Note 417 — TAPH, TUPH, TAPHOS.

I have in a former chapter taken notice of the Tarchons and Dracontia in Syria, and other parts: which consisted of sacred ground inclosed with a wall, and an altar or two at the upper part. Such an inclosure is described by Pausanias, which must have been of great antiquity: hence the history of it was very imperfectly known in his time. He is speaking of Nemea in Argolis; [417]near which, says he, stands the temple of Nemean Jupiter, a structure truly wonderful, though the roof is now fallen in. Round the temple is a grove of cypress; in which there is a tradition that Opheltes was left by his nurse upon the grass, and in her absence killed by a serpent.—In the same place is the tomb of Opheltes, surrounded with a wall of stone; and within the inclosure altars. There is also a mound of earth said to be the tomb of Lycurgus, the father of Opheltes. Lycurgus is the same as Lycus, Lycaon, Lycoreus, the Sun: and Opheltes, his supposed offspring, is of the same purport. To say the truth, [418]Opheltes, or, as it should be expressed, Ophel-tin is the place; and Ophel the Deity, Sol Pytho, whose symbol was a serpent. Ophel-tin was a Taphos with a τεμενος, or sacred inclosure: it was a sacred mound to the Ophite Deity; like that which was inclosed and fortified by [419]Manasseh king of Judah; and which had been previously made use of to the same purpose by [420]Jotham. A history similar to that of Opheltes is given of Archemorus; who was said to have been left in a garden by his nurse Hypsipyle, and in her absence slain by a serpent. Each of them had festivals instituted, together with sacred games, in memorial of their misfortune. They are on this account by many supposed to have been the same person. But in reality they were not persons, but places. They are, however, so far alike, as they are terms which relate to the same worship and Deity. Opheltin is the place, and altar of the Ophite God above-mentioned: and Archemorus was undoubtedly the antient name of the neighbouring town, or city. It is a compound of Ar-Chemorus; and signifies the city of Cham-Orus, the same who is styled Ophel. In many of these places there was an antient tradition of some person having been injured by a serpent in the beginning of life; which they have represented as the state of childhood. The mythology upon this occasion is different: for sometimes the personages spoken of are killed by the serpent: at other times they kill it: and there are instances where both histories are told of the same person. But whatever may have been the consequence, the history is generally made to refer to a state of childhood. Hercules has accordingly a conflict with two serpents in his cradle: and Apollo, who was the same as Python, was made to engage a serpent of this name at Parnassus, when he was a child;