Now The Dionysos Who Is Said To Have Been
Born Of Semele The Daughter Of Cadmos, Was Born About Sixteen
Hundred
years before my time, and Heracles who was the son of Alcmene, about
nine hundred years, and that Pan
Who was born of Penelope, for of her
and of Hermes Pan is said by the Hellenes to have been born, came into
being later than the wars of Troy, about eight hundred years before my
time. Of these two accounts every man may adopt that one which he
shall find the more credible when he hears it. I however, for my part,
have already declared my opinion about them. For if these also, like
Heracles the son of Amphitryon, had appeared before all men's eyes and
had lived their lives to old age in Hellas, I mean Dionysos the son of
Semele and Pan the son of Penelope, then one would have said that
these also had been born mere men, having the names of those gods who
had come into being long before: but as it is, with regard to Dionysos
the Hellenes say that as soon as he was born Zeus sewed him up in his
thigh and carried him to Nysa, which is above Egypt in the land of
Ethiopia; and as to Pan, they cannot say whither he went after he was
born. Hence it has become clear to me that the Hellenes learnt the
names of these gods later than those of the other gods, and trace
their descent as if their birth occurred at the time when they first
learnt their names.
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