DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0634
560 The double axe and Zeus Lairdyndos
an image of Zeus, put the double axe in his hand, and named the god Labradeus
—for the Lydians call the double axe labrys1.''
Thus, according to Plutarch, the double axe belonged successively
to the Amazons, the Lydians, and the Carians.
It is, in fact, constantly associated with the Amazons, and that
in two forms—the double axe with a pair of blades {labrys, pelekys,
amphipilekkon (?)2, bipennis) and the battle-axe with one broad blade
and one pointed end {sdgaris, securis). These types appear in art
from the fifth century B.C. onwards, and thence make their way
into literature as part of the regular Amazonian equipment3. Now
the Amazons stand in intimate relation to the Hittites4, and both
types of axe occur on Hittite monuments5. The double axe in par-
ticular is borne by the youthful god who stands on a lioness (?) at
Boghaz-Keui6, and by his successor Herakles (Sandas) at Tarsos7.
I should therefore infer from the story of Herakles taking the
labrys of Hippolyte to Lydia that the axe in question belonged
to the younger Hittite god, who turns up in Lydia as Sandon
Herakles8.
1 I. Thomopoulos Ue\aayiK& Athens 1912 p. 400f. argues from the forms \a[3pa-5tvs,
\aj3pa-v5evs that the Carico-Lydian word for 'axe' or 'sword' was *\d(3pa, not \dj3pvs.
and even suggests that the second element of the compound -detis is probably for ZeiJs (cp.
Hesych. Aevs ' Zevs, etc.): '"06ev Xafipadeus arjfiaivec 1-1 tov \afipocpbpov Ai'ct."' A highly
precarious speculation.
2 Hesych. dixcpnreXerj (so Musuruswith cod. G. Soping cj. dp.<pnre\eKT] F. Guyet cj.
d/j.<pLTre\€KKTj H. Stephanus would read afj.(pnre\eKKri or dfxcpiwe'XeKKov M. Schmidt, after
L. C. Valckenaer, prints dp.<pLTre\^K.. (LI. 13. 612 d/u<pl neXeKKLp))- Tre\eKiov Siarop-ov,
Kvprjva'ioL. 6 Se ' Apiarapxos tov rrjs d^ivrjs o~Te\ebv drre'SwKev.
3 Hippolyte, daughter of Ares (Schol. 77. 3. 189, Hyg. fab. 30), has a double axe on
a copper of Perinthos struck by Elagabalos (F. Imhoof-Blumer in the Num. Zeitschr.
1884 xvi. 234 f. pi. 4, 4), a battle-axe on an Etruscan mirror (Gerhard Etr. Spiegel iv.
85 f. pi. 341, 2, A. Klugmann in Roscher Lex. Myth. i. 2680). See also Waddington—
Babelon—Reinach Monn. gr. a"As. Min. i. 371 pi. 60, 19 a copper of Herakleia Pontike
struck by Macrinus, ib. i. 377 pi. 6i, 21 another copper of the same town struck by
Gordianus iii Pius.
4 So much, but no more, is clear from the facts cited by W. Leonhard Hettiter und
Amazonen Leipzig—Berlin 1911 pp. 1—252. See e.g.]. Garstang The Land of ihe Hit-
tites London 1910 pp. 213 n. 1, 357 n. 4, 372 n. 3, A. J. Reinach ' L'origine des Amazons'
in the Revue de Fhistoire des religions 1913 pp. 277—308, F. M. Bennett Religious Cults
associated with the Amazons New York 1912 p. 73 f. n. 360, E. Meyer Reich und Kultur
der Chetiter Berlin 1914 pp. 91, 159.
5 W. Leonhard op. cit. p. 113 n. 2 with Ut\e-vignette.
6 Supra i. 599 n. 6, 603, 605 fig. 476, ii. 552 n. 4.
7 Supra i. 599 figs. 462—464, cp. i. 631 f.
8 Lyd. de magistr. 3. 64 p. 155, i8ff. Wtlnsch (a, profos of Lydian advdvKes) roiovTtg
tov 'Hpa/cX^a xLT&VL Trepi(3a\ov<ja '0/j.(pa\r] irore alaxP&s ipQivra irapedriKvve. ravTrj Kal
HavSdiv 'HpaK\7}s dvrjvexdV! AwoXijibs 6 'PwpLalos (pi\6o~o(pos ev rt£ eiriypatpoixevii) epwrtKW,
/ecu TpdyKvWos 8e irpb avrov ev rco Trepl eTriaripLLjv iropvQiv dvevrjvoxacriv. ivdev olfxai aavSovas
§ti Kal vuv irpbs biaavpfxov \eyecrdcu, k.t.X. Hdt. r. 71 mentions a prominent Lydian named
Hdvdavii. See further O. Hofer in Roscher Lex. Myth. iv. 321, 326f.
an image of Zeus, put the double axe in his hand, and named the god Labradeus
—for the Lydians call the double axe labrys1.''
Thus, according to Plutarch, the double axe belonged successively
to the Amazons, the Lydians, and the Carians.
It is, in fact, constantly associated with the Amazons, and that
in two forms—the double axe with a pair of blades {labrys, pelekys,
amphipilekkon (?)2, bipennis) and the battle-axe with one broad blade
and one pointed end {sdgaris, securis). These types appear in art
from the fifth century B.C. onwards, and thence make their way
into literature as part of the regular Amazonian equipment3. Now
the Amazons stand in intimate relation to the Hittites4, and both
types of axe occur on Hittite monuments5. The double axe in par-
ticular is borne by the youthful god who stands on a lioness (?) at
Boghaz-Keui6, and by his successor Herakles (Sandas) at Tarsos7.
I should therefore infer from the story of Herakles taking the
labrys of Hippolyte to Lydia that the axe in question belonged
to the younger Hittite god, who turns up in Lydia as Sandon
Herakles8.
1 I. Thomopoulos Ue\aayiK& Athens 1912 p. 400f. argues from the forms \a[3pa-5tvs,
\aj3pa-v5evs that the Carico-Lydian word for 'axe' or 'sword' was *\d(3pa, not \dj3pvs.
and even suggests that the second element of the compound -detis is probably for ZeiJs (cp.
Hesych. Aevs ' Zevs, etc.): '"06ev Xafipadeus arjfiaivec 1-1 tov \afipocpbpov Ai'ct."' A highly
precarious speculation.
2 Hesych. dixcpnreXerj (so Musuruswith cod. G. Soping cj. dp.<pnre\eKT] F. Guyet cj.
d/j.<pLTre\€KKTj H. Stephanus would read afj.(pnre\eKKri or dfxcpiwe'XeKKov M. Schmidt, after
L. C. Valckenaer, prints dp.<pLTre\^K.. (LI. 13. 612 d/u<pl neXeKKLp))- Tre\eKiov Siarop-ov,
Kvprjva'ioL. 6 Se ' Apiarapxos tov rrjs d^ivrjs o~Te\ebv drre'SwKev.
3 Hippolyte, daughter of Ares (Schol. 77. 3. 189, Hyg. fab. 30), has a double axe on
a copper of Perinthos struck by Elagabalos (F. Imhoof-Blumer in the Num. Zeitschr.
1884 xvi. 234 f. pi. 4, 4), a battle-axe on an Etruscan mirror (Gerhard Etr. Spiegel iv.
85 f. pi. 341, 2, A. Klugmann in Roscher Lex. Myth. i. 2680). See also Waddington—
Babelon—Reinach Monn. gr. a"As. Min. i. 371 pi. 60, 19 a copper of Herakleia Pontike
struck by Macrinus, ib. i. 377 pi. 6i, 21 another copper of the same town struck by
Gordianus iii Pius.
4 So much, but no more, is clear from the facts cited by W. Leonhard Hettiter und
Amazonen Leipzig—Berlin 1911 pp. 1—252. See e.g.]. Garstang The Land of ihe Hit-
tites London 1910 pp. 213 n. 1, 357 n. 4, 372 n. 3, A. J. Reinach ' L'origine des Amazons'
in the Revue de Fhistoire des religions 1913 pp. 277—308, F. M. Bennett Religious Cults
associated with the Amazons New York 1912 p. 73 f. n. 360, E. Meyer Reich und Kultur
der Chetiter Berlin 1914 pp. 91, 159.
5 W. Leonhard op. cit. p. 113 n. 2 with Ut\e-vignette.
6 Supra i. 599 n. 6, 603, 605 fig. 476, ii. 552 n. 4.
7 Supra i. 599 figs. 462—464, cp. i. 631 f.
8 Lyd. de magistr. 3. 64 p. 155, i8ff. Wtlnsch (a, profos of Lydian advdvKes) roiovTtg
tov 'Hpa/cX^a xLT&VL Trepi(3a\ov<ja '0/j.(pa\r] irore alaxP&s ipQivra irapedriKvve. ravTrj Kal
HavSdiv 'HpaK\7}s dvrjvexdV! AwoXijibs 6 'PwpLalos (pi\6o~o(pos ev rt£ eiriypatpoixevii) epwrtKW,
/ecu TpdyKvWos 8e irpb avrov ev rco Trepl eTriaripLLjv iropvQiv dvevrjvoxacriv. ivdev olfxai aavSovas
§ti Kal vuv irpbs biaavpfxov \eyecrdcu, k.t.X. Hdt. r. 71 mentions a prominent Lydian named
Hdvdavii. See further O. Hofer in Roscher Lex. Myth. iv. 321, 326f.