Myth and Ritual in Ancient Greece Observ

7/26/2019 Myth and Ritual in Ancient Greece Observ

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This is a pre-print version that has appeared in: R. von Haehling (ed.), Griechische Mythologie

und Frhchristentum, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Bchgesellschaft, !""#, !1-$%

&'TH D R*T+ * *T /R:

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56

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3rom the middle of the 189"s, the std6 of /ree religion received ne; implses throgh the

;or of Walter Brert (18%1-) and 7ean-4ierre 2ernant (181$-!"" and =the

apotropaic>,! the ne; approach looed for inspiration to etholog6, fnctionalism and

strctralism, and it concentrated mch of its attention on m6th and rital. *n m6 contri5tion *

;ant to sho; ho; these innovations have changed or ideas of /ree m6th (? 1), rital (? !) and

the relationship 5et;een m6th and rital (? %). * start ever6 section ;ith a short historical srve6.

1.Myth%

The modern histor6 of /ree m6tholog6 starts in 1

fables56 the 3renchman Bernard de 3ontenelle (19#, Favonius ! (18@@) $1-#!A .7. lderin,=Walter Brert and a atral Theor6 of Religion>,Religion%" (!""") !11-!,Rivista Storica !taliana 89 (18@$)9@"-8#A . as, =es origines de 7ean-4ierre 2ernant>, "riti#ue91! (188@) !9@-@!A . 4aradiso,=7ean-4ierre 2ernant>,$elfagor#9 (!""1) !@,&ntretiens %ardt!9 (/eneva, 18@") 1#8-!"


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approached m6th as part of erdition, entertainment and et6mologies 5t 5ecame increasingl6

sceptical of its vale,#3ontenelle concentrated on m6th itself. His essa6 contains the germs of

modern research in at least for aspects: he claimed a ind of =primitive> mentalit6A he inagrated

the comparative method 56 comparing the m6th of 0rphes ;ith that of the *nca &anco apacA9

he reflected on the transmission of m6ths, and he alread6 recognised the fatal inflence of literac6

on the oral tradition. 3ontenelle>s learned compatriot icolas 3rGret (19@@-1s

(1

#B /thmller, =&6thologie *>, inDer .eue /auly1#1, 911-%! at 9!%eyne 56?+@:686+; e nel suo tem(oL achr. . Wiss. /Ittingen, *. 4hilol.NHist. El. !""$, r. #A &.Heidenreich, "hristian Gottlob %eyne und die alte Geschichte(&nich and eipFig, !""9). 3or his 5i5liograph6 see no; 3.-. Haase, "hristian Gottlob %eyne56?+@ : 686+;* $ibliogra(hie Bu 2eben und 3erk* Gedruckte er


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admira5le and frightening sides of natre. &oreover, lie his friend 7ohann /ottfried Herder

(1, 2ares## (18@8) %1, in idem (ed.), Mythos in mythenloser Gesellschaft* Das

/aradigma Roms(tttgart, 188%) !@$-8$. He6ne had 5een inflenced 56 2ico in his 6onger 6ears,cf. /. D>lessandro, =tdi e ricerche: 2ico e He6ne: percorsi di na receFione>,Giornale critico della

filosofia !taliana 18 (1888) %inflenFa di 2ico in He6ne e nella scola storico-mitologicadi /ottinga>, in /. acciatore et al. (eds.),2a filosofia (ratica tra metafisica ed antro(ologia nellet'di 3olff e ico(aples, 1888) 1#.1# /. 7efcoate, =hristian /ottlo5 He6ne and the +niversit6 i5rar6 at /Ittingen asO+niversal5i5liotheP of the ighteenth entr6>,2ibrary %istory1$ (188@) 111-19.19R. mend,$ibel 4heologie Eniversitt(/Ittingen, 188, in . Donnert (ed.), &uro(a in


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prehistor6, then, can hardl6 5e separated from the process of nation- and state-5ilding that

accelerated considera5l6 at the end of the eighteenth centr6.

*n the nineteenth centr6, these ideas of He6ne N m6th as histor6, as prodct of a specific

people, as eplanation of natre N ;old dominate the field of m6thological stdies: the first t;o

aspects mainl6 in the thoght of arl 0tfried &ller (1 race and the colored =savages> more and more pro5lematic, and

the indstrial revoltion had greatl6 enlarged the contrast 5et;een modern r5an life and that ofthe peasants and the eltic peripher6. *t is against this 5acgrond that ;e have to locate the

sccess of 3riedrich &a &ller, ;hose editorship of the Rig:edahad led to a niversit6 career

in 0ford. &a &ller had oined the 5oisteros choir of searchers for the origin of civilisation 56

der Frhen .euBeit2* (Eelen, !""!) %@arl 0tfried

Mller 568+8:68I@;(Hildesheim, !""!).!"R. 7en6ns, 4he ictorians and Ancient Greece(0ford, 18@")A 3.&. Trner, 4he Greek %eritage inictorian $ritain(e; Haven and ondon, 18@1).


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propagating the (*ndo-ropean) =r6ans> as the primitive ancestors of the so civilised Western

ropeans. +sing et6mologies, especiall6, he reconstrcted an =r6an> cltre and m6tholog6

that ;as 5ilt on the natral phenomena, in particlar the =solar drama>. &a &ller>s theories

gained in credi5ilit6 throgh the fact that natre allegor6 does indeed occp6 a prominent place in

the eda, and contemporar6 philolog6 had scceeded in proving that /ree Mes (ansrit:

D6as) ;as 5ased on the root Jdyu, =to shine>.!1Ho;ever, the ne;er insights in comparative

lingistics of the so-called=unggrammatiker(after 1@.!%

'et the association 5et;een m6tholog6 and natre remained poplar ntil the 189"s. The

reason for this stagnation is not eas6 to eplain 5t pro5a5l6 shold 5e connected ;ith the rise of

&alino;sian fnctionalism.!$This pt an end to the evoltionistic approach in anthropolog6 and

ths to the ;idespread interest in the interpretation of /ree m6tholog6 as an earl6 stage of

Western civilisationA the 3irst World War ;as a ;atershed as in so ma6 other areas of Western

ropean life. t the same time, the comparative approach to /ree m6tholog6 also gradall6

disappeared from fashion de to the inflence of +lrich von Wilamo;itF-&oellendorf (1@$@-18%1), the scholar ;ho dominated the classical ;orld from 18"" to 18%" and ;ho dislied all

interpretations that ;ere not gronded in /reece itself.!# We ma6 perhaps even sa6 that a

generation that has no interest in comparative approaches is not interested in m6tholog6 either.

What has the revival of interest in /ree m6tholog6 in the 189"s contri5ted to a 5etter

nderstanding of /ree m6thU * ;old lie to note the follo;ing points:

!10n &ller see no; /.W. tocing 7r, ictorian Anthro(ology(e; 'or and ondon, 18@, in . &ichaels (ed.), >lassiker der

Religionswissenschaft (&nich, 188


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1. &6th is part of a cltral tradition, 5t man6 /ree m6ths are relativel6 late, since onl6 a fe;

can 5e proved to go 5ac to *ndo-ropean times.!9&oreover, histor6 and anthropolog6 have

gradall6 realised that man6 traditions are often not old 5t recent inventions.!s leaving of

her hs5and for 4aris or Heracles> 5ringing a conc5ine into his and Deianira>s home. Bt it is not

st men and ;omen that are the s5ect of m6th>s reflection. &6th can also illstrate ;hat vales

;ere attached to animals, plants or 6oths,%"

or to rivers and montains.%1

&6th can even sho;ho; cities schemed to mae themselves more important 56 =hiacing> Hellenic m6ths (? %) or

ho; d6nasties tried to shore p their crm5ling positions.%!

!9ee the discssion in Bremmer, Greek Religion(0ford, !""%%) #leine Schriften !!, 0rientalia(/Ittingen, !""%) andDie Griechen und der 0rient(&nich, !""%). &.. West: 4he &ast Face of

%elikon(0ford 188s&ast Face of %eliconand its forernners>,=* %ell* Stud*1!1 (!""1) 19


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, GeriNn19 (188@)1$%-9".%% 3or /reece see R. Thomas, 0ral 4radition O 3ritten Record in "lassical Athens (am5ridge,18@8).%$ . alame, =O&6theP et OriteP en /rKce: des catGgories indigKnesU>, >ernos$ (1881), 1 in 3. /raf (ed.),

Ansichten griechischer Rituale* Festschrift fr 3alter $urkert(tttgart and eipFig, 188@) 8-%! at1$-!$A see also T. ssad, Genealogies of Religion(Baltimore and ondon, 188%) ##-, =aarboek voor

2iturgie:onderBoek11 (188#) %1-#9 and =British Roots of the oncept of Rital>, in .. &olendiand 4. 4els (eds.),Religion in the Making* 4he &mergence of the Sciences of Religion(eiden, 188@)!


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meaning of litrg6 for a religios service, arond 1@8" rital acJired the meaning of =script for

5ehavior>. We can no; also 5etter trace the genealog6 of this phenomenon, ;hich 5ecomes

manifest for s in ngland in 1@@@. That is ;hen 4aper ! of the am5ridge lassical Tripos

carried the title =&6tholog6 and Rital> and ased =Ho; far is it possi5le to distingish 5et;een

the religios ritals of the Homeric poems, and those of historical /reeceU>%s2ectures on the religion of the Semites(1@@8), 3raFer>s Golden

$ough(1@8") and 7ane Harrison>sMythology and Monuments of Ancient Athens(1@8"). *t no;

seems reasona5l6 clear that 7ane Harrison (1@#"-18!@)%@depended on William Ro5ertson mith

(1@$9-1@8$),%8;ho in trn ;as inflenced 56 7ames /eorge 3raFer (1@#$-18$1),$";ho had 5een

one of the eaminers of the Tripos (cf. a5ove).$1'et it is also clear that in this respect Ro5ertson

mith eventall6 proved to 5e the most important scholar, since his ;ritings inflenced 3red as

;ell as Drheim and his grop.$!

The am5ridge grop also inflenced the inflential /erman historian of religion

%ulturkritik(&ar5rg, 1881) !%ulte) Mythen und Gelehrte* Anthro(ologieder Antike seit 6899(3ranfrt, 188$) 1$


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Hermann +sener (1@%$-18"#) and his son-in-la; l5recht Dieterich (1@99-18"@).$% Throgh

them, the interest in rital and agrarian cstoms 5ecame the most important e6s in nlocing the

secrets of /ree rital in /erman6. This replacement of m6th 56 rital ;as consolidated 56

&artin 4. ilsson (1@leine Schriften(eipFig and Berlin, 1811) i-liiA 3. 4fister, =l5recht Dieterichs Wiren inder Religions;issenschaft>, Arch* Rel* 3iss* %# (18%@) 1@"-#A H.D. BetF, 4he PMithrasQ 2iturgy(T5ingen, !""%) 1$-!9A Wessels, Ers(rungsBauber, 89-1!@.$$ilsson: Briggs and alder, "lassical Scholarshi(, %%#-$" (7. &eer).$#3. /raf,.ordionische >ulte(Rome, 18@#), ;hich is, ;ith Brert>s%omo necans, the 5est std6 of/ree ritals.$9W. Brert, Structure and %istory in Greek Mythology and Ritual(Berele6, os ngeles, ondon,18


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demarcate territories. Ho;ever helpfl the first eample ma6 5e, it is clear that etholog6 is not a

e6 that nlocs man6 rital doors. *t is even less sita5le to help to nderstand larger ritals,

althogh Brert has also tried to appl6 his insights to sch ela5orate ritals lie initiation 56 the

introdction of the notion of =program of action> (? %).

*n his anal6sis of rital Brert displa6s a certain one-sidedness, as ;as the case in his

anal6sis of m6th. Rital is richer than st 5eing =demonstrative>. *t has ps6chological, sociological

and even legal aspects. 0n top of that, rital does not al;a6s serve to promote the integration of

a commnit6. 0n the contrar6, it is precisel6 the =rites of reversal> that can reslt in re5ellion and

revoltion, as ancient and modern times freJentl6 have demonstrated.$s discssion of m6th, one can also note in his discssion of rital a certain preference for

origins and the traditional. 'et it also pa6s to loo at the other side of the coin. s ;e have to

reconstrct ancient ritals nearl6 al;a6s on the 5asis of fragmentar6 data, ;hich sall6 derive

from var6ing times and places, ;e create the illsion of rital 5eing something nchanga5le.

Ho;ever, ritals too continosl6 have to adapt to the changing circmstances of their

performance. To o5tain the legitimating effects of tradition, rital has to loo traditional, 5t it

need not necessaril6 5e so.

%.Myth and ritual

The rise of interest in m6th and rital in the second half of the nineteenth centr6 natrall6 alsoposed the Jestion of their relationship. t first, m6th ;as primar6, 5t the ne; interest in rital

s;ng the scales and rital soon o5tained the pper hand.$@The most inflential figre in this

respect ;as perhaps 7ane Harrison, ;ho focssed more than Ro5ertson mith and 3raFer on

/ree religion. *n her 4hemis(181!) she postlated three possi5ilities, ;hich can 5e smmariFed

as follo;s:

1. &6th arises from rital

!. &6th is the scenario of a dramatic rital

%. &6th and rital arise(ari (assu.$8

$ykeon* Studies in honor of %* S* ersnel (eiden, !""!) 1-!!.$82ersnel,!nconsistencies, !%-!8.


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et s loo at all three possi5ilities:

(1) The first ;as esposed, especiall6, 56 the so-called am5ridge ritalists. #"s the classical

esta5lishment lost its interest in the irrational sides of /ree rital after the 3irst World War and

5egan to find the comparisons ;ith =primitive> peoples less and less accepta5le, this approach no

longer fond man6 adherents. *n fact, there are ver6 fe; m6ths that reflect rital on a one-to-one

5asis, and it is indeed hard to see ;hat sch an identical mirroring ;old actall6 add. This

shold not eclde the possi5ilit6 that m6th sometimes reflects part of the rital. 3or eample, it

is ver6 clear that ;hen Demeter ass for a drin of meal, ;ater and mint in the%ymn to Demeter

(!"9-1"), this o5viosl6 reflects the lesinian kyken, the drin ;ith ;hich the lesinian

initiates ended their fasting.

The concentration on the immediate relationship 5et;een m6th and rital o5scres the

fact that m6ths ;ere sometimes com5ined ;ith ritals that, originall6, had no connection ;ith

them ;hatsoever. good eample is the m6th of *phigeneia. 0riginall6, /ree m6th told that

*phigeneia had 5een sacrificed in lis. Ho;ever, the small hamlet of Braron in ttica =hiaced>

the m6th and adapted it to its local rital. *t told that gamemnon had sacrificed his daghter

in Braron and that she had 5een replaced 56 a 5ear not a deer. videntl6, Braron had

adapted the m6th to local circmstances ;here smaller girls acted ot a rital in ;hich the6

;ere called =5ears> and priests officiated ;ith 5ear mass.#1 ch appropriations of pan-

hellenic m6ths for local ritals ;ere not nsal and deserve more attention than the6 havereceived so far.#!

(!) The idea of the m6th as a scenario for the rital ;as epeciall6 prominent in the so-called

Myth and Ritual School, a movement that ;as poplar from the 18%"s ntil the 189"s and that

concentrated on m6thical and rital patterns in the ncient ear ast and the 0ld Testament. The

mem5ers of this =school> mainl6 came from ngland (amel Henr6 Hooe S1@188#), and sa; m6th and rital as a tangled 5all. The title of the relevant section of one of

#" 3or this grop of scholars see most recentl6 W.&. alder *** (ed.), 4he "ambridge RitualistsReconsidered (tlanta, 1881)A R.. egal (ed.), 4he Myth and Ritual 4heory (0ford, 188@)A 3.7.Eorom, =Ritalistische Theorie>, in R.W. Brednich (ed.),&nByklo(die des Mrchens11 (Berlin ande; 'or, !""$) , in . oort and.7.. Tigchelaar (eds.), 4he Sacrifice of !saac (eiden, !""1) !1-$%A /. roth, =*nventing*phigeneiaU 0n ripides and the ltic onstrction of Braron>,>ernos19 (!""%) #8-11@.#!3or other eamples see 3. /raf, =Das /Itter5ildnis as dem Tarerland>,Antike 3elt1" (18, GR$S%% (188!) %1%-!


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Widengren>s 5oos is a good illstration of this vision: =Der &6ths als Ritaltet>. This close

association ;ent so far that the =school> even thoght that a no longer attested rital cold 5e

reconstrcted from the corresponding m6th.#%+nfortnatel6, it can easil6 5e demonstrated that

this is not the case, as * ;ill illstrate ;ith t;o m6ths, those of the retan eippos and of the

emnian ;omen, of ;hich the last one ;ill 5ring s to or third possi5ilit6.#$

et s start ;ith the retan m6th. *n the cit6 of 4haistos, ampros ordered his pregnant

;ife, /alateia, to epose her child if it ;as a daghter. Ho;ever, ;hen she gave 5irth to a

daghter, she pitied the 5a56, raised him as a 5o6 and called him eippos. When the =5o6>

matred, his mother feared discover6 of her deceit and ;ent to the temple of eto. Here she

5egged the goddess to transform the girl into a real 5o6. The goddes gave in and, as or sorce

concldes, the people of 4haistos still =sacrifice to eto 4h6tia, ;ho cased male genitals to

sprot on the girl. nd the6 call the festival d6sia (literall6 O+ndressingP), as =the girl> pt off

the(e(los. nd it is cstomar6 at the ;edding to lie net to the state of eippos.>

0r sorce is the prose paraphrase 56 ntonins i5eralis (1s

Metamor(hoses(fr. $# /o;-chofield). icander most liel6 ;ored in the middle of the third

centr6 B and his information therefore ;ill go 5ac to at least earl6 Hellenistic times, if not

earlier.##0vid told the same m6th in hisMetamor(hoses(8.999-.#spoem see . ameron, Greek Mythogra(hy in the Roman 3orld(e; 'or, !""$) %""f.#9D.M. iitas, =Mr eipposgeschichte>,%ellenica%% (18@1) 1$-!8A mch 5etter, 3. /raf, =0vide,les &Gtamorphoses et la veracitG d m6the>, in . alame (ed.), M-tamor(hoses du mythe en Gr1ceanti#ue(/eneva, 18@@) #riegers(Berlin and e; 'or, !""") !!!-$!A E. porn, %eiligtmer und >ulte >retasin klassischer und hellenistischer eit(Heidel5erg, !""!) !""f.


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The latter taes its point of departre in the conclding notice that it is cstomar6 in 4haestos to

lie do;n in front of the state of eippos 5efore marriage. Ho;ever, the tet clearl6

distingishes 5et;een the first part that connects the m6th to a festival and the second part that

connects eippos to a pre-marital rital. That is ;h6 ;e start ;ith the initiator6 approach.

There can indeed 5e little do5t that the m6th reflects an initiator6 theme. *n rete, eto ;as

strongl6 connected ;ith the commnit6 as a ;hole, and she had even given her name to an island,

a cit6, a Jarter of /ort6n and a ph6le.#8Her epithet 4h6tia, ;hich closel6 resem5les that of

4oseidon 4h6talmios ;ho ;as connected to the gro;ing p of 5o6s, sggests that she ;as

connected ;ith the gro;ing p of the 6oths.9"'et the m6th is also connected ;ith a festival,

namel6 the d6sia. When and ;h6 did this festival tae placeU

s it happens, ;e are Jite ;ell informed a5ot retan edcation. t the age of

seventeen, 5o6s left their parental home to oin an agela, the retan initiator6 5and. +ntil that

moment the 5o6s ;ere called =o5scre ones> (skotioi), as the6 still lived in the ;omen>s Jarters.

0nce the6 had oined the agela, the6 cold ;ear onl6 one dress, smmer and ;inter alie. 91

pparentl6, each 6ear of their three-6ear initiator6 period in the agelahad a different name, as in

Dreros and other cities the6 ;ere called(anaBstoi, aBstoiand ekdyomenoi5efore the6 ;ere

declared adlt.9!o; the first t;o terms mean =completel6 ;ithot a girdle> and =;ithot a

girdle>,9%and clearl6 signif6 the first t;o 6ears, ;hereas the ekdyomenoi;ere the last-6ear cohort

that stood on the 5rin of adlthood.9$

s ekdyis often associated ;ith the stripping of clothesand the =gradation> festival in 6tts ;as called 4eri5lXmaia or =3east of ptting on clothes>,9#

the d6sia referred most liel6 to the festival ;here the novices stripped off their one dress

5efore entering into their final stage of initiation. s the 5o6s collectivel6 married after their

#8porn,%eiligtmer und >ulte >retas, %%"f.9"3or the connection of 4oseidon 4h6talmios and eto ;ith initiation see /raf, .ordionische >ulte,1"#, !"@.91eventeen: Hsch. #


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leaving of the agela,99 the ;edding rital natrall6 follo;ed pon the transition into male

adlthood.

'et the m6th does not reflect retan realit6 and rete>s historical initiation in ever6 detail.

*t mentions eippos onl6 5t neglects the fello; mem5ers of his agela. &oreover, even if 5o6s

gre; slo;er in olden times,9 ;as alread6 raised lie a 5o6 and ths cannot have taen off a (e(los, a ;oman>s piece of

cloth. *n fact, there is not a single retan sorce that mentions initiator6 transvestism, althogh

this occrs in the m6th of eippos and Daphe, 9@and is ;ell attested as a part of /ree male

initiation.98*t therefore loos ver6 mch as if icander alread6 presented a version of the m6th

that ;as rather far removed from retan initiator6 rital and ;as pro5a5l6 inflenced 56 /ree

m6ths a5ot other eippoi N if ntonins i5eralis did not mae some mistaes in smmarising

his sorce. Withot frther information, it is impossi5le to reconstrct the concomitant festival in

a more satisfactor6 manner. *n an6 case, it is clear that in this case there is no straight line from

the m6th to the rital.

This is also apparent in or second eample. *n 18,2!M"2***.1 (188


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the rgonats landed on emnos on their retrn from captring the /olden 3leece. The6 ;ere

mch ;elcomed 56 the ;omen in a rather licentios festival and ths the normal seal (and

socialY) order ;as restored again. of

the rital, as Brert sggests, since the m6th leaves ot an important part of the rital.

&oreover, the m6th strongl6 eaggerates: in the rital the ;omen eep their males at a distance

56 their fol smell, 5t in the m6th the6 mrder them.

lthogh Brert points to the close relationship 5et;een m6th and rital in this

comple, he sggests that the Jestion regarding the priorit6 =transcends philolog6, since 5oth

m6th and rital ;ere esta5lished ;ell 5efore the invention of ;riting>.

5t ;e are not taling here a5ot primeval times 5t a5ot the historical period. nd in the eigth

centr6 B ;hen the m6th mst have originated N the !liad (2**.$9


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tas to go in search of something (something lost) and to get it, the hero gathers relevant

information, decides to set ot pon the Jest, starts on his ;a6, meets ;ith others, either helpers

or enemies, there is a change of scener6, the o5ect is fond and taen possession of 56 force or

cnning, it is 5roght 5ac, the hero 5eing chased 56 the adversar6, sccess is there, the hero

comes off trimphant.> ccording to Brert, ;e can smmariFe this scheme in one ver5, =to get>,

and find here a =program of action> 5ased on 5iological drives 5t translated into a stor6.Mutatis

mutandis, it is the same scheme that ;e find in natre ;hen a rat starts his search for food and

escapes captre 56 cats or hmans (the monsters of the fair6 talesY).s traged6>, fond in the m6ths of maidens lie *o, Dana\ and Eallisto. ll these m6ths displa6

the same plot: (1) the maiden leaves home and hearth, (!) she ;ithdra;s into an isolated place,

5e it a sanctar6 or the ;ilderness, (%) she is raped or sedced 56 a god, ($) she has to ndergo a

series of tri5lations, (#) she gives 5irth to a son and is resced from her miser6. Brert arges

that this pattern =can 5e interpreted as reflecting initiation ritalsA 5t these, in trn, are

demonstrative accentations of 5iologicall6 programmed crises, menstration, defloration,

pregnanc6, and 5irth ...The roots of the tales go 5ac to ver5aliFed action, ;hether ritaliFed or

not>. s m6th and rital go 5ac to the same =action programs> the6 cannot 5e redced to one

another 5t originate, at least according to Brert,(ari (assu, the third possi5ilit6 of 7ane Harri-

son.


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1s ;ell no;n triad of rite de s-(aration, rite de marge and rite

daggr-gation, and these resem5lances eplain the freJent claims of similarit6 5et;een rites of

initiation and e; 6ear festival. &oreover, ths still 2ersnel, initiation and e; 'ear are

transitional moments that are eperienced 56 hman societ6 as a =primal crisis>. onseJentl6,

these ritals and their corresponding m6ths have 5een strctred according to the 5iological

=program of action> that 4ropp fond in the fair6 tales:

departrecrisis5attledangertrimphretrn. &6ths and ritals of initiation and e; 'ear

festivals 5oth reflect =the 5iological-cltral program of action, ;hich ma6 have 5een carried over

into 5oth complees and ;hich, inde(endently(2ersnel>s italics), has 5ecome the material from

;hich dreams, fair6 tales and m6ths of a certain t6pe have 5een fashioned>. 2ersnel, then, fll6

agrees ;ith Harrison and Brert that some m6ths and rital arose(ari (assu., 5t differ considera5l6 from societ6 to societ6, sall6 have

different actors and even pla6 no role at all in man6 societies. *n fact, these ritals are not the

conseJence of a =crisis>, 5t it is tri5al and national cltres that create a =crisis> to integrate ne;

mem5ers into societ6 (initiation), to mar the arrival of the ne; harvest or to signif6 a change in

the corse of the snmoon (e; 'ear). ast 5t not least, the ver5 =to get> is a rather

redctionist simplification of the often highl6 s6m5olic ritals of initiation and e; 'ear.@"


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second important pro5lem is the lac of conceptal clarit6 in distingishing 5et;een

strctralaffective analog6 and temporal s6nchron6. Dring the /ree Eronia festival, slaves and

masters feasted on eJal footing, and masters sometimes even served their slaves. 2ersnel has

arged that the m6th and rital in this comple, in ;hich he finds a com5ination of positive

(etreme relaation, a5ndance, etc.) and negative elements (homicide, hman sacrifice, etc.),

correspond in =strctre and atmosphere> in sch a manner that =5oth Os6m5olic processes deal

;ith the same t6pe of eperience in the same affective modeP, and this O(ari (assuP.>@1'et it is

not a ne; insight that m6th and rital correspond in the same affective mode. This ;as alread6

seen 56 He6ne and arl 0tfried &ller, and has 5een arged again, more recentl6, 56 3ritF /raf. @!

The real pro5lem is ;hether it can 5e sho;n that Eronos and the Eronia originated together.

t this point the attentive reader of 2ersnel is in for a srprise. He notices that 2ersnel

taes all passages a5ot the m6th and clt of Eronos together ;ithot an6 differentiation in time

and place. &oreover, 2ersnel also states that Eronion, the month in ;hich the Eronia ;ere

cele5rated, ;as =Jite common>, 5t does not sa6 an6thing a5ot the time of its origin. Despite

his far-ranging claims a5ot a(ari (assudevelopment of m6th and rital in this comple, 2ersnel

does not 5egin to demonstrate that the Eronia festival originated at eactl6 the same time as the

m6th of Eronos.

Ho;ever, ;e are no; in a 5etter position to solve this pro5lem. *n 18@% a Hrrian-Hittite

5ilingal (ca* 1$"" B) ;as fond in Hatt]a ;ith an&(ic of Release, that is, the release ofslaves and the remission of de5ts, sch as ;e no; from the He5re; 75ilee festival

(2eviticus !#). The 5ilingal does not mention the rital itself, 5t it does sppl6 the

accompan6ing m6th. *n this m6th the highest god of heaven, Tess5, meets ;ith the n

goddess of the arth, llani, for a meal in ;hich the =primeval gods>, ;ho had 5een 5anished

to the nder;orld, also participateA the6 even sit at the right hand of Tess5. The cele5ration

of the temporar6 sspension of the cosmic order srel6 accompanied the temporar6

sspension of the social order on earth. *n other ;ords, the m6th ;ith the =primeval gods> ;ill

program does not reflect the =historisch-indtive &ethode> of Brert>s rital anal6ses in his 5oosand articles (p. #,2am(as1< (18@$) 18$-!$9 L =What>s ace for the /oose is ace for the /ander: &6th and Rital, 0ld and e;>, in .dmnds (ed.),A((roaches to Greek Myth(Baltimore and ondon, 188") !#-8" L!nconsistencies, @8-1%# (Eronos and the Eronia), 1$< (Jote).@! /raf: .ordionische >ulte, #A =ntstehng des &6thos5egriffs>, !8% (He6ne), and =Earl 0tfried&ller:&leusinien(1@$@)>, in alder and chlesier,wischen Rationalismus und Romantik, !1


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have 5een associated ;ith a rital of reversal 5et;een masters and slaves or the free and

prisoners of ;ar.@%

0riginall6, the Eronia ;ere cele5rated onl6 in a small grop of places: amos,

Eolophon and a fe; neigh5oring islands and cities, from ;here the festival came to thens.@$

'et the mention of the cit6 of 5la in the HrrianHittite epic sho;s that the =rital of reversal>

had originated in orthern 6ria. This means that the Eronia came from the same area as the

rital of the scapegoat, ;hich eventall6 also arrived in eactl6 the same area as the Eronia, as

;e can see from the mention of this rital in Hippona of Eolophon. @#We cannot 5e certain

;hen these ritals ;ere imported, 5t it seems reasona5le to thin of the seventh centr6

;hen 6dia had epanded to the 5orders of orthern 6ria and ths connected that area ;ith

*onia.@9

*n /reece the HrrianHittite comple recrs in the rital of the Eronia. 'et, originall6,

the m6th of Eronos did not focs on the good life ;e see in the Eronia rital. This is onl6 a

later development that starts in Hesiod, ;ho made Eronos into the rler of the /olden ge

(&rga111) and ing of the *sles of the Blest (&rga1leine Schriften**, 1#$-, in 0. Eaiser (ed.), 4eKte aus der Emwelt des Alten 4estaments)

&rgnBungslieferung (/tersloh, !""1) @!-81 (/erman translation). EronosTitans: Bremmer,=Remem5er the TitansY>, in . ffarth and . tcen5rc (eds.), 4he Myth of the Fallen Angels(eiden, !""$) %#-91.@$Bremmer, =Remem5er the TitansY>, $%f.@#3or the 5laite origin of the scapegoat rital see *. Matelli, =The 0rigin of the Bi5lical capegoatRital: The vidence of T;o 5laite Tets>, etus 4estamentum$@ (188@) !#$-9%A 2. Haas, =Betrach-tngen Fr Traditionsgeschichte hethitischer Ritale am Beispiel des Onden5ocP-&otivs>, in /.Becman et al. (eds.),%ittite Studies in %onor of %arry A* %offner =r* on the 0ccasion of %is 7th

$irthday (Winona ae, !""%) 1%1-$1. 3or the scapegoat rital itself see Bremmer =capegoat Ritals

in ncient /reece>, in Bton, 0Kford Readings, !, in R. l5ertF (ed.),>ult) >onflikt und ers


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even in the case of ritals of hman sacrifice ;e have to differentiate. *n the retan m6th and

rital of the Eoretes an initiator6 5acgrond is visi5le.@80n the other hand, the m6ths and

ritals in the (former) 4hoenician4nic areas are clearl6 re-interpretations of those of the

4hoenician4nic god l.8" *n other ;ords, these ritals have 5een associated ;ith Eronos

onl6 in later times. &oreover, the lg5rios associations in rital do no inclde the happ6

ones and vice versa. * conclde therefore that 2ersnel has neglected to tae 5asic

chronological facts into accont and has not proved the eistence of a (ari (assum6th and

rital.

This vain search for sch a(ari (assum6th and rital also deflects attention from the

specific differences 5et;een the t;o categories. s the m6th of the emnian ;omen

demonstrates, m6th can eaggerate and pictre as permanent ;hat is onl6 s6m5olic and

temporar6 in rital. The same m6th also demonstrates that m6th concentrates on striing

details and the atmosphere of the rital, not the ;hole of the rital comple. The difference

5et;een m6th and rital is also illstrated 56 the m6th of the Eronia ;here the stats reversal

5et;een slaves and masters is not mentioned at all. 3inall6, ;hereas rital is relativel6 fied

over longer periods of time, m6th is mch more flid. ven if the plot remains relativel6

nchanged, ever6 ne; performance can introdce ne; accents and innovations to a mch

larger degree than in rital: narrativit6 has of corse mch more possi5ilities for variet6 than

realit6. There is, then, no fied rle for the relationship 5et;een m6th and rital. ll cases haveto 5e dged on their o;n. nd even so, ;e often lac sfficient information for a detailed

std6. The investigation into m6th and rital mst al;a6s to some etent grope in the dar. 81

@8*strosFGr% %%$ 3 $@A s./rae(* &v. $.19.ulte, $1, Arch* f* Religionsgesch. 1 (1888) $1-#8A 3. Rggiero, =atestimonianFa di Tertlliano,A(ologeticum 8, !-$ sl sacrificio del 5am5ini nell>am5ito del clto diatrno>, Annali di Storia dell &segesi 1@ (!""1) %",

&ikasmos1$ (!""%) 1@#-89 at 18%-9A 7. ightfoot,2ucian) 0n the Syrian Goddess (0ford, !""%)#!%[email protected] is the epanded and pdated version of m6 =&6the en rite in het ode /rieenland: een overFichtvan recente ont;ielingen>,.ederlands 4heologisch 4iLdschrift$9 (188!) !9#-!


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. 0ettinger, =ntstehng von &6thos as Rital. Das Beispiel des hethitischen tetes TH

%8">, in &. Htter and . Htter-Bransar (eds), 0ffiBielle Religion) lokale >ulte und

individuelle Religiositt(&nster, !""$) %$

Documents

Myth and Ritual in Ancient Greece Observ