8. At length Apollo himself opens the eyes of the Heraclidæ to the meaning of the oracle. It was not across the _Isthmus_, but over the _Straits of Rhium_, that they were to cross into Peloponnesus, and after the third _generation_ had died away. They therefore first sailed from Naupactus, to the Molycrian promontory (Antirrhium), and thence to Rhium in Peloponnesus, which was only five stadia distant.(218) That the Dorians actually came on that side into Peloponnesus, is a statement which may be looked on as certain; agreeing (as it does) with the fact that the countries near the Isthmus were the last to which the Dorians penetrated. The name _Naupactus_ implies the existence of ship-building there in early times;(219) and there was a tradition that the Heraclidæ passed over on rafts, imitations of which were afterwards publicly exposed at a festival, and called Στεμματιαῖα, _i.e._ _crowned with garlands_.(220) This festival was doubtless the Carnea, since the Carnean Apollo was worshipped at Sparta under the name of _Stemmatias_. Now it is also stated that the Acarnanian soothsayer Carnus (who was reported to have founded the worship of the Carnean Apollo) was killed at the time of this expedition by Hippotes the son of Phylas, for which reason the Heraclidæ offered expiatory sacrifices to his memory.(221) We see from this that some rites of a peculiar worship of Apollo were observed at this passage, which were probably for the most part of an expiatory nature. Now I have shown elsewhere, that the Carnean or Hyacinthian worship of the Ægidæ originated at Thebes, and prevailed in Peloponnesus before the arrival of the Dorians, particularly at Amyclæ:(222) consequently, that prevalent near the straits of Naupactus might have been another, probably an Acarnanian(223) branch of the religion of Apollo, which was afterwards incorporated in the Carnean festival; a supposition which, if admitted, would enable us to explain many statements of ancient authors. The religious rites and festivals are in fact often so intermingled and confused together, that it is necessary to trace their component parts to many and distant sources.