XLIX] Studies in primitive Greek religion. 3 



development of ideas neither with mankind at large nor when 

 particular peoples are concerned. There has certainly been 

 evolution in religion, but this evolution never proceeded with 

 regular steps; survival, revival, and degradation have been 

 essential elements in it. Thus, it is impossible exactly to 

 decide, for iustance, when the „polytheistic" stage was reached 

 by the Greeks. In a certain sense the animistic stage 

 was never entirely superseded. Pausanias, duriug his travel 

 in G-reece in the second century A. D. found numerous traces 

 of the same primitive view which is commonly met with 

 among savage and barbaric tribes in our own days; and 

 the Christian fathers, who had a special interest in pointing 

 out the rudest features in the religions of the Gentiles, were 

 certainly not wrong in speaking of their worship af stones, 

 and stocks, and trees. Moreover, among the peasants in mo- 

 dern Greece many traces of the ancient beliefs are still pre- 

 served, which would probably throw much light upon early 

 Greek religion. 



Whereas during Antiquity the worship of the Olympian 

 divinities formed, as it were, the official religion in Greece, 

 the primitive animism with its vague personitication of na- 

 tural forces and phenomena and its simple worship to a great 

 extent lingered on among the masses of the population, whilst 

 incidentally even educated persons in secrecy had recourse to 

 the ancient sacrificial rites. 



The inquiry carried on in the following pages will be a 

 contribution to the history of Greek religion, regarded from 

 an anthropological point of view. I shall set forth some de- 

 tails of the animistic belief and the religions practices of the 

 ancient Hellenes and connecting them together try to show 

 what in my opinion has been the original character of their 

 relation to the supernalural powers. Many of the facts refer- 

 red to above are, no doubt, well-known to classical students. 

 Fresh evidences are, however, added and, moreover, the ex- 

 planations of these facts may, owing to the method here adopted 

 be, in many cases, different from those presented by other 

 writers on the subject. 



