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)

2j6 Criticism of P. Kretschmer's hypothesis

Elsewhere the same author expresses the Orphic belief that the
infant Dionysos 'was a second Zeus | And sent the rain-storm1.'
These and other indications of an essential connexion between
Dionysos and the rain2 warrant us in attaching weight to Pherekydes'
statements. It would seem that, in Thraco-Phrygian myth, not only
did Zeus descend in rain upon Semele when he begat Dionysos3,
but Dionysos himself 'a second Zeus' came upon the nysai or 'trees'
in the form of rain. And after all, nysai ' trees ' are compatible with
nysai ' nymphs ' ; for nymphs may be tree-nymphs, and it is on
record that Dionysos was nursed by the Dryads4.

In the second place, exception might be taken to Kretschmer's
view that the sky-god was called Zeus by Thracians as well as
Hellenes. That view is based5 on the fact that, just as Hellenic
names derived from Zeus, e.g. Diddoros, Diogenes, Diomedes, have
for their first element Dio-, so Thracian names begin sometimes
with Deo-r\ Dio-7, Diu-S, sometimes with DeosJ\ Dios-10,—the twofold

1 Id. ib. 10. 298 Kai weXe Sevrepos aXXos '4ri fipecpos verios Zeus {supra i. 398 f., 647 n. 6).

2 Gruppe Gr. Myth. A'el. p. 1427 11. 9. 3 Infra § 9 (i).
4 Opp. cyn, 4. 275 <svv Apvaaiv 5' driTr/Xe pLeXiffaoKOfiOMTi re ~Sv/x<pais, k.t.X.

6 P. Kretschmer Einleitung in die Geschichie dcr Griechischen Sprache Gdttingen
1896 p. 241.

s Aed-pi^'os in an inscription cited by W. Tomaschek ' Die alten Thraker' in the
Sitzungsber. d. kais. Akad. d. IViss. in Wien Phil.-hist. Classe 1894 xxxi. i. 31 ILoaia
Aeo/3it;ov.

Deo-pns in an inscription from Thessalonike published by A. Dumont Milanges d'arche-
ologie et d'dpigraphie Paris 1892 p. 470 no. 113 DEOPVISFIL • AN. LX. HSS. etc. after
L. Duchesne et C. Bayet Menioire sur une Mission an Mont Athos Paris 1876 p. 51 no. 82.

Deo-titanus in an inscription from Regensburg in Bavaria : Corp. inscr. Lat. iii
no. 5965 d. m. j et perpetuae sec|ur. Deotitano, vjixit an. xv, fee. Iul. Pojtititus filio,
etc. = Gruter Inscr. ant. tot. orb. Rom. ii. 680 no. 3. For the second element in the name
cp. an inscription from Gampanil' Gong near Jimena in Corp. inscr. Lat. ii no. 3354
d m s|nvsatita| pver serve j pronatvs na[tione tra|cie plvs mi:nvs anno|rvm
iii ja|cet petito be|neficio inJlocvm cam|panianen|sem.

7 Dio-bessi in Plin. nat. hist. 4. 40 amnem Strymonem accolunt.. .latere.. .laevo Digerri
Bessorumque multa nomina ad Mestum amnem ima Pangaei montis ambientem inter
Haletos, Diobessos, Carbilesos, inde Brigas, Sapaeos, Odomantos. The A?ot are mentioned
in Thouk. 2. 96 irapsKakei Se (sc. Sitalkes in 429 b.c.) Kai tCjv opeivtov Qpanuv ttoWous tQiv
avrovop.icv Kai fiaxoupocpopwv, ot Alol KaXovvrai, ttjv Po56wt]v o'l TrXelcrTOL oiKouvTes, cp. 7. 27
d(pLK0VT0 8e Kai QpaKwv tlov p.axat-po<p6pwv rod AiaKOv yevovs is ras 'Adr)vas ireXrauTai ev
rqj avTtg depei Tovrip (413 b.c.) rpLaKoaioi Kai xi'Xioi k.t.X. (whence Dion Cass. 51. 22
QpaKes tov Aa/a/coO (!) 7eVouj rod ttjv 'VoSoirriv -wore eiroiKriGavTos ovres), Tac. ann. 3. 38
Coelaletae Odrusaeque et Dii (so J. Lipsius for codd. alii), validae nationes, arma cepere
(21 a.d.). See further W. Tomaschek 'Die alten Thraker' in the Sitzungsber. d. kais.
Akad. d. Wiss. in Wien Phil.-hist. Classe 1893 exxviii. 7if.

Aio-cr/ce/3pios in an inscription from Miletopolis in Mysia first published by Lebas—
Waddington Asie Mineure v no. 1105 AI OC K E P B I OCPOY^OC k.t.X. and later
corrected by G. Perrot—E. Guillaume—J. Delbet Exploration archeologique de la Galatie
et de la Bithynie d'une partie de la Mysie de la Phrygie, de la Cappadoce et du Pont Paris
1872 i. 99 AI0CKEPBI0CP0Y4>0C k.t.X.