Plutarch, Quaestiones Graecae, ed. Frank Cole Babbitt, 15

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[15] τίς ἡ ξυλίνη κύων παρὰ Λοκροῖς;

294e Φυσκίου τοῦ Ἀμφικτύονος υἱὸς ἦν Λοκροῖς· ἐκ δὲ τούτου καὶ Καβύης Ὀποῦς.¹ πρὸς ὃν ὁ πατὴρ διενεχθεὶς καὶ συχνοὺς τῶν πολιτῶν ἀναλαβὼν περὶ ἀποικίας ἐμαντεύετο. τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ φήσαντος κτίζειν πόλιν ὅπουπερ ἂν τύχῃ δηχθεὶς ὑπὸ κυνὸς ξυλίνης, ὑπερβαίνων εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν θάλατταν ἐπάτησε κυνόσβατον. ἐνοχληθεὶς δὲ τῇ πληγῇ διέτριψεν ἡμέρας αὐτόθι πλείονας, ἐν αἷς καταμαθὼν τὸ χωρίον ἔκτισε πόλεις Φύσκον² καὶ 294f Οἰάνθειαν,³ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας, ὅσας οἱ κληθέντες Ὀζόλαι Λοκροὶ κατῴκησαν.

Ὀζόλας δὲ Λοκροὺς οἱ μὲν διὰ τὸν Νέσσον, οἱ δὲ διὰ⁴ τὸν Πύθωνα δράκοντα κληθῆναι λέγουσιν, ἐκβρασθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάττης καὶ σαπέντας ἐν τῇ τῶν Λοκρῶν χώρᾳ. τινὲς δὲ κώδια καὶ τραγέας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φοροῦντας καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα συνόντας αἰπολίοις γενέσθαι δυσώδεις. ἔνιοι δὲ τοὐναντίον πολυάνθεμον τὴν χώραν οὖσαν ὑπʼ εὐωδίας τοὔνομα λαβεῖν· ὧν ἐστι καὶ Ἀρχύτας ὁ Ἀμφισσεύς· γέγραφε γὰρ οὕτω 295a

τὰν⁵ βοτρυοστέφανον μυρίπνουν Μάκυναν ἐραννήν.⁶

Quaestiones Graecae. Plutarch. ed. Frank Cole Babbitt. Cambridge, MA. 1936.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Αἴτια Ἑλληνικά (Greek) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Κεφαλαίων καταγραφή Ἑλληνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol IΙ. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 15 focus

[15] τίς ἡ ξυλίνη κύων παρὰ Λοκροῖς; Φυσκίου 294e τοῦ Ἀμφικτύονος υἱὸς ἦν Λοκρός· ἐκ δὲ τούτου καὶ Καβύης Ὀποῦς.¹ πρὸς ὃν ὁ πατὴρ διενεχθεὶς καὶ 20 συχνοὺς τῶν πολιτῶν ἀναλαβὼν περὶ ἀποικίας ἐμαντεύετο. τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ φήσαντος κτίζειν πόλιν ὅπουπερ ἂν τύχῃ δηχθεὶς ὑπὸ κυνὸς ξυλίνης, ὑπερβαίνων εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν θάλασσαν ἐπάτησε κυνόσβατον. ἐνοχληθεὶς δὲ τῇ πληγῇ διέτριψεν ἡμέρας αὐτόθι 25 πλείονας, ἐν αἷς καταμαθὼν τὸ χωρίον ἔκτισε πόλεις Φυσκεῖς καὶ Ὑάντειαν, ² καὶ τὰς ἄλλας, ὅσας οἱ 294f κληθέντες Ὀζόλαι Λοκροὶ κατῴκησαν. Ὀζόλας δὲ ³ Λοκροὺς οἱ μὲν διὰ τὸν Νέσσον, οἱ δὲ τὸν Πύθωνα δράκοντα κληθῆναι λέγουσιν, ἐκβρασθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάττης καὶ σαπέντας ἐν τῇ τῶν Λοκρῶν χώρᾳ, 5 τινὲς δὲ κώδια καὶ τραγέας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φοροῦντας καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα συνόντας αἰπολίοις γενέσθαι δυσώδεις. ἔνιοι δὲ τοὐναντίον πολυάνθεμον τὴν χώραν οὖσαν ὑπʼ εὐωδίας τοὔνομα λαβεῖν· ὧν ἐστι καὶ Ἀρχύτας ὁ Ἀμφισσεύς· γέγραφε γὰρ οὕτω· 10 295a

τὴν βοτρυοστέφανον μυρίπνουν Μάκυναν ἐραννήν

Translations (2)

The Greek Questions Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 15 focus

[15] What is the wooden dog among the Locrians?

Locrus was the son of Physcius, the son of Amphictyon. The son of Locrus and Cabyê was Opus. His father quarrelled with Opus and taking many of the citizens with him he went to seek an oracle concerning a colony. The god told him to found a city where he should chance to be bitten by a wooden dog, and, as he was crossing to the other sea, he trod upon a dog-brier.¹ Greatly troubled by the wound, he spent several days there, during which he explored the country and founded the cities Physcus and Oeantheia and the other cities which the so-called Ozolian Locrians inhabited.

Some say that the Locrians are called Ozolian because of Nessus; others say that it is because of the serpent Python, since their bodies were washed up by the sea and rotted away in the country of the Locrians. But some say that these men wear fleeces and goatskins and for the most part spend their time with herds of goats, and thus became evil-smelling.² But some, on the contrary, assert that, since the country has many flowers, it acquired its name from sweet odour. Among these is also Archytas³ of Amphissa, for he has written thus:

Lovely Macyna, wreathed with clusters of grapes and fragrant with perfume.

Greek Questions Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. II. Goodwin, William W., editor; Chauncy, Isaac translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 15 focus

[15]

Question 15.

What is the wooden dog among the Locrians?

Solution.

Locrus was the son of Fuscius, the son of Amphictyon. Of him and Cabya came Locrus, with whom his father falling into contention, and gathering after him a great number of citizens, consulted the oracle about transplanting a colony. The oracle told him that there he should build a city, where he should happen to be bit by a wooden dog. He, wafting over the sea unto the next shore, trod upon a cynosbatus (a sweet brier), and being sorely pained with the prick, he spent many days there; in which time considering the nature of the country, he built Physcus and Hyantheia, and other towns which the Ozolian Locrians inhabited. Some say that the Locrians were called Ozolians (strong-scented people) from Nessus —others again from Python the serpent—cast up there by the surf of the sea, and putrefying upon the shore. And some say that the men wore pelts and ram-goat skins, living for the most part among the herds of goats, and therefore were strong-scented. Others contrariwise say that the country brought forth many flowers, and that this name was from their sweet odor; among them that assert this is Archytas the Amphissean, who hath wrote thus:

Macyna crowned with vines fragrant and sweet.

Notes on the current edition

Αἴτια Ἑλληνικά

1. Ὀποῦς V. Rose ( cf. Eustathius on Il. ii. 531, p. 277): λοκρός.

2. Φύσκον F.C.B.: Φυσκεῖς is the gentile name. Cf. S.G.D.I. 1529 a 15.

3. Οἰάνθειαν F.C.B.: Ὑάνθειαν.

4. δὲ διὰ Bernardakis: δὲ.

5. τὰν and ἐραννάν are necessary for τὴν and ἐραννήν of the mss. if the words are Doric.

6. τὰν and ἐραννάν are necessary for τὴν and ἐραννήν of the mss. if the words are Doric.

Plutarch Quaestiones Graecae 15

ed. Frank Cole Babbitt

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Question 15.

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Notes on the current edition

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