Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. I — G. R. S. Mead (1906)
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2. For they do not call Hermes " Dog " as a proper name, but they associate the watching and waking from sleep of the animal,2 who by knowing and not knowing determines friend from foe (as Plato says3), with the most Logos-like of the Gods.
3. Nor do they think that the sun rises as a new-born babe from a lotus, but so they write " sun-rise," riddling the re-kindling of the sun from moist [elements].4
4. Moreover, they called the most crude and awesome King of the Persians (Ochus) 5 — who killed many and finally cut the throat of Apis and made a hearty meal off him with his friends — "Knife,"6 and they call him so unto this day in the Catalogue7 of their kings, — not, of course, signifying his essence by its proper name,8 but likening the hardness of his mood 9 to an instrument of slaughter.
— the technical mystery-term for such experiences, or sensible knowing.
2 Or "of the Animal" — the Living One or Animal Itself or World Soul, if Dog is taken to mean the genus or Great Dog.
3 Rep., ii. 375 F.
4 That is, the ideogram of a new-horn child with its finger on its lips seated on the bosom of the lotus signified " sun-rise," and " sun-rise " within as well as without. The " re-kindling " or " lighting up again " was presumably also a symbol of the " new birth from above."
5 Artaxerxes III. ; the priests, however, presumably used this incident to illustrate some more general truth. A similar story is also related of Cambyses (xliv. 8) ; they also called Ochus" Ass "(xxxi. 4).
6 The sacrificial knife again, as in x. 2. 7 Cf. xxxviii. 6.
8 Perhaps even meaning by " his name of power."
9 Or "of the turn," where it might refer to the turn of
Egypt's fate-wheel.
5. So too shalt thou, if thou hearest and receivest the [mysteries] about the Gods from those who interpret the myth purely and according to the love of wisdom, and if thou doest ever and keepest carefully the customs observed by the priests, and if thou thinkest that thou wilt offer neither sacrifice nor act more pleasing to the Gods than the holding a true view concerning them, — thou shalt escape an ill no less than beingwithout-the-gods,1 [that is to say] the fearing-of-thedaimones.2
XII. 1. The myth which is told is — in its very shortest possible [elements], after the purely useless and superfluous have been removed — as follows :
THE MYSTERY-MYTH
2. They say that when Ehea 3 secretly united with Kronos, Helios on sensing4 it imprecated her not to bring forth in month or year.5
3. That Hermes being in love with the Goddess, came to conjunction [with her] ; then playing draughts 6 against Selene,7 and winning8 the seventieth of each of the lights, he con-duced from all1 five days and in-duced them into the three hundred and sixty [days] — which Egyptians call the "now in-duced,"2 and keep as birthdays of the Gods.3
1 Or "atheism."
2 Generally rendered " superstition."
3 The Mother of the Gods — "Flowing," that is, motion pure and simple, unordered or chaotic.
4 In the most primitive meaning of the word ala-86fi.(veif — from V«"jrj lengthened form of at (compare aim).
6 privl /XTJT' iviavry. Both words are connected with roots meaning "one " in ancient dialects ; n^y=fj.-tls (J£ol.) and fvos = an-nus (Lat.). Cf. «&> /*'*«> «" ; hence eVi-at>Trfs = " one-same." The Goddess, therefore, apart from the Sun, could only bring forth in a day.
6 irerTia, — vtffffts was an oval-shaped stone for playing a game like our draughts ; it was also used for the board on which the game was played, divided by 5 straight lines each way, and therefore into 36 squares.
7 Sc. the moon. 8 Or " taking away."
4. [And they say] that on the first Osiris was born, and that a voice fell out4 together with him on his being brought forth — to wit : " The Lord of all forth comes to light."
5. But some say that a certain Pamyle,5 being moistened 6 from the holy [place] of Zeus, heard a voice directing her to proclaim with outcry that " Great King Good-doing Osiris is born " ; and that because of this she nursed Osiris, Kronos entrusting him to her, and they keep with mystic rites the Pamylia in his honour, similar to the Phallephoria.7
6. And on the second [they say] Aroueris [was born] — whom they call Apollo, and some call Elder Horus.8
On the third that Typhon, neither in season nor in place, but breaking through with a blow, leapt forth through her side.9
On the fourth that Isis was born in all moist
[conditions].