RISE OF FATHERRIGHT 19 



custom no longer understood. The story told by 

 Pausanias about Ulysses' marriage points to a custom 

 in Lacedaemon of the husband's going to reside with 

 his wife's family. After Icarius (it runs) had given 

 Penelope in marriage to the hero, " he tried to induce 

 his son-in-law to take up his abode in Lacedaemon. 

 Failing in the attempt he next besought his daughter 

 to stay behind. And when she was setting out for 

 Ithaca he followed the chariot, entreating her. Ulysses 

 stood it for a time ; but at last he told Penelope either 

 to follow him freely, or if she liked her father better to 

 go back to Lacedaemon. They say that she answered 

 nothing, but simply drew down her veil in reply to the 

 question. So Icarius, seeing that she wished to depart 

 with Ulysses let her go, and set up an image of 

 modesty " at the point of the road where she let down 

 her veil. 1 In the island of Kythnos to-day, though the 

 marriage is public and solemnised with rejoicings, the 

 bride does not leave her parental home ; the bride- 

 groom comes to live with her there. On her parents' 

 death the eldest daughter succeeds to the house ; and 

 if a girl have not the prospect of this succession another 

 house must be provided by herself or her family, 

 otherwise she cannot obtain a husband. 2 



Among the ancient Cantabrians the daughters 

 succeeded their parents though, Strabo tells us, they 

 were required to provide wives for their brothers, by 

 which is doubtless meant that they provided the funds 

 to enable them to obtain wives, who were probably not 

 brought home. 3 What was perhaps a relic of this rule 



1 Pausanias, iii. 20 (10), Frazer's translation. 



2 Hauttecoeur, Kythnos, 17. 



3 Strabo, iii. 4, 18. 



