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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

DOI Seite / Zitierlink: 
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14698#0574

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Rain of food

Country folk in the second century A.D., when they observed
such honey-dew on the leaves, would say with a smile ' Zeus has been
raining honey!1' And what they said in jest, their forefathers had
said in earnest. Hence the curious belief that Dionysos was called
Hyes because at his begetting 'Zeus rained ambrosia upon him2-"
a point to which we shall recur3.

But if honey, why not honey-cakes? Why not dainties of a^
sorts? The comedians caught at the notion. Pherekrates4 in nlS
Persians (towards the close of s. v B.C.5) imagines a happy la11^ ir]
which rivers of black broth with rich spice-nuts and best barley-brea
shall flow from the springs of Ploutos, all ready to be ladled up,-"
While Zeus rains wine, well-smoked and fine, in one tile-drenching sputtei
(A bathman's souse), till every house massed grapes and cheese-cakes cluttel>
And soup all hot and Lord-knows-what goes gurgling down the gutter.

Nikophon, a later contemporary of Aristophanes6, in his S
pictures a similar scene, but omits the name of Zeus:

Then let it snow with meal,
Drizzle with loaves, and rain with lentil-soup;
Let broth roll tit-bits all adown the streets,
And cake invite us to consume itself7.

From such classical Utopias it is not a far cry to the mediae

1 Galen, irepl rpocpGiv bwapiews 3. 39 (vi. 738 ff. Ktihn) i) rSiv Tpo<j>!ov tl^V t^p-
devpo SittoU ytvecn ir€pi\t]<pdu(rtx, rb p.ev trepov aOruiv ifc QvtCjv eTxei Tb ^ <=Tep0V eh£
eKaripat 8' airSiv CKpiipurrai rb (tfli. ylverat fih yap £wl rots 0t)XXois tCov ^utu'i ^e
otire xuX6s avTCov, o&re Kapirds, otVe [lApiov, dXX' bfioyeves p.ev rats bpbffots, ov ,^.< 7o1s
avv£X&'> of-otus eVe/ccus ylverai da\pt\h. otSa W Tore Btyovs apa irKeiarov boo>egSot
SfrSpup Kal 86.u.vwp Kal tivuv tioravuv (htiWois eiipeOtv. cos vrrb t&v yewpy^1* .

/al

Trai'£bvTwv, lb Zei)s Zfipe^e ,ueXi.' irpo-qyelro 8t pitl; p.£v euipvxySt d>s & dtpei, \y r g^av^
wpa TTjvLKavTa,) depfxij 8e Kal ^rjpa /c/>a<ris depos iirl tt)s irporepalas... Trap' VP-if f-ev ovV figr^

(paiverai rouro yivbp.evoi', £v 5e t<p opei tQ AifHavip Kad' enaarov eVos ovk dX faQv ^
eKweTavvOvTes eirl yr}s btpp.ara Kal cre/ocres rci 84v8pa SexovTat to cnropptoi1 an ^epbHe^L
Xvrpas Kal Ktpapua 7r\r)pod<rt rod fj.t\iTOS. 6vop.d£ov<n b' avrb bpoabp.^ re K 0$ga'"t*l!
(supra p. 496 n. 3). Trp6S7)\os p.lv ovv 7) v\t] rrj ytvkaa tou juAitos b/ioye"Vs Tt
bpbo-ois, k.t.X. Supra p. 261 n. 1. catcb ^e

Galen's statement that on Libanos men spread skins upon the ground to ^^011
honey-dew may throw some light on Judges 6. 36 ff., where Gideon says to W • ^oQj 0n
wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken, behold, I will put a ncece(]ie „to^'
the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon at

then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand,' etc. . g g (!)•

2 Bekker anecd. i. 207, 26 ff. (quoted supra ii. 275 n. 12). 3 ^^gp c~^'<

4 Pherekr. Psrsai frag. 1 (Frag. com. Gr. ii. 315 ff. Meineke) ap. Allien- ^ ^ ge
The relevant lines are 6 Zeis 5' (W oi'ccjj Kawvla Kara tov nepa/iov f}a\avet>0€l> I £( n<t
reyuv bxerol fiorpiuiv fiera vaariaKOiv iroKvTtipwv \ ixereiffovrai Sep^f
\eipiojro\<pai>tp.u}vats. ^

6 W. Christ Geschichtc der griechischcn Litteratur* Mllnchen 19" 4n

0 Frag. com. Gr. i. 256 Meineke. g E yei<r*T_

7 Nikoph. Seirenes frag. 2 (Frag. com. Gr. ii. 851 Meineke) ap- ■^then"x* geifa>
/lev dX0iYois, I xpaKa^TOi b' apToiaiv, Wtw 8' ?rcer | fw/ttos 8ta twv 65w k"
7r\aKovs cavrbv eadUiv KeXevtrw.
 
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