31 (1) RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 31 - EIGHTH LABOUR: THE MAN-EATING HORSES OF DIOMEDES - PART ONE

HERCULES 31 - EIGHTH LABOUR: THE MAN-EATING HORSES OF DIOMEDES - PART ONE

a)

Postquam ex ínsulá Crétá rediit, Herculés ab Eurystheó in Thráciam missus est, ut equós Diomédis redúceret. Hí equí carne hominum véscébantur; Diomédés autem, vir crúdélissimus, illís obiciébat peregrínós omnís quí in eam regiónem vénerant. Herculés igitur mágná celeritáte in Thráciam contendit et ab Dioméde postulávit ut equí sibi tráderentur. Cum tamen ille hóc facere nóllet, Herculés írá commótus régem interfécit et cadáver éius equís obicí iussit.

b)

Some words have been chosen for special consideration and are listed below. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

insula creta – in Latin we say ‘the island Crete’ whereas in English we say ‘the island of Crete’, Latin is in this instance the more logical as there is no genitive, no possession implied, it is the island Crete not ‘the island of Crete' or 'the island belonging to Crete’.

Eurystheo – ablative after a (ab before word beginning with vowel as here).

in Thraciam – accusative after in meaning into, motion into, as opposed to place where which would be in the ablative.

ut reduceret – ut here introduces a purpose clause, ‘in order that he bring back’, or more concisely ‘to bring back … ‘ so the verb will be in the subjunctive mood.

carne – this is ablative of caro, caronis f. third declension noun governed by the verb vescor, eat.

Vescebantur – here we have the imperfect tense to talk about customary action, ‘they used to …’.

ut tráderentur - postuló, like imperó, takes an object clause introduced by ut with its verb in the subjunctive.

sibi -  thdative, to him i.e. the subject of the main clause himself, Hercules.

írá commotus – moved by anger, or moved by wrath, you might translate became very angry as the participle (commotus) is frequently best rendered by a finite verb.

cadaver eius – ‘his body’, notice that ‘his’ is translated eius ‘of him’ when referring to someone other than the subject.

cadáver obici – the body to be thrown, obici is the passive infinitive and its subject, cadaver is in the accusative case.

c)

Note: This section is not translated into idiomatic English but is intended, together with the notes, to give you the gist of the meaning; you can then come up with your own improved translation.

Postquam ex ínsulá Crétá rediit,

After he returned from the island of Crete,

Herculés ab Eurystheó in Thráciam missus est,

Hercules was sent by Eurystheo into Thrace,

ut equós Diomédis redúceret.

In order to bring back the horses of Diomedes.

Hí equí carne hominum véscébantur;

These horses used to eat the flesh of men;

Diomédés autem, vir crúdélissimus,

Now Diomedes, a most cruel man,

illís obiciébat peregrínós omnís

used to throw to them all the strangers

quí in eam regiónem vénerant.

Who came  into the region.

Herculés igitur mágná celeritáte

Hercules therefore with great speed

in Thráciam contendit et ab Dioméde postulávit

made his way into Thrace and demanded of Diomedes

ut equí sibi tráderentur.

That he hand over the horses to him.

Cum tamen ille hóc facere nóllet,

Since however he did not want to do this,

Herculés írá commótus régem interfécit

Hercules moved by anger killed the king

et cadáver éius equís obicí iussit.

And ordered his body be thrown to the horses.

d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.

Postquam ex insula Creta rediit,

Hercules ab Eurystheo in Thraciam missus est,

ut equos Diomedis reduceret. Hi equi

carne hominum vescebantur; Diomedes autem,

vir crudelissimus, illis obiciebat peregrinos omnis

qui in eam regionem venerant. Hercules igitur

magna celeritate in Thraciam contendit

et ab Diomede postulavit ut equi sibi traderentur.

Cum tamen ille hoc facere nollet, Hercules

ira commotus regem interfecit et cadaver eius

equis obici iussit.