Plutarch, Quaestiones Graecae, ed. Frank Cole Babbitt, 19

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[19] τίς ἡ Ἀνθηδών, περὶ ἧς ἡ Πυθιὰς εἶπε 295e

πῖνʼ οἶνον τρυγίαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ Ἀνθηδόνα ναίεις ʼ

ἡ γὰρ ἐν Βοιωτοῖς οὐκ ἔστι πολύοινος;

Τὴν Καλαύρειαν¹ Εἰρήνην τὸ παλαιὸν ὠνόμαζον ἀπὸ γυναικὸς Εἰρήνης, ἣν ἐκ Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Μελανθείας τῆς Ἀλφειοῦ γενέσθαι μυθολογοῦσιν. ὕστερον δὲ τῶν περὶ Ἄνθον² καὶ Ὑπέραν³ αὐτόθι κατοικούντων, Ἀνθηδονίαν καὶ Ὑπέρειαν ἐκάλουν τὴν νῆσον. εἶχε δὲ ὁ χρησμὸς οὕτως, ὡς Ἀριστοτέλης φησί,

πῖνʼ οἶνον τρυγίαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ Ἀνθηδόνα ναίεις

οὐδʼ ἱερὰν Ὑπέραν, ὅθι γʼ ἄτρυγον⁴ οἶνον ἔπινες.

295f ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης. ὁ σε Μνασιγείτων φησὶν Ὑπέρας⁵ ἀδελφὸν ὄντα τὸν Ἄνθον ἔτι νήπιον ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ τὴν Ὑπέραν⁶ κατὰ ζήτησιν αὐτοῦ πλανώμενον εἰς Φερὰς πρὸς Ἄκαστον⁷ ἐλθεῖν, ὅπου κατὰ τύχην ὁ Ἄνθος ἐδούλευεν οἰνοχοεῖν τεταγμένος. ὡς οὖν εἱστιῶντο, τὸν παῖδα προσφέροντα τῇ ἀδελφῇ τὸ ποτήριον ἐπιγνῶναι καὶ εἰπεῖν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἡσυχῆ

πῖνʼ οἶνον τρυγίαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ Ἀνθηδόνα ναίεις.

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.) — 19 focus

[19] τίς ἡ Ἀνθηδών, περὶ ἧς ἡ Πυθιὰς εἶπε 295e

πῖνʼ οἶνον τρυγίαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ Ἀνθηδόνα ναίεις

(ἡ γὰρ ἐν Βοιωτοῖς οὐκ ἔστι πολύοινος); τὴν Καλαύρειαν ¹ Εἰρήνην τὸ παλαιὸν ὠνόμαζον ἀπὸ γυναικὸς 5 εἰρήνης, ἣν ἐκ Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Μελανθείας τῆς Ἀλφειοῦ γενέσθαι μυθολογοῦσιν. ὕστερον δὲ τῶν περὶ Ἄνθην ² καὶ Ὑπέρην αὐτόθι κατοικούντων, Ἀνθηδονίαν καὶ Ὑπέρειαν ἐκάλουν τὴν νῆσον. εἶχε δʼ ὁ χρησμὸς οὕτως, ὡς Ἀριστοτέλης φησί, 10

πῖνʼ οἶνον τρυγίαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ Ἀνθηδόνα ναίεις

οὐδʼ ἱερὰν Ὑπέραν, ὅθι γʼ ἄτρυγον οἶνον ἔπινες

295f ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης. ³ ὁ δὲ Μνασιγείτων φησὶν Ὑπέρης ἀδελφὸν ὄντα τὸν Ἄνθον ἔτι νήπιον ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ τὴν Ὑπέρην κατὰ ζήτησιν αὐτοῦ πλανωμένην 15 εἰς Φερὰς πρὸς Ἄκαστον ⁴ ἐλθεῖν, ὅπου κατὰ τύχην ὁ Ἄνθος ἐδούλευεν οἰνοχοεῖν τεταγμένος. ὡς οὖν εἱστιῶντο, τὸν παῖδα προσφέροντα τῇ ἀδελφῇ τὸ ποτήριον ἐπιγνῶναι καὶ εἰπεῖν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἡσυχῆ

πῖνʼ οἶνον τρυγίαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ Ἀνθηδόνα ναίεις.

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).) — 19 focus

[19] Which is the Anthedon to which the utterance of the prophetic priestess refers:

Drink wine turbid with lees, since thou dwellest not in Anthedon,

for Anthedon in Boeotia is not rich in wine?

In days of old they used to call Calaureia by the name of Eirenê, from the woman Eirenê who, as legend has it, was born of Poseidon and Melantheia, the daughter of the Alpheius. But later, when the companions of Anthus and Hypera settled there, they called the island Anthedonia and Hypereia. According to Aristotle¹ the oracle ran as follows:

Drink wine turbid with lees, since thou dwellest not in Anthedon,

No, nor in Hypera holy; for wine without lees thou didst drink there.

This, then, is Aristotle’s version. But Mnasigeiton says that Anthus, the brother of Hypera, disappeared from home while he was still a child, and that Hypera, while she was wandering about in search of him, came to Pherae to the house of Acastus, where it chanced that Anthus was the slave appointed to be cupbearer. While they were feasting the boy recognized his sister, as he was bearing her cup to her, and said to her softly

Drink wine turbid with lees, since thou dwellest not in Anthedon.

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.) — 19 focus

[19]

Question 19.

What is the Anthedon of which Pythia speaks,

Drink wine on th’ lees, Anthedon’s not thy home?

For Anthedon in Boeotia did not produce much wine.

Solution.

Of old they called Calauria Irene from a woman Irene, which they fable to be the daughter of Neptune and Melanthea, the daughter of Alpheus. Afterwards, when the people of Anthes and Hyperes planted there, they called the island Anthedonia and Hyperia. The oracle, as Aristotle saith, was this:

Drink wine on th’ lees, Anthedon’s not thy home,

Nor sacred Hypera where thou drank’st pure wine.

Thus Aristotle; but Mnasigeiton saith that Anthus, who was brother to Hypera, was lost when he was an infant, and Hypera rambling about to find him, came at Pherae to Acastus (or Adrastus), where by chance he found Anthus serving as a wine-drawer. There while they were feasting, the boy bringing a cup of wine to his sister, he knew her, and said to her softly,

Drink wine on th’ lees, Anthedon’s not thy home.

Notes on the current edition

Αἴτια Ἑλληνικά

1. Καλαύρειαν the approved form, Bernardakis: Καλαυριὰν.

2. Ἄνθον as below: Ἄνθην. (The genders are confused in the mss. Ἄνθος is presumably masc. and Ὑπέρα fem. but cf. Athenaeus, 31 c.)

3. Ὑπέρα, etc., F.C.B.: Ὑπέρη, etc.

4. γ’ ἄτρυγου Wechel: ὅτι κἂν τρύγα.

5. Ὑπέρα, etc., F.C.B.: Ὑπέρη, etc.

6. Ὑπέρα, etc., F.C.B.: Ὑπέρη, etc.

7. Ἄκαστον Bryan: ἄκαστον ἢ ἄδραστον.

Plutarch Quaestiones Graecae 19

ed. Frank Cole Babbitt

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Question 19.

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