Histories

They keep the customs of their fathers, adding none to them. Among other notable customs of theirs is this, that they have one song, the Linus-song,[*](This is the hymn for a slain youth (said to typify the departure of early summer), Thammuz, Atys, Hylas, or Linus; the Semitic refrain ai lenu, “alas for us,” becomes the Greek ai)/linos, from which comes the name Linus.) which is sung in +Phoenicia (region (general)), Asia Phoenicia and Cyprus [33,35] (island), AsiaCyprus and elsewhere; each nation has a name of its own for this,

but it happens to be the same song that the Greeks sing, and call Linus; so that of many things in Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt that amaze me, one is: where did the Egyptians get Linus? Plainly they have always sung this song; but in Egyptian Linus is called Maneros.[*](Maneros, probably from the refrain ma-n-hra, “come back to us.”)

The Egyptians told me that Maneros was the only son of their first king, who died prematurely, and this dirge was sung by the Egyptians in his honor; and this, they said, was their earliest and their only chant.