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

458 The Olympians [ch.
The Gigantes are children of Earth, the Titanes are children
of Earth and Heaven, with a leaning towards Heaven. The
Gigantomachia stands for the triumph of the humanized Olym-
pian over the powers' of Earth, over the snake-tailed monster;
the Titanomachia stands for the triumph, partial only, of Olym-
pianism over that higher form of Naturism which is Ouranianism \
It would scarcely have been possible to figure Sun and Moon as
lawless monsters, but Ouranos included in his compass rd nerdpa-ia
as well as rd /xerecopa, and in the conduct of rd perdpata and
the weather-daimones generally there was much that might cause
a willing enemy to blaspheme. Thunder and lightning, wind
and rain, storm and tempest might fitly be classed as peloria,
portents.
The chorus of Okeanids, we have seen, lament that
He has destroyed the old portentous ones.
The word peloria covers, I think, both Earth-powers and Sky-
powers, both Giants and Titans ; but it is not a little interesting
to find that quite early the word differentiated itself into two
forms. Dr Osthoff 2 has shown that ireXwp and repa