Πολυδάμας

Polydamas, Poulydamas

Translated by David Whitehead28 Jun 2001Vetting: high3 revisions

5 notes · 228 words
Of Skotoussa;1 a pankratiast.2 He became the tallest man of his day. And as a young man he killed a lion on [Mount] Olympos [Myth, Place, Place] in Macedonia, unequipped with any weapon. The same man went into a herd of cattle, seized the biggest and fiercest bull by one of its hind legs, and held fast the hoof and did not let go; the bull escaped, leaving Polydamas with the hoof. The same man halted a charioteer as he was driving his chariot forwards at speed, having seized the chariot with his other hand and stopped the horses. Dareios the bastard son of Artaxerxes3 got to hear of his deeds and persuaded him with gifts to come to him. But Polydamas killed three of the so-called Immortals4 who had challenged him to single combat. These deeds were depicted on the statue [of him] at Olympia. But he was about to be destroyed by his own force, just like others who have gloried in their strength -- as Homer says about Hector, "sir, your own power will be your undoing".5 For [he and others] entered a cave, in the summer time, with their companions and the roof happened to crack, endangering their lives; the rest hurried to escape, but he remained, holding up his hands, as if he could stop the cave falling in; and there he died.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Πολυδάμας, Σκοτουσσαῖος, παγκρατιαστής· ὃς ἐγένετο μέγιστος τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν πάντων ἀνθρώπων· ὃς καὶ νέος ὢν ἀπέκτεινε λέοντα ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ Μακεδονίας, οὐδενὶ ἐσκευασμένος ὅπλῳ. εἰς ἀγέλην δὲ βοῶν εἰσελθὼν ὁ αὐτὸς τὸν μέγιστον καὶ ἀγριώτατον ταῦρον λαβὼν τοῦ ἑτέρου τῶν ὀπισθίων ποδῶν τῆς χηλῆς κατεῖχεν ἄκρας καὶ οὐκ ἀνίει· ὁ ταῦρος πηδῶν ἀφῆκε τε τῷ Πολυδάμαντι τὴν ὁπλήν. ὁ αὐτὸς ἄνδρα ἡνίοχον ἐλαύνοντα σπουδῇ τὸ ἅρμα ἐπέσχε τοῦ πρόσω, λαβόμενος τῇ ἑτέρᾳ τῶν χειρῶν τὸ ἅρμα καὶ στήσας τοὺς ἵππους. τούτου Δαρεῖος ὁ νόθος Ἀρταξέρξου υἱὸς ἀκούσας τὰ ἔργα δώροις ἐλθεῖν παρ' αὐτὸν ἔπεισε. τρεῖς δὲ τῶν Ἀθανάτων καλουμένων κατὰ πρόσκλησιν μονομαχήσαντας ὁ Πολυδάμας ἀπέκτεινε. ταῦτα τὰ ἔργα ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνδριάντος ἐδηλοῦτο ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ. ἔμελλε δ' ὑπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ῥώμης ἀπολέσθαι, ὡς καὶ ἄλλοι οἱ ἐπὶ ἰσχύϊ μέγα φρονήσαντες· ὡς καὶ Ὅμηρος περὶ Ἕκτορος, δαιμόνιε, φθίσει σε τὸ σὸν μένος. ἐσελθόντων γὰρ ἐς σπήλαιον ὥρᾳ θέρους ἅμα τοῖς συμπόταις καὶ τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ σπηλαίου κατὰ τύχην διαρρηγνυμένης καὶ θάνατον ἀπειλούσης, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι δρόμῳ φεύγουσιν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἔμεινε, τὰς χεῖρας ἀνασχών, ὡς ἀνθέξων ἐπιπίπτοντι τῷ σπηλαίῳ· καὶ αὐτόθι ἐτελεύτησε.

Betacode
*poluda/mas, *skotoussai=os, pagkratiasth/s: o(\s e)ge/neto me/gistos tw=n kat' au)to\n pa/ntwn a)nqrw/pwn: o(\s kai\ ne/os w)\n a)pe/kteine le/onta e)n tw=| *)olu/mpw| *makedoni/as, ou)deni\ e)skeuasme/nos o(/plw|. ei)s a)ge/lhn de\ bow=n ei)selqw\n o( au)to\s to\n me/giston kai\ a)griw/taton tau=ron labw\n tou= e(te/rou tw=n o)pisqi/wn podw=n th=s xhlh=s katei=xen a)/kras kai\ ou)k a)ni/ei: o( tau=ros phdw=n a)fh=ke te tw=| *poluda/manti th\n o(plh/n. o( au)to\s a)/ndra h(ni/oxon e)lau/nonta spoudh=| to\ a(/rma e)pe/sxe tou= pro/sw, labo/menos th=| e(te/ra| tw=n xeirw=n to\ a(/rma kai\ sth/sas tou\s i(/ppous. tou/tou *darei=os o( no/qos *)artace/rcou ui(o\s a)kou/sas ta\ e)/rga dw/rois e)lqei=n par' au)to\n e)/peise. trei=s de\ tw=n *)aqana/twn kaloume/nwn kata\ pro/sklhsin monomaxh/santas o( *poluda/mas a)pe/kteine. tau=ta ta\ e)/rga e)pi\ tou= a)ndria/ntos e)dhlou=to e)n *)olumpi/a|. e)/melle d' u(po\ th=s e(autou= r(w/mhs a)pole/sqai, w(s kai\ a)/lloi oi( e)pi\ i)sxu/i+ me/ga fronh/santes: w(s kai\ *(/omhros peri\ *(/ektoros, daimo/nie, fqi/sei se to\ so\n me/nos. e)selqo/ntwn ga\r e)s sph/laion w(/ra| qe/rous a(/ma toi=s sumpo/tais kai\ th=s korufh=s tou= sphlai/ou kata\ tu/xhn diarrhgnume/nhs kai\ qa/naton a)peilou/shs, oi( me\n a)/lloi dro/mw| feu/gousin, au)to\s de\ e)/meine, ta\s xei=ras a)nasxw/n, w(s a)nqe/cwn e)pipi/ptonti tw=| sphlai/w|: kai\ au)to/qi e)teleu/thse.

Notes (5)

  1. C5 BCE. The material comes from Pausanias 6.5.
  2. 1There were two cities of this name, one in eastern Macedonia and one in Thessaly; here the latter is meant (see Paus. 6.5.2-3). ↩
  3. 2See generally pi 10, pi 11. ↩
  4. 3King of Persia 424-404. ↩
  5. 4See generally alpha 707. ↩
  6. 5Homer, Iliad 6.407. ↩

Linked from1 entry

Neighbouring entries

π1947Πολύγληνονmany-pupiledπ1948ΠολύγνωτοςPolygnotos, Polygnotusπ1949ΠολυδάμαςPolydamas, Poulydamasπ1950Πολυδαιδάλουmuch-wroughtπ1951ΠολυδεύκηςPolydeukes, Pollux
Revision history3 revisions · last 4 Aug 2011
  1. more keywords; tweaks — David Whitehead
  2. more keywords — David Whitehead
  3. cosmetics, status — Catharine Roth
  4. Translated — David Whitehead

Keyboard shortcuts

j
Next entry
k
Previous entry
g
Toggle Greek
/
Search
?
Show shortcuts