Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume I.

by active approximately 150-175 Pausanias

CHAPTER XXXV.

And next is a temple of Dionysus Melanægis, in whose honour they have a musical contest every year, and give prizes for diving and rowing. And there is a temple of Artemis under the name of Iphigenia, and a statue of Poseidon in bronze with one foot on a dolphin. And as you proceed to the temple of Vesta, you find no statue, but an altar on which they sacrifice to Vesta. And there are three temples and three statues of Apollo: one has no title, the second is called Pythæan Apollo, and the third Apollo of the Borders. The name Pythæan they borrowed from the Argives: for Telesilla says that to their country first of all the Greeks came Pythæus the son of Apollo. But why they call the god Apollo of the Borders I cannot precisely tell, but I conjecture that having obtained victory either by war or litigation in reference to the borders, they honoured for this Apollo of the Borders. And the temple of Fortune is they say the latest one that the people of Hermione have, the statue is colossal in Parian marble. And they have two wells, one an old one into which the water flows by a hidden channel, but it would never grow dry, not even if all the population were to come and drink of it: and another dug in our day, and the name of the place from which the water flows into it is Meadow. But the temple most worthy of notice is that of Demeter on the Pron. This temple the people of Hermione say was built by Clymenus, the son of Phoroneus, and by Chthonia the sister of Clymenus. And the Argives say, when Demeter came to Argolis, that Atheras and Mysius offered the goddess hospitality, but Colontas would neither receive her into his house, nor pay her any other attention: and in this he acted very much against the wish of his daughter Chthonia. And Colontas they say for this conduct was burnt house and all, but Chthonia was conveyed to Hermione by Demeter, and built the temple there to Demeter. And Demeter is called Chthonia there, and the annual festival held in her honour in the season of summer is called Chthonia too. And they keep the festival in this wise. The priests of the gods and all the town authorities for the year lead the procession, and the women and men follow. It is customary for boys too to honour the goddess by a procession, in which they take part clothed in white, and with garlands on their heads plaited of the flower which they call here cosmosandalum, but which seems to me from size and colour to resemble the hyacinth, it has also on its petals the same mournful letters. And the procession is followed by some people who lead a full grown heifer from the herd, tightly bound with ropes and curvetting wildly. Some drag this heifer to the temple and unfasten the ropes so as to let it inside, while others keep the doors open till they see the heifer inside, and then shut them. And four old women are waiting inside, and they finish the heifer. For whoever can get the chance cuts its throat with a sickle. And afterwards the doors are opened, and those who have this duty drive up a second, third, and even fourth heifer. The women finish them all off in the same way, and then this fresh wonder is added to the sacrifice: on whichever side the first heifer falls all must fall. This is the way in which the sacrifice is performed by the people of Hermione. And in front of the temple there are a few statues of women who have been priestesses of Demeter, and as you enter in there are seats on which the old women sit, waiting for each heifer to be driven in, and there are some statues not very old of Athene and Demeter. But the special object of their worship neither have I seen nor any man, whether stranger or native of Hermione. These old women only know what it is.

There is also another temple: and there are statues all round it. This temple is opposite the temple of Chthonia, and is called the temple of Clymenus, to whom they sacrifice here. I don’t think Clymenus is the name of an Argive that came to Hermione, but the title of a god who according to the tradition was a king in the infernal regions. Hard by is another temple and statue of Ares. On the right of the temple of Chthonia is a porch, called by the natives Echo, as a man’s slightest whisper is repeated thrice. And behind the temple of Chthonia are some places which the people of Hermione call, one Clymenus’ place, and another Pluto’s place, and a third the Acherusian marsh. They are all fenced in with a wall of stone: and in Clymenus’ place there is a hole in the ground, through which Hercules brought up Cerberus according to the tradition of the people of Hermione. And near the gate from which the road leads straight to Mases, is a temple of Ilithyia within the walls. They propitiate the goddess Ilithyia in various ways every day with sacrifices and incense, and to her are most of the votive offerings given, but her statue no one may look at except her priestesses.