Entella 3rd cent BCE

when you are about to die

  rembering hero

   darkness enwrapping

  upon the right a lake

and standing beside it a white cypress.

Descending to it, the souls of the dead refresh themselves.

Do not even approach this spring!

Ahead you will find from the Lake of Memory,

cold water pouring forth; there are guards before it.

They will ask you, with astute wisdom,

what you are seeking in the darkness of murky Hades.

Say, "I am a child of Earth and starry Sky,

I am parched with thirst and am dying; but grant me

cold water from the Lake of Memory to drink.

But my race is heavenly. You yourselves know this."

And they will announce you to the Chthonian Queen.

and then they will grant you to drink from the Lake of Memory.

and then

symbols

and

(fragment)

Thuii 4th cent BCE

I come pure from the pure, Queen of the Chthonian Ones,

Eucles, Euboleus and the other immortal gods.

For I also claim to be of your happy race.

But Moira overcame me and the other immortal gods

and the star-flinger with lightening.

I have flown out of the heavy, difficult circle,

I have approached the longed-for crown with swift feet,

I have sunk beneath the breast of the Lady, the Chthonian Queen,

I have approached the long-for crown with swift feet.

"Happy and blessed, you will be a god instead of a mortal."

A kid I fell into milk.

To Protogonos [untranslatable] Earth Mother [ditto] Cybele [ditto] Girl [ditto] of Demeter [ditto]

[ditto] Zeus [ditto] Air [ditto] Sun, Fire that overcomes [ditto] all.

[ditto] Fortune [ditto] Phanes, All-remembering Moirai [ditto] you famous daimon [ditto]

Father [ditto] Master of All [ditto] correspondence [ditto]

[ditto] Air, Fire [ditto] Mother [ditto] Fasting, Night [ditto] Day [ditto]

Seventh day [ditto] of a fast, Zeus Who-Digs-In (?) and Watcher-Over-All, always [ditto] Mother, hear

my [ditto] prayers [ditto] beautiful [ditto] sacred things [ditto]

[ditto] sacred things [ditto] Demeter, Fire, Zeus, Chthonic Kore [ditto]

Hero [ditto] Light to the mind [ditto] the mindful one seizes Kore

land [ditto] Air [ditto] to the mind.

She comes pure from the pure, Queen of the Chthonian Ones.

Eucles and Eubouleus, child of Zeus. "but accept

this gift of Memory, sung of among mortals."

"Caecilia Secundina, come, by law grown to be divine."

I come pure from the pure, Queen of the Chthonian Ones,

Eucles and Euboleus and other gods - as many daimones (as do exist).

For I also claim to be of your happy race.

I have paid the penalty for unrighteous deeds.

Either Moira overcame me or the star-flinger with lightening.

Now I come, come as a suppliant (f.) to Persephone,

so that she may kindly send me to the seats of the pure.

This is the work of Memory, when you are about to die

down to the well-built house of Hades. There is a spring at the right side,

and standing by it a white cypress.

Descending to it, the souls of the dead refresh themselves.

Do not even go near this spring!

Ahead you will find from the Lake of Memory,

cold water pouring forth; there are guards before it.

They will ask you, with astute wisdom,

what are you seeking in the darkness of murky Hades.

Say, "I am a son of Earth and starry Sky,

I (m.) am parched with thirst and am dying; but quickly grant me

cold water from the Lake of Memory to drink."

And they will announce you to the Chthonian King,

and they will grant you to drink from the Lake of Memory.

And you, too, having drunk, will go along the sacred road on which other

glorius initiates and bacchoi travel.

I come pure from the pure, Queen of the Chthonian Ones,

Eucles and Euboleus and other gods and other daimones.

For I also claim to be of your happy race.

I have paid the penalty for unrighteous deeds.

Either Moira overcame me or the star-flinger of  lightenings.

Now I come as a suppliant (f.) to Persephone,

so that she may kindly send me to the seats of the pure.

He is parched with thirst and almost dying, but grant me to drink

from the ever-flowing spring on the left of the cypress.

"Who are you? And where are you from?" I am of Earth, mother [untranslatable] and starry Sky.

Thirst [untranslatable]

Now you have died and now you have come into being, O thrice happy one, on this same day.

Tell Persephone that the Bacchic One himself released you.

Bull, you jumped into milk.

Quickly, you jumped into milk. [missing from tablet b]

Ram, you fell into milk.

You have wine as your fortunate honor.

And below the earth there are ready for you the same prizes [rites?] as for the other blessed ones. [missing from tablet b]

I (m.) am parched with thirst and am dying; but grant me to drink

from the ever-flowing spring on the right, where the cypress is.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" I am a son of Earth and starry Sky.

Passwords: Man-and-

child-thyrsus. Man-and-child-

thyrsus. Brimo, Brimo. Enter

the holy meadow, for the initiate

is redeemed.

GAPEDON [nonsense word, written upside-down]

But as soon as the soul has left the light of the sun,

Go to the right [...] being very careful of all things.

"Greetings, you who have suffered the painful thing; you have never endured this before.

You have become a god instead of a mortal. A kid you fell into milk.

Rejoice, rejoice." Journey on the right-hand road

to holy meadows and groves of Persephone.

You will find to the left of the house of Hades a spring

and standing by it a white cypress.

Do not even approach this spring!

You will find another, from the Lake of Memory,

cold water pouring forth; there are guards before it.

Say, "I am a child of Earth and starry Sky,

but my race is heavenly. You yourselves know this.

I (f.) am parched with thirst and am dying; but quickly grant me

cold water flowing from the Lake of Memory."

And they themselves will grant you to drink from the sacred spring.

And thereafter you will rule among the other heroes.

This is the work of Memory. When you are about to die

to die    write this

     enwrapped . . . darkness.

You will find in the house of Hades, on the right side, a spring,

and standing by it a white cypress.

Do not even approach this spring!

Ahead you will find from the Lake of Memory,

cold water pouring forth; there are guards before it.

They will ask you by what necessity you have come.

You, tell them the whole entire truth.

Say, "I am a child of Earth and starry Sky.

My name is 'Starry.' I (m.) am parched with thirst. But grant me

to drink from the spring."

I (m.) am parched with thirst and am dying; but grant me to drink

from the ever-flowing spring on the right, where the cypress is.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" I am a son of Earth and starry Sky.

Send me to the feasts of the initiates; I possess the rituals of Bacchus

and the rites of Demeter Chthonia and of the Mountain Mother.

I (m.) am parched with thirst and am dying; but grant me to drink

from the ever-flowing spring. On the right is a white cypress.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" I am a son of Earth and starry Sky.

But my race is heavenly.

Pure and sacred to Dionysos

Bacchius am I;

Archeboule

(daughter of) Antidoros.