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Cook, Arthur B.
Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes — Cambridge, 1940

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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14698#0106

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Nephelokokkygia

61

Athenian audience in the days of Aristophanes could hardly have
hesitated. The partner of Zeus must needs be Hera. And Hera in
that very capacity was often called Basileia1. Besides, on the present
occasion there was a special reason for picking out just this title and
no other as appropriate to the goddess. For it would seem that the
political circumstances in which the play was first planned prompted
the author to the better part of its nomenclature—Euelpides,
Pisthetairos, Nephelokokkygia, and finally Basileia.

Aristophanes brought out his Birds at the City Dionysia of the
year 414 B.C.2 But B. B. Rogers has shown that in all probability
the play had been 'long in incubation,' indeed that it had been taken

turns aside to the sacred marriage of Dionysos and the fiaaChHraa (supra i. 672 n. o, 686,
709 f. pi. xl, 3), and concludes that BacriXeia is an imaginary goddess, whose name
suggests the consort of the god of comedy. ' Peithetairos, on this hypothesis, recalls to
the audience Zeus, with a touch of Dionysos. Basileia recalls the Basilissa, not without
a touch of Hera' (J. T. Sheppard op. cit. p. 540). The UpoKijpv^ and the yepapai attendant
on the fSaaiXiaaa (Dem. c. Neaer. 78) may be found in the messenger of Aristoph. av.
1706 ff. and in the conjectural bridesmaids of Basileia. Mr Sheppard's article marks
a real advance in the interpretation of this difficult scene; but—to quote his own words
—'That Basileia has been caught in her true shape at last would be a bold assertion.'

1 Zeus BatriXeus is associated with Hera BacnXeia in a federal oath of the Phocians
and Boeotians (H. G. Lolling in the Ath. Mitth. 1878 iii. 19 ff. line 14 f. cited supra ii.
731 n. o (1)). Zeus BaatXcvs at Lebadeia (supra ii. 899 n. 2, 1073 f., 1076) appears to
have had as his consort Hera BacriX/s (W. Dittenberger in Inscr. Gr. sept, i no. 3097, 1 ff.
"Hpa BacnXtot j Kal rrj iroXei AtfiaSeuv | 'Mevavdpos XpTjtrlfj.ov \ UpqreOaas irevTaer^plba \ £k
twv ibiuv avtdrjKtv I UprjTtvova-qs rijs yvvatKos | avroO IIap7;<r(as ttjs 'Ovaffi/x^pdrov—a series
of well-omened names): so Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel. p. 78 n. 17, supra ii. 900 n. o. There
was a cult of Hera Bao-tXeia at Lindos (P. Foucart in the Rev. Arch. 1867 ii. 30 fT. no. 71,
13 ff. = F. Hiller von Gaertringen in Inscr. Gr. ins. i no. 786, 13 ff. Titos <&\a(vios) Ti'tou
$Xa(vtov) j Aeovros iepews libs KupeiVa (cp. Orelli—Henzen Inscr. Lat. set. no. 5793) Qpa\av-
\oxos KXd(crtos) diro yfrovs TeT€i\fn]pL€vos es to dievcKes virb twv j &v 9eoU AvTOKpardpwv Kal
tC)V rrjs j iepas fiovXrjS avyKX-qrov boy^dr^v (sc. senatus consuliis), \ virariK&v [Kal] gvvkXt)-
tik&v avvyev[t]i] \ "Hpa BacriXd[a] e[7ri] ro[0] f3u/j.o[v] ] ra[s] (o-)Ti/3dc>as iK[bciJ.riaev~[. On
such o-Ti/3d5es or crrijSdoeia see A. Wilhelm in the Ath. Mitth. 1892 xvii. 190 f. and
Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr? no. 1109, 52 f. n. 36), and perhaps at Sikinos (F. Hiller
von Gaertringen in Inscr. Gr. ins. v. 1 no. 30, 2 f. in lettering not older than s. iii a. d.
eZ5os p.h ira[p6fioios l<pvs "Hp?js] | platn\(t7]s); and there was another of Hera BacriXis in
Pisidia (A. H. Smith in the Journ. Hell. Stud. 1887 viii. 256 f. no. 41, 1 ff. from Pogla
(Fould) t) jiovXij Kal 0 STjpLos J ijtia-qaiv Avpr\Xi\av\ \ 'Apii[a\crTa.v, \j\r\v Kal | Te[p]Wai",
M^[5]oj'[t]os, j 'Apre/jitous yvvatKa | ouxppova, yevovs | rod irpioTeuovTos, | Upavaue'vt]v Hpas
Ba[o"iAi'5os, 8rip.iovpyr]\(ra(ra,)>, apxi-aipaaap-ev-qv, j Kal iravra to. €ttI to6tols | vtvoixt&fifva
Troii]<!a.\ao.v. k.t.X., cp. Corp. inscr. Gr. iii no. 4367/.).

Literary allusions include the following: Her. 1 ff.'"H.pi)v... \ dOavdr-qv ^aolXaav... |
Ztjpos epLySouiroio KaaiyvqT-qv aXoxi" Te, Ap. Rhod. 4. 382 fiT) t6 ye irafifiaHXeia Aids
TtXecreiei' okoitis, Orph. h. Her. 16. 2 "H07; (so J. G. J. Hermann for "Hpa) Trap-fiaaiXeia,
Aids crt/XXe/fTpe pidicaipa, 9 /x&Kaipa ded, woXvwyvfxe, 7rap./3ao"/Xeia, Prokl. m Plat. Ti7ii. m.
191, 12 f. Diehl Sii 5ij touto t{ Ad <ri*<!fei«u-ai ij /WiXis "Hpa. See further Gruppe Gr.
Myth. Rcl. p. 1132 n. 2.

2 Schol. Aristoph. av. argum. 1 and 2. W. Christ Geschichtedergriechischen Litteratitr
Miinchen 1912 i. 426.
 
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