Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1925)

44

The Elysian Way

order to which they have been severally appointed. Now there are, it is true,
many ravishing views and opening paths within the bounds of heaven, whereon
the family of the blessed gods go to and fro, each in performance of his own
proper work ; and they are followed by all who from time to time possess both
will and power ; for envy has no place in the celestial choir. But whenever they
go to feast and revel, they forthwith journey by an uphill path to the summit of
the heavenly vault. Now the chariots of the gods being of equal poise, and
obedient to the rein, move easily, but all others with difficulty ; for they are
burdened by the horse of vicious temper, which sways and sinks them towards
the earth, if haply he has received no good training from his charioteer. Where-
upon there awaits the soul a crowning pain and agony. For those which we
called immortal go outside when they are come to the topmost height, and stand
on the outer surface of heaven, and as they stand they are borne round by its
revolution, and gaze on the eternal scene. Now of that region beyond the sky
no earthly bard has ever yet sung or ever will sing in worthy strains1.

It can hardly be doubted that the ' uphill path to the summit of the
heavenly vault/ a path along which the souls of the blessed go to
the fulness of fruition, implies the Pythagorean conception of the
Milky Way as an Elysian road.

In the Republic the same bright track is compared with 'the
undergirders of triremes2'; but the figure is complicated by the
addition of ' a straight light like a pillar' stretching along the axis
ot the universe3,—an idea taken up by the Manichaeans, who spoke
of a ' pillar of glory ' or a ' pillar of light' filled with souls in process
of purification4. This pillar has no counterpart in astronomical fact
or, for that matter, in astronomical theory. It would, however, be
unwise to assume that it was introduced by Platon merely to

1 Plat. Phaedr. 246 E—247 C trans. J. Wright. An echo of this passage may be heard
in Loukian. Don. 50 {infra § 3 (a) iii (1)). Cp. also Anth. Pal. 7. 97. 1 f. (Diog. Laert.)
ov fiovov es Ylepaas dve(3r/ Aevo<p{bv Sid Kvpov, | <x\A' dvoSov farQv es Atds rfrts 1x701 with ib.
7. 96. r (Diog. Laert.) irlvk vvv ev Aws u>v, c3 'SwKpares' k.t.X.

2 Note that the Pythagoreans spoke of a cosmic 'ship' (Philolaos frag. 12 Diels /ecu
to. fxev rds <7<palpas aw/uara irivre ivrl, ra ev Tq. atpaipa irvp <koA> vdwp Kai yd /cat arjp,
Kcd 8 rds a(paipas 6\/fds, wifx-rrTov) : supra i. 358 n. 3.

3 Plat. rep. 616 B—c. I follow the interpretation of J. Adam ad loc, who supposes
that the curved light was suggested by the Milky Way, but that the straight light
symbolised the axis of the universe. He points out that some of the ancients interpreted
the straight light of the Milky Way (Prokl. in Plat. remp. ii. 130, 3 f., 194, 19 ff. Kroll,
cp. Cic. de rep. 6. 16), while others regarded it as the axis of the universe or a cylinder of
aetherial fire surrounding the axis (Theon Smyrn. 7rept tuiv Kara rb /xadrj/xariKov XP71CT^U}V
eh TTjv IlXctrwi/os ivayvutjLv p. 143 Hiller, Phot. lex. and Souid. s.v. Terafievov (ptds evdv
olov Kiova, cp. Prokl. in Plat, reuip. ii. 199, 31 ff. Kroll).

4 Epiphan. panar. 2. 66. 26 (iii. 1. 48, 11 ff. Dindorf) rrjs oTiv cre\rjvris /j.eradi5ouo~iis
tov yofAOV tQiv ipvx&v rots aiuxri tov Trarpos, rrapaiJ-evovcnv ev tlq <ttu\u rrjs So^rjs, 3s KaXetrai
ar]p 6 reXeios. 6 be dijp ovtos otOXos eurt <pwros, eTreiST) ye/xeL \j/vx&v tCov Kadapi^o/j.e'vwv. In
view of J. Adam's elucidation of the Platonic 0tDs evQu, olov Kiova I cannot agree with
1. de Beausobre Histoire de Manichee et du Manichefsme Amsterdam 1739 ii. 513 'A l'egard
de la Colonne de Gloire, ou de Lu?niere, elle n'est autre chose, si je ne me trompe, que la
Voye Lactee.'