Stobaeus, Volume I

Name: Stobaeus, Volume I
Author: John Stobaeus

Greek with an independent English translation.

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Stobaeus, Volume IBook I Chapter 49 · I.49.52.1–I.49.52.2

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Facing Pages · Branch 688 of 879

Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.52.1–I.49.52.2

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Ancient Greek

p. 1372

52.1

I.49.52.1

Ἐν ταὐτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ περὶ τοῦ Στυγὸς ὕδατος ὁ λόγος ἐστί, δηλῶσαί σοι βούλομαι καὶ ἑτέραν ἱστορίαν περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Φίλων γὰρ ὁ Ἡρακλεώτης ἐν τῷ Πρὸς Νύμφιν περὶ θαυμασίων ἐν Σκύθαις φησὶν ὄνους γίγνεσθαι κέρατα ἔχοντας, ταῦτα δὲ τὰ κέρατα δύνασθαι τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ διαφέρειν· καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ Μακεδόνι ἐνεχθῆναι ὑπὸ Σωπάτρου κέρας τοιοῦτο, ὃ καὶ ἀνατεθῆναι ἐν Δελφοῖς, ἐφ᾽ οὗ καὶ ἐπιγεγράφθαι·

52.2

I.49.52.2

Σοὶ τόδ᾽ Ἀλέξανδρος Μακεδὼν κέρας ἄνθετο, Παιάν, κάνθωνος Σκυθικοῦ, χρῆμά τι δαιμόνιον· ὃ Στυγὸς ἀχράντῳ Λουσηίδος οὐκ ἐδαμάσθη ῥεύματι, βάσταξεν δ᾽ ὕδατος ἠνορέην.

Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 49

p. 1373

52.1 · Philo’s story of a Scythian horn

I.49.52.1

From the same work. Since our discussion concerns the water of Styx, I wish to make known to you another account of it. Philo of Heraclea, in his work To Nymphis, On Marvels, says that among the Scythians asses are born with horns, and that these horns can withstand this water. He says that Sopatrus brought such a horn to Alexander the Macedonian, that it was dedicated at Delphi, and that the following was inscribed upon it:¹⁶⁵¹

52.2 · The dedicatory epigram

I.49.52.2

To you, Paean, Alexander the Macedonian dedicated this horn of a Scythian ass, a thing of wondrous power. It was not overcome by the untainted current of Lousian Styx, but bore the water’s might.¹⁶⁵²

1651.The new extract remains from Porphyry, now reporting Philo of Heraclea. Nymphis is the person addressed in the cited title, distinct from the nymphs of the preceding title. Diapherein is understood as withstanding or bearing the water, in light of the following epigram. The horned asses and dedication are a reported marvel; the excerpt alone does not independently authenticate the object or inscription.

1652.Paean is the divine addressee, understood here as Apollo at Delphi. Daimonion suggests something marvelous or charged with divine power. “Untainted” follows achrantōi, the printed correction noted in the apparatus. The adjective Lousian is retained as a local epithet rather than replaced by a more familiar place-name. Ēnoreē literally evokes manly force or prowess; “might” preserves its personification of the water. Excerpt 52 ends with these four verses.

About This Reading Edition

Stobaeus gathered Greek philosophy and poetry for his son Septimius. Volume I presents the dedication testimony, On Arithmetic, Book I through chapter 60, and the ancient contents of all four books. This complete bilingual edition includes an introduction and 2,117 explanatory notes.

Historical Text and Translation

The Greek follows Curt Wachsmuth’s 1884 Volume I, checked against the supplied scan. Gaps, lost-chapter headings, and uncertain attributions remain visible. Chapter 2 includes a labeled proposed reconstruction. The appendix outlines Books I–IV; the full texts of Books II–IV are outside this volume. Reader pages preserve the companion PDF’s numbering.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this independent English translation directly from the Greek. Prose and verse retain their distinct forms, with mixed passages preserving their quoted verse. Every passage is paired with its Greek and identified by the edition’s reference number. All 2,117 notes remain linked to their passages, with continuous numbering across the introduction and text.

Rights

Stobaeus’s ancient Greek work and Wachsmuth’s 1884 printing are in the public domain. The independent English translation, introduction, and explanatory notes are © 2026 Diotimos Editions. The complete supplied edition is available as PDF, EPUB, Word, and Markdown. The PDF retains the fixed page locations used by the companion lexicon.