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| The Cosmogony of Justinus an Allegorical Explanation of Herodotus' Legend of Hercules.
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Chapter
XX.—The Cosmogony of Justinus an Allegorical Explanation of
Herodotus’ Legend of Hercules.
Herodotus,563
then, asserts that Hercules, when driving the oxen of Geryon from
Erytheia,564
| 564 Erytheia
(Eretheia) was the island which Geryon inhabited. Miller’s
text has ᾽Ερυθᾶς (i.e., sc.
Θαλάσσης),
“the Red Sea.” This, however, is a mistake. | came into Scythia,
and that, being wearied with travelling, he retired into some desert
spot and slept for a short time. But while he slumbered his horse
disappeared, seated on which he had performed his lengthened
journey. On being aroused from repose, he, however, instituted a
diligent search through the desert, endeavouring to discover his
horse. And though he is unsuccessful in his search after the
horse, he yet finds in the desert a certain damsel, half of whose form
was that of woman, and proceeded to question her if she had seen the
horse anywhere. The girl, however, replies that she had seen (the
animal), but that she would not show him unless Hercules previously would come along with
her for the purpose of sexual intercourse. Now Herodotus informs
us that her upper parts as far as the groin were those of a virgin, but
that everything below the body after the groin presented some horrible
appearance of a snake. In anxiety, however, for the discovery of
his horse, Hercules complies with the monster’s request; for he
knew her (carnally), and made her pregnant. And he foretold,
after coition, that she had by him in her womb three children at the
same time, who were destined to become illustrious. And he
ordered that she, on bringing forth, should impose on the children as
soon as born the following names: Agathyrsus, Gelonus, and
Scytha. And as the reward of this (favour) receiving his horse
from the beast-like damsel, he went on his way, taking with him the
cattle also. But after these (details), Herodotus has a
protracted account; adieu, however, to it for the present.565
| 565 Some read
τὸν
νοῦν, which has been properly altered into
τὸ νῦν,
as translated above. | But what the opinions are of Justinus,
who transfers this legend into (his account of) the generation of the
universe, we shall explain.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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