Erotic Narrative Anonymous Daulis in Greek
Daulis is an anonymous ancient Greek prose narrative of an erotic nature. The title refers to the city in Phocis, central Greece, which is mythologically significant as the kingdom of Tereus in the tragic story of Proche and Philomela, a narrative involving adultery, rape, and mutilation. While the work's specific plot and characters remain unknown, its classification as an erotic narrative and its titular connection to a city associated with such a dark myth suggest it may have engaged with themes of desire, betrayal, and violence. The manuscript tradition and preservation status of Daulis are undocumented, and it is not listed among the extant works of known authors. Its existence presents a notable juxtaposition, indicating a potential adaptation of the tragic mythological material into a prose erotic context.
| col1 [25-28] | [ .................. ] . ε[ .... ]ο̣ν̣ . [ .. ]επ̣[ .... ] [ ............. ]σ̣[ ... ]τι̣ [φ]οβεῖται γὰρ τ[ .... ] [ ............. ] .. ε̣[ ... ]ν̣τ̣ος ἰδιώτου λ̣ . [ ... ] [space for two lines] [ .................... ] ... [ ... ]λαβόντες πρὸς [ .................. ὥρ]μησαν ἀσεβείας [ ............. τοῖς χρ]ησ̣μοῖς ἐπεχεί[ρησαν ............... τὴν γὰ]ρ̣ Π[υ]θίαν ἀμή[χαν— ................. ] ἀποθεσπίζειν [ ............ χρησ]μ̣ω̣δ̣[ .... ] μετατιθέντες [ ............... ]κ̣λ̣έ̣π̣[τει]ν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ [τρίποδος Πυθίαν κ]αὶ τοὺ[ς λ]ο̣γ̣ιωτάτους Δελ[φῶν ............... ] ... ἁ̣γ̣[ν]ὴν ἑστίαν καὶ [ ............... ]μ̣ύσ̣τ̣η̣[ν] ἐβιάζοντο τρ . [ ............... ]μμένα [δ]ε̣σ̣μοῖς ἀοράτοις [ ............... ]ς κατοπτεῦσαι καὶ τὴν [ ............... ]σκευ ..... ου λῦσαι [ ............... ] ..... εἴργ[ο]ντος δὲ τοῦ [ ............... ]του ... [ .... σ]πα[σ]άμενος [τὸ ξίφος ὁ τῆς βαρβ]ά̣ρ̣ου στρατε[ι]ᾶς ἡγεμὼν [ ............... ]ν̣ ἐπ’ αὐτὸ[ν]· “καὶ γνώσῃ,” [εἶπεν, ” .............. ]παθὼν κ̣[αὶ] βιάζῃ μάχ[ε‐] [σθαι ............. ὡ]περέχ[ο]ντα. Ἄρης γὰρ [ ............... ] ὧι νῦν ἐγὼ καθώπλισμαι [ ............... ]υτ . τ .. ἐμῆς ὅπλον ἐστί [space for four lines] χαίρει δὲ σφαγαῖς ἀνθρ[ώ]πων, αἷς καὶ ἐγὼ τέρπομαι τῶν ἐκείνωι καθοσιω[μέ]νων σπονδῶν καταρχόμενος. |
| col2 | [blank] καλὸν οὖν αὐτῶι θῦμα τὸν σὸν ἐγὼ φόνον σπείσω.” τοῦ δὲ ταῦτα μετὰ πικρᾶς ἀνατάσεως ἀπειλοῦντος, 〈ὁ προφήτησ〉 ἐπὶ τὴν ἐν τῶι προδ̣ό̣μ̣ω̣ι̣ συμφυγὼν ἑστίαν, ἐφ’ ἧς τὸ τῆς ἀθανάτου πυρᾶς τεθησαυρισμένον φυλάττεται 〈φ〉ῶς. “φεῖσαι καὶ μὴ μιάνῃς,” ἔλεγε, “Δαῦλι, τὸ τῆς Θέμιδος ἀρχαῖον ἵδρυμα μηδὲ τὸν ἀναίμακτον σηκὸν σφαγῆι φ̣[ύ]ρ̣ησαι.” “οὐ προσίεμαι λόγον,” εἶπεν ὁ Δαῦλις, ”〈οὐδ’〉 ἱκ̣έ̣τ̣ην, σ̣ὺ δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἃ δεῖ προλέγων ἃ̣ σ̣ὲ̣ δ̣ε̣ῖ̣ π̣αθεῖν οὔτι ἔγνως. παύσω δὲ πάν[τ]α[ς ἀνθρώπο]υς ψευδέσιν ἐξαπατωμένους χρησ[μ]οῖς. πο[ῖο]ς γὰρ ἐνθάδε νῦν Ἀπόλλων ἢ ποῖος ὀμφαλὸς γῆς δάφνηι καταστεφόμενος τὰ κοινὰ πάν[τω]ν ἀνθρώπων φόβητ̣ρ̣α καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐργας .. [ ... ]εδ .. ατα; ὁ γὰρ Λατοῦς ἐκεῖνος τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔχει, τὴν δὲ γῆν ἡμεῖς· μισθοῦ δ’ οὖ〈ν〉 μαντεύων θεὸς ἀνθρώπο̣ι̣ς̣ παυσάσθω πεινῶντος ἔργον ἐπιτηδεύων [ .... ] . γόητος· ἀλλὰ ταῦτ’ ἐστιν ὑμέτερα σοφίσματ[α πίσ‐] τιν ἀπὸ λῃστείας κα[τα]σκευασαμένων. ἐπὶ σοὶ νῦν ποῦ τὸ ἄδυτο̣ν̣ ἢ καὶ αὐτὸ καταδέδυκεν; μισῶ δὲ μάντεις ἀ[λ]λοτρίων προφήτας κακῶν δίκτυα χρησμῶν εἰς [ν]ε̣[ῦ]ρα ἐργασίας πλέκτοντας.” ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ὁ προφήτης, “μάντις Ἀπόλλων,” εἶπε, “καὶ Δελφῶν ἑστία καὶ θείωι στόματι προθεσπιζομένη χρησμ[ῶ]ν ἀψευδὴς ἀλήθεια καὶ χάσμα γῆς, χθονίου πνεύματος στόμιον ἐξ οὗ τὴν ἀναφε[ρομένην ἀκούομεν] φωνὴν ἀθανάτω[ν] ὑβριζόμεθα δε̣[] ἀρρήτου χρησμω[] ται ξίφει καὶ ὀφ̣[] ὁ τῆς ἀσύλου Θέμ[ιδος] ὑπὸ Διὸς ἄνθρωπο[ς ?] ναὸν κα[ὶ τ]ὴν ὀροφ[ὴν] ἀγηράτο̣ι̣ς ἀπόλ[λυσθαι] καὶ κατασβένν[υσθαι] αἵματι τὸ ἀπὸ τῆ[ς] φῶς ἀλλ’ οὔ τι τ̣[] ἀσεβείας ἀφήσε[σθαι] κ̣ν̣η̣τ̣ος τῆς σῆς η̣[] ἤδη γὰρ καὶ ὁ πα[τήρ σου . |
| col3 | ....... τόνδε τὸν] τ̣ό̣π̣ον ἐξύβρισε[] θνητὸς παρὰ θε[ὸν ............ ἤ‐] δη, Δαῦλ[ι], τέθηκται [τὸ ξίφος] ἔστε[π]τα[ι ἡ] ἑ̣σ̣τ̣[ία] κα[ὶ] καλλιερητ[] τὸν βωμὸν κει[] αἷμα· ἤδη γάρ σε [τίσονται αἱ Ἐρινύες τὸν] ἐμὸν φόνον ἐγ[] δίκης παιδὸς δ[] ἀπαραιτήτουσ[] νυκτὶ πολλῇ κα[] α[ἱ] δ’ ἐ[γ]γὺς ἐφεστη[κυῖαι] καὶ γὰρ [ἀ]γορευον[] ἐκπλή̣τ̣τεις ἤ̣δ̣[η] |