καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἴσως φέρειν δυνάμεθα, οἱ δὲ γείτονες ἡμῶν καὶ πάροικοι σφόδρα χαλεποὶ καὶ βαρεῖς εἰσιν, ἄμικτοί τε ὄντες καὶ ἄγριοι.» «Ἦ γάρ,» ἔφην ἐγώ, «καὶ ἄλλοι τινές εἰσιν ἐν τῷ κήτει;» «Πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν,» ἔφη, «καὶ ἄξενοι καὶ τὰς μορφὰς ἀλλόκοτοι· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἑσπέρια τῆς ὕλης καὶ οὐραῖα Ταριχᾶνες οἰκοῦσιν, ἔθνος ἐγχελυωπὸν καὶ καραβοπρόσωπον, μάχιμον καὶ θρασὺ καὶ ὠμοφάγον· τὰ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας πλευρᾶς κατὰ τὸν δεξιὸν τοῖχον Τριτωνομένδητες, τὰ μὲν ἄνω ἀνθρώποις ἐοικότες, τὰ δὲ κάτω τοῖς γαλεώταις, ἧττον μέντοι ἄδικοί εἰσιν τῶν ἄλλων· τὰ λαιὰ δὲ Καρκινόχειρες καὶ Θυννοκέφαλοι συμμαχίαν τε καὶ φιλίαν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς πεποιημένοι· τὴν δὲ μεσόγαιαν νέμονται Παγουρίδαι καὶ Ψηττόποδες, γένος μάχιμον καὶ δρομικώτατον· τὰ ἑῷα δέ, τὰ πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ στόματι, τὰ πολλὰ μὲν ἔρημά ἐστι, προσκλυζόμενα τῇ θαλάττῃ· ὅμως δὲ ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἔχω φόρον τοῖς Ψηττόποσιν ὑποτελῶν ἑκάστου ἔτους ὄστρεια πεντακόσια.

    ἦ γάρ: “do you mean to tell me that...” (S. 2865).

    μὲν οὖν: “certainly!”

    τὰς μορφάς: S. 1600 and 1601b.

    τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἑσπέρια: "the western parts."

    καὶ οὐραῖα: "namely, the tail-end" (explanatory καί: S. 2869a).

    Ταριχᾶνες...Τριτομένδητες...Θυννοκέφαλοι...Παγουρίδαι...Ψηττόποδες: for these names (all Lucianic neologisms), the accompanying descriptive adjectives, and their etymologies, see Georgiadou and Larmour ad loc.

    τὰ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας πλευρᾶς...Τριτωνομένδητες: "and the Mergoats (sc. inhabit) the parts on the other side." 

    κατὰ τὸν δεξιόν τοῖχον: "along the right wall."

    τὰ μὲν ἄνω...τὰ δὲ κάτω: "on top...and on bottom" (S. 1601).

    ἧττον...ἄδικοι...τῶν ἄλλων: "less unjust than the others," (for ἧττον before a positive degree adj. to express a smaller degree of a quality, see S. 324). 

    τὰ λαιά: "on the left side."

    συμμαχίαν...πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς πεποιημένοι: perf. part. mid., "having made an alliance with each other," for reflexive pronoun used for the reciprocal ἀλλήλους, see S. 1231.

    τὰ ἑῷα δέ: "the eastern part."

     τὰ πολλά: "for the most part," (S. 1609).

    ταῦτα ἔχω: "I inhabit these parts."

    ἑκάστου ἔτους: "each year," (S. 1444).

    VERB LIST

    γείτων, -ονος, ὁ: a neighbour

    πάροικος, -ον: dwelling beside or near

    σφόδρα: very, exceedingly

    ἄμικτος, -ον:, not mingling with others, unsociable, savage

    ἄγριος, -α, -ον: wild, savage

    κῆτος, -ους, τό: a sea-monster, huge fish 

    ἄξενος, -ον: inhospitable

    μορφή, ἡ: form, shape

    ἀλλόκοτος, -ον: of unusual form, strange

    ἑσπέριος, -α, -ον: western

    ὕλη, ἡ: a forest

    οὐραῖα, τά: the tail-end, the back-end

    Ταριχᾶνες, οἱ: the Broilers

    ἐγχελυωπός, -όν: eel-eyed, eel-faced

    καραβοπρόσωπος, -ον: crayfish-faced

    μάχιμος, -η, -ον: warlike

    θρασύς, -εῖα, -ύ: bold, courageous

    ὠμοφάγος, -ον: eating raw flesh

    πλευρά, ἡ: a side

    δεξιός, -ά, -όν: on the right 

    τοῖχος, ὁ: a wall

    Τριτωνομένδητες, οἱ: the Mergoats

    κάτω: below

    γαλεώτης, -ου, ὁ: a lizard

    λαιός, -ά, -όν: on the left

    Καρκινόχειρες, οἱ: the Crab-Handers 

    Θυννοκέφαλοι, οἱ: the Tunny-headed ones 

    συμμαχία, ἡ: an alliance

    φιλία, ἡ: friendship

    μεσογαία, ἡ: the inland parts, interior

    νέμω: hold, inhabit

    Παγουρίδαι, οἱ: the Crabsters (cf. πάγουρος, ὁ, crab)

    Ψηττόποδες, οἱ: the Flat-Fish-Footed ones (cf. ψῆττα, ἡ, flat-fish)

    μάχιμος, -η, -ον: warlike

    δρομικός, -ή, -όν: good at running, swift

    ἑῷος, -α, -ον: eastern

    ἐρῆμος, -ον: desolate, lonely, solitary

    προσκλύζω: wash with waves

    φόρος, ὁ: tribute

    ὑποτελέω: pay (as tribute)

    ὄστρειον, τό: an oyster

    πεντακόσιοι, -αι, -α: five hundred

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    Suggested Citation

    Eric Casey, Evan Hayes, and Stephen Nimis, Lucian True History. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2023. ISBN: .
    https://dcc.dickinson.edu/lucian-true/book-1/1-35