From the book
Empedocles’ The Testimonia, Volume II
Empedocles of Acragas · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordGlyky hydōr is sweet, hence fresh, water.
- In this workAelian first discusses Aristotle, Democritus, and Theophrastus, then says that Empedocles too held that a sweet water is present in the sea, although not apparent to everyone, and that fish are nourished by it.
- In this editionThe edition rightly warns against transferring the experiment.
- A place to readAttributes hidden sweet water nourishing fish and a natural explanation to Empedocles.
Meaning
Glyky hydōr is sweet, hence fresh, water. Trophimon describes it as nourishing for fish. The contrast is with salt or briny water, not with a modern chemical identification of a dissolved nutrient.
Use in the book
Aelian first discusses Aristotle, Democritus, and Theophrastus, then says that Empedocles too held that a sweet water is present in the sea, although not apparent to everyone, and that fish are nourished by it. He adds that Empedocles gave a natural cause for its sweetening within brine. This last statement is valuable testimony to the perceived availability of an explanation, but the explanation itself is not reproduced. The surrounding wax-vessel test is explicitly assigned to Aristotle: a thin empty wax container is immersed and later retrieved full of drinkable water. It must not become an Empedoclean experiment by proximity. Nor does the passage distinguish clearly between fresh water located alongside seawater and a process of sweetening it; both expressions occur in the report's discussion.
Places to read
- A 66 (testimony)2Aelian, On the Nature of Animals. Attributes hidden sweet water nourishing fish and a natural explanation to Empedocles.
- A 66 (testimony)2Aelian, On the Nature of Animals, preceding discussion. Credits the wax-vessel demonstration to Aristotle, a necessary attribution boundary.
Translation in this edition
The edition rightly warns against transferring the experiment. Aelian's invitation to learn the cause elsewhere does not prove direct consultation of a complete Empedoclean poem or preserve the content of that cause.