Universitätsbibliothek HeidelbergUniversitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
Metadaten

Cook, Arthur B.
Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 1): Zeus god of the bright sky — Cambridge, 1914

DOI Seite / Zitierlink: 
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14695#0073

DWork-Logo
Überblick
loading ...
Faksimile
0.5
1 cm
facsimile
Vollansicht
OCR-Volltext
Zeus Pa7/idmaros^ Panemeros^ Panemerios 21

The Komyria lasted for two days only1 and involved certain
mysteries2. Since the inscriptions speak of the ' Ascent' (dnodos
or anabasis) of the god in this connexion3, MM. Deschamps and
Cousin infer that the Komyria was essentially the return-journey
of Zeus from Stratonikeia to Panamara4. Mr M. P. Nilsson,
however, points out that the ' Ascent' is said to take place in
the sanctuary, not to it, and conjectures that Zeus then paid a visit
to his wife5. Probably we should do well to combine these views
and hold that the ' Ascent' of the god from Stratonikeia to
Panamara culminated in the sanctuary on the mountain-top, where
Zeus was annually married to his bride. On this occasion the
men were entertained by the priest in the Komyrion and the women
separately in the sanctuary6. Wine was served out in abundance—
no distinction being made between citizens, Romans, foreigners, and
slaves. Money-gifts and portions of sacrificial meat were likewise
distributed with a lavish hand. Booths were erected for the accom-
modation of the celebrants. Sirup and wine were even provided by
the road-side for old and young7. And the horse that had served
the god, presumably in the procession, was duly dedicated to him8.
In short, the whole account, so far as it can be reconstructed from
the inscriptions, reads like that of a joyous wedding cortege.

The Heraia was another important festival involving a long
programme of games9, religious shows10, and mystic rites11. It
seems to have been celebrated yearly and on a grander scale once
every four years12. The rendez-vous was the temple of Hera. The

1 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1887 xi. 380 no. 2, 19 f., 385 no. 3, 34 f.

2 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1887 xi. 380 no. 2, 16 f., 385 no. 3, 26 f., cp. the pivuTaycoyos
mentioned in 1891 xv. 186 no. 130 B, ufif., 188 no. 131, 13.

3 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1887 xi. 384, 10 tt) avodio rod deov, 1891 xv. 186 no. 130 A, 15 f.
eV Trj dv68(o rrj iv tw iepQ, 188 no. 131, 5 [€p rrj av]65u} tt) iv too iepQ, 203 no. 144, 10
[ev] tt) ava(3a<rei r[ou 6]eov.

4 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1891 xv. 178. So O. Hofer in Roscher Lex. Myth. iii. 1495.

5 Nilsson Gr. Feste p. 29.

6 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1887 xi. 385 no. 3, 28ff., 1891 xv. 186 no. 130A, 12 ff., 1904
xxviii. 24 no. 2, 6 ff.

7 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1887 xi. 380 no. 2, 17 ff., 385 no. 3, 30ff., 1904 xxviii. 24 no. 2,
6 ff., 247 no. 57, 8 ff.

8 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1891 xv. 174^ = 1904 xxviii, 247 no. 57, 11 avedriKav be /cat tov
'Ltvttov toj 6eG> tov virrjpeT^iKov].

9 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1891 xv. 174 = 200 no. 141, 8 ff. y[vpi,va<riap]\xy(ravTes K(aL) V^Pas
fc/3' €k vvktos is viJKT^a ev dfc0OT^|/)]ois rots yv/jLvaaioLS /c(cu) ev ra iepu> irepiirohiw.

10 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1891 xv. 173 = 204 no. 145, 4 f. deco[pi]as 8e iroirjaas To\vTe\ecr-
Taras | Kal KaWlaTas.

11 Bull. Corr. Hell. 1891 xv. 174 iv toIs fxv<jT7]piois be Kal eopTi) tQv 'Hpeoov, cp. 1894
xxviii. 241 no. 48, 6 [.....]ou Mvcovibov /j.v(TTaycoyo[dvTos].

12 This is deduced by M. P. Nilsson op. cit. p. 28 from the fact that the inscriptions
employ two distinct formulae, viz. lepevs {lepaTe^cras, k.t.X.) iv "Rpaiois and tepeus
(lepaTevaas, k.t.X.) iv 'Hpatots Kara irevTaeT7}pL8a.
 
Annotationen