Αἰγαῖον πέλαγος
Aegean sea
Translated by Jennifer Benedict12 Jul 2000Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
From this [comes] also [the name] Aegean gulf.3
"So [the] Aegean sea [is] the most fearful."4 But
Greek original · Adler’s text
Αἰγαῖον πέλαγος· οὕτω καλούμενον ἀπὸ ἱστορίας. Θησεὺς ὁ Αἰγέως υἱός, βασιλέως τῆς Ἀττικῆς, βασιλεύει Κρητῶν καὶ διώκει τὸν Μινώταυρον εἰς τὴν λαβυρίνθων χώραν καὶ κρυπτόμενον αὐτὸν ἐν σπηλαίῳ ἀνεῖλε καὶ λαμβάνει τὴν Ἀριάδνην γυναῖκα, τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Μίνωος τεχθεῖσαν τῇ Πασιφάῃ, καὶ οὕτω κρατεῖ τῆς Κρήτης. εἶτα ᾔτησεν ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα τὸν Αἰγέα καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ νίκην τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Μινωταύρου ἀπαγγεῖλαι. ὡς οὖν ἔπλει ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀττικὴν χώραν, προλαβών τις τῶν διὰ θαλάσσης ἐμπορευομένων ἐψεύσατο τὸν τούτου πατέρα, εἰρηκὼς αὐτῷ, ὅτι παρέβησαν οἱ Κρῆτες τὸν Θησέα [ἔχουσι γὰρ καὶ ψευδομένων ὑπολήψεισ] καὶ προδεδώκασι τῷ Μίνωϊ τοῦτον εἰς θυσίαν. πιστεύσας δὲ ὁ Αἰγεὺς καὶ κατολιγωρήσας ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκρωρείας εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἀπεπνίγη. διόπερ ἐκεῖνο τὸ πέλαγος μέχρι τῆς σήμερον Αἰγαῖον ἐκλήθη. ἐλθὼν οὖν ὁ Θησεὺς εὗρεν αὐτὸν τελευτήσαντα καὶ καταφρονήσας τῆς βασιλείας τῆς Κρήτης καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γυναικὸς Ἀριάδνης ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ. ἐξ αὐτοῦ δὲ καὶ Αἰγαῖος κόλπος. Αἰγαῖον οὖν πέλαγος τὸ φοβερώτατον. Ἀττικώτερον δὲ τὸ Αἴγαιον.
Betacode
*ai)gai=on pe/lagos: ou(/tw kalou/menon a)po\ i(stori/as. *qhseu\s o( *ai)ge/ws ui(o/s, basile/ws th=s *)attikh=s, basileu/ei *krhtw=n kai\ diw/kei to\n *minw/tauron ei)s th\n laburi/nqwn xw/ran kai\ krupto/menon au)to\n e)n sphlai/w| a)nei=le kai\ lamba/nei th\n *)aria/dnhn gunai=ka, th\n a)po\ tou= *mi/nwos texqei=san th=| *pasifa/h|, kai\ ou(/tw kratei= th=s *krh/ths. ei)=ta h)/|thsen a)pelqei=n pro\s to\n e(autou= pate/ra to\n *ai)ge/a kai\ th\n e(autou= ni/khn th\n kata\ tou= *minwtau/rou a)paggei=lai. w(s ou)=n e)/plei e)pi\ th\n *)attikh\n xw/ran, prolabw/n tis tw=n dia\ qala/sshs e)mporeuome/nwn e)yeu/sato to\n tou/tou pate/ra, ei)rhkw\s au)tw=|, o(/ti pare/bhsan oi( *krh=tes to\n *qhse/a [e)/xousi ga\r kai\ yeudome/nwn u(polh/yeis] kai\ prodedw/kasi tw=| *mi/nwi+ tou=ton ei)s qusi/an. pisteu/sas de\ o( *ai)geu\s kai\ katoligwrh/sas e)/rriyen e(auto\n a)po\ th=s a)krwrei/as ei)s th\n qa/lassan kai\ a)pepni/gh. dio/per e)kei=no to\ pe/lagos me/xri th=s sh/meron *ai)gai=on e)klh/qh. e)lqw\n ou)=n o( *qhseu\s eu(=ren au)to\n teleuth/santa kai\ katafronh/sas th=s basilei/as th=s *krh/ths kai\ th=s e(autou= gunaiko\s *)aria/dnhs e)basi/leusen a)nti\ tou= patro\s e)n th=| *)attikh=|. e)c au)tou= de\ kai\ *ai)gai=os ko/lpos. *ai)gai=on ou)=n pe/lagos to\ foberw/taton. *)attikw/teron de\ to\ *ai)/gaion.
Notes (5)
- OCD(4) p.16, under 'Aegean Sea' and 'Aegeus'.↩
- 1See generally theta 364. ↩
- 2alpha 3865. ↩
- 3alphaiota 24. ↩
- 4Artemidorus 2.12; again at alphaiota 28. ↩
- 5Instead of
*ai)gai=on (Vendryes' Law).
Linked from8 entries
- α3865ἈριάδνηAriadne[The name of a] wife of Theseus. Also search under Aigaion pelagos "Aegean sea"].
- αι24Αἰγαῖος κόλποςAegean gulf[no gloss]
- αι27ΑἰγέαAigeus, AegeusIn *ai)ge/a and *)erexqe/a and all similar [names] they lengthen the final 'a'. Aristophanes in Banqueters [writes]: "summon for me Erechtheus and Aigeus."
- αι28Αἶγεςgoats[sc. A term for] large waves in the common tongue. Also [sc. attested is the verb] e)paigi/zw ["I goat up"], meaning I blow forcefully. When the star of the nanny-goat shines, winds blow forcefully, hence the [phrase]…
- αι30ΑἰγεύςAigeus, Aegeus[Aigeus], [genitive] *Ai)ge/ws: a proper name.
- αι31Αἰγεία θάλασσαAegean Sea[no gloss]
- αι32ΑἰγεῖδαιAigeids, Aegeids, Aigeidai, AegeidaeDemosthenes in the Funeral Speech -- if it is really by him -- [mentions them]. There is a tribe Aigeis [sc. in Athens named] from Aigeus the son of Pandion, and its tribesmen [are] Aigeids. Also [sc. attested is]…
- ε1421Ἐν παντὶ μύθῳ καὶ τὸ Δαιδάλου μύσοςin every myth (there is) also the defilement of DaedalusThey say that Pasiphae was in love with a bull and begged Daedalus to make a wooden cow and rig it up and put her in it; and mounting her like a cow the bull made her pregnant. Out of her the Minotaur was born. Minos…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 11 Jun 2026
- betacode fixes translation and n.5 — Ronald Allen
- updated a ref — David Whitehead
- augmented note 5 — Catharine Roth
- more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; added bibliography; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Altered translation slightly; added cross-reference and keyword. — Catharine Roth
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict