When all had passed over and were ready for the road, a great portent appeared among them. Xerxes took no account of it, although it was easy to interpret: a mare gave birth to a hare. The meaning of it was easy to guess: Xerxes was to march his army to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas with great pomp and pride, but to come back to the same place fleeing for his life.

There was another portent that was shown to him at Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis: a mule gave birth to a mule that had double genitals, both male and female, the male above the other. But he took no account of either sign and journeyed onward; the land army was with him.