Volume I Part 14 (1/2)

The same circ.u.mstance is mentioned in the Orphic Argonautics[815]; where the poet speaks of Argus, and the vine branch:

?f?p?a?e? e????

?pe??? a?a???? ??e? ape?e?se s?d???, ?esse d' ep?stae???.

The Amazonians were a very antient people, who wors.h.i.+pped their provincial Deity under the character of a female, and by the t.i.tles of Artemis, Oupis, Hippa. They first built a temple at Ephesus; and according to Callimachus [816]the image of the G.o.ddess was formed of the stump of a beech tree.

S?? ?a? ?a????de? p??e?? ep????te??a?

?? ??te pa??a??? ?fes?? ?eta? ?d??sa?t?

[817]F??? ?p? p?e??, te?ese? de t?? ?e??? ?pp??

??ta? d', ??p? a?a.s.sa, pe?? p????? ????sa?t?.

Instead of an image made of a stump, the poet Dionysius supposes a temple to have been built beneath the trunk of a decayed tree.

???a Te? p?te ???? ?a????de? tet????t?

??e?? ?p? pte?e??, pe???s??? a?d?as? ?a?a. v. 827.

It is observable, that the Chinese, as well as the people of j.a.pan, still retain something of this custom. When they meet with an uncouth root, or spray of a tree, they humour the extravagance: and, by the addition of a face, give it the look of a Joss or Bonzee, just as fancy directs them.

The vine was esteemed sacred both to Dionusus, and Bacchus; for they were two different personages, though confounded by the Grecians: indeed the t.i.tles of all those, who were originally styled Baalim, are blended together. This tree had therefore the name of Ampel, which the Greeks rendered ?pe???, from the Sun, Ham, whose peculiar plant it was. This t.i.tle is the same as Omphel before mentioned, and relates to the oracular Deity of the Pagan world; under which character Ham was princ.i.p.ally alluded to. The Egyptian and Asiatic Greeks had some imperfect traditions about Ham, and Chus: the latter of which they esteemed Bacchus. And as the term Ampelus did not primarily relate to the vine, but was a sacred name transferred from the Deity, they had some notion of this circ.u.mstance: but as it was their custom out of every t.i.tle to form a new personage, they have supposed Ampelus to have been a youth of great beauty, and one whom Bacchus particularly favoured. Hence Nonnus introduces the former begging of Selene not to envy him this happiness.

[818]?? f???es??, ?t? ?a???? e?? f???t?ta f??a.s.se?.

?tt? ?e?? ?e????, ?t? ?a? f???? e?? ??a???.

The wors.h.i.+p of Ham was introduced by the Amonians in Phrygia and Asia Minor: and in those parts the Poet makes Ampelus chiefly conversant.

[819]?d? ?a? F?????? ?p? de??ad? ?????? a?????

?pe??? ?e??t? ?e?t?efe? e???? e??t??.

He speaks of his bathing in the waters, and rising with fresh beauty from the stream, like the morning star from the ocean.

[820]?a?t??? p??e ?a? s? te?? se?a?, ?f?a fa?e??

?pe??? a?te????, ?te f?sf????-- ??s?se? se? ?a???? ???? ?a?t????? ?d??.

In all these instances there are allusions to a history, which will hereafter be fully discussed. Ovid seems to make Ampelus a native of Thrace; and supposes him to have been the son of a satyr by one of the nymphs in that country:

[821] Ampelon intonsum, Satyro Nymphaque creatum, Fertur in Ismariis Bacchus ama.s.se jugis.

But however they may have mistaken this personage, it is certain that in early times he was well known, and highly reverenced. Hence wherever the Amonians settled, the name of Ampelus will occur: and many places will be found to have been denominated from the wors.h.i.+p of the Deity under this sacred t.i.tle. We learn from Stepha.n.u.s Byzantinus, [822]_that, according to Hecataeus, in his Europa, Ampelus was the name of a city in Liguria. There was likewise a promontory in the district of Torone called Ampelus: a like promontory in Samos: another in Cyrene. Agrtas mentions two cities there, an upper, and a lower, of that name. There_ _was likewise a harbour in Italy so called_. We read of a city [823]Ampeloessa in Syria, and a nation in Lybia called Ampeliotae: ?pe???ta? de e???? ?????. Suidas. Also, Ampelona in Arabia; and a promontory, Ampelusia, near Tingis, in Mauritania. In all these places, however distant, the Amonians had made settlements. Over against the island Samos stood the sacred promontory, Mycale, in Ionia. This, too, was called Ampelus, according to Hesychius, as the pa.s.sage is happily altered by Albertus and others. ?pe???, ??a??, ?a?

a??a ???a???, ????? ?????. From the words ????? ????? one might infer, that Ampelus was no uncommon name for a mountain in general: so far is certain, that many such were so denominated: which name could not relate to ape???, the vine; but they were so called from the Deity to whom they were [824]sacred. Many of these places were barren crags, and rocks of the sea, ill suited to the cultivation of the [825]vine. And not only eminences were so called, but the strand and sh.o.r.es, also, for the same reason: because here, too, were altars and pillars to this G.o.d. Hence we read in Hesychius: ?pe???--a???a???--?????a???? a???a???. _By Ampelus is signified the sea sh.o.r.e; or Ampelus, among the people of Cyrene, signifies the sea sh.o.r.e_.

From what has been said, we may be a.s.sured that Ampelus and Omphalus were the same term originally, however varied afterwards and differently appropriated. They are each a compound from Omphe, and relate to the oracular Deity. Ampelus, at Mycale, in Ionia, was confessedly so denominated from its being a sacred[826] place, and abounding with waters; by which, people who drank them were supposed to be inspired. They are mentioned in an antient oracle quoted by Eusebius[827]: ?? ??d??? ??a????

???a??s??? ??T??? ?d??. I have mentioned that all fountains were esteemed sacred, but especially those which had any praeternatural quality, and abounded with exhalations. It was an universal notion that a divine energy proceeded from these effluvia, and that the persons who resided in their vicinity were gifted with a prophetic quality. Fountains of this nature, from the divine influence with which they were supposed to abound, the Amonians styled Ain Omphe, sive fontes Oraculi. These terms, which denoted the fountain of the prophetic G.o.d, the Greeks contracted to ??f?, a Nymph; and supposed such a person to be an inferior G.o.ddess, who presided over waters. Hot springs were imagined to be more immediately under the inspection of the nymphs: whence Pindar styles such fountains, [828]Te?a ??fa? ???t?a. The temple of the Nymphae Ionides, in Arcadia, stood close to a fountain of great [829]efficacy. The term Nympha will be found always to have a reference to [830]water. There was in the same region of the Peloponnesus a place called ??fa?, Nymphas; which was undoubtedly so named from its hot springs: [831]?ata??e?ta? ?a? ?dat?--??fa?: _for Nymphas--abounded with waters_. Another name for these places was Ain-Ades, the fountain of Ades, or the Sun; which, in like manner, was changed to ?a?ade?, Naiades, a species of Deities of the same cla.s.s. Fountains of bitumen, in Susiana and Babylonia, were called Ain-Aptha, the fountains of Aptha, the G.o.d of fire; which by the Greeks was rendered Naptha, a name given to [832]bitumen. As they changed Ain Omphe to Numpha, a G.o.ddess, they accordingly denominated the place itself ??fe???, Nymphaeum: and wherever a place occurs of that name, there will be found something particular in its circ.u.mstances. We are told by [833]Pliny that the river Tigris, being stopped in its course by the mountains of Taurus, loses itself under ground, and rises again on the other side at Nymphaeum. According to Marcellinus, it seems to be at Nymphaeum that it sinks into the earth. Be it as it may, this, he tells us, is the place where that fiery matter called naptha issued: from whence, undoubtedly, the place had its name.

[834]Bitumen nascitur prope lac.u.m Sosingitem, cujus alveo Tigris voratus, fluensque subterraneus, procursis spatiis longis, emergit. Hic et Naptha gignitur specie picea. In his pagis hiatus conspicitur terrae, unde halitus lethalis exsurgens, quodcunque animal prope consist.i.t, odore gravi consumit. There was an island of the like nature at the mouth of the river Indus, which was sacred to the Sun, and styled Cubile [835]Nympharum: in qua nullum non animal absumitur. In Athamania was a temple of the Nymphs, or [836]Nymphaeum; and near it a fountain of fire, which consumed things brought near to it. Hard by Apollonia was an eruption of bituminous matter, like that in a.s.syria: and this too was named [837]Nymphaeum. The same author (Strabo) mentions, that in Seleucia, styled Pieria, there was alike bituminous eruption, taken notice of by Posidonius; and that it was called Ampelitis: [838]??? ?pe??t?? ??? asfa?t?d?, t?? e? Se?e??e?? t? ??e???

eta??e??e???. The hot streams, and poisonous effluvia near Puteoli and lake Avernus are well known. It was esteemed a place of great sanct.i.ty; and people of a prophetic character are said to have here resided. Here was a [839]Nymphaeum, supposed to have been an oracular temple. There was a method of divination at Rome, mentioned by [840]Dion Ca.s.sius, in which people formed their judgment of future events from the steam of lighted frankincense. The terms of inquiry were remarkable: for their curiosity was indulged in respect to every future contingency, excepting death and marriage. The place of divination was here too called [841]Nymphaeum.

Pausanias takes notice of a cavern near Platea, which was sacred to the Nymphs of Cithaeron: ?pe? de t?? ????f??, ef' ? t?? ??? p?????ta?, pe?te p?? a??sta ?a? de?a ?p??ataa?t? stad???? ?Y?FO? est?? a?t???