Themis, a study of the social origins of Greek ... - Warburg Institute

250 The Origin of the Olympic Games [ch.
At line 48 of the First Olympian, Pindar describes the cutting
up, boiling, and eating of Pelops. He says this shocking incident
was invented by the envious neighbours, who secretly spread the
report,
that into bubbling water boiling with fire they had cut him limb by limb
with a knife,
Tpcnre^ciMTi r afi(p\ devrara icpecbv
ae6ev dieSaaavro kol (payov.
Such is the reading of our MSS. But what sense can be made
of it ? Why should Pindar say they distributed and ate the last
morsels of the flesh (if we take Sevrara icpewv together), when
legend said that only one morsel—the shoulder—was eaten? Or
(taking d/a