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)

The birth of Athena in art 719

Selene look round towards the new-born goddess1 and so reveal the
full beauty of her face2. Here, however, a certain difficulty must be
Wet. Scholiasts and lexicographers attempt to explain the ancient
epithet Tritogeneia? by asserting that Athena was ' born on the
third' day from the end of the month4, which would be quite
^compatible with a full moon. August Mommsen5 held that the
Pheidiac combination of rising sun with setting moon might have
"leant that Athena first saw the light on the morning of a 'setting
day' {phthinas hemerd), i.e. a day towards the end of the month.
August Mommsen was a learned man, but foolish at times.
H. Nissen6 would reject the testimony of the late grammarians as
a worthless etymological speculation and accept Pheidias' grouping
as evidence that Athena was born on the morning of a full-moon
day. I incline to a modification of his view. We have seen reason
to believe that the myth of Athena's birth presupposes some such
nte as the Dipolieia; in fact we have derived thence the startling
Motive of Zeus struck on the head by a double axe7. Moreover we
observe this: the ceremonies of the Dipolieia aimed at securing an
adequate dewfall and rainfall at a critical time of year8; and the
story of Athena's birth told how, at the moment when Hephaistos
cleft the head of Zeus, a golden shower descended upon Rhodes9.

1 E. Petersen Die Kunst des Pheidias am Parthenon und zu Olympia Berlin 1873
P- '°7 'Selene wandte, wie noch am Ansatz des Halses zu erlcennen, den Kopf um, wie
Is vor ihrem Sclieiden noch einen Blick auf diese Welt zu thun, wohl ohne bestimmtes
lei. Furtwangler Masterpieces of Gk. Sculpt, p. 465 'Even Nyx, who must withdraw
eiore the rising Helios, turns back her head to look at the actibn in the centre.'
Supra i. 738 n. II.
On which see supra p. 113 ff.
Schol. B. L. T. V. //. 8. 39 TpLroytveia 4k\^8v ■ ■ ■ t)

Stl TpWrj <pdivovTOS €t€x@y> Phot.

• S'V. Tpiro7ei'?7r ... ?} rplrr] tpdivovros ws Kai 'XOrjvaioL dyovaiv (cp. Souid. s.v. TpLro-

Other sources merely mention the 'third of the month': so Harpokr. s.v. TptrSpnirtf
"toOpyos & T(- Tfpi T^s lepras (/rag. 19 p. 266 Baiter—Sauppe). ttjv rpirriv tov p.rjvbs
PlT"fnfjviSa eicakovv. SoKti Si yeyevvrjaOat Tore 7/ 'A8rjva. "larpos Si (frag. 26 (Frag. hist.

• I. 422 Mtiller)) ko\ TpiToyiveiav aiirriv iprjcri Sta tovto \iye<r8ai, tt\v avryv ~Zt\-qvr)v
"tfo/t^K5jyi Bekker anecd, i. 306, 32 TptrAjiMjKtt ■ ioprr] ayop^vr) 'Ad-qvas (Jessen cj. 'Adyvas

jyo/t^ji);) T$iTpiTy jCp jjeSyCn> SmV- rpirSfaji'is, Souid. s.v. TpiTonyvk), Orion p. 151, 10 ff.

f)LT°yiveLa... rj iireiSTj i] avryj earl rrj ffekijVQ- atfrT? Si rpiraia ov<ra (pavepa yiycraL,
^VTiariv 6Ve rploiv Spb^wv (F. G. Sturz cj. ore Tpidv t)p.tpuv iari), et mag. p. 767, 40 ff.
^Toyivaa, 7j'A^Tji^a-...7) eYeiS?) rpirala yiyovtv, olovd rj cpaivopiivr) rpirai'a- ko.1 yap tt\v
TAT1?".e?"CU T^ ae^vV koX Tyv Tpfrrjv tov fiyvbs TpiTOfi-qviSa iKa\ow • Sotcel Si yeyewijcrBai
Od ^ A6'n''S-' Eustath. in II. p. 504, 24 ff. TptToy(veia...Tj ihs if rplrg /njeds yevonivrq, in
2 ff 11 ^ TpiTOyiveia...% us iv Tplrri firivds (sc. yaivri0ei<ra), Favorin. lex. p. 1775,

° Mommsen Feste d. Stadt Athen p. 346 a. 1.
H. Nissen in the Rhein. Mus. 1885 xl. 336 f.

Supra p. 661 f., cp. p. 688. 8 Supra p. 602 ff. 9 Supra p. 477.