DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0922
840 Retrospect
Retrospect.
Most of the evidence available for a study of Zeus as god of
Thunder and Lightning now lies behind us. But, lest I be accused
of inveigling my readers into an irremeable labyrinth of detail,
I shall endeavour in a few concluding paragraphs to emphasise
afresh the main outlines and salient points of my design.
Zeus, 'the Bright One,' was originally nothing but the day-light
Sky, conceived in zoi'stic fashion as alive with a life of its own ;
and traces of that primitive conception could be detected here and
there throughout the classical period. But already in Homeric days,
indeed long before Homer, the divine Sky had developed into the
Sky-god, a weather-making ruler, who dwelt in upper glory (aitJier).
As such he became the recognised head of the Hellenic pantheon,
and in the Hellenistic age was brought into connexion with other
manifestations of celestial brightness—sun, moon, and stars alike.
So much had been made clear in the first volume of this work.
The second, beginning with the obvious reflexion that the sky is
not always bright, went on to observe that Zeus god of the bright
sky naturally became god of the weather in general1, any sudden
atmospheric change being interpreted as an ominous 'Zeus-sign'
{Diosemia)'*.
Of such changes the most momentous was the thunder-storm.
For it was then, when all was dark, that Zeus would rend the
heavens and come down in the form of a bright blinding flash
(Zeus Keraunos)3-
Investigation of Zeus Kataibdtes/who descends' in the lightning4,
and of his elysia or enelysia, sacred precincts where none might tread5,
led us to examine into the curious belief that the 'Zeus-struck' man
(Didbletos), though he lay blasted and blackened on the ground, was
for all that a divinised mortal even now £in Elysium' (enelfsws)6.
Hence a long but necessary digression on the Elysian Way from
earth to heaven, 'the road of Zeus' as Pindar called it, in plain prose
the Galaxy, which was regarded by Pythagoreans as a soul-path
and associated by Platon in Pythagorising mood with 'a straight
light like a pillar' stretched along the axis of the universe17. This
enquiry disclosed a new and not unimportant conception of the sky
as resting on a sky-prop8—a conception which helped to explain,
not only the Iupiter-columns of Rhenic Germany9, but also such
monuments as the column of Mayence10, and even the great com-
memorative columns of Rome and Constantinople11.
1 Supra p. iff. 2 Supra p. 4 ff. 3 Supra p. ] 1 ff. 4 Supra p. 13 ff.
5 Supra p. 2 if. 6 Supra p. 22 ff. 7 Supra p. 36 ff. 8 Supra p. 50 ff.
9 Supra p. 57 ff. 10 Supra p. 93 ff. 11 Supra p. 100 ff.
Retrospect.
Most of the evidence available for a study of Zeus as god of
Thunder and Lightning now lies behind us. But, lest I be accused
of inveigling my readers into an irremeable labyrinth of detail,
I shall endeavour in a few concluding paragraphs to emphasise
afresh the main outlines and salient points of my design.
Zeus, 'the Bright One,' was originally nothing but the day-light
Sky, conceived in zoi'stic fashion as alive with a life of its own ;
and traces of that primitive conception could be detected here and
there throughout the classical period. But already in Homeric days,
indeed long before Homer, the divine Sky had developed into the
Sky-god, a weather-making ruler, who dwelt in upper glory (aitJier).
As such he became the recognised head of the Hellenic pantheon,
and in the Hellenistic age was brought into connexion with other
manifestations of celestial brightness—sun, moon, and stars alike.
So much had been made clear in the first volume of this work.
The second, beginning with the obvious reflexion that the sky is
not always bright, went on to observe that Zeus god of the bright
sky naturally became god of the weather in general1, any sudden
atmospheric change being interpreted as an ominous 'Zeus-sign'
{Diosemia)'*.
Of such changes the most momentous was the thunder-storm.
For it was then, when all was dark, that Zeus would rend the
heavens and come down in the form of a bright blinding flash
(Zeus Keraunos)3-
Investigation of Zeus Kataibdtes/who descends' in the lightning4,
and of his elysia or enelysia, sacred precincts where none might tread5,
led us to examine into the curious belief that the 'Zeus-struck' man
(Didbletos), though he lay blasted and blackened on the ground, was
for all that a divinised mortal even now £in Elysium' (enelfsws)6.
Hence a long but necessary digression on the Elysian Way from
earth to heaven, 'the road of Zeus' as Pindar called it, in plain prose
the Galaxy, which was regarded by Pythagoreans as a soul-path
and associated by Platon in Pythagorising mood with 'a straight
light like a pillar' stretched along the axis of the universe17. This
enquiry disclosed a new and not unimportant conception of the sky
as resting on a sky-prop8—a conception which helped to explain,
not only the Iupiter-columns of Rhenic Germany9, but also such
monuments as the column of Mayence10, and even the great com-
memorative columns of Rome and Constantinople11.
1 Supra p. iff. 2 Supra p. 4 ff. 3 Supra p. ] 1 ff. 4 Supra p. 13 ff.
5 Supra p. 2 if. 6 Supra p. 22 ff. 7 Supra p. 36 ff. 8 Supra p. 50 ff.
9 Supra p. 57 ff. 10 Supra p. 93 ff. 11 Supra p. 100 ff.