In Modern Greek, both 13 and 14 are very easy to say, the equivalent of saying 10 and 3 and 10 and 4 (δεκατρία and δεκατέσσερα).

In Ancient Greek, they’re much the same.

The basic Greek words for numbers between 1 and 12 are fairly easy to say. But 13 is a bit more complicated and 14 is much more complicated.

Relatively, yes, but given the beast’s limited intelligence, I guess he has a hard time dealing with numbers so large and complicated to remember.

There’d be no need for the minotaur to count any further than fourteen.

On the number fourteen: I wonder whether it is an allusion to the Greek version of the myth in which the number of victims (young men and young women from Athens) is seven + seven = fourteen (Apollodorus, Library 3.15.8).

a) Could be just an editorial choice. I always thought it was meant to be square brackets ’cause they’re clarifications from the footnote’s author (who’s not Asterion), witch I thought helped differentiate them from Asterion’s parentheses. Anyway, better not to give it too much tough since then we’ll start asking difficult questions like how comes there’s an “original” if Asterion couldn’t write anything.

b) Glad to have just learned a new thing.

c) Nice to know I helped a bit.

Glad you enjoyed the translation.

As to your questions:

a.) I just checked a published version of the original in Spanish and it has only parentheses. Maybe it’s just an editorial choice rather than one Borges made?

b.) There’s no difference in meaning between “without my having” and “without me having”, but in English there has been a slow shift from the personal pronoun, in this case my, to the object pronoun, in this case me, in these constructions.

But there is a difference in tone. The personal pronoun now seems more formal compared to the more humdrum object pronoun, and I wanted Asterion to sound more like a snob that he seems to be by using the personal pronoun my instead of me.

c.) I’ll fix that up right now. That was just something I missed.

Cheers,

AS