Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

5o6 Lightning as a weapon
attempt to get up to heaven and destroy God. They piled one
mountain on the top of another. So, when God saw that they would
not be quiet, in great wrath He again hurled His lightning at them,
and sent His angels to inform the survivors of their fate, which
was perpetual imprisonment inside a mountain ^ B. Schmidt, who
reports this Zakynthian tale, comments on its similarity to the
classical myths of the Giants and the Titans, observing that the role
of the pagan Zeus has been simply transferred to the Christian
Godl He also remarks that the word here used of God's 'thunder-
bolts' is astropelekia^, and adds : 'The common expression for light-
ning that strikes is astropelcki, and this term proves that in the eyes of
the populace the flash travelling downwards from the air appeared as
an axe^' Rather let us say that the flash was thought to be accom-
panied by a tangible axe. For in Greece the name astropelekia is given
to actual neolithic celts^ Schmidt himself has lately published the
important observation that such celts are called, not only astropelekia,
but also astrapopelekia (Epeiros) and astrapoboiila (Parnassos)"
fuller forms which denote 'lightning-axes,' 'lightning-bolts,' and
explain the otherwise puzzling prefix''. The celts are kept in houses
as a preservative against lightning**; and portions of them are worn
by way of protection from evil spirits or the evil eye. The in-
habitants of Parnassos declare that fragments of these stones are
found in places that have been struck by lightning.
The beliefs of the modern peasantry are of no recent growth.
About the year 1081 A.D. Alexios i Komnenos, emperor of Con-
stantinople, sent a number of presents to Henry iv, emperor of
Germany, and among them an astropelekys set in gold". Centuries
that God aims his lightning at such trees in order to destroy demons residing in them
(B. Schmidt Das VolksUben der Neugriechen Leipzig 1871 i. 33, J. C. Lawson op. cit. p. 73).
^ B. Schmidt Griechische Mdrchen, Sagen und Volkslieder Leipzig 1877 p. 131 ('Gott
und die Riesen '), J. C. Lawson op. cit. p. 73 f.
- B. Schmidt Das Volksleben der Neugriechen Leipzig 187 1 i. 33, 202, id. Griechische
Mdrchen, Sagen und Volkslieder Leipzig 1877 p. 241.
'' Id. ib. p. 131 n. I TaaKu)V(L to. darpowtX^KLa tov.
* Id. Das Volksleben der Neugriechen Leipzig 1871 i. 32 f.
* Sir J. Evans op. cit.''' p. 59, C. Blinkenberg op. cit. p. 107.
® B. Schmidt in the Neue Jahrh. f. klass. Altertuin 191 3 xxxi. 599 (dorpoTreX^/cia,
acTTpaTTOirfX^Kia, d