Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

Retrospect 841
Further consideration of the sky-prop, as exempHfied by the
Diana-pillars of Italy^ and the Agy^zais-pilla.vs of Greece^, threw
light on some perplexing phenomena of popular cult, ^.^. the wooden
balusters of Diana Nemorensis'^ and the dokana of the Dioskouroi*.
Moreover, the occurrence of an A^-j/mis-piWar set on an onipJialos
at Byzantion'^ turned our thoughts to Delphoi", where the omphalds
lately discovered by F. Courby'^ was seen to be the base of an
Agyiej'is-posX.^ covering the navel-string of Zeus, in accordance with
a custom still traceable in various parts of Greece^, and safeguarded
by the eagles that betokened his presence^". The Delphic Agyieiis-
pillar was in a manner duplicated by the Delphic tripod with its
central stem ". On this sat the Pythia as bride of Apollon^-—a usage
implying the caldron of apotheosis", which an Orphic myth located
at Delphoi and connected with the death of Dionysos".
And here an attempt was made to determine the stratification
of this very complex cult^l It appeared that the first Hellenic
occupants of the oracular seat were the sky-god Zeus Aphesios{}),
'He that lets fly^^' and the earth-goddess Ge Themis {}), 'She that
produces ^V their respective tokens being the eagles and the omphalos.
Then followed Dionysos, brought in by a wave of Thracian immi-
grants^*, who told how their god was done to death by the Titans,
boiled in the Delphic tripod, and buried beside it^^. Thus the
sanctum sanctorum in the Pythian temple contained, not only the
omphalds with its eagles attesting the joint worship of Zeus and Ge,
but also the tripod and tomb of Dionysos^". Finally, Apollon to a
large extent displaced Dionysos ^^, who however down to the close
of antiquity retained at least the wintry quarter of the Delphic
year-l The latest comer was fittingly affiliated to Zeus as his
propJietes'^'^ (if the one was Aphesios, the other was aphe'tor-*) and
took over the properties of his various predecessors—the eagles of
Zeus, the omphalds of Ge, the tripod of Dionysos—importing in
addition his own Thessalian bay^^ His installation was completed
before the epic age'-''.
Delphoi is vital. Here, if anywhere, we touch the very heart
of Greek religion. And the gods whom the Delphic succession
associated with Zeus demand closer scrutiny than they have yet
received. It seemed worth while therefore to tackle afresh a whole
1 Supra p. 143 ff. 2 Supra p. i6ofir. ^ Sttpra p. 143 ff. * Supra pp. 160, i6i.
5 Supra p. 166 ff". ^ Supra p. 169 ff.
'' Supra p. 174 ff.
** Supra p. 177 f.
9 Supra ^^
p. 189 ff. Supra p. 179 ff. " Supra p. 193 ff. ^^ Supra p. 207 ff.
" '* Supra p. 2ioff. Supra p. ziSff. ^^ Supra p. 266 f.
"* Supra pp. 179 f., 266 f.
'9 Stipra p. 218 ff.
23 Stipra p. 204.
-** Supra p. 239.
^'' Supra p. 267 f. ^^ Supra p. 268.
^^ Supra p. 243 ff.
'* Supra p. 180. ^^ Supra p. 486.
^'^ Supra p. 235 f.
-'* Supra p. 239.