The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Vol. 1 of 2Müller, Karl Otfried
History
The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Vol. 1 of 2
Müller, Karl Otfried
Dorians -- History; Greece -- Antiquities, Dorian; Greece -- History -- Dorian Invasions, approximately 1125-1025 B.C.
That, however, the whole worship of Apollo was not one of those originally
instituted at Thebes, will be evident from the following observations. In
the ancient legends respecting Cadmus, in which Demeter, Cora, Cadmus, and
afterwards Bacchus, predominate in succession, Apollo never appears in a
conspicuous character. For particular additions of the poets may be easily
distinguished from the genuine popular tradition. The fable, that Cadmus,
after the slaughter of the serpent, was, like Apollo, compelled to live
_eight_ years in slavery,(1017) must be considered as a poetical
transposition. Cadmus and Apollo had originally no points of resemblance
to each other. The situation of the temple of Apollo at Thebes is a most
convincing proof that his worship was totally distinct from any other.
Those of the ancient national gods were built on the citadel of Cadmeia,
whilst Apollo was not only not worshipped in the citadel, but even without
the gates, in the temple of Ismene,(1018) which, according to Pausanias,
must have been situated opposite to the temple of Hercules and the house
of Amphitryon. This proximity of the hero and god, as well as all other
points of union between the two at Thebes, will be employed for the
purpose of establishing further conclusions, when we explain the legend of
Hercules.(1019)
To settle with any accuracy, from the traditions concerning Tiresias and
Hercules, the time at which the Bœotian temples of Apollo were founded,
seems hardly possible, since the former contain no chronological
information, and the latter are entirely unconnected with the rest of the
Theban mythology. A tradition respecting the establishment of the festival
of the Daphnephoria places it at the time of the Æolian migration,(1020)
whence it might perhaps be inferred that the Æolians introduced the
worship of Apollo into Bœotia. This hypothesis would however involve us in
endless perplexities; and it is most probable that its diffusion was
gradually effected, soon after the settlement at Cirrha, about the time at
which the worship of Apollo rose to importance at Athens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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