Plutarch, Parallela minora, Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator), 9

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[9] The story of Icarius who entertained Dionysus: Eratosthenes in his Erigonê.¹

Saturn, when once he was entertained by a farmer² who had a fair daughter named Entoria, seduced her and begat Janus, Hymnus, Faustus, and Felix. He then taught Icarius the use of wine and viniculture, and told him that he should share his knowledge with his neighbours also. When the neighbours did so and drank more than is customary, they fell into an unusually deep sleep. Imagining that they had been poisoned, they pelted Icarius with stones and killed him; and his grandchildren in despair ended their lives by hanging themselves. When a plague had gained a wide hold among the Romans, Apollo gave an oracle that it would cease if they should appease the wrath of Saturn and the spirits of those who had perished unlawfully. Lutatius Catulus, one of the nobles, built for the god the precinct which lies near the Tarpeian Rock. He made the upper altar with four faces, either because of Icarius’s grandchildren or because the year has four parts; and he designated a month January. Saturn placed them all among the stars. The others are called Harbingers of the Vintage,³ but Janus rises before them. His star is to be seen just in front of the feet of Virgo. So Critolaüs in the fourth book of his Phaenomena.

Parallela minora. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1936.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Greek and Roman Parallel Stories (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. 4. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Συναγωγὴ ἱστοριῶν παραλλήλων Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. 4. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 9 focus

[9] ο περὶ τοῦ Ἰ καρίου μῦθος, ᾧ Διόνυσος ἐπεξενώθη· Ἐρατοσθένης ἐν τῇ Ἠριγόνῃ.

Κρόνος ἐπιξενωθεὶς γεωργῷ, ᾧ ἦν θυγάτηρ καλὴ Ἐντωρία, ταύτην ἐβιάσατο καὶ ἐτέκνωσεν υἱοὺς 307f Ἰανὸν Ὕμνον Φαῦστον Φήλικα. διδάξας οὖν τὸν τρόπον τῆς τοῦ οἴνου πόσεως καὶ τῆς ἀμπέλου ἠξίωσε καὶ τοῖς γείτοσι μεταδοῦναι. ποιήσαντος δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ πιόντες παρὰ τὸ σύνηθες εἰς ὕπνον κατηνέχθησαν βαρύτερον τοῦ δέοντος· οἱ δὲ πεφαρμακῶσθαι δόξαντες, λίθοις βάλλοντες τὸν Ἰκάριον ἀπέκτειναν· οἱ δὲ θυγατρίδαι ἀθυμήσαντες βρόχῳ 308a τὸν βίον κατέστρεψαν. λοιμοῦ δὲ κατασχόντος Ῥωμαίους, ἔχρησεν ὁ Πύθιος λωφήσειν, ἐξιλάσωνται τοῦ Κρόνου τὴν μῆνιν καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας τῶν ἀνόμως ἀπολομένων. Λουτάτιος δὲ Κάτλος, ἀνὴρ τῶν ἐπισήμων, κατεσκεύασε τῷ θεῷ τέμενος τὸ κείμενον σύνεγγυς τοῦ Ταρπηίου ὄρους, καὶ τὸν ἄνω βωμὸν ἱδρύσατο τετραπρόσωπον ἢ διὰ τοὺς θυγατρίδας ἢ ὅτι τετραμερὴς ὁ ἐνιαυτός ἐστι, καὶ μῆνα κατέδειξεν Ἰανουάριον. ὁ δὲ Κρόνος πάντας κατηστέρισεν. καὶ οἱ μὲν καλοῦνται Ἰανουάριον, ὁ δʼ Ἰανὸς προανατέλλων· δείκνυται δʼ ὁ ἀστὴρ πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν τῆς παρθένου· ὡς Κριτόλαος ἐν τετάρτῃ Φαινομένων.

Συναγωγὴ ἱστοριῶν παραλλήλων Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol 2. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 9 focus

[9] ὁ περὶ τοῦ Ἰκαρίου μῦθος, ᾧ Διόνυσος ἐπεξενώθη· 10 ὡς ¹ Ἐρατοσθένης ἐν τῇ Ἠριγόνῃ. 307f Κρόνος ἐπιξενωθεὶς γεωργῷ, ᾧ ἦν θυγάτηρ καλὴ Ἐντωρία, ² ταύτην ³ ἐβιάσατο καὶ ἐτέκνωσεν υἱοὺς Ἰανὸν ⁴ Ὕμνον Φαῦστον Φήλικα. διδάξας οὖν τὸν τρόπον τῆς τοῦ οἴνου πόσεως καὶ τῆς ἀμπέλου 15 ἠξίωσε καὶ τοῖς γείτοσι μεταδοῦναι. ποιήσαντες δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ πιόντες παρὰ τὸ σύνηθες εἰς ὕπνον κατηνέχθησαν βαρύτερον τοῦ δέοντος· οἱ δὲ πεφαρμακῶσθαι δόξαντες, λίθοις βάλλοντες τὸν Ἰκάριον ἀπέκτειναν· οἱ δὲ θυγατριδαὶ ⁵ ἀθυμήσαντες βρόχῳ 20 τὸν βίον κατέστρεψαν. 308a λοιμοῦ δὲ κατασχόντος Ῥωμαίους, ἔχρησεν ὁ Πύθιος λωφήσειν, ἐὰν ἐξιλάσωνται τοῦ Κρόνου τὴν μῆνιν καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας τῶν ἀνόμως ἀπολομένων. Λουτάτιος δὲ Κάτλος, ἀνὴρ τῶν ἐπισήμων, κατεσκεύασε 25 τῷ θεῷ τέμενος τὸ κείμενον σύνεγγυς τοῦ Ταρπηίου ὄρους, καὶ τὸν ἄνω βωμὸν ἱδρύσατο τετραπρόσωπον ἢ διὰ τοὺς θυγατριδὰς ⁶ ἢ ὅτι τετραμερὴς ὁ ἐνιαυτός ἐστι, καὶ μῆνα κατέδειξεν Ἰανουάριον. ὁ δὲ Κρόνος πάντας κατηστέρισεν. καὶ οἱ μὲν καλοῦνται προτρυγητῆρες, ὁ δʼ Ἰανὸς προανατέλλων· 5 δείκνυται δὲ ὁ ἀστὴρ πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν τῆς παρθένου· ὡς Κριτόλαος ⁷ ἐν τετάρτῃ φαινομένων. 308b

Translations (1)

Parallels, or a comparison between the Greek and Roman Histories. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 5. Goodwin, William W., editor; Oswald, John, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 9 focus

[9] Eratosthenes in Erigone tells a story of Icarius, that entertained Bacchus under his roof; and it runs thus. Saturn, having taken up his lodging with an husbandman who had a very beautiful daughter named Entoria, took her to his bed, and had several sons by her, Janus, Hymnus, Faustus, and Felix. He taught his host Icarius the use of wine and the way of dressing his vines, with a charge that he should likewise instruct his neighbors in the mystery. His acquaintance, hereupon finding that this strange drink had cast them into a deeper sleep than ordinary, took a fancy that they were poisoned, and stoned Icarius in revenge; whereupon his grandchildren hanged themselves for grief.

Upon a time, when the plague was very hot in Rome, the Pythian oracle being consulted gave this answer, that upon the appeasing the wrath of Saturn, and the Manes of those that were unjustly killed, the pestilence would cease. Lutatius Catulus, a man of the first quality, caused a temple upon this occasion to be erected near the Tarpeian Mount, which he dedicated to Saturn, placing an altar in it with four faces; possibly with a respect to Saturn’s four children, or to the four seasons of the year. He also instituted the month of January. But Saturn translated them all to heaven among the stars, some of which are called Protrygeteres, as forerunners of the vintage; only Janus rises first, and has his place at the feet of the Virgin.— Critolaus, in his Fourth Book of Celestial Appearances.

Notes on the current edition

Greek and Roman Parallel Stories

1. Cf. Powell, Collectanea Alexandrina, pp. 64 ff., for the fragments of the Erigonê. Powell is no doubt right in ignoring this passage, of which Wyttenbach remarks Noster tenebrio omnia turbavit.

2. Presumably Icarius.

3. Cf. Aratus, Phaenomena, 138, who mentions only one star of this name, the Vindemiator, which ushers in the autumn.

Plutarch Parallela minora 9

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

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