DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0329
Appendix N
partly from modern folk-song1, that the Greeks of old aspired to an actual
marriage-union with the deities of the underworld, a union to be fore-shadowed
here in mystic rites and consummated hereafter in very truth. Every man
would one day enter the bridal chamber of Persephone, every woman that
of Hades2. If this daring belief is rightly credited to them—and the evidence
for it is strong—, then we may, I think, venture to interpret the popular scheme
of the hero-feast as a naive representation of the dead man's marriage-banquet.
Wedded at last to the queen of the nether world, he is actually feasting in her
company. His garland and cakes recall
' the white sesame-grains
And myrtle-berries and poppy-head and water-mint3'
appropriate to any bridegroom. Were they not the magic means by which he
beinvvvTai U7r' dXXrjXiov. 6Qev /cat tols voaovai to yapteiv Q6.vo.tov TTpoayopevei • /cat yap to.
avTa d/J.<poT€pois o~vfj.j3a.ivet tw re yap.ovvTi koX Tip dnoQavovTi, olov -Tapairo/nn) (pL\o>v dvdpojv
re Kal yvvaiKwv Kal aretpavoi /cat dpci/aara /cat /xvpa /cat ffvyypa<pr) KTrjp.aTOJV, 2. 65 (weidr)
Kai 6 ya.fj.os £ot/ce Qa.va.TLp /cat (eTreidr] /cat cod. B.) i!>7r6 Qavarov arj/uLaiveTai, evravQa /caX<2s
£xeLV ^yTfO'afj.rfv €TTLfj.vrjaQrjvai (v-TOpLvrjffQrjvai cod. B.) ai/Tov. ya/xetV irapQivov Tip vogovvti
OdvaTov o~7]p.aiveL- off a yap rep yaptovvTi crvp.(3aivei, to. ai»ra /cat Tip 6.TToQavbvTi.
Mr Lawson might have found further support for his theory in the rich storehouse of
ancient Greek epitaphs. Turning over the leaves of the Anthology I lit upon the following :
Anth. Pal. 7. 13. 2 f. (Leonidas or Meleagros) "Hpivvav... | "AtSas ets vp-haiov dvdp-racrev,
7. 183. 2 (Parmenion) "At5??s tt)v Kpo/cdX7js 'iipQaae wapQevirjv, 7. 401. 9 (Krinagoras) xO^>v
cS 5vo-vu[j.<pevTe, 7. 492. 6 (? Anyte of Mitylene) vvi±<piov dXX 'Aldijv Krjbeptbv evpbpeQa,
7. 50713 (? Simonides =frag. 124 B Bergk4, 105 Hiller—Crusius) ovk £-rib~£av vupupeia Xtxv
Karefirjv tov &<Pvktoi> \ rbpynnros tavQrjs 'Pepffecpbvrjs Qd\a/j.ov, 7. 547. 3 f. (Leonidas of
Alexandreia) KaTeareve 5' oi/x'^pLevaLtp, I dXX''At5a vtificpav doodetciTiv KaTaywv, cp. 7. 221.
5 f. "AtS?; 8vffKLVT]Te, tL rrjv iirepaffTOv eTaipyv | r)p-raffas; rj Kal ffrjv Kt;7rpts ejxrjve (ppeva;
Cougny Anth. Pal. Append. 2. 43 = Kaibel Epigr. Gr. no. 50 evQdSe rrjv -raurp- dper?)? iirl
rep/xa ptoXovaav \ Qavaybpav /carpet <^epffecpbvrjs Q6.Xap.os, Cougny 2. 122 a. 3 f. =Kaibel
no. 35 a. 3 f. fQaves, Aiovvcyie, Kal top dvdyKrjs j koivov 'Pepcre<pbvrjs -jdaiv e'xets QdXapov,
Cougny 2. 127. 3 f. r\au/ctd5??s... | r)XQ' iirl irdvdeKTov <§epffe<p6vr]s QaXap.ov, 2. 214.
3 f. = Kaibel no. 201. 3 f. ffuy/c^xurat yeveras 8e HoffeLbL-rnos kXvtov ipvos j faXioTov ■rip.\pai
llepffecpovas QaXdjiois, Cougny 2. 268. 1 f. = Kaibel no. 570. if. oi>x octlus Tjpira^as vtto
[xQbva], Koipave UXovTev, | TTevraeTrj vvjj.<pr)v k.t.X.
See also R. Foerster Der Ranb tend die Riickkehr der Persephone Stuttgart 1874 p. 73
n. 3, E. Maass Orpheus Munchen 1895 p. 219, Gruppe Gr. Myth. Pel. p. 865 n. 1.
1 E.g. A. Passow Popnlaria carmina Gi'aeciae recentioris Lipsiae i860 no. 364. 6 ff.
K' eyw ivdyoi vd -ravTpe<pTQ vd Tcdpco fiia yvvdiKa, \ II??pa tt\v irXaKa ireQepd, rrj jxavprj yr)
yvvalKa \ Kt' avrd rd XiavoXiQapa 6Xa yvvaiKadtpcpia (' For I must go to marry me, to
take a wife unto me; | The black earth for my wife I take, the tombstone as her mother |
And yonder little pebbles all her brethren and her sisters '—from the dirge of an old man :
Bostitsa), id. no. 374. 8 f. 'E^es eyw TravTpevQrjKa, i\pes dpya to j3pddv. \ '0 abrjs eh' 6
dvTpas pLov, 77 7rXd/c' rj weQepd p.ou (' Yesterday was my marriage-day, late yestere'en my
wedding, | Hades I for my husband have, the tomb for my new mother'—from the dirge
of a young girl). Cp. ib. nos. 38, 65, 152, 180, 370, 380, 381, G. F. Abbott Macedonian
Folklore Cambridge 1903 p. 256 n. 1.
2 This had been remarked by E. Maass Orpheus Munchen 1895 p. 219: 'Jedes
Weib, das stirbt, vermahlt sich nach alter Anschauung dem Hades; die Manner und
Jtinglinge betreten ihrerseits den Thalamos der Persephone.' B. Schmidt Das Volksleben
der Neugriechen Leipzig 1871 i. 232 f. had already drawn attention to this group of ideas,
citing ancient and modern illustrations. See further O. Schrader Totenhochzeit Jena 1904
pp. 1—38 and S. Reinach in the Rev. Arch. 1921 ii. 141—143.
3 Aristoph. av. 159 f. rd Xeu/cd <ji]ffap.a \ /cat ixvpra Kal /j.i)Kwva Kal a10'i>-fxpl'pta.
partly from modern folk-song1, that the Greeks of old aspired to an actual
marriage-union with the deities of the underworld, a union to be fore-shadowed
here in mystic rites and consummated hereafter in very truth. Every man
would one day enter the bridal chamber of Persephone, every woman that
of Hades2. If this daring belief is rightly credited to them—and the evidence
for it is strong—, then we may, I think, venture to interpret the popular scheme
of the hero-feast as a naive representation of the dead man's marriage-banquet.
Wedded at last to the queen of the nether world, he is actually feasting in her
company. His garland and cakes recall
' the white sesame-grains
And myrtle-berries and poppy-head and water-mint3'
appropriate to any bridegroom. Were they not the magic means by which he
beinvvvTai U7r' dXXrjXiov. 6Qev /cat tols voaovai to yapteiv Q6.vo.tov TTpoayopevei • /cat yap to.
avTa d/J.<poT€pois o~vfj.j3a.ivet tw re yap.ovvTi koX Tip dnoQavovTi, olov -Tapairo/nn) (pL\o>v dvdpojv
re Kal yvvaiKwv Kal aretpavoi /cat dpci/aara /cat /xvpa /cat ffvyypa<pr) KTrjp.aTOJV, 2. 65 (weidr)
Kai 6 ya.fj.os £ot/ce Qa.va.TLp /cat (eTreidr] /cat cod. B.) i!>7r6 Qavarov arj/uLaiveTai, evravQa /caX<2s
£xeLV ^yTfO'afj.rfv €TTLfj.vrjaQrjvai (v-TOpLvrjffQrjvai cod. B.) ai/Tov. ya/xetV irapQivov Tip vogovvti
OdvaTov o~7]p.aiveL- off a yap rep yaptovvTi crvp.(3aivei, to. ai»ra /cat Tip 6.TToQavbvTi.
Mr Lawson might have found further support for his theory in the rich storehouse of
ancient Greek epitaphs. Turning over the leaves of the Anthology I lit upon the following :
Anth. Pal. 7. 13. 2 f. (Leonidas or Meleagros) "Hpivvav... | "AtSas ets vp-haiov dvdp-racrev,
7. 183. 2 (Parmenion) "At5??s tt)v Kpo/cdX7js 'iipQaae wapQevirjv, 7. 401. 9 (Krinagoras) xO^>v
cS 5vo-vu[j.<pevTe, 7. 492. 6 (? Anyte of Mitylene) vvi±<piov dXX 'Aldijv Krjbeptbv evpbpeQa,
7. 50713 (? Simonides =frag. 124 B Bergk4, 105 Hiller—Crusius) ovk £-rib~£av vupupeia Xtxv
Karefirjv tov &<Pvktoi> \ rbpynnros tavQrjs 'Pepffecpbvrjs Qd\a/j.ov, 7. 547. 3 f. (Leonidas of
Alexandreia) KaTeareve 5' oi/x'^pLevaLtp, I dXX''At5a vtificpav doodetciTiv KaTaywv, cp. 7. 221.
5 f. "AtS?; 8vffKLVT]Te, tL rrjv iirepaffTOv eTaipyv | r)p-raffas; rj Kal ffrjv Kt;7rpts ejxrjve (ppeva;
Cougny Anth. Pal. Append. 2. 43 = Kaibel Epigr. Gr. no. 50 evQdSe rrjv -raurp- dper?)? iirl
rep/xa ptoXovaav \ Qavaybpav /carpet <^epffecpbvrjs Q6.Xap.os, Cougny 2. 122 a. 3 f. =Kaibel
no. 35 a. 3 f. fQaves, Aiovvcyie, Kal top dvdyKrjs j koivov 'Pepcre<pbvrjs -jdaiv e'xets QdXapov,
Cougny 2. 127. 3 f. r\au/ctd5??s... | r)XQ' iirl irdvdeKTov <§epffe<p6vr]s QaXap.ov, 2. 214.
3 f. = Kaibel no. 201. 3 f. ffuy/c^xurat yeveras 8e HoffeLbL-rnos kXvtov ipvos j faXioTov ■rip.\pai
llepffecpovas QaXdjiois, Cougny 2. 268. 1 f. = Kaibel no. 570. if. oi>x octlus Tjpira^as vtto
[xQbva], Koipave UXovTev, | TTevraeTrj vvjj.<pr)v k.t.X.
See also R. Foerster Der Ranb tend die Riickkehr der Persephone Stuttgart 1874 p. 73
n. 3, E. Maass Orpheus Munchen 1895 p. 219, Gruppe Gr. Myth. Pel. p. 865 n. 1.
1 E.g. A. Passow Popnlaria carmina Gi'aeciae recentioris Lipsiae i860 no. 364. 6 ff.
K' eyw ivdyoi vd -ravTpe<pTQ vd Tcdpco fiia yvvdiKa, \ II??pa tt\v irXaKa ireQepd, rrj jxavprj yr)
yvvalKa \ Kt' avrd rd XiavoXiQapa 6Xa yvvaiKadtpcpia (' For I must go to marry me, to
take a wife unto me; | The black earth for my wife I take, the tombstone as her mother |
And yonder little pebbles all her brethren and her sisters '—from the dirge of an old man :
Bostitsa), id. no. 374. 8 f. 'E^es eyw TravTpevQrjKa, i\pes dpya to j3pddv. \ '0 abrjs eh' 6
dvTpas pLov, 77 7rXd/c' rj weQepd p.ou (' Yesterday was my marriage-day, late yestere'en my
wedding, | Hades I for my husband have, the tomb for my new mother'—from the dirge
of a young girl). Cp. ib. nos. 38, 65, 152, 180, 370, 380, 381, G. F. Abbott Macedonian
Folklore Cambridge 1903 p. 256 n. 1.
2 This had been remarked by E. Maass Orpheus Munchen 1895 p. 219: 'Jedes
Weib, das stirbt, vermahlt sich nach alter Anschauung dem Hades; die Manner und
Jtinglinge betreten ihrerseits den Thalamos der Persephone.' B. Schmidt Das Volksleben
der Neugriechen Leipzig 1871 i. 232 f. had already drawn attention to this group of ideas,
citing ancient and modern illustrations. See further O. Schrader Totenhochzeit Jena 1904
pp. 1—38 and S. Reinach in the Rev. Arch. 1921 ii. 141—143.
3 Aristoph. av. 159 f. rd Xeu/cd <ji]ffap.a \ /cat ixvpra Kal /j.i)Kwva Kal a10'i>-fxpl'pta.