Chapter IV. 



Olympian deities. 



Having in the previous chapters examined certain primi- 

 tive beliefs and cults among the ancient Greeks, we have still 

 to say some words as to the position which is to be attribu- 

 ted to the heavenly deities in their earliest religions pan- 

 theon. It is an old view which has been entertained even 

 among modern classical students that from the very beginning 

 the „ Olympian deities" held the central place in Greek reli- 

 gion. If in the present inquiry these deities have been left 

 uutil the end and are only dealt with in connection with some 

 critical remarks, this is due to the different view here taken 

 with regard to this question. On this point, indeed, me can- 

 not fail to see the persisting influence of the old naythological 

 school, represented by Max Muller and others, which lead 

 astray by lingvistical considerations wholly overlooked the 

 „chtonic" an „hypochtonic'" side of primitive religion. Even 

 an authority like Oldenberg ascribes to the primitive Indo- 

 Europeans an anthropomorphic religion and maintains that the 

 majority and most important of their gods were heavenly 

 beings ^). With still greater definitenes professor Schrader 

 has expressed the opinion that the worship of the heavenly 

 bodies and phenomena formed the very „kernel" of ancient 

 Aryau religion ^). Of their chtonic deities he has little or no- 

 thing to tell us. Among other writers belonging to the same 

 school, we may mention Professor Siecke who in a little book 

 on the Urreligion der Indogermanen has tried to make it 



*) Oldenberg, Religion des Veda, p. 34. 



'') Sclirader, Reallexikon der Indogermanischen Alterthumskunde \ s. v. 

 Religion. 



