At the beginning of times the brand new Pelasgi, whenever i understand of the guidance which i had in the Dodona, considering sacrifices of all the kinds, and prayed into gods, but didn’t come with type of brands or appellations in their mind, since they got never ever heard about any

Besides such which have been right here said, there are numerous most other strategies whereof I shall cam hereafter, that the Greeks have lent off Egypt. The peculiarity, but not, that they observe in their statues away from Mercury it did not result from the Egyptians, however, on the Pelasgi; from them the Athenians first observed it, and you will after they enacted throughout the Athenians to the other Greeks. For only at that time if the Athenians was entering into the Hellenic muscles, the latest Pelasgi found accept her or him inside their country, whence it was your latter arrived earliest are considered just like the Greeks. The Samothracians obtained such secrets on Pelasgi, whom, in advance of it decided to go to are now living in Attica, was in fact dwellers inside Samothrace, and you can read the full info here imparted the spiritual ceremonies on society. The fresh Athenians, then, have been the initial of all the Greeks and make their statues out-of Mercury similar to this, analyzed the practice regarding the Pelasgians; and by which individuals a religious membership of your amount is actually offered, which is explained regarding the Samothracian mysteries.

They named him or her gods (Theoi, disposers), because they disposed and you will developed everything in for example an attractive order. Once a lengthy lapse of your time the fresh new labels of gods concerned Greece of Egypt, as well as the Pelasgi learnt him or her, merely as yet they understood nothing regarding Bacchus, from who they earliest read during the a significantly after go out. Soon following the arrival of your labels it sent to consult the brand new oracle from the Dodona on the subject. Here is the most ancient oracle from inside the Greece, and at that point you will find no other. On the question, “Whether or not they should adopt the labels that had been imported away from the latest foreigners?” the fresh new oracle answered because of the suggesting their have fun with.

Whence the new gods severally popped, whether or not if any that they had the lived out of eternity, what variations they bore- speaking of inquiries at which the latest Greeks realized nothing before other date, so to speak. To have Homer and you can Hesiod was basically the first one to compose Theogonies, and give this new gods the epithets, to help you allot him or her the multiple practices and you can employment, and you will define their models; as well as resided but 400 years in advance of my big date, as i trust. When it comes to poets that believe by some to-be prior to when these, they are, in my view, decidedly after publishers. Throughout these issues We have this new expert of one’s priestesses regarding Dodona into the previous portion of my personal comments; everything i have said of Homer and you may Hesiod is my own personal advice.

Thenceforth inside their sacrifices new Pelasgi utilized the labels of one’s gods, and you will from them the fresh names enacted later on into the Greeks

Another tale is frequently advised in Egypt concerning the oracle of Dodona during the Greece, and that away from Ammon inside the Libya. My informants towards the section have been the fresh new priests off Jupiter on Thebes. It told you “one a couple of sacred females have been shortly after carried off from Thebes by the Phoenicians, which the storyline went that one of these was ended up selling toward Libya, as well as the most other on Greece, that girls was the initial founders of the oracles for the the 2 nations.” On my inquiring the way they came to see therefore exactly what became of one’s female, it answered, “that patient search was produced immediately following them at the time, however, which was not receive you can and watch in which these were; after, although not, they obtained what which they had offered me.”