herodotus

and I am of opinion that many even die of the wounds they receive; theEgyptians however told me that no one died. This solemn assembly thepeople of the place say that they established for the followingreason:--the mother of Ares, they say, used to dwell in this temple,and Ares, having been brought up away from her, when he grew up camethither desiring to visit his mother, and the attendants of hismother's temple, not having seen him before, did not permit him topass in, but kept him away; and he brought men to help him fromanother city and handled roughly the attendants of the temple, andentered to visit his mother. Hence, they say, this exchange of blowshas become the custom in honour of Ares upon his festival.64. The Egyptians were the first who made it a point of religion notto lie with women in temples, nor to enter into temples after goingaway from women without first bathing: for almost all other men exceptthe Egyptians and the Hellenes lie with women in temples and enterinto a temple after going away from women without bathing, since theyhold that there is no difference in this respect between men andbeasts: for they say that they see beasts and the various kinds ofbirds coupling together both in the temples and in the sacredenclosures of the gods; if then this were not pleasing to the god, thebeasts would not do so.65. Thus do these defend that which they do, which by me isdisallowed: but the Egyptians are excessively careful in theirobservances, both in other matters which concern the sacred rites andalso in those which follow:--Egypt, though it borders upon Libya,[63a]does not very much abound in wild animals, but such as they have areone and all accounted by them sacred, some of them living with men andothers not. But if I should say for what reasons the sacred animalshave been thus dedicated, I should fall into discourse of matterspertaining to the gods, of which I most desire not to speak; and whatI have actually said touching slightly upon them, I said because I wasconstrained by necessity. About these animals there is a custom ofthis kind:--persons have been appointed of the Egyptians, both men andwomen, to provide the food for each kind of beast separately, andtheir office goes down from father to son; and those who dwell in thevarious cities perform vows to them thus, that is, when they make avow to the god to whom the animal belongs, they shave the head oftheir children either the whole or the half or the third part of it,and then set the hair in the balance against silver, and whatever itweighs, this the man gives to the person who provides for the animals,and she cuts up fish of equal value and gives it for food to theanimals. Thus food for their support has been appointed: and if anyone kill any of these animals, the penalty, if he do it with his ownwill, is death, and if against his will, such penalty as the priests