Nunc equa, nunc ales, modo bos.
or according to Palæphatus, βουν, κυνα, και ορνεον: a cow, a dog, and a bird. The whole of this related to the particular service of the priestess; and to the emblem under which the Deity was worshipped.
RITES
OF
DAMATER, or CERES.
I shall now proceed to the rites of Ceres: and the general character of this Goddess is so innocent, and rural, that one would imagine nothing cruel could proceed from her shrine. But there was a time, when some of her temples were as much dreaded, as those of Scylla, and the Cyclops. They were courts of justice; whence she is often spoken of as a lawgiver.
[[719]]Prima Ceres unco terram dimovit aratro,
Prima dedit leges.
She is joined by Cicero with Libera, and they are styled the Deities, [[720]]a quibus initia vitæ, atque victus, legum, morum, mansuetudinis, humanitatis, exempla hominibus, et civitatibus data, ac dispertita esse dicantur. The Deity, to whom she was a substitute, was El, the Sun. He was primarily worshipped in these temples: and I have shewn, that they were from Achor denominated Acherontian; also temples of Ops, and Oupis, the great serpent God. Hence it is said by Hesychius, that Acheron, and Ops, and Helle, and [[721]]Gerys, and Terra, and Demeter, were the same. Ἡ [[722]]Αχερω, και Ωπις, και Ἑλλη, και Γηρυς, και Γη, και Δημητηρ, [[723]]το αυτο. Ceres was the Deity of fire: hence at Cnidus she was called Κυρα, [[724]]Cura, a title of the Sun. Her Roman name Ceres, expressed by Hesychius Gerys, was by the Dorians more properly rendered [[725]]Garys. It was originally a name of a city, called Χαρις: for many of the Deities were erroneously called by the names of the places where they were worshipped. Charis is Char-Is, the [[726]]city of fire; the place where Orus and Hephastus were worshipped. Hence as a personage she is made the wife of [[727]]Vulcan, on account of her relation to fire. Her title of Damater was equally foreign to Greece; and came from Babylonia, and the east. It may after this seem extraordinary, that she should ever be esteemed the Goddess of corn. This notion arose in part from the Grecians not understanding their own theology: which bad originally, became continually more depraved, through their ignorance. The towers of Ceres were P'urtain, or Πρυτανεια; so called from the fires, which were perpetually there preserved. The Grecians interpreted this πυρου ταμειον; and rendered, what was a temple of Orus, a granary of corn. In consequence of this, though they did not abolish the antient usage of the place, they made it a repository of grain, from whence they gave largesses to the people upon any act of merit. [[728]]Τοπος ην παρ' Αθηναιοις, εν ᾡ κοιναι σιτησεις τοις δημοσιοις ευεργεταις εδιδοντο· ὁθεν και Πρυτανειον εκαλειτο, ὁιονει πυροταμειον· πυρος γαρ ὁ σιτος· In early times the corn there deposited seems to have been for the priests and [[729]]diviners. But this was only a secondary use, to which these places were adapted. They were properly sacred towers, where a perpetual fire was preserved. Pausanias takes notice of such a one in Arcadia. [[730]]Δημητρος, και Κορης ἱερον, πυρ δε ενταυθα καιουσι, ποιουμενοι φροντιδα, μη λαθῃ σφισιν αποσβεσθεν. He mentions a like circumstance at the Prutaneion in Elis[[731]]: Εστι δε ᾑ Ἑστια τεφρας και αυτη πεποιημενη, και επ' αυτης πυρ ανα πασαν τε ἡμεραν, και εν πασῃ νυκτι ὡσαυτως καιεται. Attica at first was divided into separate and independent hamlets: each of which had its own Prutaneion, and Archon. These Archons were priests of the [[732]]Prutaneia; and were denominated from their office. Archon is the same as Orchon, and like Chon-Or signifies the God of light, and fire; from which title the priests had their name. In Babylonia, and Chaldea, they were called Urchani.