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)

434 Twins as Children of the Sky

Finally, Eustathios in the second half of the twelfth century includes
this notion along with others in his commentary on the Homeric
couplet1. It would seem, then, that Greek speculation from Hellen-
istic to Byzantine times sought to identify the sons of Zeus with
the two segments of the animate Sky. T. H. Martin2 has plausibly
conjectured that this is why the Pythagoreans regarded semicircles
as sacred to the Dioskouroi3.

(7) Twins as Children of the Sky.

I would dwell for a moment on some aspects of this mytho-
logical development. In the first place, it solves without more ado
an otherwise baffling problem with regard to twins in general.
Sir James Frazer, in his survey of superstitions as to twins in Africa,
remarks concerning the Baronga of Delagoa Bay : ' They bestow
the name of Tilo—that is, the sky—on a woman who has given
birth to twins, and the infants themselves are called the children of
the sky4.' He adds in a footnote: 'The reason for calling twins
" Children of the Sky " is obscure. Are they supposed in some
mysterious way to stand for the sun and moon5?' Dr Rendel
Harris, who has contributed so much to the study of twins6, carries
the enquiry a stage further by pointing out ' that we have here
among the Baronga the exact equivalent of the Greek ' Dioskouroi'.
But if that be so, there is no need to prolong discussion. The

1 Eustath. in Od. p. 1686, 33 ff. erepoi Se ov rrdvv iridav&s voovvTes to eTepy)p.epov itri
tov tov fiev rrjSe ffiv rfj rjp.epa il>? tov erepov ev veKpots ovtos, tji Se eripa tov Xolttov los
darepov TeOveuiTos, eis ra Svo /car' ovpavbv ~r]pua<paipia tovs AtocrKovpovs virovoovaiv, wv
darepov p.ev virep yrjs dei eari, darepov Se vrrb yrjv. orrep dvaTpewcov 6 Trapa/3dTrjs (prjaiv
us ovk e%et Xbyov eiprjffOat Aioanovpovs Trap 'Op,rjpu> ra Svo t)p.ia<paipia tov rravros. k.t.X.
(the reference is to Ioul. or. 4. 147 B cited supra p. 433 n. 4). Cp. Eustath. in II. p. 410,
18 ff. ore Se oi AioaKovpoi /cat els to, Svo rj/xicrcpaipia rod iravTos evorjdrjaav, /cat eis tovs
TpoiriKovs Se paXtara kvkXovs, 6 Trapa/3dT7}s 'lovXiavbs 'iypa^ev, ws SyjXovTai /cat ev tois eis
tt)v OSvaaeiav.

2 T. H. Martin La foudre I'electricite et le magnitisme chez les anciens Paris 1866
p. 297 f.

3 Damask, quaest. de pritnis principiis 261 (ii. 127, 7 ff. Ruelle) 5ta rt yap tu> p-ev tov
kvkXov dviepovv oi Wvdaybpeioi, tlS Se Tpiyuvov, rep Se rerpdyuivov, rip oe aXXo /cat aXXo twv
evdvypi/MpLiov tlov (Tx^/iaTWf, los Se /cat /mktusv, ojs t<x i}/LiiKVK\ta toIs AiocrKovpois; k.t.X.

A different view is cited by Iambi, v. Pyth. 155 awevSeiv Se rrpb rpaTrifys TrapanaXei
Albs ^.urrjpos /cat 'HpaxXeovs /cat Atotrkovptov, tt/s Tpocpfjs vfxvovvTas tov apx^ybv tcai tov
ravTrjs i)yep.bva Ata, /cat tov 'Hpa/cXea ttjv 8vvap.1v tt)s (pvcrews, Kai tovs Aioo~Kovpovs ttjv
crvpLcpcoviav tQv drravTivv. On this see A. Delatte Etudes sur la literature pytkagoricienne
Paris 1915 p. 115 f.

4 Frazer Golden Bough%: The Magic Art i. 267 f., citing H. A. Junod Les Ba-ronga
{Bulletin de la society neuchdteloise de geographie x) Neuchatel 1898 pp. 412, 416 ff.

5 Frazer Golden Bough3 : The Magic Art i. 268 n. 1.

6 Supra i. 760 n. 7.

7 J. Rendel Harris The Cult of the Heavenly Twins Cambridge 1906 p. 26.