River Tales
“The Indos is a river in India, flowing with a great torrent to the land of the fish-eaters. In earlier times it was called Mausolos, from Mausolos, the son of the Sun, but changed its name for the following reason: When the mysteries of Dionysos were being performed and the inhabitants were spending their time in divine devotion, Indos, a youth of the nobility, forcibly raped Damasalkida, the daughter of King Oxyalkos, as she was carrying the sacred basket in the procession. While he was being sought by the tyrant for retribution, he threw himself in fear into the river Mausolos, which from then on came to be called Indos.
“A stone is produced in this river called [the text is corrupt], which, when it is carried by virgins, they do not fear being raped at all.
“In the same river also grows a plant called karpyle, similar to bugloss. It is excellent for jaundice when given to patients in warm water, just as Kleitophon of Rhodes reports in Book I of the Indica.
“Near to this is a mountain, called Lilaios after Lilaios the shepherd. For he, being an extremely devoted worshipper of the Moon alone, performed the prescribed mysteries in the middle of the night. The other gods, considering it a grave dishonour, sent two massive lions after him, and he died after being torn to pieces by them. The Moon, however, turned her adorer into a mountain with the same name.
“A stone is produced on this mountain called ‘clitoris.’ It is small and black, which the inhabitants wear as jewelry on their earlobes, as Aristotle reports in Book 4 of his On Rivers.”
Ἰνδὸς ποταμός ἐστι τῆς Ἰνδίας, ῥοίζῳ μεγάλῳ καταφερόμενος εἰς τὴν τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων γῆν· ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ πρότερον Μαυσωλὸς ἀπὸ Μαυσωλοῦ τοῦ Ἡλίου μετωνομάσθη δὲ δι’ αἰτίαν τοιαύτην. Τῶν τοῦ Διονόσου μυστηρίων τελουμένων καὶ τῶν ἐγχωρίων τῇ δεισιδαιμονία προσευκαιρούντων, Ἰνδὸς, τῶν ἐπισήμων νέος, τὴν Ὀξυάλκου τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατέρα Δαμασαλκίδαν κανηφοροῦσαν βιασάμενος ἔφθειρεν· ζητούμενος δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου πρὸς κόλασιν, διὰ φόβον ἑαυτὸν ἔβαλεν εἰς ποταμὸν Μαυσωλὸν, ὃς ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ Ἰνδὸς μετωνομάσθη.
Γεννᾶται δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ λίθος ⋯ προσαγορευόμενος, ὃν ὅταν φορῶσιν αἱ παρθένοι, κατʼ οὐδένα τρόπον τοὺς φθορέας φοβοῦνται.
Φύεται δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ βοτάνη καρπύλη καλουμένη, βουγλώσσῳ παρόμοιος· ποιεῖ δʼ ἄριστα πρὸς ἰκτέρους διὰ ὕδατος χλιαροῦ διδομένη τοῖς πάσχουσιν, καθὼς ἱστορεῖ Κλειτοφῶν ὁ Ῥόδιος ἐν α Ἰνδικῶν
Παράκειται δʼ αὐτῷ ὄρος, Λίλαιον προσαγορευομενον ἀπὸ Λιλαίου ποιμένος. Οὗτος γὰρ δεισιδαίμων ὑπάρχων καὶ μόνην σεβόμενος τὴν Σελήνην, νυκτὸς βαθείας ἐξετέλει τὰ μυστήρια τῆς προειρημένης. Βαρέως δὲ οἱ λοιποὶ θεοὶ τὴν ἀτιμίαν φέροντες, ἔπεμψαν αὐτῷ δύο λέοντας ὑπερμεγέθεις· ὑφʼ ὧν διασπαραχθεὶς τὸν βίον ἐξέλιπε. Σελήνη δὲ τὸν εὐεργέτην μετέβαλεν εἰς ὁμώνυμον ὄρος.
Γεννᾶται δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ λίθος κλειτορὶς ὀνομαζόμενος· ἔστι δὲ λίαν μελάγχρους· ὃν κόσμου χάριν οἱ ἐγχώριοι φοροῦσιν ἐν τοῖς ὠταρίοις, καθὼς ἱστορεῖ Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν δ περὶ Ποταμῶν.