portrayed in the Homéric poems, it is utterly irreconcilable with the account of the Pelopids given in them. Of Agamemnón's sceptre it is said1 that Héphæstos made it and gave it to Zeus, who gave it to Hermés, by whom it was presented to 'horselashing' Pelops, who gave it to Atreus the shepherd of the people, who when dying left it to 'lamb-abounding' Thyestés, who left it to Agamemnón. Here we have a family of princes rich in cattle legitimately transmitting the sceptre from one to the other, a state of things totally at variance with the atrocities above related. It was probably at the time when the Greeks had become familiar with Asia and the barbarous regions round the Euxine that the nameless deeds of 'Pelops' line' were invented. The author of the Alkmæonis, whoever he was, is said to have related the story of the gold-fleeced lamb. We know not who first told of the horrid banquet, but we find it frequently alluded to by Eschylos,3 though he does not appear to have made the deeds of Atreus and Thyestés the subject of a drama. Sophoklés wrote two Thyestés, and Euripidés one; and we have probably their contents in the legends transmitted to us by Hyginus.

2

There is a difficulty in the Homéric account of Agamemnón's being the successor of Thyestés, for he calls him more than once the son of Atreus, and in the Odyssey he is murdered by Ægisthos the son of Thyestés.5 The common solution of Atreus having left his kingdom to his brother in charge for his son, who was not of age, is not, we believe, agreeable to the Homéric usage.

6

With respect to the names in this mythe, when we consider the derivations given above of Tantalos and Pelops, and the rural character apparently belonging originally to the family, we might be tempted to seek for indications of the same character in the names of the other members. Atreus might then, like Adrastos, find its root in ådpòs or in 'AAE' to satiate, while Thyestés might be the Sacrificer (Oúw), on account of his numerous flocks and herds. Egisthos plainly comes from ai§. But on the other hand Atreus might come from arn or from and rрéw, and Thyestés from Oúw to rage, and thus by the 1 Il. ii. 101 seq. 2 Sch. Eurip. Orest. 995.

a

3 Agam. 1096, 1217 seq.; 1590 seq. Choeph. 1068. 4 Il. ii. 23; xi. 131. 5 Od. iv. 517 seq.; xi. 408 seq. If Nitzsch's suspicion of iv. 514-520 being an interpolation be correct, Homer may not have made Ægisthos the son of Thyestés. Atreides then, as used of Agamemnón and Menelaos, may be like Alkeides: see above, p. 331.

The same peaceful character appears in the names of two of the other sons of Pelops, Kopreus (Manurer ?) and Pittheus (Persuader ?).

principle of secondary derivation, give origin to the mythes above related in accordance with the darker ones of Tantalos and Pelops.

CHAPTER XI.

MYTHES OF ACHAIA.

Μελάνιππος καὶ Κομαιθώ. Melanippus et Comætho.

ARTEMIS was worshipped at Patræ under the name of Triklaria. Her priestess was always a virgin, who held her office till she married. This priesthood was once filled by a beautiful virgin named Komathó. A youth named Melanippos, also distinguished for his beauty, conceived a violent passion for the fair priestess, which was participated in by its object, but the parents of both the lovers refused their consent to the union. Thus thwarted in their lawful wishes, the youth and maiden lost sight of prudence, and they polluted the sanctity of the temple by the unhallowed gratification of their passion. The goddess was offended; disease and pestilence testified to the people her displeasure.

Envoys were sent to consult the Pythian oracle, and the voice of the god fixed the guilt on Komæthó and Melanippos, whom he ordered to be sacrificed to Artemis, and a youth and maiden of superior beauty to be offered annually as victims to the goddess. For many years this cruel rite remained in use, and the stream which flowed by the temple derived from it the name of Implacable (upeiλixos). An oracle, however, held out hopes of its ceasing, when a stranger should arrive in the country bearing with him an unknown deity.

On the division of the spoils at Troy, Eurypylos the son of Euæmón had gotten a coffer containing a statue of Dionysos, the work of Héphæstos, as was said, and given to Dardanos by Zeus. Kassandra, it was also said, had thrown this coffer in the way of the Greeks, knowing that it would prove injurious to whoever should find it. Eurypylos opening it saw the statue, and immediately lost his senses: his reason however did not entirely depart, and he had lucid intervals. In consequence of this calamity, instead of going home to Thessaly, he sailed to Kirrha, and consulted the oracle at Delphi for relief of his disorder. He was directed to take up his abode, and dedicate the coffer, where he should find people sacrificing after a strange

fashion. He re-embarked, and the wind carried him to Aroé on the coast of Achaia, where he saw a procession moving along the shore, leading a youth and maiden to be sacrificed on the altar of the Triklarian Artemis. He at once perceived the accomplishment of the oracle given to him; the Achæans saw that theirs also was fulfilled, the human sacrifices ceased, the stranger was restored to his reason, the coffer of Dionysos was dedicated, and the river changed its appellation to that of Mild (μeíλıxos).1

Κόρεσος καὶ Καλλιῤῥόη. Coresus et Callirrhoe.

In Patræ stood a temple of the Kalydonian Dionýsos, whose statue had been brought thither from Kalydón. The following legend was related respecting it. While Kalydón flourished, a man named Koresos was priest of Dionýsos in that country. A maiden named Kallirrhoé became the object of his love, but unhappily the fervour of his attachment only augmented the hatred and aversion of the maiden to her lover. When neither gifts nor entreaties could avail to win her love, the priest in despair turned to his god, and besought him to avenge his sufferings. The god heard the prayer of the suppliant, and an insanity similar to intoxication fell on the Kalydonians, of which many of them perished.

In their distress, they had recourse to the oracle of Dódóna, and they learned that their calamity was the infliction of Dionýsos, and would not cease till Koresos had sacrificed Kallirrhoé, or some one who was willing to die in her stead. It was resolved to obey the oracle. Kallirrhoé could find no one possessed of sufficient affection for her to pay so high a penalty; friends, kindred, parents, all shrunk back, and the unhappy maiden was forced to submit to her cruel fate. As a victim, she was crowned and led to the altar, where Koresos stood to perform the appointed sacrifice; but at the sight of her, love overcame every other sentiment in the bosom of the priest, and he slew himself instead of the beautiful victim. This last and decisive proof of true affection quite vanquished the hitherto relentless maiden; her violent hate was converted into ardent love; and filled with pity for her lover, and shame at her own ungrateful insensibility, she retired to a fountain near the port of Kalydon, and there cut her own throat and died. The spring derived from her its name,-Kallirrhoé, i.e. Fair-flowing.2

1 Paus. vii. 19.

2 Paus. vii. 21.

The legend was evidently invented to account for the name of the spring. As the reader may perceive, it is the foundation of Guarini's pastoral drama, Il Pastor Fido.

Σέλεμνος καὶ ̓Αργυρᾶ. Selemnus et Argyra.

Selemnus was a beautiful youth, who pastured his flocks near the shore of the sea. Argyra, one of the sea-nymphs, beheld and loved him, and frequently emerging from the waters, came to enjoy his society on the banks of a river. But the beauty of the youth departing, the fickle sea-maiden ceased to regard him, and no longer sought his company. Grief at her loss killed the deserted shepherd, and Aphrodité in compassion changed him into a river of his own name. But his love still continuing, Aphrodíté again moved with pity exerted her divine power, and caused him to forget Argyra. The waters of the Selemnos became in consequence a remedy for love, inducing oblivion on those who bathed in them.1

CHAPTER XII.

MYTHES OF THE ISLES.

THE principal mythic cycle which the isles present is that of Kréte (Kpnrn), an island remarkable for its estrangement from the rest of Greece during the historic period; for though Krétan archers served all 'parties as mercenaries, the people of Kréte took no share in the Persian, Peloponnésian, or other wars. The political insignificance of Kréte in this period might lead one to doubt of the power and dominion of the Krétan monarch Minós in the mythic period; and perhaps the truth of that dominion was too readily adopted from the Athenian legends by Thukydides, the introduction to whose admirable work has had too much influence on the minds of some modern inquirers, who seem to forget that he had only the same sources of information respecting the mythic ages as we ourselves possess, and that the art of historic criticism was unknown in his time. The Krétan cycle is confined to the Minóic family, at the head of which are placed Zeus and Európé.

1 Paus. vii. 23. Near the river Selemnos was the fount Argyra; hence the origin of the legend. Selemnos is probably the Bright-stream (from σéλas), and is thus akin to Argyra. We may recollect apyvpodivns, an epithet of streams. In the south of Ireland there is a river called the Arigodheen, i. e. The Little-silver-stream.

EUROPE. MINOS, RHADAMANTHYS, AND SARPEDON. 403

Εὐρώπη. Europa.

Zeus, says the legend,1 having become enamoured of the beauty of Európé the daughter of Phoenix or of Agénór and Télephassa, changed himself into a beautiful white bull, and approached her 'breathing saffron from his mouth' as she was gathering flowers with her companions in a mead near the sea-shore. Európé, delighted with the tameness and beauty of the animal, caressed him, crowned him with flowers, and at length ventured to mount on his back. The disguised god immediately made off with his lovely burden, ran along the waves of the sea, and stopped not till he arrived at Kréte, not far from Gortýna. Here he resumed his own form, and beneath a plane-tree embraced the trembling maid. The fruits of his caresses were three sons, Minós, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpédón. Asterión king of Kréte espoused Európé, and reared her sons. He was succeeded in his kingdom by Minós.

In the Ilias Zeus says that the daughter of 'far-famed' Phœnix bore to him Minós and 'godlike' Rhadamanthys. Hésiod probably related the story at length; but he does not appear to have made Európé a Sidónian, as was afterwards the practice. We know not when this commenced 5 or how she became the sister of Kadmos. It probably originated in the name of her father; and as the legend very appropriately made Agénór the sire of Kadmos, Európé was also said to be his daughter, while her mother Télephassa became the inappropriate mother of Kadmos. We shall presently see the real nature of Európé.

Μινώς, Ραδάμανθυς, καὶ Σαρπηδών. Minos, Rhadamanthys,
et Sarpedon.

These three brothers fell into discord for the sake of a beautiful youth named Milétos, the son of Apolló, or of Zeus. The youth testifying most esteem for Sarpédón, Minós chased them out of Kréte. Milétos going to Karia, built a town there, which he named from himself. Sarpédón went to Lykia, where he aided Kilix against the people of that country, and obtained the

1 Hésiod and Bakchylidés ap. Sch. Il. xii. 292. See also Apollod. iii. 1. Moschus, Idyll. ii. Ov. Met. ii. 833 seq. Fast. v. 605 seq. Nonn. i. 45 seq.

2 See Theophrast. Hist. Pl. i. 13. Pliny, Nat. Hist. i. 1. It was asserted that this tree never shed its leaves: see Pashley, Travels in Crete, i. 95. 3 Zeus-Asterión is like Zeus-Tyndareós and others: see above, p. 299. 4 Il. xiv. 321.

5 Hérodotos (i. 2) is the earliest extant author who calls Európé a Sidónian