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)

The effeminate Twin

449

storm-god, cut by the rainbow-sickle, showers down the lightning

seeing him fled to Egypt, where they transformed themselves into various animals (supra
i. 370 n. 1, 445, 675). While Typhon was afar off, Zeus flung thunderbolts at him (infra
§ 3 (c) iv (a)). When Typhon drew nigh, Zeus scared him with a hdrpe of adamant
and pursued him to Mt Kasion in Syria. Seeing that he was wounded, Zeus then came
to close quarters. But Typhon, casting his coils about the god, caught him, wrested the
hdrpe from him, and cut the sinews of his hands and feet. He lifted Zeus on his shoulders
and carried him through the sea to Kilikia, where he deposited him in the Corycian Cave.
The sinews he hid in the skin of a bear and stored them there with Delphyne, half-snake,
half-woman, to guard them. However, Hermes and Aigipan contrived to steal the sinews,
and fitted them on to Zeus again (Tlv<ptl>v 5e rais ffireipais irepnrXexdels KaTeaxev o-vtov, Kal
t7]v apivrjv TrepieXo/xevos rd re twv xeLP&"/ Ka' tto5u>v diere/xe vevpa, apdp,evos Se eirl tlov i£p.uv
SieKOfxiaev avrbv Sia rrjs OaXdcrarjs els I\i\iKiav Kal irapeXdwv els to KupvKLOv avrpov Karedero.
6/J.oius Se Kal rd vevpa Kpvxpas ev dpKTOV Sopa KeWi diredero, Kal KareaTqae (pvXaKa Ae\<pvvr)v
dpaKaivav ■ ripidrip Se rjv avrrj 7] Kdprj. 'Ep/xrjs Se Kal Aiyiirav eKK\e\f/avTes rd vevpa t)pp.oo~av
ri2 Ad Xadovres). Thus Zeus, having recovered his strength, suddenly appeared in the
sky on a chariot drawn by winged horses. Brandishing his bolts, he pursued Typhon to
Mt Nysa. Here the monster was deceived by the Moirai; for, believing that it would
increase his strength, he tasted of mortal fruit. Pursued further to Thrace, he carried on
the fight round Mt Haimos and hurled whole mountains at Zeus. But the thunderbolt
forced these mountains back upon him, till he deluged the range with his blood (Ai^tos
from aljxa). He essayed to escape through the Sicilian sea. But Zeus finally crushed him
beneath Mt Aitne, from which the fiery blasts of the thunderbolts that were flung can still
be seen to issue.

(2) Nonn. Dion. x. 137 ff.—2. 712 : Zeus, enamoured of Plouto (supra i. 156), had
hidden his thunderbolts in the Arimian Cave, where their smoke betrayed them. Typhoeus
or Typhon (the names are used indifferently) the Cilician, at the advice of his mother
Gaia, stole them, kept them in a hollow rock, and usurping the powers of Zeus (1. 295
Tievs vbdos, 391 vodov A(6s, cp. 479 f. yvrjaiov v/j.velwv p.e veov aKTjirTovxov 'Q\vp.irov aKijirrpa
Ai6s (popeovra Kal daTpdirrovra xLT&va) proceeded to upset the whole course of nature.
Thereupon the gods flew, like a flock of birds, to Egypt. Just then Kadmos, seeking
Europe (supra i. 539 ff.), reached the Arimian Cave. Zeus, accompanied by Eros met
him, and together they'plotted the death of Typhoeus. Pan was to dress up Kadmos as
a shepherd ; Kadmos, to soothe Typhoeus with his syrinx, receiving Harmonia as his
reward ; Eros, to quell the world-tumult and shoot a shaft at Typhoeus. Zeus in the form
of a bull retired to Mt Tauros (Tavpos — ravpos). The plot is carried into effect. Typhoeus,
charmed by Kadmos' music, leaves the bolts of Zeus in the cavern with Gaia. Kadmos
feigns terror. Typhoeus reassures him, and suggests a musical contest between Kadmos'
pipes and his stolen thunders. He even offers that, when he himself occupies the throne
of Zeus, he will establish Kadmos in heaven pipes and all. Kadmos next proposes to
chant Typhoeus' triumph to the seven-stringed kithdra, with which he has surpassed
Phoibos himself. Unfortunately Zeus, to pleasure Phoibos, has destroyed his strings; but,
if he can get new strings, he will enchant the universe. Thereupon Typhoeus fetches
from his cavern the sinews of Zeus, which during their former fight had fallen on the
ground, and gives them to Kadmos. Kadmos handles the sinews and stores them in a
hollow rock for Zeus (1. 510 ff. Kal raxvs els ebv avrpov eireiyeTO' KeWev deipas | vevpa Aids
5oK6evri Tropev ^eivrjia Kdo/xy, | vevpa, rd irep xtfopt Tvl-nre Tvcpaoviy wore x^PI^V- I Ka' 56cri>'
d/j.j3poo-Lriv d7rar?7\ios ijveae iroLfxrjV J Kal rd p,ev d/ncpacpdaaKe Kal dp/xevov old re x°P^Vv I
eo~oop.evy)v (popfxiyyi KareKpvtpe KoCkdoi Trerprj, | Tirjvl TiyavTOcpovcp we<pv\ayp.iva). He then
with thin-drawn notes of his syrinx pipes to the unwitting Typhoeus the coming victory
of Zeus. Meantime Zeus creeps into the cave, recovers his weapons, and conceals Kadmos
in a cloud. The music stops. Typhoeus, eager to resume his rage, goes in search of the
thunderbolts and discovers that he has been tricked. His wrath is unbounded. The gods
are still in Egypt. But Zeus gives battle from Mt Tauros and, after a scene of prodigious

C. II.

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