XLIX] Studies in primitive Greek religion. 85 



by an evil daemon into the power of a blood-thirsty Hon ^). 

 Teucros,. whose bow-string bursts at a critical moment, ex- 

 claims : „Ah mel certainly a divine power is frustrating our 

 plains, for he kuocked the bow from my hands and broke 

 the string although lately twined" ! 2). In such cases a special 

 cause of an accident is looked for and this cause is found in 

 the will of a superhuman being. Moreover, åai/^iöviog in Homer 

 means not only a man who is in stränge mental condition 

 but also one who is persecuted by bad fortnne. Odysseus, 

 for instance, having at last arrived at his native country af- 

 ter his wanderings, is by Eumaios called daif^iövie 'ieivan' ^). — 

 Herodotns with his strong belief in a divine providence which 

 controls historical events, often uses the word in a similar 

 sense. The Scythian king Idantyrsas, who has been slain by 

 Dareius and is fljång, is called 6aif.i6rioi åvf^Q *). Likewise, in 

 describing how the Athenians were slain by the Argives in a 

 sea-battle, he states that only one Athenian ship escaped from 

 the heaven-sent disaster {rov åatf^ioviov) ^). Every strong im- 

 pulse also which drives individuals and nations to important 

 undertakings is divine or heaven-sent just as the destruction 

 that falls on them is sent by a higher power ^). 



Most clearly, however this view appears in the trage- 

 dians. Nowhere can we more directly observe the tendeney 

 which is inherent in man at the lower stages of culture to 

 look for a supernatural cause of events which deeply in- 

 terfere in his welfare and destiny. The tragedians are of 

 special interest because they show us the gods as authors 

 of evil, and afford a confirmation of the general rule that 

 it is first of all the evil experieuces of life that direct the 

 human mind to invisible supernatural powers. In this, as 



^) Horn. II. XV, 418 = XXI, 93: é^el q^ éniXaaaé ys öaluwv. II. XI, 

 480: éjTi Te Xlv ijyaye daiucov oivnp'. II. VIII, 166: toi baiuova fiäao). 



■-) Horn. II. XV, 467: ?/ årj nåyxv nåyjii im fiiiöea i<ti()£i baiucov 

 ^)u.eTtQi]; .... 



') Hora. Od. XIV, 443. 



*) Herod. IV, 126. VII, 48. 



*) Ibid. V, 87. 



") Ibid. VII, 18: 'EiTet öe baiaovu) ra yCvsrat uoai], xal "EXX-qvas, m; 

 o?X£, q)&ÖQi] TLs ycaTaXaa^åvEi ^eilXaroi etc. . . . 



