Βάραθρον
pit
Translated by Jennifer Benedict · 14 Apr 2002 · Vetting: high · 6 revisions
Translation
A certain well-like and dark chasm in Attica, in which they used to throw evil-doers; in this chasm there were hooks, some on top and some below.1 There they threw the Phrygian [priest] of the mother of the gods on the grounds that he had gone mad, when he told them that the mother was coming in search of the maiden. The goddess then was angry and sent a blight of crops to the country; and when they knew the cause [of the blight] through an oracle they covered over the chasm and made the goddess propitious with sacrifices.
Greek original
Βάραθρον· χάσμα τι φρεατῶδες καὶ σκοτεινὸν ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ, ἐν ᾧ τοὺς κακούργους ἔβαλλον· ἐν δὲ τῷ χάσματι τούτῳ ὑπῆρχον ὄγκινοι, οἱ μὲν ἄνω οἱ δὲ κάτω. ἐνταῦθα τὸν Φρύγα τὸν τῆς μητρὸς τῶν θεῶν ἐνέβαλον ὡς μεμηνότα, ἐπειδὴ προέλεγεν, ὅτι ἔρχεται ἡ μήτηρ εἰς ἐπιζήτησιν τῆς κόρης. ἡ δὲ θεὸς ὀργισθεῖσα ἀκαρπίαν ἔπεμψε τῇ χώρᾳ· καὶ γνόντες τὴν αἰτίαν διὰ χρησμοῦ τὸ μὲν χάσμα κατέχωσαν, τὴν δὲ θεὸν θυσίαις ἵλαον ἐποίησαν.
Betacode
*ba/raqron: xa/sma ti freatw=des kai\ skoteino\n e)n th=| *)attikh=|, e)n w(=| tou\s kakou/rgous e)/ballon: e)n de\ tw=| xa/smati tou/tw| u(ph=rxon o)/gkinoi, oi( me\n a)/nw oi( de\ ka/tw. e)ntau=qa to\n *fru/ga to\n th=s mhtro\s tw=n qew=n e)ne/balon w(s memhno/ta, e)peidh\ proe/legen, o(/ti e)/rxetai h( mh/thr ei)s e)pizh/thsin th=s ko/rhs. h( de\ qeo\s o)rgisqei=sa a)karpi/an e)/pemye th=| xw/ra|: kai\ gno/ntes th\n ai)ti/an dia\ xrhsmou= to\ me\n xa/sma kate/xwsan, th\n de\ qeo\n qusi/ais i(/laon e)poi/hsan.
Notes (1)
- From the scholia to Aristophanes, Wealth [Plutus] 431, where the headword occurs. See also beta 100, beta 101.↩
- 1Again at omicron 19; and cf. phi 750.
Linked from (3)
Neighbours in Adler order
Revisions (6)
- Catharine Rothcoding
- David Whiteheadanother x-ref
- David Whiteheadmore keywords; tweaking
- David Whiteheadmodified translation; added notes and keywords
- Jennifer Benedicttranslated