Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

Retrospect 851
emperors^ Coins of Diokaisareia in Kilikia even figure the thunder-
bolt enthroned in a would-be human attitude-.
It remained to deal with the Thracian Zeus Zbelsotirdos, who is
represented by several semi-barbaric reliefs as advancing to the
attack with a thunderbolt in his right hand, an eagle on his left,
and a snake at his feet^ One relief showed him in his chariot
escorting a draped and veiled goddess*. Another grouped him as
a standing Zeus with a youthful rider named lambadoules^. The
elder god, the goddess, and the younger god give us the familiar
Thracian triad of the sky-father, the earth-mother, and their son
Dionysos. The two appellations, outlandish enough in appearance,
were provocative of further enquiries. lambadonles, as G. Seure
pointed out, can hardly be dissociated from Idmbe the doule of
Demeter—a mythical figure born of a misconception". And Zbel-
SGurdos, with which Seure rightly connected Zibeleizis, a Getic
name of Salmoxis", has been here for the first time elucidated by
Mr B, F. C. Atkinson, who takes it to mean ' Zeus ' or ' the son of
Zeus, the Splitter,' with reference to the thunderbolt in the god's
right hand®.
In conclusion, the lightning, as Dr Rendel Harris surmised, was
sometimes deemed the whip of Zeus—a notion which not only left
its mark on Greek poetry from Homer to Oppian", but called forth at
least one memorable dedication, 'the Corcyraean whip ' at Dodona^".
So much for Zeus as lord of the lightning. We had yet to
investigate his relation to the thunder^^ Lightnings and Thunders
were on occasion treated by the ancients as momentary gods
(Usener's A tigenblicksgotter^ independent of Zeus ^-. From this primi-
tive stage they soon developed into departmental gods{Sondergdtter),
being conceived as divine animals, the horses Bronte and Sterope,
or as monstrous giants, the Kyklopes Brontes and Steropes, before
they became wholly human figures, the personifications Bronte and
Astrape or Sterope. These allegorical powers still survive in the
folk-poetry of modern Greece^^ Commonly, however, thunder
was connected with a personal god {personlicher Gott), Zeus the
thunderer, not indeed as his voice, but as an inarticulate sound
proceeding from him", or more often as the rumble of his chariot
rolling rapidly across the sky^^—a belief which, originating perhaps
in Thessalyi", certainly entered into Thessalian ritual''" and myth'l
1 Supra p. 810 f. 2 Supra p. 8io. ^ Supra p. 817 ff. * Supra p. 819 f.
s Supra p. 820 f. " Supra p. 821. '' Supra
p. 822. * Supra p. 823 f.
» Sttpra p. 824 ff. 10 Supra p. 826. ^ Supra p. 827 ff. ^- Supra p. 827 f.
^'' Supra p. 828 f.
1^ Supra p. 829.
1" Supra p. 831 ff, ^* Supra p. 833.
i"' Supra p. 830 ff.
K' Supra p. 825.
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