XLIX] Studies in primitive Greek religion. 87 



complains, ,,who judged that these things are destined for me 

 by some crael power" ? ^) It was an evil daemon who caused 

 his whole ruin, who drove him to put out his eyes 2), and 

 on the other hand it was a higher power who lifted him up 

 again from his misery ^). Similarly, Ajax who himself makes 

 an end of his life has fallen victim to a bad daemon*), and 

 Teucros in speaking of the evil fäte thafc has befallen Ajax 

 and many other heroes, expresses the opinion that such mis- 

 fortunes are machinated against men bj^ the gods^). — The 

 same holds good with regard to Euripides. To him also, it 

 is the „daemons" that send every cruel fäte to which the mor- 

 tal falls a victim^), that overthrow the happiness of the happy '), 

 that arouse destructive pestilence^) and cause ignominous 

 death ^), in short that are the authors of all evils to which the 

 human race is subjected. 



These instances may be enough to illustrate the view, 

 which indeed appears throughout the tragedians, that re- 

 markable incidents especially such as deeply afifect human 

 welfare, are due to supernatural intervention. In earlier times 

 especially such experiences of life must have considerably in- 

 fluenced the ideas the Greeks formed themselves as to the 

 character of their gods. Moral considerations tliat unexpec- 

 ted misfortunes are sent to man as righteous divine punish- 

 ment for sins committed against divine or human law, may 

 have entered låter into Greek religions view of the world and 

 may to a certain extent appear in the dramas also. But to 



^) Soph. Oid. Tyr. 828 : d(j ovx a^ cuuov tavra öaifiovös tis ar xqL' 

 vcov én åvÖQL rmö' av v()doLi] köyov ; 



*) Ibid. 1328: tti a^ijtfige daifiårcov ; 



^) Soph. Oid. Col. 1565 : uiåXiv a(pE dai[xcov ölxatos av^oi.. 



*) Soph. Ajax 1214: åveliai oivyeQcö balaovi. 



^) Soph. Ajoor 1036 : éym fikv ovv xai ravra xal rå jtdvr åsi (fåaycotUL 

 av åv^Qmjioiaiv (i)]xaväv &£ovs. 



") Cf., for instance, Eurip. Med. 666: öaifiövog rivos tvxt}. 953: xetvrjg 

 o öaiiAcov. Snpjjl. 552: TQvqä u baiacov. Cycl. 602: ti)v Tvyi\r öaiuoi' fiytl- 

 adai xQ^d)v. Phoen. 998: ^önattnos o baifjicov etc. 



') Eurip. Herc. fur. 875: raxv xöv evrv^fi neré^aÅtv baiuav. 



*) Eurip. Phoen. 1065: v&ev énénvro Tuvbt }äv åfjnayalcn bainovov 

 Tti åra. 



^) Eurip. Hec. 197: kw^av ai wQOe rtg buLfimv. 



