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

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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14695#0484

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4-o6 The Golden or Purple Lamb of Atreus

among which the most interesting are perhaps Simonides' statement
that Atreus' golden lamb was purple1, and Seneca's mention of
a ram, not a lamb :

Pelops' high steading hath a noble beast,

A magic ram, leader of that rich flock.

Over and o'er its body hangs the hair,

One wave of gold ; and from its back new kings

Tantalean their golden sceptres bear.

Its owner reigns—the whole line's fortune follows it.

Safely it grazes in a place apart,

A thing of sanctity shut in by stone'2.

Atreus' golden lamb was regarded by some ancient writers as
a silver bowl or cup enriched with a gold lamb in the centre of it3.

Fig. 302.

Others perhaps identified it with the sceptre ' which Hephaistos
made for Zeus, and Zeus gave to Hermes, and Hermes to Pelops,
and Pelops bequeathed to Atreus, and Atreus to Thyestes, and
Thyestes passed on to Agamemnon4.' For an olpe by the painter
Amasis (550—530 B.C.) shows Herakles holding bow and arrow
in his left hand and extending his right towards a king, whose

1 Simonid. frag. 200 A Bergk4 ap. Tzetz. chil. 1. 430 f. Bergk ad loc. cites
Schneidewin's opinion that Tzetzes is importing into the story of Atreus a statement that
Simonides really made about the Colchian fleece (see infra p. 419 n. 4).

2 Sen. Thyesi. 2256°.

3 Herodoros of Herakleia frag. 61 {Frag. hist. Gr. ii. 41 Muller) ap. Athen. 231 C
<j>i6\r), Eustath. in 77. p. 868, 49 f. <pid\Lov, ib. p. 1319, 47 f. iror-qpLov. For royal gold
cups adorned with special animal forms see Folk-Lore 1906 xvii. 168 n. 3.

4 Paus. 9. 40. 11, on which see Folk-Lore 1904 xv. 371.
 
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