[Περὶ Γλαύκου τοῦ θαλασσίου.]

Λέγεται ὅτι καὶ οὗτος ὁ Γλαῦκος πόαν ποτὲ φαγὼν ἀθάνατος ἐγένετο καὶ νῦν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ οἰκεῖ. τὸ δὲ τῇ πόᾳ ταύτῃ Γλαῦκον μόνον ἐντυχεῖν λίαν ἐστὶν εὔηθες, τό τε ἄνθρωπον ἐν θαλάσσῃ ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν χερσαίων ζῆν, ὁπότε οὔτε ποτάμιόν τι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, οὔτε τὸ ἀνάπαλιν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ τὰ θαλάσσια ζῆν δύναται. μάταιος οὖν ὁ λόγος. ἔχει δὲ τὸ ἀληθὲς οὕτως. Γλαῦκος ἦν ἀνὴρ ἁλιεὺς Ἀνθηδόνιος τὸ γένος· ἦν δὲ κολυμβητής, ἐν τούτῳ διαφέρων τῶν ἄλλων. κολυμβῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ λιμένι, ὁρώντων αὐτὸν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ διακολυμβήσας εἴς τινα τόπον καὶ μὴ ὀφθεὶς τοῖς οἰκείοις ἡμέρας ἱκανάς, διακολυμβήσας πάλιν, ὤφθη αὐτοῖς· πυνθανομένων δὲ ποῦ διέτριψας τὰς τοσαύτας ἡμέρας; ἔφη ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ. καὶ συγκλείων εἰς ἔλυτρον ἰχθῦς, ὁπότε χειμὼν γένοιτο καὶ μηδεὶς τῶν ἄλλων ἁλιέων ἰχθῦς δύναιτο λαβεῖν, ἐπυνθάνετο τῶν πολιτῶν τίνας δὴ βούλοιντο τῶν ἰχθύων ἀποκομισθῆναι αὐτοῖς, καὶ κομίζων οὓς ἂν ἤθελον, Γλαῦκος θαλάσσιος ἐκλήθη, ὥσπερ νῦν εἴ τις ἐν ὄρει οἰκῶν καὶ ὢν ἀγαθὸς θηρευτὴς ὄρειος ἄνθρωπος καλοῖτο. οὕτω καὶ ὁ Γλαῦκος τὰ πλεῖστα ἐν θαλάσσῃ διατρίβων Γλαῦκος θαλάσσιος ἐκλήθη. καὶ περιτυχὼν θηρίῳ θαλασσίῳ ἀπώλετο· μὴ ἐξελθόντα δὲ ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐμύθευσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὡς ἐν θαλάσσῃ οἰκοῦντα κἀκεῖ τοῦ λοιποῦ διάγοντα.

Glaucos of the sea

It is said that this Glaucos once ate a certain herb, became immortal, and now lives in the sea. The idea that Glaucos alone would have happened upon this particular herb is utterly naive. And the same can be said of the idea that a human – or any other terrestrial animal – could live in the sea when not even river creatures can survive in the sea (or, conversely, sea creatures survive in rivers). So, the story is foolish.

The truth is as follows. Glaucos was a fisherman from Anthedon and a diver without equal. While he was diving in the harbour, and people were watching him from the town, he swam across to a certain spot and was not seen for several days by the townspeople. They caught sight of him swimming back and asked him, Where were you these last few days?, and he said, In the sea.

He also kept fish in a tank and, whenever there was a storm and none of the other fishermen could catch fish, he would ask the townspeople which fish they would like, and he would provide them whatever they wanted. Glaucos got the nickname ‘of the sea’ in the same way that today, when someone lives in the mountains and is a good hunter, this man is called ‘of the mountain’. So it was just because Glaucos spent most of his time in the sea that he was dubbed ‘Glaucos of the sea’. And he died when he encountered a savage sea creature. Since he didn’t emerge from the sea, people created the myth that he was living in the sea and would live there for the rest of time.

Palaiphatos De Incredibilibus 27

ed. Nicola Festa

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[Περὶ Γλαύκου τοῦ θαλασσίου.]

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Glaucos of the sea

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