The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 78 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth
Section 13 (part 45)
Πρῶτον δ᾽ ἐξέμεσεν λίθον, πύματον καταπίνων· τὸν μὲν Ζεὺς στήριξε κατὰ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης Πυθοῖ ἐν ἠγαθέῃ γυάλοις ὕπο Παρνησοῖο σῆμ᾽ ἔμεν ἐξοπίσω, θαῦμα θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσιν.
500 [Λῦσε δὲ πατροκασιγνήτους ὀλοῶν ὑπὸ δεσμῶν Οὐρανίδας, οὓς δῆσε πατὴρ ἀεσιφροσύνῃσιν· οἳ οἱ ἀπεμνήσαντο χάριν εὐεργεσιάων, δῶκαν δὲ βροντὴν ἠδ᾽ αἰθαλόεντα κεραυνὸν καὶ στεροπήν· τὸ πρὶν δὲ πελώρη Γαῖα κεκεύθει· 505 τοῖς πίσυνος θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσει.] Κούρην δ᾽ Ἰαπετὸς καλλίσφυρον Ὠκεανίνην ἠγάγετο Κλυμένην καὶ ὁμὸν λέχος εἰσανέβαινεν.
Themes
◆Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
The passage explicitly describes divine beings with human physical attributes such as hands (χείρεσσιν), belly (νηδὺν), and limbs (γυῖα).
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
The deities described (Cronus, Zeus) are portrayed as active, dynamic agents who deceive, fight, and rule rather than abstract principles.
All passages →