XLIX] Studies ia primitive Greek religion. 17 



pular imagination and in låter times called forth all sorts of 

 legends. Thiis, for instance, the holy myrtle-tree at Troezen, 

 consecrated, to Aphrodite, according to Pausanias, had all its 

 leaves pierced, a peculiarity which the populär legend ascribed 

 to a particular cause ^). At Gortynae in Crete there was a 

 marvellous plane-tree which — in opposition to other trees 

 of that kind — never löst its leaves. A Greek legend related 

 that Zeus und Europé met under this plane-tree ^). Similarly 

 the sacredness of the Androchnos-tree, conneoted with the 

 Hermes-cult at Tanagrae, vas due to its being an ever-green 

 plant, åeixfvkkov ^). The plane-tree at Delphi was considered 

 as sacred, if not because of some striking qualities of its own, 

 at least on account of the holy place where it grew in the 

 Delphian valley at the Castalian well-spring *). Under its 

 branches was a holy stone ^). The willow of Hera in Crete, 

 one of the oldest sacred trees of the Hellenes ^), grew at the 

 entrance of the cave of Zeus and was famous as being the 

 ouly tree of its kind which brought its fruits to maturity ''). 



Most famous of all sacred Greek trees was, however, the 

 oracular oak of Zeus at Dodona, venerable for its hugeness, 

 its age, and for other wonderful qualities. The way in which 

 classical writers, especially the tragedians, speak of it shows 

 how easily the Greek mind was struck by uncommon pheno- 

 mena of nature and how ready it was, as it were, to person- 

 ify them. Aischylos in his Prometheus mentions the „speak- 

 ing oak" of the mountain-ridged Dodona as an „incredible 

 wonder", ^) and Sophocles likwise tells us about the „many- 

 tongued oak", ol nolvylooacfot å^vec^), as the Scholiast believes 

 either because it prophesised much and hence spöke much 



») Paus. I, 22, 2. 

 *) Plin. Hist. nnt. XII, 5. 



") Ibid. XVI, 32. Theophr. Hist plant. III, 3, 3. Paus. IX, 22, 2. 

 ♦) Plin. Hist. nnt. XVI, 88. Theophr. op dt. IV, 13. 

 •) Athen. XV, 62. 

 •) Paus. VIII, 23, 5. 

 ') Plin. Hist. nat. XVI, 46. 



*) Aesch. From. 830 . . . aiTrvvcoruv xå^cpl Jcodåviiv, Iva jiavrsla 

 ^cöiCÖs T earl OenjtgéTOV dibs, régag '^aniarov, al nQOOi'(yoQOi ögves- 

 ») Soph. Trach. 1169. Cfr. Herod. II, U. 



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