Histories

Whoever falls asleep at this festival in the open air, having the sacred gold with him, is said by the Scythians not to live out the year; for which reason[*](The “reason” is obscure; perhaps the gift of land is a compensation for his shortness of life.) (they say) as much land as he can ride round in one day is given to him. Because of the great size of the country, the lordships that Colaxaïs established for his sons were three, one of which, where they keep the gold, was the greatest.

Above and north of the neighbors of their country no one (they say) can see or travel further, because of showers of feathers;[*](See Hdt. 4.31 for Herodotus' explanation.) for earth and sky are full of feathers, and these hinder sight.

This is what the Scythians say about themselves and the country north of them. But the story told by the Greeks who live in +Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Pontus is as follows. Heracles, driving the cattle of Geryones, came to this land, which was then desolate, but is now inhabited by the Scythians.

Geryones lived west of the +Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Pontus,[*](Very far west, Gadira being identified with Cadiz.) settled in the island called by the Greeks Erythea, on the shore of Ocean near Gadira, outside the pillars of Heracles. As for Ocean, the Greeks say that it flows around the whole world from where the sun rises, but they cannot prove that this is so.

Heracles came from there to the country now called Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia, where, encountering wintry and frosty weather, he drew his lion's skin over him and fell asleep, and while he slept his mares, which were grazing yoked to the chariot, were spirited away by divine fortune.