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

IX] Apollo and the Omphalos 411
on as ' birthday gift ' from Phoibe the fertility of the moon rather
than the earth.
On the red-figured vase-painting in Fig. 123 1 we see the
Fig. 128.
Olympian Apollo seated on the omphalos 2 .
The scene is certainly
at Delphi, for the figure approaching on the left and holding a
sheathed sword is Orestes balanced to the right by Pylades. Apollo
looks triumphant holding lyre and laurel branch, and if we think
of him as dethroning Gaia from her ancient seat we find his
intrusion hard to bear, but, remembering Aguieus, it may be that
the seated Olympian is no parvenu but only the fully humanized
form of the ancient fertility cone, surmounting the grave-mound.
The grave-cone took shape in Aguieus, but naturally the
omphalos-cult was not confined to Delphi or associated only with
Apollo. It might arise anywhere where there was a hero-grave
or a worship of Earth-Spirits 3 . We have seen that Asklepios had
1 Eaoul Rochette, Man. Med. pi. 37. Naples Museum, Heydeinann Cat. 108.
2 For the type in sculpture see Mr Wace's article in B.S.A. 1902-3 (ix.), p. 211.
3 An instructive parallel to the omphalos-cult I believe to be the ceremonial of
the Latin mwndus, covered by the lapis manalis. But the examination of this
would take me too far for present limits. I will only note that the two elements of
the omphalos-cult, ghosts or fertility, are very clearly present, though their connection
is not expressly stated. Varro (op. Macrob. i. 16. 18) says 'Mundus cum patet,
deorum tristium atque inferum ianua patet.' Plutarch, Vit. Rom. 11, notes that
the mundus was, as it were, the penus or storehouse of the new city, dirapxai- re
TravTwv oaois vofxu fitv (is /caAois exp&vTo, (pvatL 5k ws dvayKaioLS, dweTeQ^crav evrauOa.
As often with the Latins, we have the social fact presented clearly because unmythologized.
For 'Mundus patet' see Mr Warde Fowler, Roman Festivals, p. 211,
and for Tellus and the Manes see his Religious Experience of the Roman People,
1911, p. 121.