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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#0773

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Attic Festivals of Dionysos

687

right in my contention that Dionysos as yet was not. Let us
suppose that the Anthesteria was originally a day or days set apart
for magic rites intended 'to make things bloom1,' and that, when
Dionysos first came to be worshipped at Athens, this season was
chosen as the fittest time for his conception. The view here ad-
vanced is not inconsistent with the Athenian belief that at the
Anthesteria souls came up from the Underworld'2. It is likely
enough that the yearly renewal of vegetation was attributed to
the agency, perhaps even to the actual re-embodiment3, of the
nameless and numberless dead. If Dionysos too was to be re-
born, this surely was the moment for the procreative rite. The
panspermia boiled in a pot (ckytros), which gave its name to the
last day of the festival4, was a piece of primitive magic applicable
at once to vegetation and the vegetative god. But, if the An-
thesteria resembled the City Dionysia in celebrating the conception
of Dionysos, did it also resemble the City Dionysia in providing
the germ of comedy? Aristophanes in a familiar chorus tells
how at the precinct in the Marshes on the day of the Chytroi a
scarcely-sobered komos sang of Dionysos son of Zeus5. From such
a komos-song comedy, the /^;;/^-song par excellence*, might well
have arisen; and the more so, since we hear of definite contests
as held on that concluding day7. The contests in question were

1 See the simple and satisfactory remarks of Farnell Cults of Gk. States v. 222.

2 Mommsen Feste d. Stadt Athen p. 390 n. 3, Farnell op. cit. v. 215 ff., and especially
Harrison Proleg. Gk. Rel? p. 32 ff.

3 Boetticher Baumkultus p. 254 ff. (' Bezug der Baume auf Grab, Tod und Apotheose
des Menschen') gives a good collection of relevant facts. Note also Umped. frag. 117
Diels ap. Diog. Laert. 8. 77 koX ti)v xf/vxty iravrola eidrj ^ipwv /cat <pvT&v evdtiecrdaL' (ptjcri
yovv "H<5?7 yap 7ror' eylo yevbfxr]v Kovpbs re Kopr] re | ddpwos r' oiiovbs re /cat e£ dXbs epiirvpos
t'x#us, Emped. frag. 127 Diels ap. Ail. de nut. an. 12. 7 \e7et Se /cat 'Ep.wedoKXrjs tt\v
apiaTTjv elvcu p.eTOiKt)glv rrjv rod dvdp&irov, el [xev is £(pov r\ Xrj^Ls avrbv p,eraydyoi, Xeovra
yiveaOai' el de is (pvrbv. 8d(pvrjv. a 8e 'EpLiredoKXfjs Xiyei, ravrd eariv 'Eu drjpeaaL
Xeovres opeiXexees xalJLau^vaL I yLvovrai, 5&<pvai 5' ivi 8iv8peaLV 7]VKop:oi.cni>. It seems
probable that trees were planted on or around graves, not, originally at least, as a
mere pleasance (Rohde Psyche1 i. 230), but rather as a vehicle for the soul of the
deceased. • See further A. Dieterich Mutter Erde2 Leipzig and Berlin 1913 p. 49.

4 Mommsen Feste d. Stadt Athen p. 397 ff.

5 Aristoph. ran. 211 ff. Xipvala Kprjv&v Titcva, | ^vvavXov vpjvwv (3odv, \ (pdey^ibp.ed\
evyqpvv ip.dv doi8dv, | /coa£ /cod£, | av dp,(pl Nvcrrjiov j Atos Aubpvcrov iv \ Aip,vaicnv dxv~
<yap.ev I di'i'x' 0 KpcutraXoKcopos | rdis iepoicri ~KvTpoi(ri | Xwj°e' Kar' i^ov rip-euos Xa&v oxXos.

6 The word /cw/z-ySta means properly ' the performance of the Kwp.cp8oi'; and the
KupydoL are ' those who sing in the /cw^os' (L. Meyer Handb. d. gr. Etyni. ii. 345,
Boisacq Diet. etym. de la Langue Gr. p. 544). The connexion with k&pltj, 'village,' is
quite fallacious.

7 Philochoros frag. 137 (Frag. hist. Gr. i. 407 Midler) ap. schol. Aristoph. ran. 218
ijyovTO 8e dywves avrbdi ot XvrpLVOL KaXovp,evoL, Kadd (prjcri QiXbxopos iv rrj enry tu>i>
,Kt6L8wv, cp. Favorin. lex. p. 1880, 44 f.
 
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