EN125.05 Demetrius
Ott 2025
S. Frethorik
3. Liudgeart’s Diary
Demetrius and Friso
125.05 Among the many generals, Nearchus had a friend named Antigonus.[1] Both were dedicated to the same purpose, as they said: to serve the royal lineage and to regain for all Greeks their old freedoms.
Among many others, Antigonus had a son. His name was Demetrius,[2] later given the epithet ‘Besieger of Cities’.[3] He once attacked the city-state Salamis. After a long battle there, he was confronted with the fleet of Ptolemy,[4] the prince who reigned over Egypt. Demetrius won the conflict, not through his soldiery, but because we had assisted him. This we had done as allies of Nearchus, since we knew he was partly of our blood, having fair skin, blue eyes, and white hair. Thereafter, Demetrius attacked Rhodes. We delivered his mercenaries and provisions.
Upon completing our final voyage to Rhodes, we found the war was over.[5] Demetrius had sailed to Athenia, and when our king learned this, he led us back. But when we arrived at the harbor, [126] the whole town was immersed in grief.
Friso, the king of the fleet, had a son and a daughter at home; exceptionally fair, as if they had just come from Fryasland, and unimaginably delightful to look upon.[6] The fame of this went out over all the Greeklands, and reached Demetrius’ ears. Demetrius was vile and immoral, and he thought that he was free to do anything he pleased. He had the daughter publicly kidnapped.
The mother did not dare wait for the return of her joy. (The navigators’ wives call their men ‘joy’, which means ‘happiness’; they also say ‘sweetheart’. The navigators call their wives ‘trost’ (‘solace’) and ‘fro’ or ‘frow’, which means ‘delight’, also ‘frolic’.)
As she dared not wait for her husband, she went with her son to Demetrius, begging him to give back her daughter. But when Demetrius saw her son, he had him taken to his palace and used him the way he had used his sister. To the mother, he sent a bag of gold, but she dumped it into the sea. When she arrived home, she became frantic. She ran all about the streets, calling: “Haven’t you seen my children? O wall, help me hide! My joy will kill me for having lost his children.”
[127] When Demetrius heard that Friso was home, he sent a messenger to him, saying that he had adopted his children to raise them to a high position, as a reward for his services. But Friso, who was proud and stern, sent a messenger with a letter to his children, urging them to obey Demetrius, who desired to make them happy.
Yet the messenger had also brought poison and another letter ordering them to take it.[7] “Because,” he said, “against your will, your body was defiled. For that, you are not to blame. But if you defile your soul, you shall never reach Walhalla.[8] Your soul shall then wander the earth, never permitted to see the light. Like bats and owls you shall hide in your hole by day, and come out at night, crying and howling upon our graves, while Frya must turn her head away from you.” The children did as they were told. Demetrius had their corpses thrown into the sea and the people were told that they had fled.
Notes
- ↑ 'Antigonus' (ANTIGONUS, Greek: Ἀντίγονος; 382 - 301 BCE) — Macedonian nobleman, general and governor, known from other historical sources.
- ↑ 'Demetrius' (DEMÉTRIUS, Greek: Δημήτριος; 337 - 283 BCE) — Macedonian Greek nobleman and military leader, known from other historical sources.
- ↑ ‘Besieger of Cities’ (STÉDAWINNER) — Greek: Πολιορκητής, Poliorcetes.
- ↑ 'Ptolemy' (PTHOLEMÉUS, Greek: Πτολεμαῖος; c. 367 - c. 282 BCE) — one of Alexander's most trusted Macedonian generals, known from other historical sources.
- ↑ According to other historical sources, this war ended 304 BCE.
- ↑ ‘of marvelous, unmatched beauty’ — lit.: ‘so wonderfully beautiful as no one could remember (having seen before)’.
- ↑ ‘had also brought poison and another letter...’ — lit.: ‘had yet another letter with poison’; changed for clarity.
- ↑ Walhalla (Valhalla in Norse mythology) must somehow be related to Walhallagara (see note at 156.16 and List of Names).
Continue Reading
EN120.10 Alexander ᐊ previous/next ᐅ EN127.28 Seabattle
In other languages
Other English translations
Chapter S3: Sandbach 1876