(1) Διὸς Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Ἑρμοῦ παῖς. (2) Ὑριεὺς ὁ Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Ἀλκυόνης, μιᾶς τῶν Ἄτλαντος θυγατέρων, ᾤκει μὲν ἐν Τανάγρᾳ τῆς Βοιωτίας, φιλοξενώτατος δὲ ὢν ὑπεδέξατό ποτε τοὺς θεούς. (3) Ζεὺς δὲ καὶ Ποσειδῶν καὶ Ἑρμῆς ἐπιξενωθέντες αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν φιλοφροσύνην ἀποδεξάμενοι παρῄνεσαν αἰτεῖν ὅ τι ἂν βούλοιτο· ὁ δὲ ἄτεκνος ὢν ᾐτήσατο παῖδα. (4) λαβόντες οὖν οἱ θεοὶ τὴν τοῦ ἱερουργηθέντος αὐτοῖς βοὸς βύρσαν ἀπεσπέρμηναν εἰς αὐτὴν καὶ ἐκέλευσαν κρύψαι κατὰ γῆν καὶ μετὰ δέκα μῆνας ἀνελέσθαι· ὧν διελθόντων ἐγένετο ὁ Οὐρίων, οὕτως ὀνομασθεὶς διὰ τὸ οὐρῆσαι [ὥσπερ] τοὺς θεούς, ἔπειτα κατ’ εὐφημισμὸν Ὠρίων. (5) συγκυνηγῶν δὲ οὗτος Ἀρτέμιδι, ἐπεχείρησεν αὐτὴν βιάσασθαι· ὀργισθεῖσα δὲ ἡ θεὸς ἀνέδωκεν ἐκ τῆς γῆς σκορπίον, ὃς αὐτὸν πλήξας κατὰ τὸν ἀστράγαλον ἀπέκτεινε. (6) Ζεὺς δὲ συμπαθήσας κατηστέρισεν αὐτόν.
notes
Most editors consider this story a later addition. According to myth, Orion was a giant hunter connected with Boeotia and with the gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hermes. In one version, the childless Hyrieus received these gods as guests and was rewarded for his hospitality. The gods took the hide of a sacrificed ox, placed their seed in it, buried it in the earth, and instructed Hyrieus to dig it up after a set time. From it, Orion was born. Orion became a mighty hunter and companion of Artemis. His death was explained in several ways, but in this version, he tried to assault Artemis, and the goddess sent a scorpion from the earth to kill him. Zeus then placed Orion among the stars.
For a fuller version of the story that Pseudo-Palaephatus is responding to, see Ovid, Fasti 5.493–544; Hyginus, Fabulae 195; Servius Grammaticus ad Aen. 1.535.
1
Διὸς Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Ἑρμοῦ παῖς: as the story explains, Orion was the "child" of these three gods jointly. Stern takes these words as part of the title.
3
παρῄνεσαν αἰτεῖν: “they urged [him] to ask for.”
ὅ τι ἂν βούλοιτο: indefinite relative.
ὅ τι: a space is placed between ὅ and τι to distinguish the neuter singular indefinite relative pronoun (ὅστις, ἥτις, ὅ τι) from the conjunction ὅτι “that,” “because.”
4
ὧν διελθόντων: genitive absolute; the antecedent is δέκα μῆνας, “when these [ten months] had passed.”
κατ’ εὐφημισμὸν Ὠρίων: Orion’s name is thus explained as a polite euphemism for the verb οὐρεῖν (“to urinate”).
vocabulary
1
Ζεύς, Διός, ὁ Zeus
Ποσειδῶν –ῶνος, ὁ Poseidon
Ἑρμῆς –οῦ, ὁ Hermes
2
Ὑριεύς –έως, ὁ Hyrieus, a son of Poseidon
Ἀλκυόνη –ης, ἡ Alcyone
Ἄτλας –αντος, ὁ Atlas, a Titan
Τάναγρα –ας, ἡ Tanagra, a town in Boeotia
φιλόξενος –ον loving strangers, hospitable
ὑποδέχομαι, ὑποδέξομαι, ὑπεδεξάμην, —, —, ὑπεδέχθην to welcome (a guest), to entertain
3
ἐπιξενόομαι to be entertained as a guest
φιλοφροσύνη –ης, ἡ kindliness
ἀποδέχομαι, ἀποδέξομαι, ἀπεδεξάμην, —, ἀποδέδεγμαι, — to receive, accept
παραινέω, παραινέσω, παρῄνεσα, παρῄνεκα, παρῄνημαι, παρῃνέθην to urge, bid
ἄτεκνος –ον childless
4
ἱερουργέω, ἱερουργήσω, ἱερούργησα, ἱερούργηκα, ἱερούργημαι, ἱερουργήθην to sacrifice
βύρσα –ης, ἡ skin of an animal, hide
ἀποσπερμαίνω, —, ἀπεσπέρμηνα to ejaculate
κρύπτω, κρύψω, ἔκρυψα, κέκρυφα, κέκρυμμαι, ἐκρύφθην / ἐκρύφην / ἐκρύβην to conceal, bury
μήν, μηνός, ὁ month
διέρχομαι, διελεύσομαι / δίειμι, διῆλθον to pass, elapse
Οὐρίων –ωνος, ὁ Urion; i.e. "Urinator," "Ejaculator"
οὐρέω, οὐρήσω, ἐούρησα, ἐούρηκα, —, οὐρήθην to urinate; to ejaculate
εὐφημισμός –οῦ, ὁ euphemism
Ὠρίων –ωνος, ὁ Orion
5
συγκυνηγέω, contr. to hunt together
Ἄρτεμις –ιδος, ἡ Artemis
ἐπιχειρέω, contr. to attempt
βιάζω, βιάσομαι, ἐβίασα, —, βεβίασμαι, ἐβιάσθην to violate (someone), do violence to
ὀργίζω, ὀργιοῦμαι, ὤργισα, —, ὤργισμαι, ὠργίσθην to anger
ἀναδίδωμι, ἀναδώσω, ἀνέδωκα, ἀναδέδωκα, ἀναδέδομαι, ἀνεδόθην to send forth
σκορπίος –ου, ὁ scorpion
πλήττω, πλήξω, ἔπληξα, πέπληγα, πέπληγμαι, ἐπλήγην to strike
ἀστράγαλος –ου, ὁ ankle
6
συμπαθέω, contr. to sympathize
καταστερίζω, —, κατηστέρισα, —, κατηστέρισμαι, κατηστερίσθην to place (someone) among the stars as a constellation