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)

2\0

Dionysos at Delphoi

the Delphians held a series of three solemnities called the Step-
terion, the Herois, and the Charila1. Again, the Pythian games
were originally celebrated once in eight years2. And at the close
of the second century B.C. Delian priests and Attic magistrates
were sending first-fruits to Apollon Pythios in accordance with an
eight-year period3. The same space of time is doubtless presupposed
by the myth which told how Apollon served Admetos4 for one
year5 or nine6 or ten7. Indeed, an epic poet cited by Plutarch8 and

1 I have discussed these festivals in Folk-Lore 1904 xv. 402 ff. See also Nilsson Gr.
Feste pp. 150 ff., 2S6ff., 466 f., J. E. Harrison Themis Cambridge 1912 p. 415 ff.,
H. Usener ' Heilige Handlung' in the Archiv f. Rel. 1904 yii. 317 ft- { — id. Kleine
Schriften Leipzig—Berlin 1913 iv. 450ff.) (Stepterion), id. 'Italische Mythen ' in the
Rhein. A/us. 1875 xxx. 203 f. { — id. Kleine Schriften iv. 116 f.) (Charila), Farnell Cults
of Gk. States iv. 293 ft. (Stepterion), Frazer Pausa?iias iii. 53ft. (Stepterion), id. Golden
Bough": The Dying God p. 78 ff. (Stepterion), P. Stengel in Pauly—Wissowa Real-
Enc. viii. 992 (Herois), O. Kern id. iii. 2141 (Charila).

2 Demetrios of Phaleron ap. schol. Od. 3. 267 and ap. Eustath. in Od. p. 1466, 56ft'.,
schol. Find. Pyth. argum. 3, Censorin. de die nat. 18. 6. See further A. Mommsen
Delphika Leipzig 1878 p. 153 f.

3 Corp. inscr. Att. ii. 2 no. 985 J, 1 ff. = Roberts—Gardner Gk. Epigr. ii. 421ft".
no. 167, 1 ff. [6 apx<-8tup°s Tov ev ArjXui 5]rjiu.ov tov '' Ad-qvaiijiv 6 Kex£ipoTov[rnxevo\s eirl tt\v
€^aTTO(TTo\[\riu tQiv OewpQv airaybvToiv -rets awa]pxus rrjs TrpojTrjs evveerr^piSos ' ^iWLKpd]TTjs

'EirLarpdrov IIe[--avlypatpev twv iepeojv /ecu] apxbvTwv ras aira.pxa.'s [t]u> A7r6[XAwm tc3]

IlvdiL) Ka[rd I to iprjcpia/jlu tov d^fiov, 5 — — — iy Mvppivov]TTrjs elTrev. k.t.X. E. S.
Roberts and E. A. Gardner ad loc. remark : ' If we may accept Koehler's restoration of
the first line, it will appear that the architheorus, elected as head of the dewpoi by the
Attic cleruchs in Delos, published lists of the dirapxal paid by Delian priests and certain
Attic magistrates to the Pythian Apollo during an eweer-ripis, or period of eight years.
This period perhaps was designed to recall the time when the Pythian festival was
celebrated once in every eight years. It is called TrpdiTT] possibly because the Athenian's
had given up the practice of sending a theo?'ia to Delos and did not reintroduce it till the
end of the second century B.C.' So also W. Larfeld Handbuch der griechischeti Epigraphik
Leipzig 1898 ii. i. 182, cp. G. Busolt Griechische Geschichte Gotha 1893 i2. 676 n. 2.

4 R. Engelmann in Roscher Lex. Myth. i. 68, W. H. Roscher id. i. 433, G. Wentzel
in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. i. 378 f., K. Wernicke id. ii. 25^, Preller—Robert Gr.
Myth. i. 270, 287 n. r, 439 n. 3, Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel. pp. 107, 1243 n. 2, 1254 n. 3,
1327 n. 2, 1454, cp. 1493 n. 3. The earliest allusion to the myth is in LI. 2. 766 (cp. also
//, 21. 441 ff.).

5 Pherekydes of Leros frag. 76 {Frag. hist. Gr. i. 90 Muller) ap. schol. Eur. Ale. 1
et's eviavTov, Apollod. 3. 10. 4 eviavTov. Cp. Panyassis frag. 16 Kinkel ap. Clem. Al.
protr. 2. 35. 3 p. 26, 22 ff. Stahlin.

6 Serv. in Verg. Aen. 7. 761 = Myth. Vat. 1. 46, 2. 128 novem a/mis—by confusion
with inclusive reckoning.

7 Prob. in Verg. georg. 3. 1 decern annis—the nearest round number : so stories grow.
In Myth. Vat. 1. 204 Admetus de Alcesta genuit Nisam et Stenoboeam. pro Nisa
servivit ei Apollo septem annis the Greek myth has been modified by the Biblical tale of
Jacob serving Laban seven years for Rachel (Gen. 29. 15 ff.).

8 Plout. amat. 17 /ecu yap tov 'AiroWtova /uvdo~koyovo~iv epaaTTjv yevofxevov "'AS/atituj
Trapa9r]T(vo-ai /xeyav eis eviavTov." The poet was very possibly Rhianos the Cretan (cp.
schol. Eur. Ale. i 'Ptavbs 5e (prjatv on eKci>e £5ov\evcrei' aiVa epuiv tov 'AS/xtjtok), who may
have told the tale in his Thessatika (W. Christ Geschichte der griechischeti Litteratur5
Munchen 1911 p. 109) ; but see infra p. 241 n. 1.