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)

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The owl of Athena 795

The first stage we have already considered. It was perhaps
best exemplified by the Megarian cult of Athena Aithyia, 'the
Gull1.' But there were substantial grounds for thinking that at
Athens Athena took the form of an owl2.

We have next to note how the bird becomes human-armed.
A series of moulded terra-cotta pendants found in south Italy,
especially in the neighbourhood of Tarentum, represents an owl
that has not only wings but human hands as well and is spinning
with distaff, yarn, and wool-basket all complete (figs. 595, 596)3.
These odd-looking objects are always pierced with a couple of
holes and seem to have served originally as loom-weights4. There
°an be little doubt that the owl spinning is Athena Ergdne5 in her
character as patron of women's handiwork6.

The transition from bird to human-headed bird can be illustrated
by an early Corinthian aryballos, found in Aigina and now preserved
lr» the Archaeological Museum at Breslau (fig. 597)7. This shows
Herakles contending with the Lernaean Hydra. The hero has
already cut off one of the monster's ten heads: it is to be seen
above, that is beyond, the horses on the right. Undaunted by two

Supra p. 783 nn. i, 2. 2 Supra p. 784 ff.

3 See P. Perdrizet in the Milanges Perrot Paris 1903 p. 264 f., R. Engelmann in the
fiev- Arch. 1903 ii. 122 f. and ib. 1906 ii. 453 f., E. Pottier in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1908
XXXM- 541 ff., P. Wuilleumier in the Rev. Arch. 1932 i. 47.

The examples so far known are two in the Museum at Bari—nos. 2910 (R. Engelmann
ln the Rev. Arch. 1906 ii. 453 fig. 1) and i8?i (id. ii. fig. 3), one in the Jatta collection
at Ruvo, another at Brindisi (id. in the Rev. Arch. 1903 ii. 123 fig. 1 wrongly described),
Mother belonging to C. Hiilsen at Rome (id. in the Rev. Arch. 1906 ii. 453 fig. 2),
a Slxth in the Louvre (E. Pottier in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1908 xxxii. 541 pi. 7, 3 (the
J"°st complete and the most grotesque)), a seventh in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford
1 • Perdrizet in the Melanges Perrot Paris 1902 p. 264 fig. 4, G. Fougeres in Uaremberg—
. aS™ AW. Ant. iii. 1915 fig. 5045), an eighth in the Museum at Lausanne (W. Deonna
111 'he Anzeiger fur schweizerische Altertumskunde. Indicateur d'antiquitis suisses. N.S.
P- 46 fig. 17). I add a specimen from Tarentum now in the British Museum (Brit.
Us- Cat. Terracottas p. 450 no. E 179, my fig. 595) and another in my possession
["S- 596).

ib So R. Engelmann in the Rev. Arch. 1903 ii. 122 f., 1906 ii. 453 f. But P. Wuilleumier
wii'v'* 47 sti" includes them among the religio-magical 'disques de Tarente' (on
"«* see supra ii. 131 n. 1).

6 0 nrst P. Perdrizet in the Milangcs Perrot Paris 1903 p. 264 f.

°' -lessen in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. vi. 428—430. C. Swainson The Folk Lore
\x^ Provincial Names of British Birds London 1886 p. 124 records a (German?)
that'10'1 'hat the °wl is an old weaver spinning with silver threads. Id. ib. p. 97 notes
' the nightjar is called a 'Churr owl' in Aberdeen and a 'Spinner' in Wexford.
Unva Merec,'th Love in the Valley 35 f. 'Lone on the fir-branch, his rattle-note

7 '"» I Brooding o'er the gloom, spins the brown evejar.'

s °- Rossbach Fest-Gruss ...der vierzigsten Versatnmlung deutscher Philologen una
on """"""" iu Goerlitz Breslau 1889 pp. 5—19 with fig. ( = my fig. 597) reproduced
smaller scale by Harrison Proleg. Gk. Rel.- p. 303 fig. 81.