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)

i66

The Arrhephdroi

bearers.' Inscriptions show that the earlier form of the word was
Er.rheph.6roi or Ersephdroi rather than Arrhephdroi, and that the
cognate verb was errhephorein far more often than arrhephoretnh
This enables us to derive the terms in question from e"rse or herse,
'dew.' And conformably with this derivation the ancient gram-
marians state, on the authority of Istros of Kyrene (c. 200 B.C.),
that the ErsepJioria was a procession for Erse or Herse, the daughter
of Kekrops2, while Moiris the Atticist {c. 200 A.D.) expressly declares
that the Errhepkoroi are 'those who bear dew for Erse, one of
Kekrops' daughters3.'

But, if the business of the Arrhephdroi was only to carry dew,
why did the Greeks make such a song about it? At Athens four
girls of noble birth were elected by show of hands. Of these four
two were chosen to start the weaving of Athena's peplos. Their own
garments were white, and any gold worn by them ipso facto became
the property of the goddess*. The final selection of the girls was
made by the 'king5,' who is known to have had special responsi-
bilities in connexion with the mysteries6. Once appointed, these

28 f., Favorin. lex. p. 287, 53 f., and even L. Meyer Haudb. d. gr. Etym. i. 266). But
this is a piece of false etymology, perhaps occasioned by the fact that the Oecrp.o<p6pia in
Pyanopsion were called also 2Ki.po<p6pia (schol. Loukian. dial. mer. 2. r p. 275 f. Rabe)
and 'ApprjTotpbpia (Clem. Al. protr. 2. 17. 1 p. 14, 4 ff. Stahlin): see Mommsen Feste d.
S/adl Allien p. 510 n. 1, Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel. p. 34 n. 2.

Lobeck Aglaophamus ii. 872 f. held that a.ppr\<pbpoi meant 'basket-bearer's,' the first part
of their name being connected with the root of dppixos, ' basket.' This view too has found
defenders, e.g. F. Hiller von Gaertringen in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. vi. 551. But it is
altogether too hypothetical.

Miss J. E. Harrison Myth, Man, Anc. Ath. p. xxxiv derived the name from tpc), m
the sense of a 'young animal,' and compared the use of Spbaoi in Aisch. Ag. 141- But
later, in her Proleg. Gi. Rel.1 p. 122 n. 2, she abandoned this ingenious suggestion and
ib." p. 131 speaks of 'the Arrephoria or Arretophoria'...' The Arretophoria or Arrephona-
See also her Themis* p. 266.

Personally, I see no sufficient reason for discrediting the explicit statements of Istros,
Moiris, etc.

1 K. Meisterhans Grammatik der attischen Inschriften'11 Berlin 1900 p. 15 n. 67, GrupPe
Gr, Myth. Rel. p. 34 n. 2, F. Hiller von Gaertringen in Pauly—Wissowa Real-F"c-
vi. 55°-

2 l^x.frag. 17 {Frag. hist. Gr. i. 420 Midler) ap. schol. Aristoph. Lys. 642. The same
thing is said, without a mention of Istros, by Hesych. and Souid. s.v.' Appi)<popla, et. maS'
p. 149, 15 ff., Favorin. lex. p. 287, 52 f.

3 Moir. 141 p. 104 Pierson 'Epprirpbpot, 'Atti/oDs, ai t?jk dpbvov <p{povaai rrj "EpW V"15
nv ula twv HeKpoTridwv.

4 Deinarch. Kara Tlvdiovprag. 4 (Orat. Attic, ii. 328a Baiter—Sauppe) ap. Harpok*-
s.v. appr}<pop<ilv = Souid. s.v. app-r]vo<popeit> (G. Bernhardy cj. appt}(popeii>) =Bekker anecd, >•
446, 18 ff.=rf. mag. p. 149. 18 ff. .

6 Souid. s.v. (irt<li\j/aTo- /(drAffec, i^e\^aro. 1<ttl 5' 'AttlkSv. 6 fiacriXevs iiriu^^0
app-qipopovs. ohv, KorAeJev, <?£eX<?faTO. XW&tui' iv N6/tois (Plat. Icgg. 947 c. J. Piers°n
wrongly supposed an allusion to Platon the comedian Ni)crois)=^. mag. p. 362, 38 >•

6 Aristot.'Atf. iro\. 57. 1, Harpokr. s.v. ^ri/teXTrr^s tSiv fivar-qpluv (Dem. in Mid- I71''