Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 6.-7. 1965-1966 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1966)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Makkay János: Some ancient sources to the Shamanism. VI–VII, 1965–66. p. 27–42. t. XV.

having been the loser against Athene in the rivalry for the possession of Athens, he wanted to fell the sacred olive-tree of the goddess. But the axe slid aside and killed the assailant.

89 Without any further comment we quote a shamanistic idea here. The Tundra-Yuraks hold that each shaman has a hallowed place where his tree is standing too. Anyone desiring to hew it is unable to succeed, since the axe hits his own body and kills him.

90 The few data quoted above induce us to ask, how they are related to the enumerated Mesopotamian motives. At present we cannot outline the character of the existing similarities with precision. They cannot be disregarded, however, as we are warned by a series of studies, dealing with the eastern connections of the Homeric heroic poems

91 and the links between the theogony of Hesiodos and the Kuraarbi-story.

92 The mentioned tale of Halirrhothios and also other data prompt us to raise the question of eventually preserved fragmentary shamanistic bequests in Greek religion. Also I. Trencsényi — Waldapfel admits their possible existence: „However, we have to regard the level of Shamanism as antiquated in the prehistory of Greek poetry long before Homeros, although we may reckon with its remnants and one or two staunchly surviving relics even later".

93 He states this in connection with the person of Aristeas of Prokonnesos, whose body has stayed at home in a seemingly lifeless condition, while his soul roved faraway worlds in the shape of a raven.

94 Similar stories are told 89. Aristoph.: schol. Nub. 1105; RE XVII (1937) p. 2116. 90. U. HAKVA: op. cit. p. 4SI. 91. E. g. C; H. GORDON: A JA 66 (1952) pp. 93^94; U. HÖLSCHER: Hermes Si (1953) pp. 385—418; F. DIRLMEIER: RhM 98 (1955) pp. 18—37; T. B. L. WEBSTER: Minos 4 (1956) pp. Ц.0—

116, etc. 92. See a comprehensive survey by J. MAKKAY: AKronos

— Kumarbl

—Enlil probléma. (The problem of Kronos

— Kumarbi—-Enffl..) Ant. Tan HO (1963) pp. 256^-266. 93. I. TRENCSÉNYI—

WALD APFEL: Mitológia. (Mythology.) (Budapest 1956) p. 68. 94. Herod.: IV. U4—

16; Strabon XIV. 639 and ХШ. 589; K. I MEULI: Hermes 70 (19315) pp. 158-415«; R. CARPENTER: Folk Tale, Fiction and Saga in the Homeric Epics. (Berkeley and Los Angeles 1956) pp. 1160—164; F. M. CORNFORD: Princípiuma Sapientiae. The Origins of Greek Philosophical Thought. (Cambridge 1952) pp. 89, 104, Ш; RE П (1896) pp. 876—18180; V. DIÓSZEGI: Néprajzi Közlemények (4 (1959) p. 225; J. D. P. BOLTON: Aristeas of Froconnesos (Oxford 1961); E. D. PHILIPP: The Legend of Aristea. Facts and Fancy in Early Greek Nations of East Russia, Siberia and Inner Asia. Artibus Asiae 18 (1955) pp. 161—177. 95. Heracleides Ponticos mentions it in his dialogue, the Abaris: K. MEULI: Hermes 70 (1935) pp. 169—163; Platon, Charm. 168 B; F. M. CORNFORD: op. cit. p. 89; Gy. MORAVCSIK: Körösi Csorna Arohivum, Supplement 1/2 (Budapest 11936) pp. 1 seqq., with a summary of ancient sources. The opinion of Gy. Moravcsdk is contradicted by the results gained on the basis of arcbaetogical material as regards the origin of the cult of Apollo; see especially E. SPROCKHOFF: JRGZM l (1954) pp. 68— 70; J. WINDEKENS: Apollon pélasgique (Louvain 1952). Cf. V. DIÓSZEGI: A sámánhit emlékei p. 316; R. MERKELBACH: op. cit. 96. К. MEULI: Hermes 70 (1935) p. 163; A. OHLMARKS: Studien p. 165; R. CARPENTER: op. cit. pp. 132, 1121—113, etc. of other legendary, moreover historical persons. Among these the legend of Abaris, hoarding treasures,

95 the figure of the Thracian Zdlraoxis™ and that of the Cretan theologer Epimenides are especially conspicuous; the last one, endowed with miraculous powers, was famed of his prophetic activity and was believed to free his soul from his body at will.

97 According to tradition, the soul of the Clasomenean Hermotimos could leave his body and wander in far-away areas too.

98 Empedocles of Agrigentum was a celebrated politician, priest, doctor, philosopher and poet. Some students connect these talents with similar gifts and qualities of the shamans.

99 He relates his wanderings of long years in his work „Purifications". Also Parmenides informs us on his heavenly journey.

100 The story of Er, the son of Armenios, is related to the above. While his body remained in the state of death apparently, his soul travelled in Heaven and the Nether World, then he reported on his journey after twelve days.

101 Also Pythagoras was believed to possess some of the above qualities.

102 Classical authors mention that Phormion was able to fly an immense distance in a few minutes' time in in the state of ecstatics.

10i Several students regard the underworld journeys of Odysseus, Heracles and Orpheus as shamanistic relics.

101 The figure of Hermes Psy~ chopompos is also related to shamanistic beliefs in a certain degree. It is namely one of the most important tasks of a shaman to lead the souls of the deceased to the other world.

105 Besides 97>. RE VI (1909) pp. 178^175. 98. Pliny, Nat. Hist. VH. 52; Tertullian De anima 44; RE VIII (1913) pp. 904—906; H. DIELS', Neue Jahrbücher 25 (1922) p. 242. 99. Diogen. Laert. VHI. 51—75; RE V (1906) pp. 2607—21512; R. MERKELBACH: op. cit. p. 163; H. DIELS: Neue Jahrbücher 25 (1922) p. 242; F. M. CORNFORD: op. eft. PPдо_94; C

f. B

. MUNKÁCSI: Vogul Népköltési Gyűjtemény H/1. (Collection of Vogoul Folk Poetry П/l.) (Budapest 1910) p. 343; especially important Oh. H. KAHN: Empedocles among the Shamans. Archiv für Geschichte d. Philosophie 42 (1960) pp. 30 seqq. 100. RE XVin/4 (1949) pp. 16:54 seq.; К. DEICHELGRÄBER: Parmenides' Auffahrt zur Göttin des Rechts. Abh. d. Akad. d. Wies. Mainz Geistes- und Sozialwiss. Klasse,. 1958. pp. il seqq.; J. MANSFELD: Die Offenbarung des Parmenides und die menschliche Welt, Assen 1964.; W. J. VERDENIUS, Parmenides. Some comments on his poena. Groningen

—

Amsterdam, 1942—1964. 101. Platon, Polit. X. xiii. В. 102. E. R. DODDS: The Greeks and the Irrational. Sather Classical Lectures 25 (Berkeley and Los Angeles 1951) pp. 143 seqq. etc. 108'. G. BURKART: RhM 106 (1962) p. 37. 1C4. R. MERKELBACH: op. cit. pp. 226;, 224; H. DIELS: Neue Jahrbücher 26 (192E) pp. 239 seq.; К. MEULI: Hermès 70 (1935) p. 167; M. HAAVIO: op. cit. pp. Ю4 seqq. 106. К. MEULI compares Radloff's record with the detail of Od. XXIV. in this respect. Hermes 70 (1935) p. 124; F. M. CORNFORD: op. cit. p. 95; H. DIELS: Neue Jahrbücher 25 (1922) p. 241. — Recently M. Elia de has dealt with the figure of the ,,sharoan-psychopompos" and his journey to the Nether World, the „descensus and inferos": Recent Works on Shaimanisma. A review article. History of Religions. An International Journal for Comparative Historical Studies 1/1. (Chicago 1961) p. 154. 38