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Cook, Arthur B.
Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,2): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits) — Cambridge, 1940

DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14699#0085

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The Hierbs Gdmos

1043

(7) The Hierbs Gdmos in the Cave of Achilleus.

A parallel to the 'nook' of Kithairon in the Boeotian myth is furnished by
the cave of Achilleus. Ptolemaios Chennos ('the Quail'), who flourished in the
reigns of Trajan and Hadrian, in his New or Surprising History told the tale
as follows1. When Hera was fleeing from the embraces of Zeus, Achilleus
the earth-born received her in his cave and persuaded her to yield to the
importunity of the god. This was their first union, and Zeus rewarded Achilleus
by a promise that all who bore his name thereafter should become famous.
Hence the fame of Achilleus son of Thetis. The teacher of Cheiron, too, was
called Achilleus ; indeed Peleus' son was named after him by Cheiron. Now
we are not definitely told by Ptolemaios where his cave of Achilleus was
situated. But it may fairly be surmised that Achilleus the earth-born was one
with Achilleus the teacher of Cheiron; and, if so, the cave of Achilleus the
earth-born must have been the famous cave of Cheiron on Mount Pelion2. The
whole story is meant to sound like a genuine Magnesian myth.

(8) The Hierbs Gdmos at Argos.

(a) Zeus and Hera at Hermione.

Another locality specially connected with the hierbs gdmos is the Argolid.
At Hermione there was a sanctuary of Hera Parthe'nos; and pious but ignorant
folk derived the name of the town from the notion that Zeus and Hera had
come to an 'anchorage' here after their voyage from Crete'1. Aristotle, or
perhaps rather Aristokles4, in a lost treatise on the cults of Hermione had
included the local myth, which told how Zeus had transformed himself into
a cuckoo in order to consort with Hera5. But we have no proof that the union
of these two deities was celebrated at Hermione by actual marriage rites.

(/3) Zeus and Hera at Argos.

The same conception of the manner in which Zeus gained his desires was
current at Argos also, thirty miles away, in the fifth century ii.c. The cult-
statue of Hera at the Argive Heraion0 had in one hand a pomegranate

Nikandros erepoiovp-eva book 2)) stood in some relation to Zeus fiXx&vos of Phaistos,
whose sacred bird was the cock (supra ii. 946 f. 11. o figs. 838—841).

1 Ptol. nov. hist. 6 (p. 196, 11 ff. ed. Westermann) = Phot. bibl. p. 152 a 29 ff. Bekker.
The bona fides of Ptolemaios Chennos, impugned by R. Hercher in the Jahrb.f. class.
Pkilol. Suppl. 1856 i. 269—293, was vainly defended by C. Miiller Geographi Grtzci
niinores Parisiis 1882 ii p. lvii. See W. Christ Geschichte der griechischen Litleratur6
Miinchen 1920 ii. 1. 421 f.

2 On the cave of Cheiron see supra ii. 869 n. 2. Zeus was worshipped on Mt Pelion
us A/craios [ii.) and 'AKpaios (supra ii. 871 n. 3 (1)).

3 Steph. Byz. s.v. "Epjxiuiv Kai "E.pp.tbvr}-..."Ep/utof bk arrb rod tqv Ala Kai tt\v "Wpav
tvravQa airb Kprjrrjs a<piKop.£vovs bppuadrjvaii Kai Tpoirri rou 0 et's e, 8dev Kai iepbv "Hpas
TapBtvov r/v iv avrri (cp. Eustath. in II. p. 286, 39 ff.).

4 Aristot. frag. 287 (Frag. hist. Gr. ii. 190 Miiller) = Aristokl. frag. 3 (Frag. gr. Hist.
'• 258 Jacoby) ap. schol. vet. Theokr. 15. 64 (Eudok. viol. 4141') cited supra ii. 893 n. 2.
For attempts to alter 'Api0TorA7js into 'Apio-TO<pdvns, 'Ap^Telbrjs, ' ApiaTOKXrjs, etc. see
C. Miiller ad loc. The most plausible emendation is 'ApioTOKXiJs, on whom see Tresp
Frag. gr. Kultschr. p. 126 ff. (frag. 1).

Supra p. 65 from Paus. 2. 36. 2 (cited supra ii. 893 n. 2).
8 Supra p. 65 f.
 
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