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)

Zeus Kappdtas 941

Neither of these explanations is quite satisfactory. The first
assumes that Zeus Kappdtas was the popular name of the god
officially called Zeus Terdstios. But it is not easy to find a strict
parallel to such double nomenclature. Besides, Pausanias' phrase
' an unwrought stone' [argbs Uthos) suggests something isolated
and smaller than 1 a rocky platform at the foot of the cliff.' The
second explanation is even more precarious. We are invited to
think that a verb of unknown meaning in an inscription which does
not mention Zeus at all perhaps referred to misdemeanants guilty
of knocking bits off his sacred rock. I should sooner conclude that
the relic in question was a comparatively small stone long since
buried or lost.

The belief that ' Orestes sat upon it and was thereby stayed
from his madness' recalls other curative stones1, and implies a
possible2, but not very probable3, derivation of Kappdtas from
katapailein, ' to stay.' Equally unconvincing is M. Mayer's4 con-

(Gythium).' A. N. Skias loc. cit. suspected that diroffrputfeoTai meant \i8oroixeiv or the
like. L. Ziehen loc. cit. agrees that this gives the required notion. And W. Kolbe
toe. cit. concludes: 'Neque vero de latomia cogitandum est, immo ne quis lapidem
aerium laedat, interdicitur. Hunc ergo in modum titulum verterim : "nequis decutiat;
si quis decusserit, poenam dabit (sive ipse) sive servus."'

1 See K. Maass 'Heilige Steine' in the Rhein. A/us. 1929 lxxviii. 8 ff. and K. Latte
lri Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. iii A. 2299. For the connexion of such stones with Orestes
CP- Paus. 2. 31. 4 and 8. 34. 2.

Zeus himself, when enamoured of Hera, would repair to the Leucadian rock and sit
there till he felt better (Ptol. Hephaist. ap. Phot. bibl. p. 153 a 19 ff. Bekker ^Trrovar/s Se
TVV ahiav eiireTv \eyerai tov 'AiroXXuva, Cjs tiavrts u>v cyvihnei 5l6tl 6 Zei)s del epuiv "Upas
^PX<Wpos eirl Trj Wrpp eKaOe^eTO Kal dveiratiero tov £pajTOS. Kal ttoWol 5e dXXot Kal rroWal
town Kdfivovcai drvrjWdyriaav tov fparos, eirel Trjs ire'Tpas Ka$r/\avTo): on which consult
Frazer Lect. Hist. Kingship p. 73.

Even portable stones might be possessed of great curative and preservative virtue,
whether they were of natural origin like the oreiles (supra p. 921), or artefacts such as
neolithic celts (supra ii. 506 ff.). An interesting modern survival of the latter variety is
recorded by T. F. G. Dexter The Sacred Stone New Knowledge Press, Treberran,
Perranporth (1929) p. 37 §76: 'Captain William Thomas, of Perranporth, tells me that
he knew an old Cornish woman named Fanny Francis who had a remarkable cure for a
bad leg—to rub it in "essence of thunder." This precious liquid was obtained by boiling
^"thunderbolt" (apparently a neolithic implement) in a saucepan for twenty minutes.
The owner of the "thunderbolt" was a miner at Pool who "lent it out " at 3d. a time!
he Captain adds: "I knew the woman well and have heard her prescribe.'"

H. Hitzig and H. Bltimner ad loc: "wie IIuo-ivTkos fur llavo-iviKos, A.M. II 442.

162.' [U. Kohler in the Ath. Mitth. 1878 iii. 163 published a base from Gythion,
*h>ch in a list of names includes (line 12 f.) Uuo-ivIkov tov 'Apio-TOK\t\ovt k.t.X. The name
stlould be accented IWkikos.]

The Dorians said ■wa.voo.a6ai., not wwaaoffat, to judge from Theokr. 15. 87 iratioaoff

U S<Waj.0l, k.t.X.

4

M. Mayer in Roscher Lex. Myth. ii. 1540 (.: Kawirorras for KaTriroTas (KaTairlva).
e same etymology is propounded by Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel. pp. 778 (wrongly
Umbered 787) n. 7, II06n. o.