Herodotus 2.50 & 2.52
Clark, Brian R. / Herodotus
- Created on 2017-05-03 20:49:53
- Modified on 2017-05-04 00:35:13
- Translated by A. D. Godley
- Aligned by Clark, Brian R.
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ πάντων τὰ οὐνόματα τῶν θεῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐλήλυθε ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα . διότι μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν βαρβάρων ἥκει , πυνθανόμενος οὕτω εὑρίσκω ἐόν · δοκέω δ᾽ ὦν μάλιστα ἀπ᾽ Αἰγύπτου ἀπῖχθαι . ὅτι γὰρ δὴ μὴ Ποσειδέωνος καὶ Διοσκούρων , ὡς καὶ πρότερόν μοι ταῦτα εἴρηται , καὶ Ἥρης καὶ Ἱστίης καὶ Θέμιος καὶ Χαρίτων καὶ Νηρηίδων , τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν Αἰγυπτίοισι αἰεί κοτε τὰ οὐνόματα ἐστὶ ἐν τῇ χώρῃ . λέγω δὲ τὰ λέγουσι αὐτοὶ Αἰγύπτιοι . τῶν δὲ οὔ φασι θεῶν γινώσκειν τὰ οὐνόματα , οὗτοι δέ μοι δοκέουσι ὑπὸ Πελασγῶν ὀνομασθῆναι , πλὴν Ποσειδέωνος · τοῦτον δὲ τὸν θεὸν παρὰ Λιβύων ἐπύθοντο · οὐδαμοὶ γὰρ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς Ποσειδέωνος οὔνομα ἔκτηνται εἰ μὴ Λίβυες καὶ τιμῶσι τὸν θεὸν τοῦτον αἰεί . νομίζουσι δ᾽ ὦν Αἰγύπτιοι οὐδ᾽ ἥρωσι οὐδέν . [ 51 ] .
ἔθυον δὲ πάντα πρότερον οἱ Πελασγοὶ θεοῖσι ἐπευχόμενοι , ὡς ἐγὼ ἐν Δωδώνῃ οἶδα ἀκούσας , ἐπωνυμίην δὲ οὐδ᾽ οὔνομα ἐποιεῦντο οὐδενὶ αὐτῶν · οὐ γὰρ ἀκηκόεσάν κω . θεοὺς δὲ προσωνόμασαν σφέας ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου , ὅτι κόσμῳ θέντες τὰ πάντα πρήγματα καὶ πάσας νομὰς εἶχον . ἔπειτα δὲ χρόνου πολλοῦ διεξελθόντος ἐπύθοντο ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἀπικόμενα τὰ οὐνόματα τῶν θεῶν τῶν ἄλλων , ( Διονύσου δὲ ὕστερον πολλῷ ἐπύθοντο ) . καὶ μετὰ χρόνον ἐχρηστηριάζοντο περὶ τῶν οὐνομάτων ἐν Δωδώνῃ · ( τὸ γὰρ δὴ μαντήιον τοῦτο νενόμισται ἀρχαιότατον τῶν ἐν Ἕλλησι χρηστηρίων εἶναι , καὶ ἦν τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον μοῦνον ) . ἐπεὶ ὦν ἐχρηστηριάζοντο ἐν τῇ Δωδώνῃ οἱ Πελασγοὶ εἰ ἀνέλωνται τὰ οὐνόματα τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἥκοντα , ἀνεῖλε τὸ μαντήιον χρᾶσθαι . ἀπὸ μὲν δὴ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου ἔθυον τοῖσι οὐνόμασι τῶν θεῶν χρεώμενοι · παρὰ δὲ Πελασγῶν Ἕλληνες ἐξεδέξαντο ὕστερον .
ἔθυον δὲ πάντα πρότερον οἱ Πελασγοὶ θεοῖσι ἐπευχόμενοι , ὡς ἐγὼ ἐν Δωδώνῃ οἶδα ἀκούσας , ἐπωνυμίην δὲ οὐδ᾽ οὔνομα ἐποιεῦντο οὐδενὶ αὐτῶν · οὐ γὰρ ἀκηκόεσάν κω . θεοὺς δὲ προσωνόμασαν σφέας ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου , ὅτι κόσμῳ θέντες τὰ πάντα πρήγματα καὶ πάσας νομὰς εἶχον . ἔπειτα δὲ χρόνου πολλοῦ διεξελθόντος ἐπύθοντο ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἀπικόμενα τὰ οὐνόματα τῶν θεῶν τῶν ἄλλων , ( Διονύσου δὲ ὕστερον πολλῷ ἐπύθοντο ) . καὶ μετὰ χρόνον ἐχρηστηριάζοντο περὶ τῶν οὐνομάτων ἐν Δωδώνῃ · ( τὸ γὰρ δὴ μαντήιον τοῦτο νενόμισται ἀρχαιότατον τῶν ἐν Ἕλλησι χρηστηρίων εἶναι , καὶ ἦν τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον μοῦνον ) . ἐπεὶ ὦν ἐχρηστηριάζοντο ἐν τῇ Δωδώνῃ οἱ Πελασγοὶ εἰ ἀνέλωνται τὰ οὐνόματα τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἥκοντα , ἀνεῖλε τὸ μαντήιον χρᾶσθαι . ἀπὸ μὲν δὴ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου ἔθυον τοῖσι οὐνόμασι τῶν θεῶν χρεώμενοι · παρὰ δὲ Πελασγῶν Ἕλληνες ἐξεδέξαντο ὕστερον .
In
fact
,
the
names
of
nearly
all
the
gods
came
to
Hellas
from
Egypt
.
For
I
am
convinced
by
inquiry
that
they
have
come
from
foreign
parts
,
and
I
believe
that
they
came
chiefly
from
Egypt
.
Except
the
names
of
Poseidon
and
the
Dioscuri
,
as
I
have
already
said
,
and
Hera
,
and
Hestia
,
and
Themis
,
and
the
Graces
,
and
the
Nereids
,
the
names
of
all
the
gods
have
always
existed
in
Egypt
.
I
only
say
what
the
Egyptians
themselves
say
.
The
gods
whose
names
they
say
they
do
not
know
were
,
as
I
think
,
named
by
the
Pelasgians
,
except
Poseidon
,
the
knowledge
of
whom
they
learned
from
the
Libyans
.
Alone
of
all
nations
the
Libyans
have
had
among
them
the
name
of
Poseidon
from
the
beginning
,
and
they
have
always
honored
this
god
.
The
Egyptians
,
however
,
are
not
accustomed
to
pay
any
honors
to
heroes
.
…
[
51
]
.
.
.
Formerly , in all their sacrifices , the Pelasgians called upon gods without giving name or appellation to any ( I know this , because I was told at Dodona ) ; for as yet they had not heard of such . They called them gods from the fact that , besides setting everything in order , they maintained all the dispositions . Then , after a long while , first they learned the names of the rest of the gods , which came to them from Egypt , and , much later , the name of Dionysus ; and presently they asked the oracle at Dodona about the names ; for this place of divination , held to be the most ancient in Hellas , was at that time the only one . When the Pelasgians , then , asked at Dodona whether they should adopt the names that had come from foreign parts , the oracle told them to use the names . From that time onwards they used the names of the gods in their sacrifices ; and the Greeks received these later from the Pelasgians .
Formerly , in all their sacrifices , the Pelasgians called upon gods without giving name or appellation to any ( I know this , because I was told at Dodona ) ; for as yet they had not heard of such . They called them gods from the fact that , besides setting everything in order , they maintained all the dispositions . Then , after a long while , first they learned the names of the rest of the gods , which came to them from Egypt , and , much later , the name of Dionysus ; and presently they asked the oracle at Dodona about the names ; for this place of divination , held to be the most ancient in Hellas , was at that time the only one . When the Pelasgians , then , asked at Dodona whether they should adopt the names that had come from foreign parts , the oracle told them to use the names . From that time onwards they used the names of the gods in their sacrifices ; and the Greeks received these later from the Pelasgians .