Britomartis

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses (Collection of Transformations), Tale 40 of 41.

Previous tale: Arsinoe (Tale 39). This page is Tale 40 only, in Greek. Contents heading: Βριτόμαρτις εἰς ξόανον Ἄφαιαν. 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.

No source heading is printed in the source for this tale; it is identified by its place in the contents list.

1

Κασσιεπείας τῆς Ἀραβίου καὶ Φοίνικος τοῦ Ἀγήνορος ἐγένετο Κάρμη· ταύτῃ μιγεὶς Ζεὺς ἐγέννησε Βριτόμαρτιν.

2

αὕτη φυγοῦσα τὴν ὁμιλίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠγάπησεν ἀεὶ παρθένος εἶναι.

3

καὶ παρεγένετο πρῶτα μὲν ἐπ' Ἄργος ἐκ Φοινίκης παρὰ τὰς Ἐρασίνου θυγατέρας Βύζην καὶ Μελίτην καὶ Μαῖραν καὶ Ἀγχιρόην, ἔπειτα δ'ἐκ τοῦ Ἄργους εἰς Κεφαλληνίαν ἀνέβη καὶ αὐτὴν ὠνόμασαν οἱ Κεφαλλῆνες Λαφρίαν καὶ ἱρ' ἀνήγαγον ὡς θεῷ.

4

ἔπειτα ἔρχεται εἰς Κρήτην καὶ αὐτὴν ἰδὼν Μίνως καὶ ἐρασθεὶς ἐδίωκεν· ἡ δὲ κατέφυγε παρ' ἄνδρας ἁλιέας· οἱ δὲ αὐτὴν κατέδυσαν εἰς τὰ δίκτυα καὶ ὠνόμασαν ἐκ τούτου Κρῆτες Δίκτυνναν καὶ ἱερὰ προσήνεγκαν.

5

ἐκφυγοῦσα δὲ Μίνωα ἐξίκετο ἡ Βριτόμαρτις εἰς Αἴγιναν ἐν πλοίῳ σὺν ἀνδρὶ ἁλιεῖ Ἀνδρομήδει.

6

καὶ ὁ μὲν αὐτῇ ἐνεχείρησεν ὀρεγόμενος μιχθῆναι, ἡ δὲ Βριτόμαρτις ἀποβᾶσα ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου κατέφυγεν εἰς ἄλσος, ὅθιπέρ ἐστι νῦν αὐτῆς τὸ ἱερόν, κἀνταῦθα ἐγένετο ἀφανής, καὶ ὠνόμασαν αὐτὴν Ἀφαίαν· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἱερῷ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος τόνδε τόπον, ἐν ᾧ ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο ἡ Βριτόμαρτις, ἀφιέρωσαν Αἰγινῆται· καὶ ὠνόμασαν Ἀφα<ί>ην καὶ ἱρὰ ἐπετέλεσαν ὡς θεῷ.

Notes

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

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