Histories

Herodotus

Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).

The king was at a loss as to how to deal with the present difficulty. Epialtes son of Eurydemus, a Malian, thinking he would get a great reward from the king, came to speak with him and told him of the path leading over the mountain to +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae. In so doing he caused the destruction of the Hellenes remaining there.

Later he fled into +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly in fear of the Lacedaemonians, and while he was in exile, a price was put on his head by the Pylagori [*](Cp. Hdt. 7.200 (note).) when the Amphictyons assembled at Pylae. Still later he returned from exile to Anticyra and was killed by Athenades, a Trachinian.

Athenades slew Epialtes for a different reason, which I will tell later in my history,[*](The expression suggests Herodotus' intention of continuing his history beyond 479, the year with which Book IX ends; but see How-Wells ad loc.) but he was given no less honor by the Lacedaemonians. It was in this way, then, that Epialtes was later killed.