# Fragmenta 5

Mnaseas Patrensis, Fragmenta, Dfhg-Source dfhg3_MNASEAS_PATRENSIS. Ancient Greek.

Canonical: https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/greek/mnaseas-patrensis/fragmenta/5

Ὃτι δὲ καὶ τὰς περὶ τὰ ἱερὰ διατελούσας Νύμφας Μελίσσας ἔλεγον, Μνασέας ὁ Παταρεὺς ἀφηγεῖται λέγων, ὡς αὐταὶ κατέπαυσαν σαρκοφαγοῦντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πείσασαι τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων χρῆσθαι τροφῇ, καθ ̓ ὃν καιρὸν καὶ μία τις αὐτῶν Μέλισσα κηρία μελισσῶν εὑροῦσα πρώτη ἔφαγε καὶ ὕδατι μίξασα ἔπιε, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας δὲ ἐδίδαξε, καὶ τὰ ζῶα μελίσσας ἐξ ἑαυτῆς ἐκάλεσε, καὶ φυλακὴν πλείστην ἐποιήσατο· ταῦτα δέ φησιν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ γενέσθαι· ἄνευ γὰρ Νυμφῶν οὔτε Δήμητρος ἱερὸν τιμᾶται, διὰ τὸ ταύτας πρώτας καρπὸν ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ τὴν ἀλληλοφαγίαν παῦσαι καὶ περιβλήματα χάριν αἰδοῦς ἐξ ὕλης ἐπινοῆσαι· οὔτε γάμος οὐδεὶς ἄνευ Νυμφῶν συντελεῖται, ἀλλὰ ταύτας πρῶτον τιμῶμεν μνήμης χάριν, ὅτι εὐσεβείας τε καὶ ὁσιότητος ἀρχηγοὶ ἐγένοντο.

---

MNASEAS PATRENSIS, Fragmenta. Text: The Greek Library, from the Perseus Digital Library and other open sources, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: apostrophes normalised and the text divided into reading sections by Interlinea.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Source: https://thegreeklibrary.pages.lisn.upsaclay.fr/works/tlg1514.tlg001.local002/.