A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 47. (Nyíregyháza, 2005)

Régészet - János Makkay: The Miracle Stag in Ancient Greek mythical stories and their Indo-Iranian counterparts

The Miracle Stag The gold antlered hind in the Greek Mythology Interestingly enough, the absolutely well-informed Karl Kerényi did not refer to a very special detail concerning horns and antlers of mythic animals, and, as a result, neither Hungarian, nor international research took this important detail into consideration. The point in question is the curious legend of Sisyphos, the son of Aiolos and Enarete, the grandfather of Bellerophontes. Sisyphos seems to have embodied most of those mythical elements which are the topic of this study. According to the summary of Kerényi, it is fitting to begin this story with Sisyphos, who will then quickly lead us to the history of Bellerophontes, the greatest hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Herakles. He belonged to those primaeval inhabitants of the earth who could still look on at the first deeds of the gods and he became the kingship over Ephyra in the Argolid (II. 6.154-155.) - later Corinth - from Medea (JPausanias 2.111.10-IV.3).

33 He lived at Ephyra, in that corner of the Isthmus where Corinth was to arise, which city he was supposed to have founded {Apollodorus I. ix. 3.).

34 He was a man of cunning rather than violence, the subtlest of all mankind (II. 6:153., PAULY'S 1927. Sp. 371-376.). If anyone wanted to make his way from Phlius, a spot further inland, hidden behind great hills, to the Saronic Gulf, he could easily be spied upon from the towering rocks which bore the name Akrokorinthos, and that was what happened to Zeus. In Phlius he carried off Aigina (Lycophron 174.), daughter of the river-god Asopos and the future mother of Aiakos. Asopos looked for his daughter and arrived at Sisyphos' rocky eyrie. Sisyphos betrayed the abductor, and he drew the wrath of the gods upon himself (II. 6.153., KERÉNYI 1959/1974. 75-76., Pausanias 2.5.I.).

35 Zeus sent Thanatos, Death, against him. He too was espied in good time, outwitted Death and threw Death into strong chains. From that moment, no one died on earth, until Ares the war-god set Death free and handed over Sisyphos to him. The cunnig man contrived to befool Persephone, queen of the nether world (Theognis 703.), and he has escaped Death for the second time. Now that he has escaped Death again, we may insert here the famous tale of how the archrascal and the master-thief, Sisyphos and Autolykos, dealt with each other. Autolykos was a son of Hermes. The god of thieves begot him on one of Apollo's loves. Thus the 'Wolf itself (for that is the meaning of Autolykos) was born, and he honoured his father Hermes above all gods. From him he got his talent for theft and clever perjury (Od. 19.396.). He could make anything invisible that he touched with his hand (Hesiodos fr. 136.

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). He knew how to make white beasts black and black beasts white; he would take the horns off horned beasts and put them on the heads of those that had none. (Hyginus 201. -KERÉNYI 1959/1974. 76-77.) Afterwards, when Corinthus, the son of Marathon, died childless, the Corinthians sent for Medea from Iolcus and bestowed upor her the kingdom. Through her Jason was king in Corinth, and Medea, as her children were born, carried each to the sanctuary of Hera and concealed them, doing so in the belief that so they would be immortal. At least she learned that her hopes were vain, and at the same time she was detected by Jason. When she begged for pardon he refused it, and sailed away to Iolcus. For these reasons Medea too departed, and handed over the kingdom to Sisyphus. (2.IV.1-3:) This is the account that I read, and not far from the tomb [the tomb of Medea's children] is the temple of Athena Chalinitis (Bridler). For Athena, they say, was the divinity who gave most help to Bellerophontes, and she delivered to him Pegasus, having herself broken in and bridled him (khalinos 'bridle'). ... Sisyphus had other sons besides Glaucus, the father of Bellerophontes, ...". JONES 1959.1. 265, 267. For the golden bridle see below! - WEST 2003. 243., note 24. „And Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, founded Ephyra, which is now called Corinth, and married Merope, daughter of Atlas. They had a son Glaucus, who had by Eurymede a son Bellerophon, who slew the fire-breathing Chimera [see also Apollodorus II. iii. 1.: FRAZER 1954:1. 151., note 2.]. But Sisyphus is punished in Hades by rolling a stone with his hands and head in the effort to heave it over the top; but push it as he will, it rebounds backward. This punishment he endures for the sake of Aegina, daughter of Asopus; for when Zeus had secretly carried her off, Sisyphus is said to betrayed the secret to Asopus, who was looking for her." FRAZER 1954:1. 79. „On the summit of the Acrocorinthus is a temple of Aphrodite. ... The spring, which is behind the temple, they say was the gift of Asopus to Sisyphus. The latter knew, so runs the legend, that Zeus had ravished Aegina, the daughter of Asopus, but refused to give information to the seeker before he had a spring given him on the Acrocorinthus. When Asopus granted this request Sisyphus turned informer, and on this account he receives - if anyone believes the story - punishment in Hades." JONES 1959:1. 271. After R. MERKELBACH-M. L. WEST: Fragmenta Hesiodea (non vidi). 33