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)

Zeus Meilichios

1149

taken attempt to explain the title Kldrios, which has been better interpreted by
F. Solmsen as 'god of the High Place' (Kldrios for *Krilrios)1. Be that as it
may2, Zeus Kldrios was not improbably the old divine king buried under the
common hearth of his people. If such were really the beliefs of the Tegeates,
the cult of Zeus Melichios, whether imported or not, would flourish in their
midst.

(11) Zeus Meilichos or Milichos in Boiotia.

At Orchomenos in Boiotia, the great stronghold of the Aeolian Minyai3,
Zeus was worshipped under the title Meilichos. Towards the close of the third
century B.C. a certain Anticharidas, priest of the god, brought forward a decree
for the construction of a fountain in or near his sanctuary, the Meilickion, in
order that persons sacrificing there might have a convenient supply of drinkable
water4. The connexion with water recalls the Meiltchios-cvlts of Athens3 and
prepares us to find that here too Zeus was a chthonian god with fertilising
powers. Now Orchomenos the eponym of the town is said to have been the son

inscr. Gr. i nos. 1513, 1514 = F. Bechtel in Collitz—Bechtel Gr. Dial.-Inschr. 1. 351 ff.
no. 123.1 = Michel Recueil d?Inscr. gr. no. S8S = Inscr. Gr. Arc. Lac. Mess. ii. no. 36 and
F. Bechtel loc. cit. i. 357 ft- no. 1246 = Inscr. Gr. Arc. Lac. Mess, ii no. 38. Add Lnscr.
Gr. Arc. Lac. Mess, ii no. 6, 83 and 89, ii nos. 39, 40, 41, 173, 174), the names of the
tribes were e7r' ''Adavalav, KpapLQrai, 'IwrrodoiTai, 'ATroXKioviaTai. On their topographical
distribution see V. Berard in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1892 xvi. 549 with pi. 13.

1 Supra p. 874 n. 2.

2 Alii aliter. (1) M. Schmidt on Hesych. K\dpe%- al iirl eddcpovs (so M. Musurus for
e8d<pov) e<Tx<*PaL suggests that Zeus KXdpios of Tegea drew his title hence.

If Zeus KXdpios was a god 'of Hearths,' his annual festival was presumably for the
purpose of furnishing the people with new fire (Frazer Golden Bough'6: Index p. 271 f).
This adds significance to a curious incident in the history of the town. According to
Paus. 8. 53. 10, the Lacedaemonians once marched against the Tegeates at the time of
the festival: 'It was snowing, and the Lacedaemonians were cold and weary with the
weight of their weapons. But the Tegeates unbeknown to them kindled a fire and, not
being incommoded by the chill, got under arms, marched out against the Lacedaemonians,
and beat them in the action.' According to Polyain. 1. 8, when the Lacedaemonians
were attacking Tegea, Fines (?) king of the Arcadians bade the men of military age to
charge downhill against the enemy at midnight, but the old men and children to kindle a
huge fire outside the town at the same hour. The Lacedaemonians turned in astonishment
towards the glare, and so fell a prey to the onslaught from the height. Both accounts
presuppose the fire-festival of Zeus KXdpios.

(2) Immerwahr Kult. Myth. Arkad. p. 29 takes Zeus KXdpws to be 'god of
Branches,' i.e. of suppliant-boughs, cp. Hesych. f/cXdpioi (Immerwahr rightly adopts
XL Schmidt's cj. /cXdpoi) • k\ddoi and Aisch. suppl. 354 ff- IIEA. bpQi k\&5oi<ti veodpowois
KardaKiov j vevovd' op.i\ov tov8' (so J. G. L Hermann for tu>v5') dyuviuiv deCov followed by
359 f. cited supra p. 874 n. 2.

3 On the Minyai as Aeolians see A. Fick in the Zeitschrift fitr vergleichende Sprachfor-
schung auf dem Gebiete der indogermanischen Sprachen 1911 xliv. 2 f, 5, id. 1914 xlvi. 70,
76f., 85 ff., 93, 102 ff.

4 Corp. inscr. Gr. i no. 1568, R. Xleister in Collitz—Bechtel Gr. Dial.-Inschr. i. 191
no. 495 with i. 394, Lnscr. Gr. sept, i no. 3169, Michel Recueil denser, gr. no. 701, Ditten-
berger Syll. inscr. Gr? no. 994 Aap.oT0i5ao apxovros, \ lapeidodovTos j 'AvrixaptSao
A[#]ai'oj5a>pw, (d tt)6\ls Ail XIeiXi'(x)[i'-] | 'AvTixaptSas' AdavoSicpcc £X[e]|ife■ dedoxdy tv ddfxv,
ottlo[s] e'xto(f)!#i twv TrdXtT&ojv tv (6)v(o)j>(t)es e[v] j (t)v MetXi%ti; o(v8)ari xp^i-eladrj [tto'\\tlp.v,
KaraaKevaTTTj K(p)[dvav] \ ev tv iapv el Trap to {i)ap[6v, el ko] \ 8okI e[v] ko\\l(tto[c elfxev].

0 Supra p. 1115 ff.