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

iv] Magic and tabu in Hesiocl 95
mention 1
, and of actual magical rites we bear nothing, though
tabus abound ; but of magical ways of thinking, thinly veiled by
Olympian orthodoxy, the Works and Days are full, and for the
understanding of the magical attitude we can have no better
helper than Hesiod.
Hesiocl ends his Works and Days- with the words that stand
at the head of this Chapter:
Lucky and bless'd is he, who, knowing all these things,
Toils in the fields, blameless before the Immortals,
Knowing in birds and not overstepping tabus.
Here we have the Whole Duty of Man, positive and negative, at
least of Hesiod's holy or pious man, his delo