<οἷον> Κτησίας ὁ Κτησιόχου ὁ Κνίδιος, ὃς συνέγραψεν περὶ τῆς Ἰνδῶν χώρας καὶ τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἃ μήτε αὐτὸς εἶδεν μήτε ἄλλου ἀληθεύοντος ἤκουσεν. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ Ἰαμβοῦλος περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ θαλάττῃ πολλὰ παράδοξα, γνώριμον μὲν ἅπασι τὸ ψεῦδος πλασάμενος, οὐκ ἀτερπῆ δὲ ὅμως συνθεὶς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τὰ αὐτὰ τούτοις προελόμενοι συνέγραψαν ὡς δή τινας ἑαυτῶν πλάνας τε καὶ ἀποδημίας, θηρίων τε μεγέθη ἱστοροῦντες καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὠμότητας καὶ βίων καινότητας· ἀρχηγὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ διδάσκαλος τῆς τοιαύτης βωμολοχίας ὁ τοῦ Ὁμήρου Ὀδυσσεύς, τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀλκίνουν διηγούμενος ἀνέμων τε δουλείαν καὶ μονοφθάλμους καὶ ὠμοφάγους καὶ ἀγρίους τινὰς ἀνθρώπους, ἔτι δὲ πολυκέφαλα ζῷα καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ φαρμάκων τῶν ἑταίρων μεταβολάς, οἷα πολλὰ ἐκεῖνος πρὸς ἰδιώτας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς Φαίακας ἐτερατεύσατο.

    οἷον: "for example" (angular brackets in text indicate this is a scholar's suggested addition for the opening of this sentence).

    Κτησίας ὁ Κνίδιος: Ctesias of Cnidos, fifth-century author of a lost History of India, which contained accounts of fantastic creatures. He reappears later in A True Story being punished in the hereafter.

    ἄλλου ἀληθεύοντος: "another telling the truth," gen. after ἤκουσεν Ἰαμβοῦλος: Iambulus is the author of a lost narrative (written between 165 and 50 BCE) about a fabulous trip in the Indian Ocean, summarized by Diodorus Siculus (2.55-60).

    γνώριμον μὲν ἅπασι τὸ ψεῦδος πλασάμενος, οὐκ ἀτερπῆ δὲ ὅμως συνθεὶς τὴν σύνθεσιν: "having fashioned a lie that is obvious to everyone while creating a composition that is nonetheless not unpleasant" (note the litotes).

    συνθείς: aor. act. part. nom. sg. of συντίθημι, "having composed."

    τὰ αὐτὰ τούτοις προελόμενοι: (aor. mid. part. of προαιρέω) "having undertaken (to do) the same as these."

    ὡς δή: "as though."

    τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀλκίνουν: "King Alkinous and those with him," the Phaeacians, who were the audience of Odysseus in Odyssey books 9-12.

    μονοφθάλμους καὶ ὠμοφάγους: one-eyed flesh-eaters, the Cyclopes of Odyssey 9.

    πολυκέφαλα ζῷα: "many-headed beasts," like Scylla.

    ὑπὸ φαρμάκων...μεταβολάς: "transformations by drugs," such as Circe in Odyssey 10.

    οἷα πολλά ἐκεῖνος...ἐτερατεύσατο: "many such marvels did he speak of (to the Phaeacians)," indirect exclamation (S. 2685).

    VERB LIST

    Κνίδιος, -ή, -όν: Cnidian, from Cnidos

    συγγράφω: write, compose a work

    Ἰνδός, -ή, -όν: Indian, from India 

    ἀληθεύω: speak truth

    παράδοξος, -ον: contrary to opinion, incredible, paradoxical

    γνώριμος, -ον, -η, -ον: well-known, familiar

    ψεῦδος, -ους, τό: a falsehood, untruth, lie

    πλάσσω: form, create; metaph. fabricate

    ἀτερπής, -ές: unpleasing, joyless, melancholy

    συντίθημι: put together

    ὑπόθεσις, -εως, ἡ: composition

    προαιρέω: bring forth, choose; undertake

    συγγράφω: write, compose a work

    πλάνη, ἡ: a wandering, roaming

    ἀποδημία, ἡ: a being from home, a going abroad

    θηρίον, τό: a wild animal, beast

    ἱστορέω: record, give an account of

    ὠμότης, -ητος, ἡ: rawness; metaph. cruelty, savagery

    καινότης, -ητος, ἡ: newness, freshness; in pl. novelties

    ἀρχηγός, -όν: founder, leader

    διδάσκαλος, ὁ: teacher, master

    βωμολοχία, ἡ: buffoonery, ribaldry

    διηγέομαι: set out in detail, describe in full

    ἄνεμος, ὁ: wind

    δουλεία, ἡ: servitude, slavery

    μονόφθαλμος, -ον: one-eyed

    ὠμοφάγος, -ον: flesh-eating

    ἄγριος, -α, -ον: wild, savage

    πολυκέφαλος, -ον: many-headed

    φάρμακον, τό: a drug, medicine; enchanted potion; poison

    ἑταῖρος, ὁ: a comrade, companion, mate

    μεταβολή, ἡ: change

    ἰδιώτης, -ου, ὁ: individual, simpleton

    Φαίαξ, ακος, ὁ: a Phaeacian

    τερατεύομαι: talk marvels; beguile

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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-1/1-3