswept ridges of Parnassos” (Παρνησσοῦ τάχα δ᾿ ἵκανον πτύχας ἠνεμοέσσας) Philonis, the daughter of Deion, lived on Parnassos. She slept with both Hermes and Apollo on the same night—for she had such desirable beauty that even the gods jealously vied to sleep with her at the same time. From Apollo was born Philammon, an inventive man who seems to have been the first to organize the choral dances of young women. From Hermes was born Autolycos, who lived on Parnassus and amassed a fortune by theft. For he had received such skill from his father that he could avoid detection whenever he stole something and change the livestock he stole into whatever form he wanted. As a result, he became the owner of a massive amount of plunder. The story is in Pherecydes. [RSS]

§ 19.518a  “just like when the daughter of Pandareos” (ὡς δ᾿ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη) Homer differs from the post-Homeric poets by not calling her the daughter of Pandion, unless he has two names. Pandareos, the son of Merops and a Milesian by birth, had three daughters by Harmothoe: Aedon, Cleothera, and Merope. This man stole from Zeus’ sanctuary on Crete a golden dog, a living creation of Hephaistos, and gave it to Tantalos for safekeeping. When Zeus sent Hermes to demand it back, Tantalos swore that he didn’t have it, so Zeus brought Mt. Sipylos crashing down on him. Zeus, through Hermes’ agency, got his dog back; as for Pandareos, he fled to Athens, and from there to Sicily, where he died along with his wife. It happened that two of his daughters, Cleothera and Merope, were, when they reached womanhood, abducted by the winds and given to the Erinyes as slaves. The eldest, Aedon {Nightingale}, married Zethos, the son of Zeus and Amphion’s brother, and had a son, Itylos. But she was jealous of her sister-in-law, Amphion’s wife Niobe, Tantalos’ daughter—though some say it was Hippomedousa—because she had more children. Since Amaleus was the finest of all her children, Aedon plotted against him. Now, the cousins were being raised together, and so they all slept in the same room; Aedon told her own son in secret to choose the innermost bed, so that Amaleus would be exposed to her plot at night. But her orders slipped her son’s mind, and so she killed her own son, thinking he was Amaleus. Deeply stricken with grief, she prayed to all the gods to depart from the human world, and she was changed into the bird of the same name. [RSS]

§ 19.518b  “just like when the pale daughter of Pandareos” (ὡς δ᾿ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη χλωρηΐς) Zeus slept with Antiope, the daughter of Nycteus, from whom Zethos and Amphion were born. These were the first to settle in Thebes and were dubbed the sons of Zeus, lords of white horses. Zethos married Aedon, the daughter of Pandareos, and their children were Itylos and Neis. Itylos was killed at night by his mother Aedon {“Nightingale”}, thinking that she was killing Amphion’s son, for she was jealous of that man’s wife, who had six children, whereas she only had two. Zeus sent Poine {Vengeance} against her. She prayed to be turned into a bird, and Zeus turned her into a nightingale. She sings songs of mourning for Itylos forevermore, as Pherecydes says. [RSS]

§ 20.66  “just like when the wind-blasts took away the daughters of Pandareos, etc.” (ὡς δ᾿ ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρας ἀνέλοντο θύελλαι, κτλ.) Pandareos, the son of Merops and an Oread nymph, was Milesian by birth and married Harmothoe, the daughter of Amphidamas. They had three children, Aedon, Cleothera, and Merope, whom Aphrodite, Athena and Hera raised. Pandareos came to Crete and stole the dog of Zeus. He did not bring it to Miletos for fear of Zeus; instead, he went to Phrygia and gave it to Tantalos for safekeeping, telling him that he was bringing it from Phoenicia. Tantalos took it in and kept it safe. Then Hermes, who had been ordered by Zeus to search for the dog, came to Tantalos. The latter denied having it and swore by Zeus and the other gods that he did not know anything about the dog. But Hermes discovered the dog in his house. When Pandareos learned of this, he fled from his homeland with his wife Harmathoe and his daughters, Cleothera, Aedon, and Merope (who were unwed), to Athens, and from Athens to Sicily. When Zeus caught sight of him, he killed him and his wife, and he set the Harpies on his daughters. They stole them away and gave them to the Erinyes to serve. What is more, Zeus also sent a disease upon them, which is called “the dog.” [RSS]

§ 21.22  “Iphitos in turn came looking for the twelve mares he had lost” (Ἴφιτος αὖθ᾿ ἵππους διζήμενος, αἵ οἱ ὄλοντο / δώδεκα θήλειαι) Iphitos was the son of Eurytos and a native of Oichalia. When his horses went missing, he went around the nearby cities in search of them, hoping they might show up somewhere. When Polyidos the seer told him not to go to Tiryns in his search, because it wouldn’t turn out well, it is said that Iphitos ignored him and went anyways. By some clever stratagem Heracles lured him in, took him to the top of a steep wall, and threw him over on account of a beef he had against him and his father: although Heracles had won the contest, they did not give him Iole to marry, but insulted him and sent him away instead. It is said that Zeus got angry at Heracles over his murder of a guest and ordered Hermes to seize Heracles and sell him into slavery as punishment for the murder. Hermes took him to Lydia and gave him to the queen of that land, Omphale, for a price of three talents. The story is in Pherecydes. [RSS]

§ 21.295  “It was wine [that made foolish] even the centaur, glorious Eurytion” (οἶνος καὶ Κένταυρον, ἀγακλυτὸν Εὐρυτίω[να]) Homer names Eurytion as one of the Centaurs that were killed at the wedding of Peirithous. When Peirithous was marrying the daughter of Adrastos—I mean Hippodameia—he invited the Lapiths and Centaurs, because they were kin. Carried away by drunkenness, the Centaurs tried to carry off the wives of the Lapiths, who got angry and killed the Centaurs. Bacchylides, however, thinks that this is a different Eurytion. He says that Eurytion was hosted by Dexamenos in Elis and tried to violate his host’s daughter, and this is why he was killed by Heracles, who just happened to arrive at his house at that exact moment. [RSS]

§ 21.303  “From then strife arose between Centaurs and men; but it was for himself first that he [Eurytion] met punishment, being heavy with wine” (ἐξ οὗ Κενταύροισι καὶ ἀνδράσι νεῖκος ἐτύχθη / οἷ τ’ αὐτῷ πρώτῳ κακὸν εὕρετο οἰνοβαρείων) Ixion, the son of Zeus, was a Lapith by birth. Joining the gods at their table, he drank a lot of nectar and ate ambrosia. But even so, he did not think to repay Zeus for his kindness. Instead, through some inborn evil he made a pass at Hera. When the goddess realized this, she reported Ixion’s madness to Zeus. Although Zeus felt that she was, once again, doing this out of jealousy and just slandering his children, he nevertheless tested Ixion’s intentions through a special contrivance. He looked for and found out the truth, for he fashioned a cloud into the likeness of Hera and left it all alone in Ixion’s bedroom, and he took it by force as if it were Hera. Enraged, Zeus inflicted on him a punishment that was equal to death. Because he had tasted ambrosia, Ixion could not die, so Zeus made a wheel outfitted with wings, bound Ixion to its spokes, and sent him spinning round and round on it as he cried out that people should repay their benefactors. Ixion’s son by the cloud was of hybrid form. He had the lower parts of his mother (for clouds resemble horses), but the upper parts from his waist to his head were of his father. He went around Magnesia with an insatiable appetite for sex—in this way he embodied his father’s lack of control—and frequently slept with the mares around Pelion. In this way, it is said, the race of the Centaurs was created. This is why Peirithous, who was called Ixion’s son, <.Greek corrupt...> the maiden Hippodameia. The story is in Pindar (P. 2.21–49). [RSS]

§ 22.9  “Now he [Antinoos] was just lifting to his lips a beautiful goblet, a two-eared golden cup, and it was already in his hands so that he could drink the wine, and with no thought of death in his heart, etc.” (ἤτοι ὃ καλὸν ἄλεισον ἀναιρήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν, / χρύσεον ἄμφωτον, καὶ δὴ μετὰ χερσὶν ἐνώμα, / ὄφρα πίοι οἴνοιο· φόνος δέ οἱ οὐκ ἐνὶ θυμῷ / μέμβλετο, κτλ.) [...] About the proverb Aristotle says as follows: Ancaios, the son of Poseidon and Astypalaia, was a Samian by birth. He had a slave from Crete, and he ordered him to bring some wine to drink. When the slave told him that he would not be able to drink it, Ancaios yelled at him, grabbed the cup, and put it down in front him. When his slave said, “there is much between the cup and the tip of the lip,” unexpected news hit: a massive boar was laying waste to Ancaios’ fields. When he heard this, he took the cup from his lips, put it down, and ran towards the wild boar. He died when he attacked the boar, and this, they say, is the origin of the proverb. [RSS]

§ 23.198b  “thus fashioning the bedpost, and I bored it all with the auger” (ἑρμῖν᾿ ἀσκήσας, τέτρηνα δὲ πάντα τερέτρῳ) When Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas), was still among humans he invented four very important things: writing, music, wrestling and geometry. This is why the Greeks fashion him as a square pillar and set him up like that in gymnasia. Because of his role as dream-sender those going to bed pray to him and await his arrival—they chose to have him in their bedrooms as the guardian of their sleep. They also came up with the idea of fashioning the feet of their bedstands into the likeness of the god, so as to have those images as protection, so that they do not experience fearful terrors but look forward to much delight in their dreams. The story is in Apollodorus of Athens. [RSS]

§ 23.218  “No, not even Argive Helen, born of Zeus, would have lain in love with a foreign man” (οὐδέ κεν Ἀργείη Ἑλένη, Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα / ἀνδρὶ παρ᾿ ἀλλοδαπῷ ἐμίγη φιλότητι καὶ εὐνῇ) Alexander son of Priam sailed from Asia to Lacedaimonia with the intention of stealing away Helen while he was a guest there. But she had a noble character and loved her husband, so she refused him, saying that she honored her lawful marriage and held Menelaus in greater regard than him. When Paris got nowhere, they say that Aphrodite contrived some way to change Alexander’s form into the image of Menelaus, and this is how he deceived Helen. Since she thought that he really was Menelaus, she did not hesitate to follow him, and in fact she even got to the ship before him. When he got there he put her on board and set sail. The story is in Nicias <.uncertain text>. [RSS]