Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica Part 11

Fragment #39--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. ii. 181: Hesiod in the "Great Eoiae" says that Phineus was blinded because he revealed to Phrixus the road; but in the third "Catalogue", because he preferred long life to sight.

Hesiod says he had two sons, Thynus and Mariandynus.

Ephorus [1730] in Strabo, vii. 302: Hesiod, in the so-called Journey round the Earth, says that Phineus was brought by the Harpies 'to the land of milk-feeders [1731] who have waggons for houses.'

Fragment #40A--(Cp. Fr. 43 and 44) Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1358 fr. 2 (3rd cent. A.D.): [1732] ((LACUNA--Slight remains of 7 lines))

(ll. 8-35) '(The Sons of Boreas pursued the Harpies) to the lands of the Ma.s.sagetae and of the proud Half-Dog men, of the Underground-folk and of the feeble Pygmies; and to the tribes of the boundless Black-skins and the Libyans. Huge Earth bare these to Epaphus--soothsaying people, knowing seercraft by the will of Zeus the lord of oracles, but deceivers, to the end that men whose thought pa.s.ses their utterance [1733] might be subject to the G.o.ds and suffer harm--Aethiopians and Libyans and mare-milking Scythians. For verily Epaphus was the child of the almighty Son of Cronos, and from him sprang the dark Libyans, and high-souled Aethiopians, and the Underground-folk and feeble Pygmies.

All these are the offspring of the lord, the Loud-thunderer. Round about all these (the Sons of Boreas) sped in darting flight.... ....of the well-horsed Hyperboreans--whom Earth the all-nourishing bare far off by the tumbling streams of deep-flowing Erida.n.u.s........of amber, feeding her wide-scattered offspring--and about the steep Fawn mountain and rugged Etna to the isle Ortygia and the people sprung from Laestrygon who was the son of wide-reigning Poseidon. Twice ranged the Sons of Boreas along this coast and wheeled round and about yearning to catch the Harpies, while they strove to escape and avoid them. And they sped to the tribe of the haughty Cephallenians, the people of patient-souled Odysseus whom in aftertime Calypso the queenly nymph detained for Poseidon. Then they came to the land of the lord the son of Ares........they heard. Yet still (the Sons of Boreas) ever pursued them with instant feet. So they (the Harpies) sped over the sea and through the fruitless air...'

Fragment #40--Strabo, vii. p. 300: 'The Aethiopians and Ligurians and mare-milking Scythians.'

Fragment #41--Apollodorus, i. 9.21.6: As they were being pursued, one of the Harpies fell into the river Tigris, in Peloponnesus which is now called Harpys after her. Some call this one Nicothoe, and others Aellopus. The other who was called Ocypete, or as some say Ocythoe (though Hesiod calls her Ocypus), fled down the Propontis and reached as far as to the Echinades islands which are now called because of her, Strophades (Turning Islands).

Fragment #42--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. ii. 297: Hesiod also says that those with Zetes [1734] turned and prayed to Zeus: 'There they prayed to the lord of Aenos who reigns on high.'

Apollonius indeed says it was Iris who made Zetes and his following turn away, but Hesiod says Hermes.

Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. ii. 296: Others say (the islands) were called Strophades, because they turned there and prayed Zeus to seize the Harpies. But according to Hesiod... they were not killed.

Fragment #43--Philodemus [1735], On Piety, 10: Nor let anyone mock at Hesiod who mentions.... or even the Troglodytes and the Pygmies.

Fragment #44--Strabo, i. p. 43: No one would accuse Hesiod of ignorance though he speaks of the Half-dog people and the Great-Headed people and the Pygmies.

Fragment #45--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. iv. 284: But Hesiod says they (the Argonauts) had sailed in through the Phasis.

Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. iv. 259: But Hesiod (says)....

they came through the Ocean to Libya, and so, carrying the Argo, reached our sea.

Fragment #46--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. iii. 311: Apollonius, following Hesiod, says that Circe came to the island over against Tyrrhenia on the chariot of the Sun. And he called it Hesperian, because it lies toward the west.

Fragment #47--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. iv. 892: He (Apollonius) followed Hesiod who thus names the island of the Sirens: 'To the island Anthemoessa (Flowery) which the son of Cronos gave them.'

And their names are Thelxiope or Thelxinoe, Molpe and Aglaophonus [1736].

Scholiast on Homer, Od. xii. 168: Hence Hesiod said that they charmed even the winds.

Fragment #48--Scholiast on Homer, Od. i. 85: Hesiod says that Ogygia is within towards the west, but Ogygia lies over against Crete: '...the Ogygian sea and......the island Ogygia.'

Fragment #49--Scholiast on Homer, Od. vii. 54: Hesiod regarded Arete as the sister of Alcinous.

Fragment #50--Scholiast on Pindar, Ol. x. 46: Her Hippostratus (did wed), a scion of Ares, the splendid son of Phyetes, of the line of Amarynces, leader of the Epeians.

Fragment #51--Apollodorus, i. 8.4.1: When Althea was dead, Oeneus married Periboea, the daughter of Hipponous. Hesiod says that she was seduced by Hippostratus the son of Amarynces and that her father Hipponous sent her from Olenus in Achaea to Oeneus because he was far away from h.e.l.las, bidding him kill her.

'She used to dwell on the cliff of Olenus by the banks of wide Peirus.'

Fragment #52--Diodorus [1737] v. 81: Macareus was a son of Crinacus the son of Zeus as Hesiod says... and dwelt in Olenus in the country then called Ionian, but now Achaean.

Fragment #53--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. ii. 21: Concerning the Myrmidons Hesiod speaks thus: 'And she conceived and bare Aeacus, delighting in horses. Now when he came to the full measure of desired youth, he chafed at being alone. And the father of men and G.o.ds made all the ants that were in the lovely isle into men and wide-girdled women. These were the first who fitted with thwarts ships with curved sides, and the first who used sails, the wings of a sea-going ship.'

Fragment #54--Polybius, v. 2: 'The sons of Aeacus who rejoiced in battle as though a feast.'

Fragment #55--Porphyrius, Quaest. Hom. ad Iliad. pertin. p. 93: He has indicated the shameful deed briefly by the phrase 'to lie with her against her will', and not like Hesiod who recounts at length the story of Peleus and the wife of Acastus.

Fragment #56--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. iv. 95: 'And this seemed to him (Acastus) in his mind the best plan; to keep back himself, but to hide beyond guessing the beautiful knife which the very famous Lame One had made for him, that in seeking it alone over steep Pelion, he (Peleus) might be slain forthwith by the mountain-bred Centaurs.'

Fragment #57--Voll. Herculan. (Papyri from Herculaneum), 2nd Collection, viii. 105: The author of the "Cypria" [1738] says that Thetis avoided wedlock with Zeus to please Hera; but that Zeus was angry and swore that she should mate with a mortal. Hesiod also has the like account.

Fragment #58--Stra.s.sburg Greek Papyri 55 (2nd century A.D.): (ll. 1-13) 'Peleus the son of Aeacus, dear to the deathless G.o.ds, came to Phthia the mother of flocks, bringing great possessions from s.p.a.cious Iolcus.

And all the people envied him in their hearts seeing how he had sacked the well-built city, and accomplished his joyous marriage; and they all spake this word: "Thrice, yea, four times blessed son of Aeacus, happy Peleus! For far-seeing Olympian Zeus has given you a wife with many gifts and the blessed G.o.ds have brought your marriage fully to pa.s.s, and in these halls you go up to the holy bed of a daughter of Nereus. Truly the father, the son of Cronos, made you very pre-eminent among heroes and honoured above other men who eat bread and consume the fruit of the ground."'

Fragment #59--[1739] Origen, Against Celsus, iv. 79: 'For in common then were the banquets, and in common the seats of deathless G.o.ds and mortal men.'

Fragment #60--Scholiast on Homer, Il. xvi. 175: ...whereas Hesiod and the rest call her (Peleus' daughter) Polydora.

Fragment #61--Eustathius, Hom. 112. 44 sq: It should be observed that the ancient narrative hands down the account that Patroclus was even a kinsman of Achilles; for Hesiod says that Menoethius the father of Patroclus, was a brother of Peleus, so that in that case they were first cousins.

Fragment #62--Scholiast on Pindar, Ol. x. 83: Some write 'Serus the son of Halirrhothius', whom Hesiod mentions: 'He (begot) Serus and Alazygus, goodly sons.' And Serus was the son of Halirrhothius Perieres' son, and of Alcyone.

Fragment #63--Pausanias [1740], ii. 26. 7: This oracle most clearly proves that Asclepius was not the son of Arsinoe, but that Hesiod or one of Hesiod's interpolators composed the verses to please the Messenians.