Universitätsbibliothek HeidelbergUniversitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
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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#0116

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70 The Clouds personified in Cult and Myth

as 'Queens over all1.' Sokrates outdoes even this by declaring that
the Clouds are 'the only goddesses', the rest being pure rubbish2.
Zeus? There's no such person3. But the Clouds themselves are
more orthodox, and in their pardbasis begin by invoking four gods
with whom they are specially concerned—Zeus, Poseidon, Aither
their father, and Helios4. It would seem that Aristophanes, who
throughout the play is presenting the grossest caricature of Sokrates,
has foisted upon him a worship of the Clouds more properly belonging
to Orphic votaries. The comedian of course accounts that way for
Sokrates' nebulous notions and shifty morals6. But the Orphists,
who from of old had been devotees of nature, were perfectly serious.
Their hymns to Zeus Keratinios and to Zeus Astrdpios are im-
mediately followed by another to the Clouds, which is prefaced by
the rubric that the proper burnt-offering to be made is myrrh, and
continues:

Clouds of the air, that nurture the crops, and that roam in the sky,

Parents of rain, driven wide o'er the world by the blasts of the wind,

Brimful of thunder and fire, loud-roaring, of watery ways,

Ye that make horror of sound in the echoing bosom of air,

Rent by the winds or charging amain with a crash and a clap,

You I beseech, that are clad in the dew, and that breathe in the breeze,

Send us the showers to nurture the crops of our Mother the Earth0.

Adoration of the Clouds, though perhaps connective' with other

1 Id. ib. 356 f. ST. xa'lPeTe to1™"} " bio-rroivac xalvvv, ei-jrep tivI /caXXw, | ovpavofi-qKi)
prj^are Kafioi cpojvrjv, co 7ra/*/3a(riXeiai.

2 Id. ib. 365 S£J. aBrai 71x0 roi p-bvai eicri 0eal- raXXa 8e irdvr' ean <p\vapos.

3 Id. ib. 366 f. ST. 6 Zeis 8' fytfr, <ptye, "P^ TV* Tt/s, ouXiVutios 06 Sebs ianv; | Sfi.
wows Zeis; ob /iri Xij/^oeis • 060' lixn Zeis. Supra ii. 2. Cp. nub. 38of. ST. Afros; tovtI
fi AeXi}0et, | 6 Zeds ovk &v, dXX' o.vt avrov Afros vvvl /WtXeiW, 818 f. ST. ISob 7' ISov
A£' 'OXtifxirtov ■ rfjs iiwplas- ] rbv A/a vofii^eiv, ovto. TrjhiKovrovi, 827 ST. o6k gc/Tiv, w
QeiSnrwlbrj, Zeis. *EI. dXXa t/s; | ST. Afros /3affiXei5ei, t6v A/' i£e\r)\a,k(bs, 1469 ff.
<i>EI. i5oi> ye Ai'a XlarpcSov iis apxaios eT. | Zeis yap tis 'ianv; ST. ianv. 4>EI. o6k iar',
oilK, iirei | Afros paaiXebei, rbv AC ^e\t]\aK(iis.

4 Id. ib. 563 ff. vfi/xibovTa iilv deCiv \ Zfjva rbpavvov is xopbv | Trp&Ta p.tyav kik\t)o-ku- \
rbv re p.eyatjSevri Tpiai\vr]s Tapilav, \ yrjs re nal aXfivpas 0aXdo|oTjs aypiov p.oxXevTT)v ■ | jcai
fj.eya\iivvp.ov rinirepov irarip', \ KWipa <xep.vbTa.Tov, fiioBpe'p.fiova iravTWv \ t6v d' lirirovwp.av
os birep\\apnrpois AktTo-iv KaT^x" I 7V* nibov, p.(yas iv BeoTs \ 4v 8vi)Toial Te 5a.lp.uv. The
antislrophi (595 ff.) invokes Apollon of Mt Kynthos, Artemis of Ephesos, Athena of
the Akropolis, and Dionysos of Mt Parnassos—another quartet of deities likely to be
interested in Clouds.

6 Id. ib. 316 ff.

6 Orph. h. Neph. 21 XE*fiN, 8vp.ia/j.a <sp.bpva.v. iff. ytpiai (so E. Abel for i)ipwi)
vetpiXai, KapiroTpbqboi, obpavb-rrXayKTOi, | b/xfiporbKoi, itvoi^aw (so G. Hermann for -KvoiaXaw)
eka.vvbit.evai KaTa Kbtf/xov, \ ppovTaiat, irvpbeo-eai, ipippop.01, vypoKe"\ev6oi (so Hermann for
bSpoKiXevdoi), I typos (so Hermann for atpos) iv Kb\mp waTayov (ppiKube' (so Hermann for
tppiKdibr]) e'xowrai, \ Trvevp-aaiv avTltXTTaoroi iTviSpopab-qv TraTayevcrai, | u,aas vvv X/rouai,
Sporxoelpoves, eilwvooi ailpais, | irip-Treiv KapiroTpbcpovs bfifipovs iirl /j.rjTe'pa yatav.
 
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