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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#0282

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Hephaistos and Athena

ado (for he was lame), attempted to consort with her. But she, being a chaste
virgin, would not brook it, and he dropped his seed on the leg of the goddess. In
disgust thereat she wiped off the seed with wool and flung it on the earth. So
as she fled and the seed fell upon the earth Erichthonios was born.1

This narrative, as appears from a scholion on the Iliad1, was drawn
from the Hekale of Kallimachos2. Its far-fetched etymology is
characteristic of the Alexandrine school. An older version, which
involves a somewhat less fantastic etymon, is attributed by Erato-
sthenes3 to Euripides4, who certainly had leanings toward sophistic
mythology5:

'With regard to the birth of Erichthonios, Euripides tells the following tale.
Hephaistos being in love with Athena was minded to unite with her. But she
turned her back upon him and, choosing rather to keep her virginity, hid herself
in a certain spot of Attike0, which they say was called after him Hephaistelon-
He, thinking to master her by assault, was struck by her spear and let drop his
desire, the seed falling on the earth. Therefrom, they say, was born a child, who
for this reason was called Erichthonios.'

The three derivations of the name iiWchthonios, which connected it
successively with eros 'love,' e'rion 'wool,' and tfris 'strife,' are of
course all wrong7. But their very variety proves that they are not
an essential element in the tale. It existed before them; for one of
the scenes represented by Bathykles the Magnesian on the throne
of Apollon at Amyklai is described by Pausanias as 'Athena fleeing
from Hephaistos, who is pursuing her8.' Bathykles made the throne

1 Schol. A. D. II. 2. 547.

- Kallim. frag. 61 Schneider. The sequel is preserved on a wooden tablet among the
papyri of the Archduke Rainer in the Royal Library at Vienna (T. Gomperz in the
Mittheihmgen aus der Sammlung der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer Wien 1897 vi. 9
col. 2, 2 ff. = Kallim. Hekale frag. 1. 2 Mair, cp. J. U. Powell—E. A. Barber New
Chapters in the History of Greek Literature Oxford 1921 p. 103).

3 Pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 13 \iyei di Kal ~&vpiirl5r)s irepl rijs yevtcrttos airoO Tbv
tp&ttov tovtov '"H(pai(rTov epaaBivra 'Affyras fiovXeaSai. avrfj /uyrjvai, rijs di cnroaTpetp0^"^
Kal tt)v TrapBtvlav /xaWov alpovfi&Tjs 'iv rivi t6tvo> t9\s 'Attiktjs KpvirreuBai, Sv \tyovat- Kll
air' iicelvov vpoaayopevdrji/ai "RcpaLareiof (so F. C. Matthiae, followed by A. Olivieri, f°r
"H0a«rToi' codd. C. G. Heyne cj. H<j>at<moi> or "Rtpaiarov) • 8s (C. Robert cj. °8eV
A. Nauck cj. 6 5e) 56fas avrrjv Kparriauv Kal i-Kidtixtvos 7r\7)7eis vir avrrjs T<f~ ddpart i(pVKe
tt]V iTn6v/j.lap, cpepo/iivTis ds ttjv yjjv rrjs wopaf e{ 17s yey^vrjaBai \iyovai iraTSa, 8s ^

T0VT0v'Epi.xS6vWS iKK-qdl), k.t.A.

4 Eur. frag. 925 Nauck2 ap. pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 13, cp. Hyg. poet. astr. 2. I3>
schol. Caes. Germ. Aratea p. 394, 20 fif. Eyssenhardt, Tertull. de spectac. 9.

5 Supra p. 94 f.

6 J. Escher-Biirkli in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. vi. 441 would identify the spot as
Marathon on the strength of Nonn. Dion. 17. 317 ff. Kal <rv, TeKeaatybvov <j>l\oTrap0^e
vv/j.<ple Fcuj/s, | 7ipe/j.ieiS, "H^aiore, Kal ouk aXcycis Mapadwvos, | r/xl

Beas dyafiov y&r*oV

o^Xas; 7 Supra p. 181 n. t.

8 Paus. 3. 18. 13 Kal'kdt]va diJiKOPra airotpevyovaa i<rTiv"H</>aurrov.
 
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