Ascalabus

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses (Collection of Transformations), Tale 24 of 41.

Previous tale: Battus (Tale 23). This page is Tale 24 only, in Greek. Contents heading: Ἀσκαλαβὸς εἰς ζῷον ὁμώνυμον. An English translation of this tale has not been published yet; translations are added tale by tale as each is finished. See the Antoninus index for all 41 tales.

Ἱστορεῖ Νίκανδρος Ἑτεροιουμένων δ'.

1

Δημήτηρ ὅτε πλανῆτις ἐπῄει γῆν ἅπασαν κατὰ ζήτησιν τῆς θυγατρὸς ἀνεπαύσατο ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ.

2

καὶ αὐτὴν ὑπὸ πολλοῦ καύματος ὑποδέχεται Μίσμη καὶ διδοῖ ποτὸν ὕδωρ ἐμβαλοῦσα γλήχωνα καὶ ἄλφιτον εἰς αὐτό.

3

καὶ ἡ Δημήτηρ ἐξέπιε κατὰ τὸ δίψος τὸ ποτὸν ἀθροῦν.

4

ὁ δὲ παῖς ὁ τῆς Μίσμης Ἀσκάλαβος ἰδὼν ἐποιήσατο γέλωτα καὶ αὖτις ἐκέλευεν ὀρέγειν αὐτῇ λέβητα βαθὺν ἤ πιθάκνην.

5

Δημήτηρ δὲ κατ' ὀργὴν ὥς εἶχε τὸ ποτὸν αὐτῷ τὸ καταλειπόμενον προσέχεεν.

6

ὁ δὲ μεταβαλὼν ἐγένετο ποικίλος ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἀσκάλαβος καὶ ὑπὸ θεῶν καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων μεμίσηται.

7

καὶ ἔστιν αὐτῷ δίαιτα παρ' ὀχετόν.

8

ὁ δὲ ἀποκτείνας κεχαρισμένος γίνεται Δήμητρι.

Notes

Edition check, still open: this Greek text has not yet been checked against a Teubner or critical edition.

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