The Supernatural in the Tragedies of Euripides 69 



El. 566: 



" Lo, I invoke them." 



The prayer in vv. 671 ff. which is according to Murray's ar- 

 rangement in turn recited by Orestes, Electra, and the Old Man, 

 contains also an invocation of the dead : 



El. 671-83 : 



0. w Zed Trarpuie Kai TpoiraV ixd^po^v kfioiv, 

 . H. oLKTeipe ?9' rifxas, OLKTpa yap ireir6vi}ap.a>, k. t. X. 



O. " My father's God, Zeus, smiter of my foes," 

 E. " Pity us : pitiful our wrongs have been." 



O. M. "Yea, pity those whose- lineage is of thee!" 

 E. " Queen of Mycenae's altars, Hera, help ! " 

 O. " Grant to us victory, if we claim the right." 



O. M. " Grant for their father vengeance unto these ! " 

 E. " O Earth, O Queen, on whom I lay mine hands," 

 O. " Father, by foul wrong dweller 'neath the earth," 



O. M. " Help, help them, these thy children best-beloved," 

 O. " Come ! bring all those thy battle-helpers slain " 

 E. " All them whose spears with thee laid Phrygians low," 



O. M. " Yea, all which hate defilers impious ! " 



O. " Hear'st thou, O foully-entreated of my mother?" 



This prayer to the dead father presupposes the presence of the 

 spirit of the dead, his sympathy and co-operation with the sur- 

 viving kinsmen. Electra asserts (v. 684) : 



" Our sire hears all, I know." 



In the following invocation of the Gods Electra identifies the 

 Gods with world-ruling Justice : 



El. 771 : 



w «?eot, AiKTi re iravd' opwa', ■q'kd^es irore. 

 " Gods ! All-seeing Justice thou hast come at last ! " 



Orestes has come by divine command to avenge his father's 

 death : 



El. 87-89: 



acjuyiJiai d' tK i?eoO xfiV'^TlP''^^ '^- '''• ^' 

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