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

466 The Olympians [ch.
Persian naturism. Is it rash to suppose that Orphism owed its
main impulse to the infiltration of Persian religious doctrine ?
that in religion as in politics there was ' Medizing ' ? Tradition
said, and it is a tradition that has been too long forgotten, that
when Cyrus consulted the oracle of the head of Orpheus at Lesbos,
there came to him in answer words as singular as significant.
' Mine,' said the oracle to the Persian, ' O
1 .'
Cyrus, are also thine
Moreover, and this I think is an important point, Orphism was
always discredited at Athens. Spite of its high moral tone, spite
of the fact that it was recognized as a purer and reformed phase of
Dionysiac religion 2 , it was never popular in high places. Is it not
at least possible that some of its discredit arose from political,
racial prejudice ?
To resume. In discrediting certain elements of Earth-Worship
Olympianism did well. In disallowing the worship of the Heavenly
bodies Olympianism did ill. Save for the Persian War, or rather
the Persian infiltration, this backward step need perhaps never
have been taken.
(4) The Olympians refuse the functions of the Eniautos-daimon.
As to the making of Greek theology, Herodotus 3 has left us a
notable statement, much discussed but not as yet, I think,, fully
elucidated.
But as to the origin of each particular god, whether they all existed from
the beginning, what were their individual forms, the knowledge of these
things is, so to speak, but of to-day and yesterday. For Hesiod and Homer
are my seniors, I think, by some four hundred years and not more. And it
is they who have composed for the Greeks the generations of the gods, and
have given to the gods their titles and distinguished their several provinces
and special powers and marked their forms.
There were gods before the Olympians of Homer and Hesiod,
but they were without titles, they were undistinguished in their
1 Philostr. Heroic, v. 3. 704 to. e/xa u Kvpe kclI