The Supernatural in the Tragedies of Euripides 25 



and hard to define, but the feehng is rooted deeply in the human 

 soul that there are such supernatural forces and that they are of 

 doubtful friendliness to man. Hence Euripides calls Earth "the 

 Mother of dreams " regarding dreams as sent up from the re- 

 cesses of the earth, i.e., from Hades ; therefore they are " black- 

 winged," i.e., gloomy and of evil portent. 



Different types of prayers occur in the " Hecuba." In utter 

 distress Hecuba fervently implores the Gods to spare her children : 



Hec. 79-80: 



OS (xovos o'Lkwv ayKvp' €fj.cbv. 

 " Gods of the Underworld save ye my son, 

 Mine house's anchor, its only one." 

 Hec. 96-97: 



aw €/xas ovv aw e/xas rode wai86s 

 wkfi^pare, 8aifjLoves, l/cereiico. 



" O Gods, I am suppHant before you ! — In any wise turn, I im- 

 plore you, 

 This fate from the child of my womb ! " 



Euripides, who sometimes seems to deny or call in question the 

 existence of the Gods, makes Talthybius moralize on the strange 

 dispensations of heaven and the caprice of fortune : 



Hec. 488-91 : 



u> Zeu, tL Xe^w; worepa a' avdpuwovs bpav; 

 rj 86^av aXXws Tr]v8e KeKrijcr^aL }xa.Trjv 

 ipevbr), SoKovvras daifxovuv elvat. yevos, 

 Thxw ^€ wavTa rav ^poTols ewKTHowelv; 



"What shall I say, Zeus? — that thou look'st on men? 



Or that this fancy false we vainly hold 



For nought, who deem there is a race of Gods, 



While chance controlleth all things among men ? " 



In conformity with this sentiment the poet makes Polymestor 

 say: 



Hec. 958-60: 



(ppvpovcTL 8' avTO, d^eol woKcv re Kal wpbaoi 

 Tapayp.6v evn^evres, cos ayvuaiq. 

 ai^uixev avTOvs. 



" All things the Gods confound, hurl this way and that, 



79 



