(1) Ἀργεῖοι πολιοῦχον αὑτοῖς τὴν Ἥραν ἡγοῦντο καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πανήγυριν αὐτῇ τεταγμένην ἄγουσιν. (2) ὁ δὲ τρόπος τῆς ἑορτῆς· ἅμαξα βοῶν τὸ χρῶμα λευκῶν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἁμάξης εἶναι δεῖ τὴν ἱέρειαν, οὕτω δὲ ἔχειν ἄχρι τοῦ νεώ· τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν ἔξω τοῦ ἄστεος. (3) ἧκεν οὖν ποτε ὁ χρόνος φέρων τὴν ἑορτήν, ὁ δὲ νόμος ἀπὸ τῶν βοῶν οὐκ ὄντων ἐχώλευεν. (4) ἀλλ’ ἐσοφίσατο τὴν ἀπορίαν ἡ ἱέρεια, μήτηρ οὖσα νεανίσκων ἀντὶ βοῶν τῷ ὀχήματι γενομένων. (5) ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τὸ παρὰ τῶν βοῶν παρὰ τῶν παίδων ἐγένετο, στᾶσα κατὰ τὸ ἄγαλμα, μισθὸν ἀπῄτει τοῦ πόνου. (6) καὶ ἔδωκε, φασίν, ἡ θεός· ὕπνος ἦν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ τοῦ βίου πέρας γενόμενος.
notes
Most editors consider this story a later addition. The story recalls the famous myth of the Argive priestess of Hera and her two sons, often known as Cleobis and Biton. According to the traditional version, the priestess needed to be brought to Hera’s temple for a festival, but the oxen that were supposed to pull her cart were not available. Her sons yoked themselves to the cart in place of the oxen and dragged their mother all the way to the sanctuary. Grateful and proud, she prayed that Hera would grant them the best gift a mortal could receive. The goddess answered by allowing the young men to fall asleep in the temple and die peacefully, suggesting that a blessed death was the greatest divine reward.
For a fuller version of the story that Pseudo-Palaephatus is summarizing, see Herodotus 1.31; Hyginus, Fabulae 254; Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 1.47.113.
2
ὁ δὲ τρόπος τῆς ἑορτῆς: supply ὧδε ἔχει, “is as follows.”
τὸ χρῶμα: accusative of respect.
οὕτω δὲ ἔχειν: supply δεῖ, “and [it is necessary for her] to be thus” (LSJ ἔχω B.II.2), i.e. to ride in the wagon.
τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν: supply ἐστι. The Heraion at Argos has been excavated.
3
ἀπὸ τῶν βοῶν οὐκ ὄντων: here ἀπὸ is providing an explanation, “because there were no oxen.”
4
νεανίσκων ἀντὶ βοῶν τῷ ὀχήματι γενομένων: “of young men who took the place of the oxen as the team for the cart.”
5
τὸ παρὰ τῶν βοῶν παρὰ τῶν παίδων ἐγένετο: “the [job] of the oxen was done by her sons.”
τὸ ἄγαλμα: the cult statue of the goddess Hera.
τοῦ πόνου: genitive of price; “in exchange for [her sons’] work.”
6
ὕπνος ἦν … τοῦ βίου πέρας γενόμενος: “the same sleep became also the end of their life,” i.e., the next time they went to sleep they passed away.
vocabulary
1
Ἀργεῖος –α –ον Argive, from Argos
πολιοῦχος –ον city-protector
Ἥρα –ας, ἡ Hera
πανήγυρις –εως, ἡ festival
2
ἑορτή –ῆς, ἡ festival
ἄμαξα (Attic: ἅμαξα) –ης, ἡ wagon
χρῶμα –ατος, τό color
λευκός –ή –όν white
ἱέρεια –ας, ἡ priestess
ἄχρι as far as, until (+ gen.)
ἄστυ –εως, τό city
3
χωλεύω to go awry, not work
4
σοφίζω, σοφίσω, ἐσόφισα, —, σεσόφισμαι, ἐσοφίσθην to deal with (something) cleverly (middle voice)
ἀπορία –ας, ἡ difficulty
νεανίσκος –ου, ὁ young man
ὄχημα –ατος, τό vehicle
5
ἄγαλμα –ατος, τό statue
μισθός –οῦ, ὁ payment
ἀπαιτέω, contr. to demand, demand back; demand payment
6
ὕπνος –ου, ὁ sleep
πέρας –ατος, τό end, limit