ARION

Lire

Herodotus J/Jisturves: Periander was despot of
Corinth. During his lifetime, according to the
Corinthians — and indeed the Lesbians —a_ very
marvellous thing took place, namely the rescue of
Arion of Methymna from the sea at Taenarum by

a dolphin. This Arion was the finest singer to the
lvre then known, and is the first recorded com-
poser of dithyrambs, which he named and trained
Corinthian choirs to perform. It seems that he
spent most of his life at the court of Periander;
but one day conceiving a desire to visit Italy and
Sicily, he did so, and some time afterwards, having
made large sums of money there, detediintd to
return to Corinth. Accordingly he set sail from
Tarentum, chartering a vessel manned by Corinthians,
a people whom he thought, of all men, he could
trust. But when they reached the open sea the
erew conspired to secure his money by throwing
him overboard. . . . Putting on all his harper’s dress
and grasping his lyre. he took his stand in the stern-
sheets, and went through the Orthian or High-
pitched Nome from beginning to end. Then he
threw himself just as he was, dress and all, into the
sea. The crew continued their voyage to Corinth:
but meanwhile a dolphin, it seems, took Arion upon
his back and carried him ashore at Taenarum.
There is a small bronze votive-offering of Arion on
the promontory of Taenarum, consisting of a man
upon a dolphin’s back.