Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,2): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Appendixes and index (Cambridge, 1925)

1142

Appendix M

or Zeus Xe'nios1, but never as Zeus Meilichios—a sufficient proof that the author,
though he works up his material with some care, has not preserved to us a
trustworthy record of Athenian cult.

The scholiast on Lucian, who here and there makes valuable remarks, tells
us more than once that the Diasia was kept at Athens 'with gloomy looks,' such
as befitted the worship of the dead2. This agrees well with other indications
concerning the ritual of Zeus Meilichios. An old Attic calendar, the lettering of
which has been referred to the early part of s. v B.C., mentions 'sober' offerings
to Milichios side by side with offerings to Meter at some date before the end of
Gamelion3. Now 'sober' offerings consisted in the main of honey4, and were
specially, though not exclusively, given to chthonian powers (Gaia5, the Bona
Dea6, Dis7, Hekate8, the Eumenides9, Kerberos10) and the souls of the dead11.
The same might be said of the pigs sacrificed to Zeus Meilichios at the Peiraieus12
and by Xenophon ' in accordance with his ancestral custom13.' In short, we have
every reason to conclude that at Athens the cult of Zeus Meilichios was essen-
tially chthonian—the worship of a buried king, who during his life-time had been
hailed as the sky-god incarnate and still was present to bless his people with
increase of field and flock and family.

1 Eumath. 5. 8f., 5. 14 f., 6. 1 f., 6. 9, n. 3.

At the altar of this deity, who is called indifferently Zeus Swr-^p or Zeus Eevtos, the
parents sacrifice about the third watch of the night {id. 5. 15, 6. 5, 6. 14, 6. 16, cp. 10. 9).

2 Schol. Loukian. Icaromen. 24 p. 107, 15 f. Rabe Atdcrta- eopri) 'Adrjvijcni', t)i> evereX-
ovv fierd tivos ffTvyvoTT/Tos duovres £v avrrj Ad MaXi^'V; Tim. 7 p. 110, 27 f. Rabe Atdcrta •
eoprri'Adrjvrjaiv ovtw KaKovpLevr), rjv elwdecrav fxerd ffTvyfOTrjros rivos eirireXe'iv Ovovres Ad
ti2 MetAtxtw, Tim. 43 p. 117, 14 ff. Rabe airoftpds'.. .^reXetVo 5£ ravra Kara, tov Qefipovdpiov
fxrjva, ore /cat rots Karax&oviois evrjyt^ov. /cat 7ras ovtos 6 /x^p dveiro rots Karoixon&ois fxera
ffTvyvoTr)to<; wavrwv Trpolovruv "j"Zrepovf rpbirov, 8v /cat to. Atdcrta crTvyvd^ovTes rjyov'Adrjvaioi.
M. du Soul marked erepov as corrupt. T. Hemsterhusius cj. ivepwv. Graeven cj. ovx
erepov. O. Band Die Attischen Diasien Berlin 1883 p. 6 regards erepov as euphemistic.
If alteration is needed, perhaps we should read o-KvOpwiroTepov. Cp. Hesych. Atdcrta-
eoprr] ''KOrjvqffi. /cat o-Kvdpuirovs dirb rrjs eoprr/s rjv eTrere'Xovv /xerd tivos aTvyvbrt]Tos dvovres,
on which M. Schmidt acutely observes: ' Fortasse comicus dixerat ^Xi-rrovTas Atdcrta.'

3 Corp. inscr. Ait. i no. 4 A, 3 ff., J. de Prott Leges Grctecorum sacrae Lipsiae 1896

Fasti sacri p. 1 ff. no. 1 A, 3 ft. ddp[ye\oi?---Att M]i[t]\txtot : e[—— ve<fi]\[d]{\i)a :

Merpt : [ev"Aypas---];[. ]<x7ruptxeta-------. Mommsen Feste d. Stadt Atheti p. 421

infers that Zeus Milichios and Meter ( = Demeter) were worshipped in or near Agra on
the Ilissos : cp. supra p. 1118 n. 4.

4 W. H. Roscher Nektar and Ambrosia Leipzig 1883 p. 64 n. 167, id. liber Selene
und Verwandtes Leipzig 1890 p. 49 n. 199, W. Robert-Tornow De apium mellisque apnd
veteres signijicatione et symbolica et mythologica Berolini 1893 p. 144, Journ. Hell. Stud.
1895 xv. 20 f. 5 Ap. Rhod. 2. 1271 ff. 6 Macrob. Sat. 1. 12. 25.

7 Sil. It. 13. 415 f. For bees and honey in relation to Demeter and Persephone see
supra i. 443 n. 6 f., ii. 1113 n. o no. (3).

8 Ap. Rhod. 3. 1035 f.

9 Aisch. Eum. 106 f., Soph. O.C. 98 ff., 480 ff. with schol. ad loc, Paus. 2. 11. 4.

10 verg. Aen. 6. 417 ff., Souid. s.v. ne\iT0VTra = schol. Aristoph. Lys. 601.

11 //. 23. i7of., Od. 10. 518 tT., 11. 26ff.,24. 67 f., Aisch. Pers. 607 ff., Eur. Or. 114 f.
with schol. ad loc, I.T. 159 ff., 633 ff., Ap. Rhod. 2. 1271 ff., Souid. s.v. fj.e\irovTTa -
schol. Aristoph. Lys. 601. See further H. Usener ' Milch und Honig' in the Rhein. Mus.
1902 lvii. 177—195 ( = id. Kleine Schriften Leipzig—Berlin [913 iv. 398—417) and S.
Eitrem Opferritus und Voropfer der Griechen tmd Rbmer ( Videnskapsselskapets Skrifter.
II. Plist.-Filos. Klasse. 1914- No. i) Kristiania 1915 pp. 102—105.

12 Suprap. 1105. 13 Supra p. 1107.