Universitätsbibliothek HeidelbergUniversitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
Metadaten

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#0840

DWork-Logo
Überblick
loading ...
Faksimile
0.5
1 cm
facsimile
Vollansicht
OCR-Volltext
746 The superannuation of Zeus

similar Theogony, which may be described as a quasz-OrphlC
account with a strong etymological colouring. When the bisexual
Phanes emerged from the cosmic egg, the rest of its material
contents sorted themselves out. The heavier dregs subsided 1°
time (chronos) and so were said to have been swallowed by Kronos:
their abundance (plethos) caused them to be called Plouton. The
fluid floating on the surface of this sediment got the name Poseidon.
The highest and purest portion, consisting of translucent fire, was
termed Zeus by reason of its heat (zeousd). This was not swallowed
by Kronos, but in virtue of its own warmth drew upwards the finest
and most divine element left in the fluid layer, a spirit named
Metis. Absorbed by the aither and passing through its upper pa''
or head, this spirit set up a perpetual agitation (j>almds), in shor
produced Understanding or Pallas1.

In Platon's Symposium2 Diotima of Mantineia3 has a tale to
tell about the parentage of Eros. When Aphrodite was born, Por°s
son of Metis (' Way' son of ' Wisdom ') was feasting with the other
gods. Being drunk with nectar4—it was before the days of wine~^
he betook himself to the garden of Zeus5 and there fell asleep'
Meantime Penia (' Poverty') got wind of the feast and came
begging at the door. Anxious to cure her distress (aporia), she la/
with Poros and became by him the mother of Eros, who is attache
to Aphrodite because he was begotten on her birthday. He is P°0^
{penes) and homeless like his mother, but eager, ingenious, an
fertile in resource (pdrimos) like his father. As a daimon, he
neither mortal nor immortal6, but in a single day will live and

1 //'. 7—8 (ii. 201 B—204 A Migne) rb Se \oiirbv rphov to KaSapdirarov Kat xopwp ^
totov are btavyes ov irvp Zyjva Lbvbfxaaav bid rr\v ev avrip ftovoav (piaiv dvio<p*P^ ^

to irvp irpbs fiev to. koltu virb XP0V0V r0^ Kpbvov 011 KaTeirbdij, d\V, uis e,0Vt V ^'^ ^
ovffla fanny} re Kai dvw(p€pT]s ovaa els avrbv dviirr-q tov de"pa, $s Kal (ppovipwraros ^ L(p0ev
rrjv Kadaporrjra. tti ovv Idla depfioTijTt 6 Zeiis—tovtIgtiv i) ftovcra oOcla—rb Ka^a^f£r£t^.
iv Tip OiroK€ipL^v(p vypip rb laxvbrarov Kal Oeiov dvifiaTai irvevpLa, Birep Myriv ^ ^yivi
Kara K0pvtp7)s Si avrov e\06v tov aldtpos Kai o~vp.irodev vir avrov tiffirep vypbv deppW ^ ^
rbv deLKLvijTov iraXp.bv ep.iroL7)crav, yevvq. r-qv (rijveo-Lv, rjv Kai HaWdba ^"""^"^nov °
irdWetrdai, Texv-K^rdr-qv odaav tppbvijaiv, 7} xP&^vos rbv irdvra erexvnffaT0 K
aWepios Texvlrijs.

2 Plat. symp. 203 B—E. ___447

3 Supra ii. 1167. W. Kranz 'Diotima von Mantineia' in Hermes 1926 Ixi- 43/^.£ce
argues that Diotima was historical and was in Athens to stay the plague by s
(Plat. symp. 201 d) about the beginning of the Peluponnesian War (Class. Quc"

xxi. 209).

4 An Orphic touch? Cp. supra ii. 448 n. 1, 1027.

6 Orphic again? Cp. supra ii. 1021 (but also 1119). . j^0ftiiian'1

6 For Eros as belonging to this category of bet.wixt-and-between see E. ^ ;,/

'Methexis und Metaxy bei Platon' in the Jahresberichte des philologischen ■

Berlin 1919 xlv. 531. (at end of Sokrates 1919 vii).
 
Annotationen