During the early minutes this new Pelasgi, whenever i understand by advice that i got on Dodona, offered sacrifices of all the classes, and you will prayed to your gods, however, didn’t come with distinct brands otherwise appellations in their mind, because they got never ever heard about any
Besides these types of that happen to be here mentioned, there are many other techniques whereof I’ll cam hereafter, that Greeks has borrowed out of Egypt. This new peculiarity, yet not, that they observe in their statues away from Mercury they didn’t derive from the brand new Egyptians, however, regarding the Pelasgi; from them the fresh Athenians very first adopted they, and you can after they introduced throughout the Athenians to the other Greeks. For just at the time if Athenians was entering into the fresh Hellenic body, new Pelasgi came to live with him or her inside their nation, whence it absolutely was that second arrived very first getting regarded as as the Greeks. The fresh new Samothracians obtained such secrets about Pelasgi, which, before they went along to inhabit Attica, had been dwellers for the Samothrace, and you can imparted the religious ceremonies on population. The fresh new Athenians, upcoming, have a peek at the link have been the initial of all the Greeks and also make its sculptures out-of Mercury in this way, studied the fresh routine regarding Pelasgians; and by so it people a spiritual membership of the number is offered, which is informed me from the Samothracian mysteries.
It entitled him or her gods (Theoi, disposers), while they disposed and you may arranged all things in such as for example a pleasant order. Once an extended lapse of your time the new labels of your gods came to Greece from Egypt, while the Pelasgi studied them, only up to now they knew nothing away from Bacchus, of whom it very first read within a significantly later day. Shortly pursuing the arrival of the labels they provided for demand new oracle from the Dodona about the subject. This is actually the extremely ancient oracle into the Greece, and also at that point there is certainly hardly any other. On their matter, “Whether or not they is follow the latest brands that were imported of brand new people from other countries?” the fresh new oracle replied from the recommending its use.
Whence the new gods severally popped, whether or not if any they’d all the resided from eternity, just what models it exercise- these are concerns where the newest Greeks know absolutely nothing until the almost every other time, as they say. For Homer and you can Hesiod had been the first to create Theogonies, and present the fresh gods their epithets, to allocate her or him the multiple offices and you will business, and you will establish its variations; and additionally they resided however, four hundred ages just before my date, as i believe. As for the poets who’re believe by the some to get earlier than such, he’s, in my own wisdom, extremely afterwards publishers. On these matters I’ve the fresh power of your priestesses from Dodona into previous portion of my comments; everything i said of Homer and you will Hesiod are my very own opinion.
Thenceforth inside their sacrifices the latest Pelasgi utilized the brands of gods, and you can from their store this new names enacted later on with the Greeks
The next tale is usually told during the Egypt about the oracle regarding Dodona inside Greece, which of Ammon for the Libya. My personal informants on point were the brand new priests from Jupiter at Thebes. They told you “one two of the sacred women was in fact after sent removed from Thebes because of the Phoenicians, and that the story went this of them are sold on Libya, while the almost every other to the Greece, and these people was in fact the first creators of oracles when you look at the both nations.” To my inquiring how they concerned understand therefore just what turned into of your own females, it answered, “one patient search was actually produced after them at the time, but it wasn’t discover it is possible to and determine where they certainly were; later on, but not, they obtained all the information which they had offered me.”