Ἐχῖνος
sea-urchin
Translated by Ryan Stone11 Feb 2008Vetting: high7 revisions
Translation
"What sort of Nereus gives farsighted pupils to the sea-urchins, in the deep of the tossing seas, in such a way that they flee from the effects of the storm before the storm?1
Also [sc. attested is] a proverb: "[sc. That would never happen] before two urchins could come together in friendship, one from the sea, the other from dry-land"; in reference to dissimilar [things].2
Also [sc. attested is] a proverb: "[sc. That would never happen] before two urchins could come together in friendship, one from the sea, the other from dry-land"; in reference to dissimilar [things].2
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἐχῖνος. ποῖος δὲ Νηρεὺς τῶν ἐχίνων τοῖς σάλοις προβλεπτικὰς δίδωσιν ἐν βυθῷ κόρας, ὅπως φύγωσι πρὸ ζάλης τὰ τῆς ζάλης. καὶ παροιμία· πρίν κε δύο ἐχῖνοι ἐς φιλίαν ἔλθοιεν, ὁ μὲν ἐκ πελάγους, ὁ δὲ ἐκ χέρσου· ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνομοίων.
Betacode
*)exi=nos. poi=os de\ *nhreu\s tw=n e)xi/nwn toi=s sa/lois probleptika\s di/dwsin e)n buqw=| ko/ras, o(/pws fu/gwsi pro\ za/lhs ta\ th=s za/lhs. kai\ paroimi/a: pri/n ke du/o e)xi=noi e)s fili/an e)/lqoien, o( me\n e)k pela/gous, o( de\ e)k xe/rsou: e)pi\ tw=n a)nomoi/wn.
Notes (2)
- For this headword in other senses, zoological and other, cf. epsilon 4009, epsilon 4011, epsilon 4012, epsilon 4013.
- 1George of Pisidia, Hexaemeron 1161-3, Esamerone 1132-1134 Tartaglia; on the ability to foretell tempests, the sea-urchin's gift from the Creator. As Tartaglia notes (380, note 179), here the Pisidian evidently draws upon Basil of Caesarea Hexaemeron VII.5.16-24. The translation follows the original text, which reads
toi=s e)xi/nois tw=n sa/lwn . For Nereus and the Nereids cf. nu 328, nu 329, nu 330, nu 333. ↩ - 2cf. Diogenianus 7.61. The paroemiographer notes that the phrase also applies
e)pi\ tou= a)duna/tou : "to the impossible". ↩
References
L. Tartaglia, ed., Carmi di Giorgio di Pisidia, (Torino 1998)
Linked from2 entries
- ε4009Ἐχῖνος τὸν τόκον ἀναβάλλῃa hedgehog would postpone childbirth[sc. This proverbial phrase] is said in reference to things which, if postponed, become worse. For terrestrial hedgehogs seem, when being poked on, to hold back childbirth, then later [sc. when troubled] by harsher…
- χ598Χοιρογρύλλιοςconey, hyrax[Meaning a] porcupine, hedgehog. That is, a terrestrial hedgehog.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history7 revisions · last 14 Oct 2025
- further tweaking after further discussion — Ronald Allen
- tweaked translation after discussion with Catharine Roth — Ronald Allen
- my typo n.1 — Ronald Allen
- expanded n.1, added bibliography and keywords — Ronald Allen
- coding — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- notes; more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ryan Stone