(1) καὶ τἄλλα φαύλως εἶπον καὶ τὸ πρῶτον γένος ἀνθρώπων ἐκ μελιῶν γενέσθαι [φασίν]. (2) ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ ἀμήχανον ἐκ ξύλων ἀνθρώπους γενέσθαι. (3) ἀλλὰ Μέλιός τις ἐγένετο καὶ Μελίαι ἐκλήθησαν ἀπὸ τούτου, ὥσπερ Ἕλληνες ἀπὸ Ἕλληνος καὶ Ἴωνες ἀπὸ Ἴωνος. (4) ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνο μὲν ἐφθάρη τὸ γένος ὅλον, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἀπέσβη. (5) σιδηρᾶ δὲ καὶ χαλκῆ γενεὰ οὐδέποτε ἐγένετο, ἀλλ’ ἐφλυαρήθη ταῦτα.
notes
The division of the mythical past into Gold, Silver, Bronze, Heroic, and Iron Ages goes back to Hesiod’s Works and Days (109–201). According to Hesiod, the third generation of mortal humans, which Zeus created during the Bronze Age, were born from ash trees. These ash-born people were strong and violent, and ended up destroying each other through constant warfare.
For a fuller version of the story that Palaephatus is responding to, see Hesiod Works and Days 140–155. For other mentions of humans being born from ash trees, see Statius Thebaid 4.279–81; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.1641.
1
καὶ τἄλλα … καὶ: “other things too, in particular that.” The word ἄλλα can often coordinate with καὶ in this way (see LSJ ἄλλος II.6 and Montanari ἄλλος 1.B.2).
τἄλλα: τὰ ἄλλα.
3
ἀλλὰ: “instead.”
Μέλιός τις: Palaephatus has simply made the adjective “[made from] ash” into a proper name, “Ash.”
4
καὶ δὴ καὶ: a connective καί, an emphatic δή, and an adverbial καί, “and in particular.”
vocabulary
1
φαύλως, adv. carelessly
μελία –ας, ἡ ash tree
2
ἀμήχανος –ον unworkable, impossible
ξύλον –ου, τό wood
3
Μέλιος –ου, ὁ Melios (male name); "Ashen"
Μελία –ας, ἡ Daughter of Melios
Ἕλλην –ηνος of Hellas, Hellene, Greek; also "Hellen," the eponymous ancestor of the Greeks
Ἴων –ωνος, ὁ from Ionia, Ionian; also "Ion," the Greek hero
4
φθείρω, φθερῶ, ἔφθειρα, ἔφθαρκα, ἔφθαρμαι, ἐφθάρην to destroy; to perish (pass.)
ἀποσβέννυμι, ἀποσβέσω, ἀπέσβεσα/ἀπέσβην (intrans.), ἀπέσβηκα, ἀπέσβεσμαι, ἀπεσβέσθην to extinguish; to die (intrans.)
5
σιδήρεος –α –ον made of iron
χαλκοῦς –ῆ –οῦν made of bronze
γενεά –ᾶς, ἡ generation, race
οὐδέποτε, adv. not ever, never
φλυαρέω to talk nonsense about something