Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation
Sydnee Bailey /
- Created on 2024-11-06 19:07:01
- Modified on 2024-11-11 20:18:30
- Aligned by Sydnee Bailey
Translation by Sir James George Frazer of Apollodorus Library 2.5.1 in 1921.
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
τοῦτο ἀκούσας ὁ Ἡρακλῆς εἰς Τίρυνθα ἦλθε , καὶ τὸ προσταττόμενον ὑπὸ Εὐρυσθέως ἐτέλει . πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐπέταξεν αὐτῷ τοῦ Νεμέου λέοντος τὴν δορὰν κομίζειν · τοῦτο δὲ ζῷον ἦν ἄτρωτον , ἐκ Τυφῶνος γεγεννημένον . πορευόμενος οὖν ἐπὶ τὸν λέοντα ἦλθεν εἰς Κλεωνάς , καὶ ξενίζεται παρὰ ἀνδρὶ χερνήτῃ Μολόρχῳ . καὶ θύειν ἱερεῖον θέλοντι εἰς ἡμέραν ἔφη τηρεῖν τριακοστήν , καὶ ἂν μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς θήρας σῶος ἐπανέλθῃ , Διὶ σωτῆρι θύειν , ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ , τότε ὡς ἥρωι ἐναγίζειν . εἰς δὲ τὴν Νεμέαν ἀφικόμενος καὶ τὸν λέοντα μαστεύσας ἐτόξευσε τὸ πρῶτον · ὡς δὲ ἔμαθεν ἄτρωτον ὄντα , ἀνατεινάμενος τὸ ῥόπαλον ἐδίωκε . συμφυγόντος δὲ εἰς ἀμφίστομον σπήλαιον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἑτέραν ἐνῳκοδόμησεν εἴσοδον , διὰ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας ἐπεισῆλθε τῷ θηρίῳ , καὶ περιθεὶς τὴν χεῖρα τῷ τραχήλῳ κατέσχεν ἄγχων ἕως ἔπνιξε , καὶ θέμενος ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἐκόμιζεν εἰς Κλεωνάς . καταλαβὼν δὲ τὸν Μόλορχον ἐν τῇ τελευταίᾳ τῶν ἡμερῶν ὡς νεκρῷ μέλλοντα τὸ ἱερεῖον ἐναγίζειν , σωτῆρι θύσας Διὶ ἦγεν εἰς Μυκήνας τὸν λέοντα . Εὐρυσθεὺς δὲ καταπλαγεὶς αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἀπεῖπε τὸ λοιπὸν αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσιέναι , δεικνύειν δὲ πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἐκέλευε τοὺς ἄθλους . φασὶ δὲ ὅτι δείσας καὶ πίθον ἑαυτῷ χαλκοῦν εἰσκρυβῆναι ὑπὸ γῆν κατεσκεύασε , καὶ πέμπων κήρυκα Κοπρέα Πέλοπος τοῦ Ἠλείου ἐπέταττε τοὺς ἄθλους .
When
Hercules
heard
that
,
he
went
to
Tiryns
and
did
as
he
was
bid
by
Eurystheus
.
First
,
Eurystheus
ordered
him
to
bring
the
skin
of
the
Nemean
lion
;
now
that
was
an
invulnerable
beast
begotten
by
Typhon
.
On
his
way
to
attack
the
lion
he
came
to
Cleonae
and
lodged
at
the
house
of
a
day-laborer
,
Molorchus
;
and
when
his
host
would
have
offered
a
victim
in
sacrifice
,
Hercules
told
him
to
wait
for
thirty
days
,
and
then
,
if
he
had
returned
safe
from
the
hunt
,
to
sacrifice
to
Saviour
Zeus
,
but
if
he
were
dead
,
to
sacrifice
to
him
as
to
a
hero
.
And
having
come
to
Nemea
and
tracked
the
lion
,
he
first
shot
an
arrow
at
him
,
but
when
he
perceived
that
the
beast
was
invulnerable
,
he
heaved
up
his
club
and
made
after
him
.
And
when
the
lion
took
refuge
in
a
cave
with
two
mouths
,
Hercules
built
up
the
one
entrance
and
came
in
upon
the
beast
through
the
other
,
and
putting
his
arm
round
its
neck
held
it
tight
till
he
had
choked
it
;
so
laying
it
on
his
shoulders
he
carried
it
to
Cleonae
.
And
finding
Molorchus
on
the
last
of
the
thirty
days
about
to
sacrifice
the
victim
to
him
as
to
a
dead
man
,
he
sacrificed
to
Saviour
Zeus
and
brought
the
lion
to
Mycenae
.
Amazed
at
his
manhood
,
Eurystheus
forbade
him
thenceforth
to
enter
the
city
,
but
ordered
him
to
exhibit
the
fruits
of
his
labours
before
the
gates
.
They
say
,
too
,
that
in
his
fear
he
had
a
bronze
jar
made
for
himself
to
hide
in
under
the
earth
,
and
that
he
sent
his
commands
for
the
labours
through
a
herald
,
Copreus
,
son
of
Pelops
the
Elean
.