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)

Dionysos at Delphoi 239

I have, however, already1 given reasons for thinking that at Delphoi
Apollon was preceded,not only
by the sky-father (Zeus) and
the earth-mother (Ge, Themis),
but also by their Thraco-
Phrygian offspring (Dionysos).
The little chapel in the Pythian
temple (fig. 163)2, the holiest
spot in all Hellas, contained
the tokens of these three dei-
ties—the eagles of Zeus, the
omphalos of Ge, and the tomb
of Dionysos3. Will it be seri-
ously maintained that the tomb
with its crude myth of rent
limbs and boiling caldron4 was
a foreign element which had
thrust itself into this august
company at a comparatively
recent date ? Rather it had
been there—I will not say,
from the beginning, but at least
from time immemorial. The
real usurper was Apollon,
though even he had made good
his footing before the epic age5.

3«

Fig. 163.

There are certain calendrical considerations which tend to con-
firm the foregoing sequence of cults. At intervals of eight years

exprio-p.usb~ri<7ev, elra Qijus. Tlvdwvos be rbre Kvpievaavros tov irpocprjTiKov TpLwobos, ev
(1> rrpuiros Aibvvaos edefiiffTevae, < ? /cat kwXvovtos avrov rvapeXdelv eiri to ^dcr/m, To^evei>
/cat &ttOKTeivas tov bcpiv rbv Tlvdwva dywvi^erai rbv IIvOikov dytova Kara efSoop.rjv r)p.ipav
(A. B. Drachmann cj. €tttci pLeprj) ' rretpov (sic codd. rretpav ed. Rom. 1515) fxev, on
aTreTreipadrj rr)s /".ctx^s tt)s npbs to dr/piov • iap,j3ov be 5ta rr\v Xoidopiav rr\v yevo/nevrjv avrqi
wpb rrjs /x&xys, Xiyerai yap lapLfUfciv to Xoibopeiv ■ OaKTvXov 5e dirb < ? rG)v 'Ibaiiov AaKrvXwv

............" ?BaKxe1ov be airb > Atof vo~ov, ort irpGjros ovtos So/cet dnb rplwooos dep.i<rrevo~ai'

Kpr]TiKbv be airb Atos' p.7]rpipov be, ort Trjs to p-avrelbv eari" avpiyp-a 8k bta rbv tov otpews
(xvpiyp:bv. ovtw p.h> ovv Karearr) irpGirov 6 ru>v llvdioiv ayccv. The scholiast is distinguish-
ing seven parts of the vbp.os Hvducbs, viz. ireipa, lap-^oi, baKTvXoi, < ? Ba/cxetot > , KpjjriKOL,
fxrjrpuov, aupiyp.a. Other writers enumerate five: thus Strab. 421 rrevre 5' avrov p-kprj
eariv, dyKpovffis, dfiweipa (cp. Hesych. s.v. dvdireipa), KaraKeXevap-bs, ta/x/3ot /cat 5&ktvXoi,
o~6pi.yyes, and Poll. 4. 84 tov be HvdiKOv vbp-ov tov avXrjriKOv p-eprj wevre, ireipa, KaraKeXeva-
p.6s, lapftiKov, arrovbelov, xaraxopevois. k.t.X.

1 Supra p. •231.

2 Reduced from the diagram given by F. Courby in the Fouilles de Delphes ii. 1. 69
fig. 61. Supra p. 221 n. 2.

3 Supra p. 231 nn. 3, 4, 6. 4 Supra p. 218 f. 5 Supra pp. 180 n. 1, 189 n. 8.