Euenius · lines 50–57
Dodona and Delphi give one answer: the gods sent the wolves, and Euenius must have whatever recompense he chooses · Tales from Herodotus · GCSE Greek · OCR J292/02
Show
SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativePrepositionConjunctionAdverb
Greek
English
50ἐπερωτωμένοις δὲ αὐτοῖς ἔν τε Δωδώνῃ καὶ
51ἐν Δελφοῖς τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ παρόντος κακοῦ, τοιάδε ἔφραζον
52οἱ θεοί,
When they asked at Dodona and at Delphi what was the cause of their present trouble, the gods told them this:
52"ἀδίκως τὸν φύλακα τῶν ἱερῶν προβάτων
53Εὐήνιον τῆς ὄψεως ἐστερήσατε·
"You were wrong to rob Euenius, the guardian of the sacred sheep, of his sight.
53ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐφωρμήσαμεν
54τοὺς λύκους, οὐ πρότερόν τε παυσόμεθα τιμωροῦντες
55ἐκείνῳ πρὶν ἂν δίκας δῶτε ἃς ἂν αὐτὸς ἕληται καὶ δικαιοῖ·
The wolves were our doing: we drove them on, and we will not cease avenging him until you give him whatever recompense he himself chooses and thinks fair.
56τούτων δὲ τελουμένων αὐτοὶ δώσομεν Εὐηνίῳ δόσιν
57τοιαύτην ἣν ἔχοντα πολλοὶ ἀνθρώπων μακαριοῦσιν αὐτὸν."
Once that is done, we ourselves will give Euenius a gift that will make many people call him blessed for having it."
Style notes this section · 13Word order · 2Repetition and structure · 4Word choice · 4Imagery and tone · 2Grammar · 1
50–51
ἔν τε Δωδώνῃ καὶ ἐν ΔελφοῖςPairing
at Dodona and at Delphi
The two greatest oracles of mainland Greece are linked by τε καί, so their shared answer carries huge authority.
52
οἱ θεοίEmphatic position
the gods
The subject is held back until after the verb, so the reader's attention falls on who is speaking: the gods themselves.
52
"ἀδίκωςDirect speech
unjustly
The gods speak in their own words, so the reader hears their verdict directly, which makes it more powerful.
52
ἀδίκωςEmphatic position
unjustly
"Unjustly" is the first word of the reply, so the gods condemn the Apollonians' court before they explain anything.
52
τὸν φύλακα τῶν ἱερῶν προβάτωνCharacterisation
the guardian of the sacred sheep
The gods give Euenius his title, which reminds the Apollonians that he was serving the gods.
53
ἡμεῖςEmphasis
we
The pronoun is not needed with the verb, so it stresses that it was the gods themselves who sent the wolves.
53–54
ἐφωρμήσαμεν τοὺς λύκουςIrony
we set the wolves on them
The wolves were sent by the gods, so Euenius was blinded for something the gods themselves did.
54–55
οὐ πρότερόν … πρὶν ἂνEmphatic negative
not … until
The strong negative shows that the punishment will not stop until the Apollonians obey, so they have no room to bargain.
55–56
δῶτε … δώσομεν δόσινRepetition
you give … we will give a gift
Words for giving are repeated, so the reader sees a fair exchange: first the Apollonians must give, then the gods will.
55
αὐτὸςEmphasis
he himself
Αὐτός makes clear that Euenius alone decides his compensation, with no one else involved.
55–56
αὐτὸς … αὐτοὶParallelism
he himself … we ourselves
Euenius himself will choose and the gods themselves will give, which makes both sides of the settlement personal.
55
ἕληται καὶ δικαιοῖPairing
chooses and thinks fair
Two verbs together give Euenius full control, which makes him the judge of what is fair.
56–57
δόσιν τοιαύτην … μακαριοῦσιν αὐτὸνForeshadowing
a gift such that … they will call him blessed
The gift is not named, only its effect, so the reader is left wondering what it will be until the end of the story.
Notes on the text 2
50
Δωδώνη, -ης, ἡDodona
Dodona
An oracle of Zeus in Epirus, in north-west Greece, believed to be the oldest in the Greek world. It was associated with a sacred oak, and thousands of lead tablets inscribed with visitors' questions have been found there.
51
Δελφοί, -ῶν, οἱDelphi
Delphi
Apollo's oracle on the slopes of Mount Parnassus above the Gulf of Corinth, where the god spoke through his priestess, the Pythia. It was consulted by cities and individuals from all over the Greek world.
Questions to think about · 3
- What does the gods' reply show about how they judged Euenius, and how they judged the Apollonians?
- Why do you think the gods insist that Euenius should choose his own recompense?
- What is the effect of leaving the gods' promised gift unexplained?
Oracles at Dodona and Delphi background
When a Greek community met a disaster it could not explain, such as plague, failed harvests or barren flocks, it commonly sent to an oracle to ask which god was angry and what would put things right. Delphi, Apollo's sanctuary on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, was the most prestigious: there the god answered through his priestess, the Pythia. Dodona, in Epirus in north-west Greece, was an oracle of Zeus, said to be the oldest in Greece, where the god's will was linked with a sacred oak. Excavators there have found thousands of small lead tablets on which ordinary people scratched their questions: about marriages, journeys, illnesses and lost property, as well as the affairs of cities. Consulting two oracles and getting the same answer from both left the Apollonians in no doubt.
Vocabulary in this section · 47 wordsVocabulary tester
ἐπερωτάω ask, enquire, consult (an oracle)
δέ and, but
αὐτός, -ή, -ό him, her, it; (pl.) them
ἐν (+ dat.) in, on, at
τε … καί both … and
Δωδώνη, -ης, ἡ Dodona
καί and
Δελφοί, -ῶν, οἱ Delphi
ὁ, ἡ, τό the
αἴτιον, -ου, τό reason, cause
πάρειμι be present, be here
κακός, -ή, -όν bad; (neuter as a noun) trouble, misfortune
τοιόσδε, τοιάδε, τοιόνδε of such a kind; as follows
φράζω tell, say
θεός, -οῦ, ὁ god
ἀδίκως unjustly
φύλαξ, -ακος, ὁ guard
ἱερός, -ά, -όν sacred, holy
πρόβατα, -ων, τά flock of sheep, sheep
Εὐήνιος, -ου, ὁ Euenius
ὄψις, -εως, ἡ sight, vision
στερέω deprive (someone, acc.) of (something, gen.)
ἐγώ; (pl.) ἡμεῖς I; (pl.) we
γάρ for
ἐφορμάω stir up, set on, incite
λύκος, -ου, ὁ wolf
οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ not
πρότερον before, sooner
τε and
παύω stop; (middle) cease
τιμωρέω (+ dat.) avenge, help
ἐκεῖνος, -η, -ο that; that man
πρίν before, until
ἄν (no single meaning)
δίκη, -ης, ἡ justice; (pl.) penalty, recompense
δίδωμι give
ὅς, ἥ, ὅ who, which
αἱρέω take; (middle) choose
δικαιόω consider right
οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο this; (pl.) these things
τελέω finish, accomplish
δόσις, -εως, ἡ gift
τοιοῦτος, τοιαύτη, τοιοῦτο of such a kind, such
ἔχω have
πολύς, πολλή, πολύ much; (pl.) many
ἄνθρωπος, -ου, ὁ man, person
μακαρίζω consider happy, call blessed