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)

732 Significance of the birth of Athena

primitive notion of paternity1—is to be found in the Greek type of
Athena emergent from the head of Zeus (figs. 480, 484 ff., pis. liv,
lv, lvi). The myth would then be of the purely iconographic sort,
due, that is, to the misunderstanding of an early art-form2. Such
cases no doubt occur, though they are exceptional3. It should,
however, be observed that on this showing the relation of Zeus to
Athena was primary, the intervention of Hephaistos secondary-
But we have already seen strong reasons for regarding Hephaistos
and Athena as the pre-Greek deities of the Akropolis4, and Zeus
as a later importation5. If therefore Deonna's view is to stand, we
must at least assume—a not impossible assumption—that the art-
type of Athena's birth denoted her conventional adoption6 rather
than her natural filiation.

That may be hazardous, but it is far less so than a rival
explanation put forward the next year by G. Ancey7. He holds
that Athena, who ended by becoming a divine Thought {Mitis)>
began by being merely an oracular Voice or cephalic Sound. She
was in effect the Big Noise, the awe-inspiring Sneeze of Zeus ■
We are bidden to reflect that the Laconian form of her name,
Asdna, is obviously onomatopoeic, and that words connected with
her—kdre, kdrre, kdrys—are suspiciously like koryza, 'a catarrh ■
Oddly enough, the learned author does not mention Athena
Salpinx™, and fails to produce what might have been his trump
card, the Aristotelian query ' Why do we regard a Sneeze as a
deity?...Because, like reason, it issues from our head, the divinest
part of us11?'

Having thus run through the whole gamut of explanations, from
the sublime to the ridiculous, we are in a position to affirm that the

1 See the list of abnormal births cited supra p. 95 n. 3. , 1

2 See W. Deonna IJarche'ologie, sa valeur, ses mithodss Paris 1912 i. 219 t., H* 4a
iii. 92 n. 11. i

3 Examples of the sort may be found in the myths of Chimaira (Perrot—Chipie^ . oS
de I'Art vi. 857, Brit. Mus. Cat. Gems"' p. 24 no. 183 pi. 4, p. 26 no. 208 pi. 5)' ^ a
(supra i. 469 n. 7), Europe (supra i. 644), Talos (supra i. 723 f.), etc. gp.

4 Supra pp. 189 ff., 224 ff., 236. 5 Supra pp. 236, 598. 6 Supra pp- 8o'

7 G. Ancey 'La naissance d'Athena' in the Rev. Arch. 1913 i. 209—2H- >aura>'

8 Id. id. p. 210 ' Le veOfia celebre qui devait inspirer Phidias [supra i. 2 6] n oU£.'
pas suffi a "faire osciller le grand Olympe." Zeus a delivre" un Trrapfibs: Zeus a e e

But see supra p. 20. Kop^

9 G. Ancey id. p. 210 'Athena est la Kbpy KeKopvB/xipri, Kbppys (virb xbpov) v
eKdop-owa.' 10 Supra p. 729 n. 3- 5i

11 Aristot. probl. 33. 7. 962 a 21 ff. dta tI t6v p.h Trrapniiv Bobv ijyovp.e8i a'^t,

€(TTt, ylverai; k.t.\.