Histories

Next to these Macae are the Gindanes, where every woman wears many leather anklets, because (so it is said) she puts on an anklet for every man with whom she has had intercourse; and she who wears the most is reputed to be the best, because she has been loved by the most men.

There is a headland jutting out into the sea from the land of the Gindanes; on it live the Lotus Eaters, whose only fare is the lotus.[*](The fruit of the Rhamnus Lotus, which grows in this part of Africa (continent)Africa, is said to be eatable, but not so delicious as to justify its Homeric epithet “honey-sweet.”) The lotus fruit is the size of a mastich-berry: it has a sweet taste like the fruit of a date-palm; the Lotus Eaters not only eat it, but make wine of it.

Next to these along the coast are the Machlyes, who also use the lotus, but less than the aforesaid people. Their country reaches to a great river called the Triton,[*](The “Triton” legend may arise from the Argonauts' finding a river which reminded them of their own river Triton in Boeotia (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Boeotia, and at the same time identifying the local goddess (cp. Hdt. 4.180) with Athena, one of whose epithets was *tritoge/neia (whatever that means).) which empties into the great Tritonian lake, in which is an island called Phla. It is said that the Lacedaemonians were told by an oracle to plant a settlement on this island.

The following story is also told: it is said that Jason, when the Argo had been built at the foot of +Pilion (mountain range), Nomos Magnisias, Thessaly, Greece, Europe Pelion, put aboard besides a hecatomb a bronze tripod, and set out to sail around the +Peloponnese [22,37.5] (region), Greece, Europe Peloponnese, to go to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi.

But when he was off Malea, a north wind caught and carried him away to Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya; and before he saw land, he came into the shallows of the Tritonian lake. There, while he could find no way out yet, Triton (the story goes) appeared to him and told Jason to give him the tripod, promising to show the sailors the channel and send them on their way unharmed.

Jason did, and Triton then showed them the channel out of the shallows and set the tripod in his own temple; but first he prophesied over it, declaring the whole matter to Jason's comrades: namely, that should any descendant of the Argo's crew take away the tripod, then a hundred Greek cities would be founded on the shores of the Tritonian lake. Hearing this (it is said) the Libyan people of the country hid the tripod.