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

Ixion 207

at Am el-Haydt, the 'Fountain of the Serpents,' is confronted by
an eagle with spread pinions (fig. 150). This arrangement suggests
that the solar disk was regarded as a sort of bird1.

Without attempting to trace in detail the further fortunes of
the winged disk—a task which has been undertaken by Count
Goblet d'Alviella2—we may glance for a moment at its oriental
analogue. The symbol has two main varieties in Mesopotamian
art. One is a disk, sometimes transformed into a rosette or a
wheel, with open wings and a fan-shaped tail: this disk is sur-
mounted by a scroll resembling a pair of inverted volutes, from
which depend two undulating streamers (fig. 151)3. The other
shows a half-length human figure emerging from its centre : the

Fig. 151. Fig. 152.

tail serves him for a kilt, and the scroll appears on either side of
his head (fig. 152)4. This is the well-known sign of Ashur (Zeus
Assj/rios)5, patron god of the city Ashur and head of the Assyrian
pantheon. On sculptured slabs and cylinders it is commonly seen
hovering above the king or priest. And, mounted on a pole, it was
actually borne as a sacred standard into battle6.

From Assyria both varieties of winged disk passed into Persia.
The first lost its scroll, but retained its two undulating appendages.

1 Infra ch. i § 6 (e).

2 Count Goblet d'Alviella op. cit. p. 8 ff.' I have followed this lucid and well-
informed writer in the main lines of his classification.

3 A. H. Layard The Monuments of Nineveh First Series London 1849 pi. 6.

4 Id. id. First Series pi. 13.

5 Nonn. Dion. 40. 393, supra p. 197 n. 4.

6 M. Jastrow The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria Boston etc. 1898 p. 194 n. 1
cites a description of this symbol given in a text of Sennacherib (Meissner—Rost
Bauinschriften SanheriVs p. 94). While not committing himself to the view that Ashur
was ever a nature-god, Dr Jastrow concludes {op. cit. p. 195 f.) : 'it we are to assume
that Ashur. personified originally some natural power, the symbol of the winged disc
lends a strong presumption in favor of supposing him to have been some phase of the
sun.