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Greek · AI translation

Aristotle, De divinatione per somnum

English for the 1 passage of this work that the Atlas of Ancient Myth, Magic in the Ancient Texts and a study of demons and angels quote or cite, and which the library holds in no published English. The numbers are the edition's own references.

2.1

Ὅλως δ’ ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ὀνειρώττει τινά, θεόπεμπτα μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὰ ἐνύπνια, οὐδὲ γέγονε τούτου χάριν, δαιμόνια μέντοι· ἡ γὰρ φύσις δαιμονία, ἀλλ’ οὐ θεία. Σημεῖον δέ· πάνυ γὰρ εὐτελεῖς ἄνθρωποι προορατικοί εἰσι καὶ εὐθυόνειροι, ὡς οὐ θεοῦ πέμποντος, ἀλλ’ ὅσων ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ λάλος ἡ φύσις ἐστὶ καὶ μελαγχολική, παντοδαπὰς ὄψεις ὁρῶσιν· διὰ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ κινεῖσθαι ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν ὁμοίοις θεωρήμασιν, ἐπιτυχεῖς ὄντες ἐν τούτοις ὥσπερ ἔνιοι ἄρτια μερίζοντες· ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ λέγεται

In general, since some of the other animals also dream, dreams would not be sent by god, nor have they come about for this purpose; they are, however, daimonia [of the order of spirits]: for nature is daimonia, but not divine. A sign of this: quite ordinary people are foresighted and have dreams that come true directly, which shows that it is not god who sends them; rather, those whose nature is, as it were, talkative and melancholic see visions of every kind; for because they are moved in many and various ways, they hit upon visions that resemble [events], being lucky in these as some are at guessing odd and even; for as it is also said,

Translator's note. ἄρτια μερίζοντες, rendered 'guessing odd and even', is unusual and the exact game meant is uncertain. The line ends mid-sentence; the saying it introduces follows in the next line.

The whole original: Perseus's Scaife Viewer.