DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0355
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE.
333
above ten or under five ;) and therefore to consecrate them was called
AsxarsuSiv, from ie'xa, i. e. ten : it was called ctfxreiisiv, and the virgins
themselves were named Agxroi i. e. bears, upon this account: amongst
the Phlauidag, inhabitants of a borough in Attica, there was a bear, which
was so far divested of its natural fierceness, and became so tame and tract-
able, that they usually admitted it to eat, and to play with them, and re-
ceived no harm thereby ; but a young maid once, unluckily happening to
be too familiar with it, the beast tore her to pieces, and was afterwards
killed by the virgin's brethren : upon this ensued a dreadful pestilence,
which proved very fatal to many of the inhabitants of Attica ; as a reme-
dy for which they were advised by an oracle to appease the anger of
Diana for the bear, by consecrating virgins to her in memory of it The
Athenians punctually executed the divine command, and enacted a law,
that no virgin should be married till she had undergone this ceremony.
r.
rAAAHiA, a festival, in which they boiled tjjv yxXagiav, i. e. a mixture
of barley-pulse and milk (I). Meursius is of opinion, that it belonged to
Apollo, who, from a place in Bceotia, was surnamed Galaxius (2).
rAAiNeiAAiA, a solemn sacrifice at Thebes, offered to Galinthias, one
of Proetus's daughters, before the festival of Hercules, by whose order it
was first instituted.
tamhaiA, teneqaiA, tenesiA, three private solemnities : the first
whereof was observed at marriages : the second, in memory of the birth ;
the last, of the death of any person. But of all these I shall give you a
more full account in one of the following books.
TENETXAAis, this solemnity was celebrated by women, in honour of
Genetyllis, the goddess of that sex (3), to whom they offered dogs.
This Genetyllis was Venus, jj e^ogog <r»fs ysvitfsug, the president of genera-
tion^).
tepAistia, in honour of Neptune, at Geraestus, a village of Eubasa,
where he was honoured with a temple (5).
rEPONGPAinN 'EOPTH, an anniversary festival in honour of Mars, at
Geronthras, where there was a temple dedicated to him. He had also
a grove in the same place, into which it was unlawful for any woman to
enter during the time of this solemnity (H).
rE*rpi2MOi, a solemnity mentioned by iElian (7) ; and perhaps the
same with the ySipvgHtpot at the festival of Ceres Eleusinia, of which af-
terwards.
TH2 'eopth, at Athens, in honour of mother Earth, to whom a temple
was dedicated in the citadel of that place (8). Solemn games also were
celebrated to her, as we learn from Pindar (9).
Ti; <*«£?io/c,-——.
At the Olympic games, and sacred sports
Of the capacious Earth.
• -
fl) Hesychius. (2) Proclus Chrestomath. (6) Pausanias Laconicis.
(3) Hesychius. (7) Histor. An. lib- iv. cap. 43.
(4) Aristophanis interpres ad Nubes. (8) Thucyd. lib. ii.
(5) Stephan. Pindar. Schol. Olymp. xiii. <9) Pythion. lib. is.
333
above ten or under five ;) and therefore to consecrate them was called
AsxarsuSiv, from ie'xa, i. e. ten : it was called ctfxreiisiv, and the virgins
themselves were named Agxroi i. e. bears, upon this account: amongst
the Phlauidag, inhabitants of a borough in Attica, there was a bear, which
was so far divested of its natural fierceness, and became so tame and tract-
able, that they usually admitted it to eat, and to play with them, and re-
ceived no harm thereby ; but a young maid once, unluckily happening to
be too familiar with it, the beast tore her to pieces, and was afterwards
killed by the virgin's brethren : upon this ensued a dreadful pestilence,
which proved very fatal to many of the inhabitants of Attica ; as a reme-
dy for which they were advised by an oracle to appease the anger of
Diana for the bear, by consecrating virgins to her in memory of it The
Athenians punctually executed the divine command, and enacted a law,
that no virgin should be married till she had undergone this ceremony.
r.
rAAAHiA, a festival, in which they boiled tjjv yxXagiav, i. e. a mixture
of barley-pulse and milk (I). Meursius is of opinion, that it belonged to
Apollo, who, from a place in Bceotia, was surnamed Galaxius (2).
rAAiNeiAAiA, a solemn sacrifice at Thebes, offered to Galinthias, one
of Proetus's daughters, before the festival of Hercules, by whose order it
was first instituted.
tamhaiA, teneqaiA, tenesiA, three private solemnities : the first
whereof was observed at marriages : the second, in memory of the birth ;
the last, of the death of any person. But of all these I shall give you a
more full account in one of the following books.
TENETXAAis, this solemnity was celebrated by women, in honour of
Genetyllis, the goddess of that sex (3), to whom they offered dogs.
This Genetyllis was Venus, jj e^ogog <r»fs ysvitfsug, the president of genera-
tion^).
tepAistia, in honour of Neptune, at Geraestus, a village of Eubasa,
where he was honoured with a temple (5).
rEPONGPAinN 'EOPTH, an anniversary festival in honour of Mars, at
Geronthras, where there was a temple dedicated to him. He had also
a grove in the same place, into which it was unlawful for any woman to
enter during the time of this solemnity (H).
rE*rpi2MOi, a solemnity mentioned by iElian (7) ; and perhaps the
same with the ySipvgHtpot at the festival of Ceres Eleusinia, of which af-
terwards.
TH2 'eopth, at Athens, in honour of mother Earth, to whom a temple
was dedicated in the citadel of that place (8). Solemn games also were
celebrated to her, as we learn from Pindar (9).
Ti; <*«£?io/c,-——.
At the Olympic games, and sacred sports
Of the capacious Earth.
• -
fl) Hesychius. (2) Proclus Chrestomath. (6) Pausanias Laconicis.
(3) Hesychius. (7) Histor. An. lib- iv. cap. 43.
(4) Aristophanis interpres ad Nubes. (8) Thucyd. lib. ii.
(5) Stephan. Pindar. Schol. Olymp. xiii. <9) Pythion. lib. is.