DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0303
Dionysos at Delphoi
241
Clement of Alexandreia1 describes Apollon's servitude as lasting
' for a great year'2.' And this myth was connected more3 or less
closely4 with Delphoi. Thus usage and belief alike attest the re-
cognition of the old lunisolar oktaeteris for the purposes of Delphic
religion. Now A. Schmidt has argued that the oktaeteris was essen-
tially Apolline5, and in support of his thesis is able to cite, not
only the bulk of the evidence given above, but also the Boeotian
1 Clem. Al. strom. 1. 21 p. 69, 3 ff. Stahlin koX ovbev dav/xaarbv, ottov ye /cat 'AS/xtjtoj
OriTevwv evp'iaKerai (sc. 'AttoWuv) avv /cat 'Hpa/cXet "fj-eyav et's eviavrov." The association
of Apollon with Herakles (cp. Aug. de civ. Dei 18. 13, Myth. Vat. r. 92, 3. 13. 3) makes
it possible that Rhianos dealt with the theme in his Herakleias (W. Christ loc. eit.).
- This eviavros was oktw ^tt? (Apollod. 3. 4. 2 quoted supra i. 540 n. 1).
3 Alexandrides frag. 5 (Frag. hist. Gr. iii. 107 Muller ; but see supra p. 238 11. 1)
ap. schol. Eur. Ale. 1 'Ava^avbpio^s (G. J. Voss cj. 'AXe^av bpibris) be 6 Ae\<£os (prjai
drjTeuaai avrbv bibri rbv ev IIi>#ot bpaKovra dveiXev. To the same effect C. O. Muller The
History and Antiquities of the Doric Race Oxford 1830 i. 232, 338 f., observing that the
boy who represented Apollon at the Stepterion imitated the servitude of the god (IMout.
de dep. or. 15 /cat reXevraiov at re wXdvai. /cat 7) \arpeta rod 7rat56s ot re yiyvb/xevoi wepl ra
Tefjiwr] Kadapixol /neydXov rivbs ayovs /cat roX/j.7jfj.aros inroxpiav ^oi'trt). When Python came
to be regarded, not as a holy snake whose murder demanded expiation, but as an unholy
dragon whose slaughter was a meritorious act, the tale of Apollon's bondage had to be
furnished with a fresh motive (K. Wernicke in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Euc. ii. 25 f.).
4 Asklepios brought to life again those that died at Delphoi (Pherekydes of Leros
frag. 8 (Frag. hist. Gr. i. 71 f. Muller) ap. schol. Eur. Ale. i 4>epe/a>07?s ev rrj bybbrj t&v
iaTOpLwv (rrj r] tuiv IffTopiuiv A. rfi Tj iaropiq. B. rrj itTTOpiq. El. 6. 15) tovs ev Ae\(pois (p-quL
dvrjffKovras avrbv avajiitlxTKeiv and ap. schol. Pind. Pyth. 3. 96 Qepenvb-qs be on rovs tv
Ae\0ots dvyo-KOvras ava(3iovv eiroirjaev (eVotei B.))—a strange statement, which may have
reference to those that underwent the Delphic rite of regeneration (supra p. 210 ff.). For
this rea>on Asklepios was slain by Zeus with a thunderbolt at Delphoi (Pherekydes of
Leros ap. schol. Eur. Ale. 1 Kre'ivei Zeus 'Ao~K\t}Tribv rbv iralba avrov Kepavvui (Kepavvip 0111,
A.) ev llvdojvi. aviGTT) yap id}/xevos tovs redveuiras). Mnaseas of Patrai or Patara, a pupil
of Eratosthenes (W. Christ Geschichte der griechisehen Litterahirb Mimchen 1911 ii. r.
187, 196), apparently identified Asklepios with Apollon and treated the myth in
Euhemeristic fashion (Mnaseas Patrensis frag. 16 (Frag. hist. Gr. iii. 152 Muller) ap.
Fulgent, exp. serin, ant. 2 p. 112, 2 ff. Helm Mnaseas scribit in Europae libro Apollinem
(E. Mehler cj. Apopuiem, cp. Plout. de Is. et Os. 36], posteaquam a love victus atque
interfectus est, a vispillonibus ad sepulturam delatus est (delatutn esse codd. B.E. SJJ), unless
indeed the passage of Mnaseas cited by Fabius Planciades Fulgentius is an impudent for-
gery, which is very possible (F. Skutsch in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. vii. 219 f.). Others
spoke of Asklepios' fate as his apotheosis and introduced him into Olympos along with
Herakk-s (Apollod._/rtz^'. 72 (Frag. hist. Gr. i. 442f. Muller) ap. Clem.Al. strom. 1.21 p. 68,
1 ff. Stahlin = Euseb. praep. ev. 10. 12. 19, Loukian. dial.deor. 13. 1 f.), or identified him,
like Herakles (Hyg. poet. aslr. 2. 14, schol. Arat. pliaen. 74, cp. Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel.
p. 497 n. 3), with the constellation Ophiouchos (pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 6, Hyg. poet,
astr. 2. 14, schol. Caes. Germ. Aratea p. 384, 22 ff. Eyssenhardt, Serv. in Verg. Aen. ii.
259, Myth. Vat. 3. 10. 6). Be that as it may, Apollon killed the Kyklopes (Hes.frag. 47
Flach, 88 Rzach), who had made the fatal bolt for Zeus, or killed their sons (Pherekydes
of Leros up. schol. Eur. Ale. 1), and for this impiety was bidden by Zeus to serve Admetos
(Eur. Ale. 1 ff. with schol. ad loc, Apollod. 3. 10. 4, Diod. 6. 8, Prob. in Verg. georg. 3.
1, Stat. Theb. 6. 375 f., Loukian. de sacrif. 4, Hyg. fab. 49, Serv. in Verg. georg. 3. 2, id.
in Verg. Aen. 7. 761, Myth. Vat. 1. 46, 2. 43, schol. Lucan. 6. 368, Orph. Arg. 1756°.).
5 A. Schmidt Handbuch der griechisehen Chronologie Jena 1888 p. 61 ff.
C. II.
16
241
Clement of Alexandreia1 describes Apollon's servitude as lasting
' for a great year'2.' And this myth was connected more3 or less
closely4 with Delphoi. Thus usage and belief alike attest the re-
cognition of the old lunisolar oktaeteris for the purposes of Delphic
religion. Now A. Schmidt has argued that the oktaeteris was essen-
tially Apolline5, and in support of his thesis is able to cite, not
only the bulk of the evidence given above, but also the Boeotian
1 Clem. Al. strom. 1. 21 p. 69, 3 ff. Stahlin koX ovbev dav/xaarbv, ottov ye /cat 'AS/xtjtoj
OriTevwv evp'iaKerai (sc. 'AttoWuv) avv /cat 'Hpa/cXet "fj-eyav et's eviavrov." The association
of Apollon with Herakles (cp. Aug. de civ. Dei 18. 13, Myth. Vat. r. 92, 3. 13. 3) makes
it possible that Rhianos dealt with the theme in his Herakleias (W. Christ loc. eit.).
- This eviavros was oktw ^tt? (Apollod. 3. 4. 2 quoted supra i. 540 n. 1).
3 Alexandrides frag. 5 (Frag. hist. Gr. iii. 107 Muller ; but see supra p. 238 11. 1)
ap. schol. Eur. Ale. 1 'Ava^avbpio^s (G. J. Voss cj. 'AXe^av bpibris) be 6 Ae\<£os (prjai
drjTeuaai avrbv bibri rbv ev IIi>#ot bpaKovra dveiXev. To the same effect C. O. Muller The
History and Antiquities of the Doric Race Oxford 1830 i. 232, 338 f., observing that the
boy who represented Apollon at the Stepterion imitated the servitude of the god (IMout.
de dep. or. 15 /cat reXevraiov at re wXdvai. /cat 7) \arpeta rod 7rat56s ot re yiyvb/xevoi wepl ra
Tefjiwr] Kadapixol /neydXov rivbs ayovs /cat roX/j.7jfj.aros inroxpiav ^oi'trt). When Python came
to be regarded, not as a holy snake whose murder demanded expiation, but as an unholy
dragon whose slaughter was a meritorious act, the tale of Apollon's bondage had to be
furnished with a fresh motive (K. Wernicke in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Euc. ii. 25 f.).
4 Asklepios brought to life again those that died at Delphoi (Pherekydes of Leros
frag. 8 (Frag. hist. Gr. i. 71 f. Muller) ap. schol. Eur. Ale. i 4>epe/a>07?s ev rrj bybbrj t&v
iaTOpLwv (rrj r] tuiv IffTopiuiv A. rfi Tj iaropiq. B. rrj itTTOpiq. El. 6. 15) tovs ev Ae\(pois (p-quL
dvrjffKovras avrbv avajiitlxTKeiv and ap. schol. Pind. Pyth. 3. 96 Qepenvb-qs be on rovs tv
Ae\0ots dvyo-KOvras ava(3iovv eiroirjaev (eVotei B.))—a strange statement, which may have
reference to those that underwent the Delphic rite of regeneration (supra p. 210 ff.). For
this rea>on Asklepios was slain by Zeus with a thunderbolt at Delphoi (Pherekydes of
Leros ap. schol. Eur. Ale. 1 Kre'ivei Zeus 'Ao~K\t}Tribv rbv iralba avrov Kepavvui (Kepavvip 0111,
A.) ev llvdojvi. aviGTT) yap id}/xevos tovs redveuiras). Mnaseas of Patrai or Patara, a pupil
of Eratosthenes (W. Christ Geschichte der griechisehen Litterahirb Mimchen 1911 ii. r.
187, 196), apparently identified Asklepios with Apollon and treated the myth in
Euhemeristic fashion (Mnaseas Patrensis frag. 16 (Frag. hist. Gr. iii. 152 Muller) ap.
Fulgent, exp. serin, ant. 2 p. 112, 2 ff. Helm Mnaseas scribit in Europae libro Apollinem
(E. Mehler cj. Apopuiem, cp. Plout. de Is. et Os. 36], posteaquam a love victus atque
interfectus est, a vispillonibus ad sepulturam delatus est (delatutn esse codd. B.E. SJJ), unless
indeed the passage of Mnaseas cited by Fabius Planciades Fulgentius is an impudent for-
gery, which is very possible (F. Skutsch in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. vii. 219 f.). Others
spoke of Asklepios' fate as his apotheosis and introduced him into Olympos along with
Herakk-s (Apollod._/rtz^'. 72 (Frag. hist. Gr. i. 442f. Muller) ap. Clem.Al. strom. 1.21 p. 68,
1 ff. Stahlin = Euseb. praep. ev. 10. 12. 19, Loukian. dial.deor. 13. 1 f.), or identified him,
like Herakles (Hyg. poet. aslr. 2. 14, schol. Arat. pliaen. 74, cp. Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel.
p. 497 n. 3), with the constellation Ophiouchos (pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 6, Hyg. poet,
astr. 2. 14, schol. Caes. Germ. Aratea p. 384, 22 ff. Eyssenhardt, Serv. in Verg. Aen. ii.
259, Myth. Vat. 3. 10. 6). Be that as it may, Apollon killed the Kyklopes (Hes.frag. 47
Flach, 88 Rzach), who had made the fatal bolt for Zeus, or killed their sons (Pherekydes
of Leros up. schol. Eur. Ale. 1), and for this impiety was bidden by Zeus to serve Admetos
(Eur. Ale. 1 ff. with schol. ad loc, Apollod. 3. 10. 4, Diod. 6. 8, Prob. in Verg. georg. 3.
1, Stat. Theb. 6. 375 f., Loukian. de sacrif. 4, Hyg. fab. 49, Serv. in Verg. georg. 3. 2, id.
in Verg. Aen. 7. 761, Myth. Vat. 1. 46, 2. 43, schol. Lucan. 6. 368, Orph. Arg. 1756°.).
5 A. Schmidt Handbuch der griechisehen Chronologie Jena 1888 p. 61 ff.
C. II.
16