XLIX] Studies iu primitive Greek religion. 71 



That in such and similar cases tiie word dai/^iöviog had 

 originally a real meaning cannot be doubted notwithstanding 

 the fact that in Homer it appears almost crystallised into a 

 mere figure of speech. However, we can hardly assume that 

 in all cases the person called by this ättribute was really sup- 

 posed to be inhabited by a spirit or „daemon", who brought 

 him into that abnormal condition. There was simply some- 

 thing mysterious or supernatural about him, just as there 

 was found to be something supernatural about certain objects 

 of nature. 



With the tragedians the substantive Jca/twi» as well as the 

 verb daiiiovdo) are sometimes used in a seuse which clearly re- 

 veals a similar primitive manner of thought. Any incomprehen- 

 sible passion or infatuation which becomes fatal to man is sent 

 by or rather directly caused by a present evil deit3^ Thus 

 Alceste as well as Orestes are both dominated by a fateful 

 TTUQwv daif.iMV ^). In Euripides' Phoinisscä Teiresias says that 

 the descendants of Oedipus sliall never become lords of Thebe 

 because they are all persecuted by an evil daemon and bring 

 ruin upon the whole town 2). Similarly the brothers Eteocles 

 and Polyneikes, who engage in a disastrous fight, are daif-io- 

 vwvTSg fiv äxq^), infatuated by an evil supernatural being. 



That evil passions and emotions are caused by invisible 

 daemons was a view which not only appears in the works 

 of the tragedians. With Apulejus for example, a poet 

 asks whether affections are brought within the minds of 

 men by gods or if a bad passion is itself au evil deity*). 

 Pindar likewise speaks about åaifAÖvioi (fö^oi, fears which are 

 inspired by the Supernatural ^). The same idea appears more 

 clearly in a statement of Plutarch, according to which the 

 Lacedaemonians had a temple of the daemon of Fear, just as 



') TÖv TiaQÖvTa öaiuova, Eurip. Alcest. 561. Eurip. Androm. 97-4. 



«) Eurip. Phoen. 888. 



=*) Aesch. Sept. 1001. — Vi. Usener, Götfernamen, p. 293. 



') Apul. De deo Socr. c. l-l : 



„Diine hunc ardorem mentibus addunt 

 Euryale, an sua cuique deus fit dira cupido "/" 



*j Pind. Nem. IX, 27: tv yå(j baLUOvioLOL (pö^on qjtvyovTt xal Ttaldei 



^ti 



