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)

598 Myths of the Dipolieia: Thaulon

It would seem, then, that the Dipolieia was properly a clan-
festival belonging to and jealously guarded by the Kerykes o
Eleusis. Tradition told of a war between Eumolpos king of Eleusis
and Erechtheus king of Athens, in which the former had been
defeated by the latter: peace was made on condition that the
Eleusinians should perform the mysteries by themselves, but shou
in all other respects be subject to the Athenians1. In historic
times Eleusis, though treated as one of the Attic demes, continue
to be called apo/is2. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the
cult of Zeus Polieus was brought by the Kerykes from Eleusis
Athens3. Nor shall we be disconcerted if on the Athenian Akrop0 ^
itself we find traces of an analogous but yet different cult—a c ^
essentially connected with the foremost clan of Athens, not Eleusis

(e) Purpose of the Dipolieia.

Before taking leave of the Dipolieia we have yet to ask
meaning the festival had for its original celebrants. It would ^
tedious and, I think, needless here to discuss the whole welte^ ^
opinions held by critics ancient and modern with regard to
much-debated business5. But, for convenience' sake, I 3'^-^l.
a footnote6 a conspectus of recent views concerning its most

c0 far we"

and good. But when Deubner goes on to contend that the remainder of the j a
fiovTiirov Trv6/j.riv is complete in itself, m9p.i\v being the root-end of a tree ^
cudgel to fell the ox, I am filled with mild surprise. Has he forgotten the jrA**"*'
more effective implement ? . :fives

1 Hdt. t. 30,Thouk. 2. 15, Paus. 1. 38. 3. See further C. Picard 'Les luttespn
d'Athenes et d' Eleusis' in the Revue historique 1931 clxvi. 1—76.

2 Strab- 395- 85 ri si

3 Hesych. KevrpiaSai ■ twv irepl ra p.mTripia and the schol. Aristoph. nil '-^j sSibljr
Bov(p6via iraXetia ioprr), r/V <pa<nv aye<r6ai fiera ra ixvar-qpia (supra p. 596 B. 2) ^°!jgUphon'a
point towards Eleusis, though the latter involves a direct misstatement since the ^^jon
took place in Skirophorion, the Eleusinian Mysteries three months later in Boe
(sufra i. 691 fig. 511). But see infra p. 602 n. 9. ^e district'

One wonders whether any buphonic traits still linger in the folk-beliefs of r0$b(&
When E. D. Clarke in r8oi played Verres and attempted to carry off the marble ^leusiniari
known as St Demetra, an ox butted the statue and ran bellowing into the atl0nic3.Is
plain, nor would the villagers be appeased till the priest of Eleusis in >u
struck the first blow with a pickaxe (suf ra i. 173 n. 1). Coincidence, or survn

1 Infra p. 606 ff. Leipz'S'"

5 Such discussion may be found e.g. in P. Stengel Opferbrauche der Grtechen ^j^gls
Berlin 19.0 p. 209 ff., W. W. Hyde 'The Prosecution of Lifeless Thingsfm'1
in Greek Law' in the Am. Journ. Phil. i'g 17 xxxviii. 159ff., L. Deubner

Berlin 1932 p. lyoffi London *9*?

6 (1) W. Robertson Smith Lectures on the Religion of the Semites |en)s*
p. 304 ff. treated the Bouphonia as a typical case of totemic ritual. 'In' >£yin to s°nie
of society each kinship or stock of savages believes itself to be physica y