Themis, a study of the social origins of Greek ... - Warburg Institute

IV] Rainmakers in Thessaly 81
a thunderbolt, in his left he uplifts a sword as though threatening
the sky, which is about to discharge its thunderbolts. That he is
a victor 1 is made certain by the figure of Nike behind him. She
raises her hand as though in deprecation. Even for an Olympic
victor Salmoneus goes rather far.
Vergil and the vase-painter alike think of Salmoneus as at
Olympia in Elis ; there it was fabled he perished, he and his
people, blasted by the thunderbolt. But we learn from Apollo-
dorus that before he ruled in Elis he dwelt in a country more
primitive and always the home of magic, Pelasgian Thessaly 2 .
From Thessaly comes to us an account of a curious rain-making
ceremony not attributed to Salmoneus but well in line with his
method of making the thunder. Antigonos of Karystos 3 , in his
Account of Marvellous Things, says that at Krannon there was
kept a bronze waggon, and ' when the land suffered from drought
they shook it by way of praying the god for rain, and it was said
rain came.'
Fig. 13.
Antigonos is rather vague as to what was actually done. They
shook or agitated the waggon (r)v o-elovres). The type of some
bronze coins 4 of Krannon (Kpavovvicov) of which two specimens
1 This point has been very clearly brought out by Mr A. B. Cook in his discussion
of the vase in the Class. Rev. xvn. (1903), p. 275.
to
2 At some time or other the kingdom and cult of Salmoneus must have passed
Crete and settled on the N.W. promontory of Salmonium or Sammonium. An
Athena Salmonia occurs in an inscription dealing with Hierapytna.
Rev. tie Wist, des Religions, hx. (1909), p. 177
See Th. Eeinach,
3 ,
.
3 Hist. Mirab. XV. 'Ev Se Kpdvvwvi tt)s OeTTaXias Svo (pacriv \xbvov elvai KSpanas' Sid
Kai evi twv wpo^eviQv twv dvaypa? . .VTroypa