THE CONTENTS.
Reading edition
OLYMPUS: OR THE RELIGION OF THE HOMERIC AGE.
SECT. I.
On the mixed character of the Supernatural System, or Theo-mythology of Homer.
Homer’s method not systematicPage 1
Incongruities of his Theo-mythology point to diversity of sources2
Remnants of primitive tradition likely to be found in the Poems3
Extra-judaical relations between God and man6
With tradition it combines invention9
It is a true Theology corrupted9
It has not its basis in nature-worship10
It could not have sprung from invention only13
Sacrifices admitted to be traditional15
Tendency of primitive religion to decay17
Downward course of the idea of God18
Decline closely connected with Polytheism20
Inducements to Nature-worship21
The deterioration of religion progressive23
Paganism in its old age25
The impersonations of Homer26
The nature of the myths of Homer29
Tradition the proper key to many of them30
He exhibits the two systems in active impact32
Steps of the downward process33
Sources of the inventive portions35
Originality of the Olympian system37
SECT. II.
The traditive element of the Homeric Theo-mythology.
The channels of early religious tradition39
Some leading early traditions of Scripture40
As to the Godhead42
As to the Redeemer42
As to the Evil One43
Their defaced counterparts in Homer43
Deities of equivocal position46
Threefold materials of the Greek religion48
Messianic traditions of the Hebrews49
To be learned from three sources49
Attributes ascribed to the Messiah51
The deities of tradition in Homer54
Minerva and Apollo jointly form the key55
Notes of their Olympian rank56
Of their higher antiquity57
The Secondaries of Minerva59
The Secondaries of Apollo60
Argument from the Secondaries63
Picture of human society in Olympus64
Dignity and precedence of Minerva66
Of Apollo69
Minerva’s relations of will and affection with Jupiter70
Those of Apollo71
Apollo the Deliverer of Heaven72
Power of Minerva in the Shades73
These deities are never foiled by others74
The special honour of the Trine Invocation78
They receive universal worship79
They are not localized in any abode82
They are objects together with Jupiter of habitual prayer83
Exempt from appetite and physical limitations86
Their manner of appreciating sacrifice88
Their independent power of punishment90
They handle special attributes of Jupiter94
They exercise dominion over nature98
Relation of Apollo (with Diana) to Death101
Exemption from the use of second causes104
Superiority of their moral standard105
Special relation of Apollo to Diana108
Disintegration of primitive traditions108
The Legend of Alcyone111
Place of Minerva and Apollo in Providential government113
It is frequently ascribed to them115
Especially the inner parts of it to Minerva117
Apollo’s gift of knowledge119
Intimacy of Minerva’s personal relations with man121
Form of their relation to their attributes122
The capacity to attract new ones124
Wide range of their functions125
Tradition of the Sun126
The central wisdom of Minerva129
The three characters of Apollo130
The opposition between two of them131
Minerva and Apollo do not fit into Olympus133
Origin of the Greek names133
Summary of their distinctive traits134
Explanation by Friedreich138
Treatment of Apollo by Müller141
After-course of the traditions142
The Diana of Homer143
Her acts and attributes in the poems144
The Latona of Homer147
Her attributes in the poems149
Her relation to primitive Tradition153
Her acts in the poems154
The Iris of Homer156
The Atè of Homer158
The ἀτασθαλίη of Homer162
Other traditions of the Evil One162
Parallel citations from Holy Scripture165
The Future State in Homer167
Sacrificial tradition in Homer171
He has no sabbatical tradition171
SECT. III.
The inventive element of the Homeric Theo-mythology.
The character of Jupiter173
Its fourfold aspect.—1. Jupiter as Providence174
2. Jupiter as Lord of Air178
Earth why vacant in the Lottery179
3. Jupiter as Head of Olympus181
His want of moral elements183
His strong political spirit185
4. Jupiter as the type of animalism186
Qualified by his parental instincts189
The Juno of Homer190
Juno of the Iliad and Juno of the Odyssey191
Her intense nationality192
Her mythological functions193
Her mythological origin197
The Neptune of Homer199
His threefold aspect200
His traits mixed, but chiefly mythological201
His relation to the Phœnicians205
His relation to the tradition of the Evil One206
His grandeur is material209
The Aidoneus of Homer210
His personality shadowy and feeble211
The Ceres or Demeter of Homer212
Her Pelasgian associations213
Her place in Olympus215
Her mythological origin215
The Proserpine or Persephone of Homer217
Her marked and substantive character218
Her connection with the East220
Her place in Olympus doubtful223
Her associations Hellenic and not Pelasgian224
The Mars of Homer225
His limited worship and attributes226
Mars as yet scarcely Greek229
The Mercury of Homer231
Preeminently the god of increase233
Mercury Hellenic as well as Phœnician235
But apparently recent in Greece237
His Olympian function distinct from that of Iris238
The poems consistent with one another in this point241
The Venus of Homer243
Venus as yet scarcely Greek244
Advance of her worship from the East247
Her Olympian rank and character249
Her extremely limited powers249
Apparently unable to confer beauty251
Homer never by intention makes her attractive252
The Vulcan of Homer254
His Phœnician and Eastern extraction255
His marriage with Venus257
Vulcan in and out of his art259
The Ἠέλιος of Homer260
In the Iliad261
In the Odyssey262
Is of the Olympian court263
His incorporation with Apollo264
The Dionysus or Bacchus of Homer266
His worship recent266
Apparently of Phœnician origin267
He is of the lowest inventive type269
SECT. IV.
The Composition of the Olympian Court; and the classification of the whole supernatural order in Homer.
Principal cases of exclusion from Olympus271
Case of Oceanus273
Together with that of Kronos and Rhea274
The Dî majores of the later tradition275
Number of the Olympian gods in Homer275
What deities are of that rank277
The Hebe and the Paieon of Homer278
The Eris of Homer280
Classification of the twenty Olympian deities282
The remaining supernatural order, in six classes283
Destiny or Fate in Homer285
Under the form of Αἶσα286
Death inexorable to Fate or Deity alike287
Destiny under the form of Μοῖρα290
Under the form of μόρος293
General view of the Homeric Destiny294
Not antagonistic to Divine will297
The minor impersonations of natural powers298
The Ἁρπυῖαι of Homer300
The Erinues of Homer302
Their office is to vindicate the moral order305
Their operation upon the Immortals306
Their connection with Aides and Persephone308
Their relation to Destiny310
Their operation upon man310
Their occasional function as tempters312
The translation of mortals313
The deification of mortals314
Growth of material for its extension316
The kindred of the gods (1) the Cyclopes318
(2) The Læstrygones319
(3) The Phæacians320
(4) Æolus Hippotades322
SECT. V.
The Olympian Community and its Members considered in themselves.
The family order in Olympus325
The political order in Olympus326
Absence of important restraints upon their collective action327
They are influenced by courtesy and intelligence328
Superiority of the Olympian Immortals330
Their unity imperfect331
Their polity works constitutionally332
The system not uniform333
They are inferior in morality to men334
And are governed mainly by force and fraud335
Their dominant and profound selfishness337
The cruelty of Calypso in her love339
Their standard of taste and feeling low340
The Olympian life is a depraved copy of the heroic341
The exemption from death uniform342
The exemption from other limitations partial345
Sometimes based on peculiar grounds346
Divine faculties for the most part an extension from the human348
Their dependence on the eye350
Their powers of locomotion352
Chief heads of superiority to mankind353
Their superiority in stature and beauty354
Their libertinism355
Their keen regard to sacrifice and the ground of it357
Their circumscribed power over nature358
Parts of the body how ascribed to them359
Examples of miracle in Homer361
Mode of their action on the human mind363
They do not discern the thoughts365
SECT. VI.
The Olympian Community and its Members considered in their influence on human society and conduct.
Lack of periodical observances and of a ministering class367
Yet the religion was a real power in life368
The effect of the corruption of the gods was not yet fully felt369
They show little regard to human interests371
A moral tone is occasionally perceptible373
Prevalent belief as to their views of man and life374
It lent considerable support to virtue377
Their course with respect to Troy378
Bearing of the religion on social ties380
And on political relations382
The Oath383
Bearing of the religion on the poems385
As regards Neptune’s wrath in the Odyssey387
As regards the virtue of purity388
As regards poetic effect388
Comparison of its earliest and latest form390
Gloom prevails in Homer’s view of human destiny392
The personal belief of Homer394
SECT. VII.
On the traces of an origin abroad for the Olympian Religion.
The Olympian deities classified according to local extraction397
Their connection as a body with the Æthiopes399
Confirms the hypothesis of Persian origin402
Herodotus on the Scythian religion402
His report from Egypt about the Greek deities404
Four several bases of religious systems405
Anthropophuism in the Olympian religion406
Nature-worship as described in the Book of Wisdom406
Its secondary place in the Olympian religion407
In what sense it follows a prior Nature-worship409
The principle of Brute-worship410
Its traces in the Olympian religion411
Chief vestige: oxen of the Sun412
Xanthus the horse of Achilles414
SECT. VIII.
The Morals of the Homeric Age.
The general type of Greek character in the heroic age417
The moral sense in the heroic age418
Use of the words ἀγαθός and κακός421
Of the word δίκαιος423
Religion and morals were not dissociated425
Moral elements in the practice of sacrifice427
Three main motives to virtue. 1. Regard to the gods427
2. The power of conscience428
3. Regard for the sentiments of mankind430
The force and forms of αἰδὼς431
Other cognate terms435
Homicide in the heroic age436
Eight instances in the poems437
Why viewed with little disfavour440
Piracy in the heroic age442
Its nature as then practised443
Mixed view of it in the poems444
Family feuds in the heroic age446
Temperance in the heroic age447
Self-control in the heroic age448
Absence of the vice of cruelty450
Savage ideas occasionally expressed451
These not unfamiliar to later Greece453
Wrath in Ulysses454
Wrath in Achilles455
Domestic affections in the heroic age456
Relationships close, not wide459
Purity in the heroic age460
Lay of the Net of Vulcan461
Direct evidence of comparative purity465
Treatment of the human form466
Treatment of various characters467
Outline of Greek life in the heroic age468
Its morality, and that of later Greece471
Points of its superiority472
Inferior as to crimes of violence475
Some effects of slavery476
Signs of degeneracy before Homer’s death477
SECT. IX.
Woman in the heroic age.
The place of Woman generally, and in heroic Greece479
Its comparative elevation480
1. State of the law and custom of marriage481
Marriage was uniformly single483
2. Conceived in a spirit of freedom483
Its place in the career of life485
Mode of contraction486
3. Perpetuity of the tie of marriage487
Adultery488
Desertion489
4. Greek ideas of incest489
5. Fidelity in married life492
Treatment of spurious children494
Case of Briseis495
Mode of contracting marriage496
Concubinage of Greek chieftains in Troas497
Dignity of conjugal and feminine manners499
Social position of the wife500
Force of conjugal attachments502
Woman characters of Homer503
The province of Woman well defined505
Argument from the position of the goddesses506
Women admitted to sovereignty507
And to the service of the gods509
Their household employments511
Their service about the bath512
Explanation of the presumed difficulty515
Proof from the case of Ulysses in Scheria517
Subsequent declension of Woman518
SECT. X.
The Office of the Homeric Poems in relation to that of the early Books of Holy Scripture.
Points of literary resemblance521
Providential functions of Greece and Rome523
Of the Early records of Holy Scripture524
The Sacred Books are not mere literary works525
Providential use of the Homeric poems527
They complete the code of primitive instruction529
Human history had no visible centre up to the Advent531
Nor for some time after it532
A purpose served by the whole design533
OLYMPUS, OR THE RELIGION OF THE HOMERIC AGE.