DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.808#0071
(THE KING OF NESTOR/ ETC.
69
its quarry at a flying gallop on the Mycenae dagger-blade,76 or stalking them
amidst the thicket on the wooden lid from Egypt in the Berlin Museum.77
Of the special relation of the griffin to the Minoan Goddess there are
ample indications. On a gold signet-ring from Mycenae 7S an enthroned
female figure, in whom we may, in view of other analogies, recognise the
divinity, holds a seated she-griffin by a leash. On a lentoid intaglio from the
Vapheio tomb 79 a long-robed priest is seen walking beside a griffin, again
held by a leash. Elsewhere I make the suggestion that the ' Priest King'
with the plumed lily crown, seen on the painted stucco relief from the
Palace at Knossos amidst Elysian flowers and butterflies, was leading a sacred
griffin,80 On another stucco relief, belonging to a frieze of what seems to
have been the great hall of the east wing of the Palace, a griffin is tethered
to a column, no doubt to be regarded as the baetylic form of the divinity.
Guardianship, swiftness and piercing powers of sight, typified by the lion's
body and hawk's or eagle's head, are innate qualities in the griffin breed of
monsters.
Immediately in front of the seated griffin, with two others in the back-
ground, are seen fantastic creations of a new class. These may be described
as ' griffin ladies.' Except for the griffin's head and crest they are, in fact,
represented as women dressed in the usual short-skirted fashion of the early
part of L.M. I., and even show long tresses falling down their backs. Female
figures of the kind with eagles' heads are frequent on the Zakro sealings,81
and, unlike many other of the fantastic types there seen, the ' eagle ladies '
had a general vogue among Cretan seal-types.82 A steatite bead-seal has
now come to light in Central Crete, showing the parallel type seen on the Ring
of Nestor, a flounced female figure, namely, with a griffin's head.83
76 'Ae-nvaTop, 9, 10, A'.
77 First published by Furtwangler, art.
' Gryps ' in Koscher's Lexikon (1S90), and
there described as Egyptian under Syrian
influence. Its Minoan (or Mycenaean)
character has, however, been since gener-
ally recognised. (See Puehstein, Arch. Anz.,
1891, p. 41.) The circumstances of the
find—already referred to by Lepsius,
Denkmdler, Text, p. 167 seqg.—are by no
means satisfactorily ascertained. Dr. Hall,
Aegean Archaeology, p. 203 (quoting Spiegel-
berg, Bluteze.it des Pharaonenreichs, see
Fig. 60), speaks of the tomb at Saqqarah,
where it was found, as of the ' XlXth
Dynasty.' Petrie, Kahun, p. 31 seqq., and
PI. X. 77—81, refers scarabs found with the
lid to the early XVIIIth Dynasty, while
admitting that one is of Akhenaten's age.
F. von Bissing, Ath. Mitth., xxiii., 1898, p.
259 n. 2; xxiv., 1899, p. 486, remarks that
the tomb was reoccupied. A three-handled
alabastron (F. u. L., Myk. Vasen, PL XXII.
159) found in the tomb belongs to the
upper borders of L.M. III.
78 Furtwangler, A.G., PL VI. 18, and
Vol. II. Fig. on p. 27. The figure is
there described as ' eine, wie es scheint,
mannliche doch lang bekleidete Gestalt,'
but the development of the thighs and
signs of the upper line of the skirt (not
shown in the figure in A.G.) make it clear
that we have to deal with a woman. The
clothing does not answer to that of the
long-robed Minoan priests. The object
held by the seated figure does not seem
to be a ' sceptre.'
79 Tsountas, 'Etf>. sApx-» 1889, PL X. 32;
Furtwangler, A.G., PL II. 39; Perrot efc
Chipiez, vi. PL XVI. 16. The stone is a
deep-red jasper.
80 In P. of M., vol. ii.
81 Hogarth, Zakro Sealings (J.H.S., p. 79,
Fig. 8, and Nos. 20-23 (see PL VI.).
82 E.g. Xanthudides, '£$>. JAPX., 1907,
PL VIII. 150 (dark-green steatite, Axos,
Crete, Candia Museum). I have come
across more than one specimen of the type.
83 In Mr. R. B. Seager's possession.
69
its quarry at a flying gallop on the Mycenae dagger-blade,76 or stalking them
amidst the thicket on the wooden lid from Egypt in the Berlin Museum.77
Of the special relation of the griffin to the Minoan Goddess there are
ample indications. On a gold signet-ring from Mycenae 7S an enthroned
female figure, in whom we may, in view of other analogies, recognise the
divinity, holds a seated she-griffin by a leash. On a lentoid intaglio from the
Vapheio tomb 79 a long-robed priest is seen walking beside a griffin, again
held by a leash. Elsewhere I make the suggestion that the ' Priest King'
with the plumed lily crown, seen on the painted stucco relief from the
Palace at Knossos amidst Elysian flowers and butterflies, was leading a sacred
griffin,80 On another stucco relief, belonging to a frieze of what seems to
have been the great hall of the east wing of the Palace, a griffin is tethered
to a column, no doubt to be regarded as the baetylic form of the divinity.
Guardianship, swiftness and piercing powers of sight, typified by the lion's
body and hawk's or eagle's head, are innate qualities in the griffin breed of
monsters.
Immediately in front of the seated griffin, with two others in the back-
ground, are seen fantastic creations of a new class. These may be described
as ' griffin ladies.' Except for the griffin's head and crest they are, in fact,
represented as women dressed in the usual short-skirted fashion of the early
part of L.M. I., and even show long tresses falling down their backs. Female
figures of the kind with eagles' heads are frequent on the Zakro sealings,81
and, unlike many other of the fantastic types there seen, the ' eagle ladies '
had a general vogue among Cretan seal-types.82 A steatite bead-seal has
now come to light in Central Crete, showing the parallel type seen on the Ring
of Nestor, a flounced female figure, namely, with a griffin's head.83
76 'Ae-nvaTop, 9, 10, A'.
77 First published by Furtwangler, art.
' Gryps ' in Koscher's Lexikon (1S90), and
there described as Egyptian under Syrian
influence. Its Minoan (or Mycenaean)
character has, however, been since gener-
ally recognised. (See Puehstein, Arch. Anz.,
1891, p. 41.) The circumstances of the
find—already referred to by Lepsius,
Denkmdler, Text, p. 167 seqg.—are by no
means satisfactorily ascertained. Dr. Hall,
Aegean Archaeology, p. 203 (quoting Spiegel-
berg, Bluteze.it des Pharaonenreichs, see
Fig. 60), speaks of the tomb at Saqqarah,
where it was found, as of the ' XlXth
Dynasty.' Petrie, Kahun, p. 31 seqq., and
PI. X. 77—81, refers scarabs found with the
lid to the early XVIIIth Dynasty, while
admitting that one is of Akhenaten's age.
F. von Bissing, Ath. Mitth., xxiii., 1898, p.
259 n. 2; xxiv., 1899, p. 486, remarks that
the tomb was reoccupied. A three-handled
alabastron (F. u. L., Myk. Vasen, PL XXII.
159) found in the tomb belongs to the
upper borders of L.M. III.
78 Furtwangler, A.G., PL VI. 18, and
Vol. II. Fig. on p. 27. The figure is
there described as ' eine, wie es scheint,
mannliche doch lang bekleidete Gestalt,'
but the development of the thighs and
signs of the upper line of the skirt (not
shown in the figure in A.G.) make it clear
that we have to deal with a woman. The
clothing does not answer to that of the
long-robed Minoan priests. The object
held by the seated figure does not seem
to be a ' sceptre.'
79 Tsountas, 'Etf>. sApx-» 1889, PL X. 32;
Furtwangler, A.G., PL II. 39; Perrot efc
Chipiez, vi. PL XVI. 16. The stone is a
deep-red jasper.
80 In P. of M., vol. ii.
81 Hogarth, Zakro Sealings (J.H.S., p. 79,
Fig. 8, and Nos. 20-23 (see PL VI.).
82 E.g. Xanthudides, '£$>. JAPX., 1907,
PL VIII. 150 (dark-green steatite, Axos,
Crete, Candia Museum). I have come
across more than one specimen of the type.
83 In Mr. R. B. Seager's possession.