Myth and Ritual in Classical Civilisation

It is well known that in many of the lower cultures myth and ritual are rather two parts of one phenomenon than two separate phenomena. The relation of certain types, at least, of myth to cult has been well expressed by R. Pettazzonix): La recitazione dei miti delle origini ? incorporata nel culto perch? ? culto essa stessa e concorre agli scopi per cui il culto ? celebrato, che sono quelli della conservazione e dell' incremento della vita. Many researchers are of opinion that a parallel state of things is to be found in the Semiticspeaking cultures at a much higher level than that of the peoples discussed by Pettazzoni. It is therefore a reasonable question to ask, whether or not any such phenomenon is to be found in the classical civilisations of Europe, those of Greece, Rome and Etruria. In trying to answer this question, we are obliged to limit ourselves to the Greeks. It is as certain as any negative historical proposition can ever be that Rome had no myths, at least none of a kind which could possibly associate themselves with cult. Here and there, at most, we find a story of the doings of the gods which is not palpably a borrowing from a Greek original, with or without change of names; we are told, for instance, that Juppiter sent a warning dream to testify his dispproval of an accidental uitium in his games 2), and there are tales of other divine warnings, of miracles of Vesta, and so forth ; but there is not a single native story professing to explain how things began, why Juppiter, Mars and Quirinus are anciently associated, when and how Ceres taught men to grow corn, what her relations are to Tellus Mater, why certain priests must be patricians, or any other of the hundred problems corresponding to those explained, no doubt to the satisfaction of those who heard the stories

Art · Civilization · Cult · Dream · Epistemology · Greeks · Legend · Literature · Mythology · Phenomenon · Relation (database · Theology · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy · Psychology

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  Open Access•Simon Price, S R F Price•The Cambridge Ancient History…•1996

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• Jason, Hypsipyle, and New Fire at Lemnos. A Study in Myth and Ritual

  Open Access•Walter Burkert•The Classical Quarterly•1970

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