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that man shall have advantage through my voice, and I will not deceive him. But whoso shall trust to idly-chattering birds and shall seek to invoke my prophetic art contrary to my will, and to understand more than the eternal gods, I declare that he shall come on an idle journey; yet his gifts I would take.
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But I will tell you another thing, Son of all-glorious Maia and Zeus who holds the aegis, luck-bringing genius of the gods. There are certain holy ones, sisters born —three virginsThe Thriae, who practised divination by means of pebbles (also calledθριαί). In this hymn they are represented as aged maidens (ll. 553-4), but are closely associated with bees (ll. 559-563) and possibly are here conceived as having human heads and breasts with the bodies and wings of bees. See the edition of Allen and Sikes, Appendix III. gifted with wings: their heads are besprinkled with white meal,
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and they dwell under a ridge of Parnassus. These are teachers of divination apart from me, the art which I practised while yet a boy following herds, though my father paid no heed to it. From their home they fly now here, now there, feeding on honey-comb and bringing all things to pass.
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And when they are inspired through eating yellow honey, they are willing to speak truth; but if they be deprived of the gods' sweet food, then they speak falsely, as they swarm in and out together. These, then, I give you; enquire of them strictly
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and delight your heart: and if you should teach any mortal so to do, often will he hear your response —if he have good fortune. Take these, Son of Maia, and tend the wild roving, horned oxen and horses and patient mules.”
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So he spake. And from heaven father Zeus himself gave confirmation to his words,
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and commanded that glorious Hermes should be lord over all birds of omen and grim-eyed lions, and boars with gleaming tusks,
