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

372 From Daimon to Olympian [ch.
Herakles then, till saga caught and transformed him, was an
Idaean Daktyl and as such own brother to the Kouretes, the
Korybantes and the Satyrs 1 . We wonder no longer that it was
Herakles the eldest of the Idaean Daktyls who founded the
Olympic games. It is not merely that there may have been
early immigrants from Crete, it is certainly not because Herakles
was the strong man of the Twelve Labours, it is because Herakles,
the Idaean Daktyl, was as Megistos Kouros the fertility-daimon
of the year. Therefore he was Kladophoros, Thallophoros 2 . Herodaimon
though he be, with branch and cornucopia, with Twelve
Labours like the Sun and, Sun-like, sailing in a golden cup, yet
no effort is spared to make of Herakles a regular Olympian. In
literature he has his apotheosis, on vase-paintings he is formally
' received into Olympos,' brought by Athena his patron up to the
very throne of Zeus 3 . Tradition even said that Hera passed him
through her robe to make him by adoption her real son 4 . Yet
though he is always being ' received ' and '
adopted
' he never
attains real godhead 5 .
Why is this ? What is it that eternally bars the gate of
Olympos ? We shall find the answer in a study of his twofold
ritual.
Ritual of Herakles as Year-Daimon.
The failure of Herakles to gain admission to Olympos is the
more remarkable because we have clear evidence that he was
worshipped in part with the same ritual as the Olympians them-
selves. Pausanias 6 when visiting the sanctuary of Herakles at
Sekyon observes as follows.
They say that Phaistos when he came to Sekyon found them devoting
offerings (ei>ayi£ovTas) to Herakles as to a hero. But Phaistos would do
nothing of the kind but would offer burnt offering (Oveiv) to him as to a god.
And even now the Sekyonians, when they slay a lamb and burn the thighs
upon the altar, eat a portion of the flesh as though it were a sacrificial victim,
and another part of the flesh they devote (evayi(ov