Arion · lines 1–6
Arion makes his fortune in the Greek West and hires a Corinthian ship for the voyage home · Tales from Herodotus · GCSE Greek · OCR J292/02
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativePrepositionConjunctionAdverb
Greek
English
1Ἀρίων ὁ κιθαρῳδός, τὸν πολὺν τοῦ χρόνου διατρίβων
2παρὰ Περιάνδρῳ τῷ Κορίνθου τυράννῳ, ἐπεθύμησε πλεῦσαι
3εἰς Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ Σικελίαν.
Arion the cithara-singer, who spent most of his time at the court of Periander, tyrant of Corinth, was seized by a desire to sail to Italy and Sicily.
3ἐργασάμενος δὲ χρήματα
4μεγάλα, ἠθέλησεν ὀπίσω εἰς Κόρινθον ἀφικέσθαι.
He made a great deal of money there, and then wanted to come back to Corinth.
4ὡρμᾶτο
5μέν νυν ἐκ Τάραντος, πιστεύων δὲ οὐδαμοῖς μᾶλλον ἢ
6Κορινθίοις, ἐμισθώσατο πλοῖον ἀνδρῶν Κορινθίων.
So he set out from Tarentum and, since there was nobody he trusted more than Corinthians, he hired a ship crewed by Corinthian men.
Style notes this section · 15Word order · 2Repetition and structure · 6Word choice · 3Imagery and tone · 3Grammar · 1
1
ὁ κιθαρῳδόςCharacterisation
the cithara-singer
Arion is introduced by his profession straight away, so the reader sees him as a famous musician, which prepares for his final song on the ship.
1
τὸν πολὺν τοῦ χρόνουEmphasis
the greater part of his time
Herodotus stresses how long Arion stayed with Periander, which shows a close bond with a powerful patron who will matter later in the story.
1–5
διατρίβων … ἐργασάμενος … πιστεύωνFast pace
spending … having earned … trusting
A string of participles compresses years of travel into a few lines, which moves the story quickly towards the voyage and the real drama.
2–4
Κορίνθου … ΚόρινθονRing structure
of Corinth … to Corinth
The journey starts at Corinth and is meant to end there, which frames the voyage neatly.
2–6
Κορίνθου … Κόρινθον … Κορινθίοις … ΚορινθίωνRepetition
Corinth … Corinth … Corinthians … Corinthian
Corinth is named four times, so the city dominates the passage and its people become central to the plot.
2–4
ἐπεθύμησε … ἠθέλησενParallelism
he desired … he wanted
Two matching verbs of wishing show that Arion's own desires drive the story and lead him into danger.
3
Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ ΣικελίανPairing
both Italy and Sicily
Linking two destinations with τε καί highlights the distance and ambition of his tour, and so the risk of travelling so far by sea.
3–4
ἐργασάμενος δὲ χρήματα μεγάλαForeshadowing
having made a great deal of money
The reader learns that Arion is carrying a fortune, and this becomes the crew's motive for trying to kill him.
4
μεγάλαEmphatic position
great
Placing "great" at the end of the phrase draws attention to the size of his wealth.
4–5
ὡρμᾶτο μέν … πιστεύων δέContrast (μέν … δέ)
he set out … trusting
The balanced construction sets his departure against his trust in the Corinthians, which turns out to be his mistake.
5–6
πιστεύων δὲ οὐδαμοῖς μᾶλλον ἢ ΚορινθίοιςDramatic irony
trusting nobody more than Corinthians
Arion trusts the Corinthians above everyone, yet they are the men who will betray him, so the reader feels uneasy on his behalf.
5
οὐδαμοῖςEmphatic negative
nobody
"Nobody" is a strong word that shows how complete his trust in the Corinthians was.
6
Κορινθίοις … ΚορινθίωνPolyptoton
Corinthians … Corinthian
The same word appears twice in different cases, which draws attention to the crew's nationality and reinforces the irony.
6
ἐμισθώσατοIrony
he hired
Arion pays for the ship himself, which means he is hiring the very men who will try to murder him.
6
ἀνδρῶν ΚορινθίωνEmphatic position
of Corinthian men
The crew's nationality comes at the very end of the sentence, so it is the last detail the reader is left with.
Notes on the text 6
1
Ἀρίων, -ονος, ὁArion
Arion
A poet and musician from Methymna on Lesbos, active around 600 BC. Herodotus says he was the finest cithara-singer of his day and the first to compose the dithyramb, a choral song for Dionysus, as a work of art.
1
κιθαρῳδόςThe cithara
cithara-singer
The cithara (κιθάρα) was the large concert version of the lyre, the instrument of professional performers. A κιθαρῳδός sang to his own accompaniment on it.
2
Περίανδρος, -ου, ὁPeriander
Periander
Ruler of Corinth from about 627 to 587 BC, under whom the city was rich and powerful. A τύραννος was a man who held sole power in a city without inheriting it as a king; the word did not necessarily mean that he was cruel.
2
Κόρινθος, -ου, ἡCorinth
Corinth
A wealthy trading city on the Isthmus, the strip of land joining the Peloponnese to central Greece, with harbours on both sides.
3
Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ ΣικελίανThe Greek West
Italy and Sicily
Southern Italy and Sicily were full of Greek cities, several of them Corinthian colonies (Syracuse was one). They were rich places where a famous performer could earn a fortune.
5
Τάρας, -αντος, ὁTarentum
Tarentum
Taras (modern Taranto), a Spartan colony on the gulf in the instep of Italy, and a natural place to take ship for Greece.
Questions to think about · 2
- Herodotus mentions Arion's fortune before he says anything about the voyage. What does that lead you to expect?
- Arion picks his ship because the crew are Corinthians. How does Herodotus make sure we notice that choice?
About this story background
Herodotus tells the story of Arion in Book 1 of the Histories (1.23–24), as an aside while he is describing Periander, ruler of Corinth. He says that the Corinthians and the people of Lesbos, Arion's home island, both tell it, and that in his day there was a small bronze figure at Taenarum of a man riding a dolphin, which Arion had dedicated there.
The tale was famous throughout antiquity. Dolphins were thought to love music, and they had a special connection with Apollo, patron of music and song: one story explained the name of his oracle at Delphi by saying that he had once appeared there in the form of a dolphin (δελφίς). A musician rescued by a dolphin is a musician the gods are looking after.
Watch how Herodotus tells it. The narrative is quick and plain, and most of the drama is carried by where he puts his words, by his participles, and by a handful of details that he chooses to repeat.
Vocabulary in this section · 37 wordsVocabulary tester
Ἀρίων, -ονος, ὁ Arion
ὁ, ἡ, τό the
κιθαρῳδός, -οῦ, ὁ one who sings to the cithara
πολύς, πολλή, πολύ much, many
χρόνος, -ου, ὁ time
διατρίβω spend (time)
παρά (+ dat.) beside, at the court of
Περίανδρος, -ου, ὁ Periander
Κόρινθος, -ου, ἡ Corinth
τύραννος, -ου, ὁ tyrant, absolute ruler
ἐπιθυμέω desire, want
πλέω sail
εἰς (+ acc.) into, to
Ἰταλία, -ας, ἡ Italy
τε … καί both … and
καί and
Σικελία, -ας, ἡ Sicily
ἐργάζομαι work, earn
δέ and, but
χρῆμα, -ατος, τό thing; (pl.) money
μέγας, μεγάλη, μέγα large, great
ἐθέλω wish, want
ὀπίσω back, again
ἀφικνέομαι arrive, come
ὁρμάομαι set out, start
μέν on the one hand
νυν then, so
ἐκ (+ gen.) out of, from
Τάρας, -αντος, ὁ Tarentum
πιστεύω (+ dat.) trust
οὐδαμός, -ή, -όν no one
μᾶλλον more, rather
ἤ than
Κορίνθιος, -α, -ον Corinthian
μισθόω hire (middle: hire for oneself)
πλοῖον, -ου, τό boat, ship
ἀνήρ, ἀνδρός, ὁ man