Alcmena

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses (Collection of Transformations), Tale 33 of 41.

Previous tale: Dryope (Tale 32). This page is Tale 33 only, in Greek. Contents heading: Ἀλκμήνη εἰς λίθον μετὰ θάνατον. 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 Φερεκύδης.

1

Μετὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέους ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισμὸν Εὐρυσθεὺς ἐξελάσας <τοὺς ἀπ'> αὐτοῦ[ς] τῆς πατρίδος αὐτὸς ἐβασίλευεν.

2

οἱ δὲ Ἡρακεῖδαι καταφυγόντες πρὸς Δημοφῶντα τὸν Θησέως ᾤκησαν τὴν τετράπολιν τῆς Ἀττικῆς· Εὐρυσθεὺς δὲ πέμψας ἄγγελον εἰς Ἀθήνας πόλεμον προέλεγε τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, εἰ μὴ τοὺς Ἡρακλείδας ἐξελάσωσιν.

3

οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀθηναῖοι τὸν πόλεμον οὐκ ἀπολέγονται, Εὐρυσθεὺς δ' ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν καὶ παραταξάμενος αὐτὸς μὲν ἀποθνῄσκει μαχόμενος, ἡ δὲ πληθὺς ἐτράπη τῶν Ἀργείων.

4

Ὕλλος δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Ἡρακλεῖδαι καὶ <οἱ> σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀποθανόντος Εὐρυσθέως κατοικίζονται πάλιν ἐν Θήβαις.

5

ἐν δὲ τούτῳ καὶ Ἀλκμήνη κατὰ γῆρας ἀποθνῄσκει καὶ αὐτὴν ἐξεκόμισαν Ἡρακλεῖδαι· ᾤκουν δὲ παρὰ τὰς Ἠλέκτρας πύλας, ὅθιπερ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ.

6

Ζεὺς δὲ Ἑρμῆν πέμπει κελεύων Ἀλκμνήνην ἐκκλέψαι καὶ ἀπενεγκεῖν εἰς Μακάρων νήσους καὶ δοῦναι Ῥοδαμάνθυι γυναῖκα· Ἑρμῆς δὲ πεισθεὶς Ἀλκμνήνην ἐκκλέπτει, λίθον δ' ἀντ' αὐτῆς ἐντίθησιν εἰς τὴν σορόν.

7

οἱ δ' Ἡρακλεῖδαι ἐπεὶ τὴν λάρνακα φέροντες ἐβαρύνοντο, κατατίθενται καὶ ἀποκαλύψαντες εὗρον ἀντὶ τῆς Ἀλκμνήνης λίθον καὶ αὐτὸν ἐξελόντες ἔστησαν ἐν τῷ ἄλσει, ὅθιπέρ ἐστι τὸ ἡρῷον τὸ τῆς Ἀλκμνήνης ἐν Θήβαις.

Notes

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

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