Herodotus' HISTORY BOOK 2 (EUTERPE) Complete

Translated by G. Macaulay.

Herodotus Bilingual Anthology  Studies  Herodotus in Print

86 pages - You are on Page 30

66. Of the animals that live with men there are great numbers, and would be many more but for the accidents which befall the cats. For when the females have produced young they are no longer in the habit of going to the males, and these seeking to be united with them are not able. To this end then they contrive as follows,—they either take away by force or remove secretly the young from the females and kill them (but after killing they do not eat them), and the females being deprived of their young and desiring more, therefore come to the males, for it is a creature that is fond of its young. Moreover when a fire occurs, the cats seem to be divinely possessed; [64] for while the Egyptians stand at intervals and look after the cats, not taking any care to extinguish the fire, the cats slipping through or leaping over the men, jump into the fire; and when this happens, great mourning comes upon the Egyptians. And in whatever houses a cat has died by a natural death, all those who dwell in this house shave their eyebrows only, but those in whose houses a dog has died shave their whole body and also their head. 67. The cats when they are dead are carried away to sacred buildings in the city of Bubastis, where after being embalmed they are buried; but the dogs they bury each people in their own city in sacred tombs; and the ichneumons are buried just in the same way as the dogs. The shrew-mice however and the hawks they carry away to the city of Buto, and the ibises to Hermopolis; [65] the bears (which are not commonly seen) and the wolves, not much larger in size than foxes, they bury on the spot where they are found lying.

[64] {theia pregmata katalambanei tous aielourous}, which may mean only, "a marvellous thing happens to the cats."

[65] {es 'Ermeo polin}.

Previous / First / Herodotus History: Next Page of this Book (Euterpe)

Herodotus History - Table of Contents

Herodotus Home Page ||| Elpenor's Free Greek Lessons

Thucydides

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-Greece/herodotus/history-2.asp?pg=30