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

300 Daimon and Hero [ch.
' store for us. The comic poet Strattis,' he says, in his Lemnomeda \
makes mention of the Kadiskos, thus
Hermes, whom some draw from a prochoidion,
Others, mixed half and half from a Kadiskos.
By the help of the Agathos Daimon we understand the comic
^ poet Strattis. Hermes is the daimon of ambrosia and of im-
mortality.
Zeus Ktesios then like Hermes is simply a daimon of fertility,
taking snake form—he was not yet a theos. His aspect as Ktesios
embarrassed the orthodox theologian and delighted the mystic and
the monotheist. It is pleasant to find 1 that even when translated
to the uttermost heavens he did not disdain the primitive service
of the pankarpia.
Ruler of all, to thee I bring libation
And honey-cake, by whatso appellation
Thou wouldst be called, or Zens, or Hades thou
A tireless offering I bear thee now
Of all earth's fruit, take Thou its plenitude.
For thon amongst the Heavenly Ones art god,
Dost share Zeus' sceptre, and art ruling found
"With Hades in the kingdoms underground.
Zeus Ktesios was to the Greeks a house-snake, with a service
of storehouse jars for his chief sanctity. That acute observer
of analogies between Greek and Roman religion, Denys of
Halicarnassos 2 , confirms
:
our view and illuminates it further by
Latin custom. Speaking of the Penates brought by Aeneas from
the Troad, he says :
Now these gods are called by the Romans Penates. Bnt those who
translate the word into Greek render it, some as ' Patrooi,' some as
' Genethlioi,' some again as ' Ktesioi,' others as ' Mychioi,' others as
1
Herkeioi.' Each and all of these translators seem to adopt a word
according to what has occurred to themselves, and they all mean pretty
1 Eur. Xauck fr». pncert.), 912 :
ffol tu TravTwv fxebeovrt. X°V U
weXavov re