Apollodorus, Library, ed. Sir James George Frazer, 2.7.2

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[2]
Not long afterwards he collected an Arcadian army, and being joined by volunteers from the first men in Greece he marched against Augeas.¹ But Augeas, hearing of the war that Hercules was levying, appointed Eurytus and Cteatus² generals of the Eleans. They were two men joined in one, who surpassed all of that generation in strength and were sons of Actor by Molione, though their father was said to be Poseidon; now Actor was a brother of Augeas. But it came to pass that on the expedition Hercules fell sick; hence he concluded a truce with the Molionides. But afterwards, being apprized of his illness, they attacked the army and slew many. On that occasion, therefore, Hercules beat a retreat; but afterwards at the celebration of the third Isthmian festival, when the Eleans sent the Molionides to take part in the sacrifices, Hercules waylaid and killed them at Cleonae,³ and marching on Elis took the city. And having killed Augeas and his sons, he restored Phyleus and bestowed on him the kingdom.⁴ He also celebrated the Olympian games⁵ and founded an altar of Pelops,⁶ and built six altars of the twelve gods.⁷

Library. Apollodorus. ed. Sir James George Frazer. Cambridge, MA. 1921.

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Current edition Perseus

Library (English) (Apollodorus. The Library, Vol 1-2. Frazer, James George, Sir, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.)

Editions (1)

Βιβλιοθήκη Perseus (Apollodorus. The Library, Vol 1-2. Frazer, James George, Sir, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.) — 2.7.2 focus

[2] μετʼ οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἐπʼ Αὐγείαν ἐστρατεύετο, συναθροίσας Ἀρκαδικὸν στρατὸν καὶ παραλαβὼν ἐθελοντὰς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἀριστέων. Αὐγείας δὲ τὸν ἀφʼ Ἡρακλέους πόλεμον ἀκούων κατέστησεν Ἠλείων στρατηγοὺς Εὔρυτον καὶ Κτέατον συμφυεῖς, οἳ δυνάμει τοὺς τότε ἀνθρώπους ὑπερέβαλλον, παῖδες δὲ ἦσαν Μολιόνης καὶ Ἄκτορος, ἐλέγοντο δὲ Ποσειδῶνος· Ἄκτωρ δὲ ἀδελφὸς ἦν Αὐγείου. συνέβη δὲ Ἡρακλεῖ κατὰ τὴν στρατείαν νοσῆσαι· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ σπονδὰς πρὸς τοὺς Μολιονίδας ἐποιήσατο. οἱ δὲ ὕστερον ἐπιγνόντες αὐτὸν νοσοῦντα, ἐπιτίθενται τῷ στρατεύματι καὶ κτείνουσι πολλούς. τότε μὲν οὖν ἀνεχώρησεν Ἡρακλῆς· αὖθις δὲ τῆς τρίτης ἰσθμιάδος τελουμένης, Ἠλείων τοὺς Μολιονίδας πεμψάντων συνθύτας, ἐν Κλεωναῖς ἐνεδρεύσας τούτους Ἡρακλῆς ἀπέκτεινε, καὶ στρατευσάμενος ἐπὶ τὴν Ἦλιν εἷλε τὴν πόλιν. καὶ κτείνας μετὰ τῶν παίδων Αὐγείαν κατήγαγε Φυλέα, καὶ τούτῳ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔδωκεν. ἔθηκε δὲ καὶ τὸν Ὀλυμπιακὸν ἀγῶνα, Πέλοπός τε βωμὸν ἱδρύσατο, καὶ θεῶν δώδεκα βωμοὺς ἓξ ἐδείματο.

Notes on the current edition

Library

1. For the expedition of Herakles against Augeas, see Diod. 4.33.1 ; Paus. 5.1.10ff. ; Paus. 5.2.1 ; Paus. 6.20.16 ; Scholiast on Pind. O. 9.31(40) .

2. As to Eurytus and Cteatus, who were called Actoriones after their father Actor, and Moliones or Molionides, after their mother Molione, see Hom. Il. 2.621 , Hom. Il. 11.709ff. , Hom. Il. 11.751ff. , Hom. Il. 13.638 ; Paus. 5.1.10ff. ; Paus. 5.2.1ff. and Paus. 5.2.5ff. According to some, they had two bodies joined in one ( Scholiast on Hom. Il. 13.638, 639 ). According to others, they had each two heads four hands, and four feet but only one body ( Scholiast on Hom. Il. xi.709 ). Compare Eustathius on Hom. Il. xi.749, p. 882 . The poet Ibycus spoke of them as twins, born of a silver egg and “with equal heads in one body” ( ἰσοκεφάλους ἑνιγυίους). See Athenaeus ii.50, pp. 57ff. Their story was told by Pherecydes ( Scholiast on Hom. Il. xi.709 ), whom Apollodorus may have followed in the present passage.

3. Compare Pind. O. 10.26(32)ff. ; Diod. 4.33.3 ; Paus. 2.15.1 , Paus. 5.2.1 .

4. Compare Pind. O. 10.34(43)ff. ; Diod. 4.33.4 ; Paus. 5.3.1 ; Scholiast on Hom. Il. xi.700 .

5. Herakles is said to have marked out the sacred precinct at Olympia, instituted the quadriennial Olympic festival, and celebrated the Olympic games for the first time. See Pind. O. 3.3ff. , Pind. O. 6.67ff. , Pind. O. 10.43(51)ff. ; Diod. 4.14.1ff. , Diod. 5.64.6 ; Paus. 5.7.9 ; Paus. 5.8.1 and Paus. 5.8.3ff. ; Tzetzes, Scholiast on Lycophron 41 ; Scholiast on Hom. Il. xi.700 ; Hyginus, Fab. 273 .

6. Apollodorus is probably mistaken in speaking of an altar of Pelops at Olympia. The more accurate Pausanias describes ( Paus. 5.13.1ff. ) a precinct of Pelops founded by Herakles at Olympia and containing a pit, in which the magistrates annually sacrificed a black ram to the hero: he does not mention an altar. As a hero, that is, a worshipful dead man, Pelops was not entitled to an altar, he had only a right to a sacrificial pit. For sacrifices to the dead in pits see Hom. Od. 11.23ff. ; Philostratus, Her. xx.27 ; Scholiast on Eur. Ph. 274 ; Paus. 9.39.6 ; Fr. Pfister, Der Reliquienkult im Altertum, pp. 474ff.

7. As to the six double altars, each dedicated to a pair of deities, see Pind. O. 5.4(8)ff. ; Pind. O. 10.24(30) ; Scholiast on Pind. O. 5.4(8) and Pind. O. 5.5(10) , who cites Herodorus on the foundation of the altars by Herakles.

Apollodorus Library 2.7.2

ed. Sir James George Frazer

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