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Myscellus, an Achaean by birth, went from Rhype to Delphi and inquired of the god
concerning the begetting of children. And the Pythian priestess gave him the following
answer:
Myscellus, too short of back, beloved art thou
Of him, even Apollo, who works afar,
And he will give thee children; yet this first
Is his command, Croton the great to found
Amidst fair fields.
And since he did not understand the reference to Croton, the Pyhtian priestess gave answer
a second time:
To thee the Far-darter in person now doth speak,
And give thou heed. Here lieth the Taphian land,
Untouched by plow, and Chalcis there, and there
The home of the Curetes, sacred soil,
And there the isles of the Echinades:
And on the islands’ left a mighty sea.
This way thou cans’t not miss the Lacinian Head,
Nor sacred Crimisa, nor Aesarus’ stream.
Although the oracle thus commanded Myscellus to found Croton, he, because of his
admiration of the territory of Sybaris, wished to found a city there; whereupon the
following oracle was delivered to him:
Myscellus, too short of back, in searching things
Other than god commands, thou seekest naught
But tears. Approve the gift the god doth give. (C. H. Oldfather).
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Diod. Sic. 13.3.3-5: ejpei; d ja{pante" hjqroivsqhsan, diapleuvsante" to;n jIovnion
povron pro;" a{kran jIapugivan kathnevcqhsan, kajkei`qen h[dh parelevgonto th;n
jItalivan. ujpo; me;n ou\n Tarantivnwn ouj prosedevcqhsan, Metapontivnou" de; kai;
jHrakleiwvta" parevpleusan: eij" de; Qourivou" katenecqevnte" pavntwn e[tucon
tw`n filanqrwvpwn. ejkei`qen de; katapleuvsante" eij" Krovtwna, kai; labovnte"
ajgora;n para; tw`n Krotwviatw`n, th`" te Lakiniva" {Hra" to; ijero;n parevpleusan
kai; th;n Dioskouriavda kaloumevnhn a[kran ujperevqento. meta; de; tau`ta
to; kalouvmenovn te Skullhvtion kai; Lokrou;" parhvllaxan, kai; tou` jRhgivou
kaqormisqevnte" ejggu;" e[peiqon tou;" jRhgivnou" summacei`n: oij de; ajpekrivnanto
bouleuvsesqai meta; tw`n a[llwn jItaliwtw`n.
And when they (the Athenians at Corcyra) had all been assembled, they sailed
across the Ionian Strait (the Otranto Channel) and came to land on the tip of Iapygia, from
where they skirted along the coast of Italy. They were not received by the Tarantini, and
they also sailed on past the Metapontines and Heracleians; but when they put in at Thurii
they were accorded every kind of courtesy. From there they sailed on to Croton, from
whose inhabitants they got a market, and then they sailed on past the temple of Hera
Lacinia and doubled the promontory known as Dioscurias. After this they passed by
Skylletium, as it is called, and Locri, and dropping anchor near Rhegium they endeavored
to persuade the Rhegians to become their allies; but the Rhegians replied that they would
consult with the other Greeks of Italy. (C. H. Oldfather).