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

520 Themis [ch.
charged with transgression she thus contrasts the law of Zeus and
that of the underworld gods.
'Yes, for it was not Zeus who heralded
That edict, no nor she who dwells below,
Dike, who gave such laws for mortal men.'
Of course, at the time of the general migration to Olympos, a
great effort is made to assure the assumption into heaven of Dike
as well as Themis. The notion obtained to a certain extent in
Olympianized Orphic circles. Dike becomes as a double of Themis
assessor of Zeus. So the Orphic Hymn 1
Sing the all-seeing eye of Dike fair
Who sits upon the holy throne of Zeus.
Demosthenes 2 pleads with his citizens to honour Eunomia and
Dike holy and unswerving,
Whom Orpheus, who instituted our most sacred mysteries, declares to be
seated by the throne of Zeus.
Orphic literature might proclaim Dike as assessor of Zeus in
the highest heavens, but Orphic popular art, like primitive philo-
sophy, knew that her real home was in Hades, by the side of
Plouton. On the well-known underworld vases of Lower Italy of
which a specimen 3 is given in Fig. 145 a group of figures occurs in
the right-hand corner, of which the interpretation is fortunately
certain. A seated youth bids farewell to another youth about to
start on his journey to the upper world. The seated youth is
Theseus.
...Sedet aeternumque sedebit
Infelix Theseus 4 .
The youth about to return to the upper world bears a signifi-
He who runs round,' Peirithoos. His periodic cycle
cant name, '
leads him inevitably upwards.
By the side of Theseus a woman is seated holding a drawn
sword. She is Dike in her later Orphic aspect of Vengeance. Of
this happily there is no doubt, as on the fragment of a vase 5 with
1
lxii. 2
c. Aristogeit. xxv. 11, and see Prolegomena, p. 507.
3 Munich, Jahn Cat. 849. Wiener Vorlegeblatter, Serie E, Taf. i. For the
whole series see Prolegomena, p. 601.
4 Verg. JEn. vi. 617.
5 Carlsruhe, Cat. 258, Hartung,
Vorlegeblatter E, Taf. vi. 3. See
Arch. Zeit. p. 263,
also my Myth, and
Taf. xix., and Wiener
Mon. Ancient Athens,
p. cxlviii., Fig. 39.
,