VIII. ΛΥΚΟΡΜΑΣ.

[1] 1. Λυκόρμας ποταμός ἐστιν Αἰτωλίας· μετωνομάσθη δʼ Εὔηνος διʼ αἰτίαν τοιαύτην. Ἴδας, ὁ Ἀφαρέως παῖς, διʼ ἐρωτικὴν ἐπιθυμίαν Μάρπησσαν ἁρπάσας, ἀπήνεγκεν εἰς Πλεύρωνα. Κατηχηθεὶς δὲ περὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων ὁ Εὔηνος, ἐπεδίωκεν τὸν ἐπίβουλον τῆς ἰδίας θυγατρός γενόμενος δὲ κατὰ Λυκόρμαν καὶ τῆς συλλήψεως ἀπελπίσας, ἑαυτὸν εἰς ποταμὸν ἔβαλεν, ὅς ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ Εὔηνες μετωνομάσθη.

[2] 2. Γεννᾶται δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ βοτάνη σάρισα προσαγορευομένη, λόγχῃ παρόμοιος, ποιοῦσα πρὸς ἀμβλυωπίας ἄριστα, καθὼς ἱστορεῖ Ἀρχέλαος ἐν α΄ περὶ Ποταμῶν.

[3] 3. Παράκειται δὲ αὐτῷ ὄρος Μύηνον καλούμενον ἀπὸ Μυήνου, τοῦ Τελέστορος καὶ Ἀλφεσιβοίας παιδός. Οὗτος γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς μητρυιᾶς φιλούμενος καὶ μὴ θέλων μιαίνειν τὴν κοίτην τοῦ γεννήσαντος, εἰς Ἄλφιον ὄρος ἀνεχώρησεν. Τελέστωρ δὲ τῷ ζήλῳ τῆς γυναικὸς συσσχηματισθεὶς, εἰς τὴν ἐρημίαν μετὰ τῶν δορυφόρων κατὰ τοῦ τέκνου ληψόμενος ἐδίωκεν. Μύηνος δὲ φθάσας τοῦ πατρὸς τὰς ἀπειλὰς κατεκρήμνισεν ἑαυτόν. Τὸ δʼ ὄρος κατὰ πρόνοιαν θεῶν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ Μύηνον μετωνομάσθη.

[4] 4. Γεννᾶται δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ λευκόϊον ἄνθος, ὃ μητρυιᾶς ὀνομασθείσης μαραίνεται, καθὼς ἱστορεῖ Δέρκυλλος ἐν γ΄ περὶ Ὀρῶν.

De Fluviis. Pseudo-Plutarch. ed. Carolus Müllerus. United States. 2017.

Funding provided by Harvard Library Arcadia Fund.

Current edition First1KGreek

De Fluviis (Greek) (Pseudo-Plutarch. Geographi graeci minores Volumen Secundum. Müller, Karl, editor. Paris: Ambroise Firmin Didot, 861.)

Translations (2)

On the Naming of Rivers, Mountains, and Things Found in Them First1KGreek (Pseudo-Plutarch. On the Naming of Rivers, Mountains, and Things Found in Them. Hawes, Greta, et al., translators. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies, 2022. (Digital publication).) — 8 focus

The Lycormas

The Lycormas is a river in Aitolia. It was renamed Euenos for this reason. Desire caused Idas, son of Aphareus, to abduct Marpessa and carry her away to Pleuron. When Euenos learned what had happened he set about pursuing his daughter’s abductor. When he arrived at the Lycormas he gave up all hope of catching him and threw himself into the river, which was renamed the Euenos after him.

There is produced in this river a plant called zarisa¹ that looks like a spear. It does wonders for those with poor vision.

Nearby is Mount Myenos which is named after Myenos, son of Telestor and Alphesiboia. Myenos was desired by his stepmother and, not wanting to pollute the marriage-bed of his father, he withdrew to Mount Alphios. Telestor, fancying him protector of his wife, took his bodyguards with him into the wilderness and set about pursuing his son. Myenos, anticipating the aggressions of his father, threw himself down a precipice. By the providence of the gods the mountain was renamed Myenos after him.

There is produced on this mountain the flower leucoios, which withers and dies when the word stepmother is used. Dercyllos recounts this in Book 3 of his On Mountains.

Of the Names of Rivers and Mountains, and of Such Things as are to be Found Therein Perseus ([Pseudo-]Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 5. Goodwin, William W., editor. White, R., translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge, Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 8 focus

VIII. LYCORMAS.

LYCORMAS is a river of Aetolia, formerly called Evenus for this reason. Idas the son of Aphareus, after he had ravished away by violence Marpessa, with whom he was passionately in love, carried her away to Pleuron, a city of Aetolia. This rape of his daughter Evenus could by no means endure, and therefore pursued after the treacherous ravisher, till he came to the river Lycormas. But then despairing to overtake the fugitive, he threw himself for madness into the river, which from his own name was called Evenus.

In this river grows an herb which is called sarissa, because it resembles a spear, of excellent use for those that are troubled with dim sight;—as Archelaus relates in his First Book of Rivers.

Near to this river lies Myenus, from Myenus the son of Telestor and Alphesiboea; who, being beloved by his mother-in-law and unwilling to defile his father’s bed, retired himself to the mountain Alphius. But Telestor, being made jealous of his wife, pursued his son into the wilderness; and followed him so close, that Myenus, not being able to escape, flung himself headlong from the top of the mountain, which for that reason was afterwards called Myenus.

Upon this mountain grows a flower called the white violet, which, if you do but name the word step-dame, presently dies away;—as Dercyllus reports in his Third Book of Mountains.

Pseudo-Plutarch De Fluviis 8

ed. Carolus Müllerus

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VIII. ΛΥΚΟΡΜΑΣ.

Current edition First1KGreek

The Lycormas

VIII. LYCORMAS.

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