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Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

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and the Soul-Ladder 115<br />

blaze or shaft of light. Similarly <strong>in</strong> the BakcJiai of Euripides the<br />

voice of Dionysos is heard from the upper air address<strong>in</strong>g his<br />

Maenads:<br />

So spake he, and between the heaven and earth<br />

Set up a stand<strong>in</strong>g hght of holy fire'.<br />

This Dionysiac pillar of light is presumably a genu<strong>in</strong>e Thracian<br />

touch. Aga<strong>in</strong>, Thrasyboulos <strong>in</strong> his nocturnal march from Phyle to<br />

Mounychia (403 B.C.) was guided by a pillar of fire and, where it<br />

vanished, built an altar to Phosphoros, the 'Light-bear<strong>in</strong>g' goddess^<br />

S<strong>in</strong>ce at Mounychia his troops occupied the prec<strong>in</strong>cts of Artemis<br />

and of the Thracian Bendis^, it is very possible that here too<br />

Thracian <strong>in</strong>fluence was at work.<br />

In view of the k<strong>in</strong>ship between Thracians and Phrygians it<br />

should be noticed that the pillar of fire reappears <strong>in</strong> a Phrygian<br />

miracle. The pagans of Laodikeia, wish<strong>in</strong>g to flood the prayer-<br />

house and holy well of Sa<strong>in</strong>t Michael, made a new bed for the<br />

neighbour<strong>in</strong>g streams Kouphos and Lykokapros. Thereupon, <strong>in</strong><br />

answer to the prayers of the hermit Archippos, the archangel mani-<br />

fested himself, with a crash of thunder, <strong>in</strong> the form of a fiery pillar<br />

stretch<strong>in</strong>g from earth to heaven. Extend<strong>in</strong>g his right hand he split<br />

a gigantic rock, and bade the waters flow through the cleft of<br />

Chonai with renewed powers of heal<strong>in</strong>g'*.<br />

dirb TToXewi yutay oiirw Ka\ov/j.^i>7]s. On Thracian tribes <strong>in</strong> this district see O. Hoffmann<br />

Die Makedonen, Hire Sprache t<strong>in</strong>d ihr Volkstum Gott<strong>in</strong>gen 1906 p. 117.<br />

' Eur. Bacch. 1082 f. kox ravd' dfj. T]y6peve Kai wpos ovpavbv \<br />

koX<br />

yaiav ecTTTjpi^e (sic<br />

cod. P : ecr7}pi^€ ed. Aid.) 0u)s (Tep-vov irvpos. Cp. Christ, pat. 2255 f. ravrri 0' afi'<br />

ippovT-qae Kol irpos r'ov iroXov |<br />

rolled away from the tomb).<br />

Kai<br />

yaiav iar-qpi^e (pCis aep-vov irvpos (when the stone was<br />

' Clem. Al. Strom, i. 24 p. 102, 3 ff. dWa Kai Qpacrv^ovXip tous iKireffovTas dirb ^vkrjs<br />

KarayayovTi (L. D<strong>in</strong>dorf cj. KardyovrL) Kai pov\op.iv(^ \a6elv crrOXos oSrjybs yiverai. 5i.d twv<br />

aTpiliwi' ibvTL. T(2 QpaavfiovKw vvKTwpdaeXrjvov Kai dvax^i-P^pov tov KaTacrTTjp.aTos yeyovdroi<br />

wvp ewpdro 7rpor}yoO/.LiUov, owep avroiis dirraiaTcos Trpowepipav /card ttjv Movvvxi-O-" i^iXiirev,<br />

ivda vvv 6 T^s (i>(i}(T

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