Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

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490
Apollon and Artemis
A very similar story is connected with Siris in Lucania. Herakles, when driving the
cattle of Geryon, saw Kalchas—not the son of Thestor mentioned above, l)ut a seer of
the same name—sitting under a wild fig-tree, and asked him how many figs were on the
tree. Kalchas replied: 'Ten bushels, and one fig over, which you cannot get into them.'
Herakles proceeded to measure the figs and, despite all his efforts, failed to get in the
extra one. Kalchas laughed at him. Thereupon Herakles with a blow of his fist slew
the seer, and buried him beside the fig-tree (schol. Lyk. A/. 978 and 980 : allusions in
ff., 1047 with Tzetz. ad locc). Since Siris was colonised from Kolophon
Lyk. A/. 978
Oehler in Pauly— Wissowa Rcal-Enc. i. 2833 f.), it is likely enough that the Colopho-
(J.
nian account of Kalchas' contest was brought over to Siris, and there perhaps attached to
the Daunian king Kalchos (Roscher Lex. Myth. ii. 923 f.).
These stories are of deep interest as implying a contest a outrance for the position of
priestly king. They are, in fact, the attenuated Greek equivalent of the contest at Nemi
cp. e.g. the language of Tzetz. in Lyk. Al. 1047 'A/U^'Xoxos 5^ ko-to. Twa% avvatpeiTai. tQ
Mdipq} ToijTij} irepl ttJs apxv^ ttjs fiai/TiKrjs /xovo/jLaxriaai. It is indeed probable that the
apple-tree at Gryneia and the wild fig-tree at Kolophon were sacred trees, like that of
Diana Nemo7-e7isis. If so, it may be maintained that Apollon Vp\jviio% was specially
connected with apples.
(5) Apples were given as prizes at the Pythian games (Max. Tyr. diss. 5. 8 Diibner
^0\vfx.irLdaL fxiv Kal IluOol ovk Ivecm k6tivov Xa^eiv, ovde ixrjXujv rvxeii', avrbv ecp' eavroS
Koviadfievov, dXXa dvTaydjvKXTQv 5el rep KTjpvyfiari, 7. 4 Diibner fxeracrxf^v fj.r] kotlvov fxbvuv
Fig- 372. Fig. 375-
0\vp.ir(.a(TLv, dWa Kal ttitvos 'IcrdfiiKfis, Kal aeXivov 'ApyoXtKov, Kai ij.rj\uiv JIvOikSiv, Anth.
Pal. 9. 357 {adijspoton: ^Apxi-ov Plan.) recrcrapes eiaiv dywvei av' 'EXXaSa, reaaape^ Ipoi, | ol
Svo fj,(v OvrjTwv, ol 8O0 5' dda.va.TWv, |
Zijj'is,
X-qroWao, IlaXaijtioi'os, ''
Apx^f-bpoLO '
\
d0\a 5^
Tu)v KOTivos, lU^Xa, (T^Xiva, in'Ti;s = Auson. eel. 20 (p. 103 Peiper) quattuor antiques cele-
bravit Achaia ludos. |
Palaemonis Archemorique, |
caelicolum
duo sunt et duo festa hominum. |
serta
sacra
lovis Phoebique,
quibus pinus, malus, oliva, apium. Cp. Phlegon
/rag. I cited supra p. 466 n. 11), and are represented in connection with them on imperial
coppers of Delphoi {Brit. M'us. Cat. Coitts Central Greece p. 30 pi. 4, 23 and 24 (=my
fig. 372) obv.. 0eA4> AYCTeiNA Bust of Faustina Senior to right; rev. TTV 01 A
Agonistic table, on which are a crow, five apples, and a bay-wreath. Fig. 373, from a
specimen in my collection, is similar, except that it shows a vase also on the table. Cp.
J. N. Svoronos in the Bidl. Corr. Hell. 1896 xx. 46 ff. pi. 30, i— 8, where the apples
are wrongly described as