Homeric Hymn to Apollo, 353-401

hAp 332-401. Hera gives Typhaon to the dragon, who in turn does great harm to mortals until (πρίν) Apollo killed it. It rolled and groaned, and Apollo boasted "Go and rot (πύθευ);" for this reason, it's now called Pytho and they call Apollo Pytheios.

Apollo realized the spring tricked him; he returns to Telphousa, tells her that he will share her glory, and piles a mountain peak on her, hiding her streams. Because he disfigured Telphousa's streams, everyone there calls him Telphousios.

In need of priests at Pytho, Apollo comes to a ship of Cretans as a dolphin (more next time)

1) Whoever encounters the dragon is killed until Apollo kills it:

ὃς τῇ γ' ἀντιάσειε, φέρεσκέ μιν αἴσιμον ἦμαρ 
πρίν γέ οἱ ἰὸν ἐφῆκεν ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων 
καρτερόν·

I find the change in thought at πρίν quite abrupt -- generally the bookends around this Typhaon section are pretty harsh. Maybe relatedly, apparently this πρίν + indicative is not found in Homer and this is the first extant example of the later Attic usage.

2) Lots of explanations of cult placenames and epithets in this section -- Pytho, Pytheios, and Telphousios. Kinda reminiscent of later Hellenistic aitia, though I feel like those tend to be more explanations of practices than explanations of individual words.

3) Does Apollo not like springs? Earlier he's said to like temples, wooded groves, lookout points, mountain peaks, and rivers (143-5) -- but not springs. Maybe part of the explanation (in addition to his anger over the fraud) that he piles a mountain on top of Telphousa?

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