The European Sky -god. 405
means the "Coronation" rite (crreTTTo?, " crowned ").^^^ On the other hand, the Pythian victor was crowned king as the triumphant representative of the god. Moreover, when we recollect the stealthy attack made by Apollo's repre- sentative upon the " royal or kingly dwelling" of the human Serpent, it becomes highly probable that the Pythian victor originally succeeded to the crown as being the champion who had slain the previous king. These inferences are materially strengthened by the fact that the Pythian games were at first held, not every fourth year, but every eighth year : ^^'^ they are indeed termed "an eight-year festival" {ivv€eT7)pl<i) — the very word used by Plutarch of the Step- terion. Also it is known that the earliest form of the Pythian contest on record was "the singing of a hymn to the god " ; ^^ and that this hymn, the famous v6^o<i JlvdiKo^i, described the fight of Apollo with the Serpent.^^® Now Pausanias,^^^ in his description of the temple at Delphi, says : " Not far from the hearth stands the throne of Pindar : it is of iron, and they say that whenever Pindar came to Delphi he used to sit on it and sing his songs to Apollo." From this it may be inferred that the Pythian victor was not only crowned king as personating the god, but actually sat on a throne beside the sacred hearth.
'^' Cp. Hesych. oreTrr/ypia ' orlyu^ara, a oi iKtrai sk twv kXciCwv i^Titztoi', Dittenberger Syll. inscrr. Gr.,- 6i6, 29 (Cos) 6 [rov Zirjvbg i]epEvQ (TTt(7r)TEi= crk<pH, Anth. Plan., 306. 2, ^tj^wroi) arpeTrruv (Jacobs and others cj. oreTrrojA virepBt \i9ov.
196 Demetrius of Phalerum ap. schol. Od., 3. 267, tote Srj kuI tov ivvitr-qpiKov TWV IlvOiwv ayCjva aywvoOsTeT Kpenjv, iviKci £s Ajy/to^oKoe Aclkihv, Eustath., 1466, 7, dymvoQeTovvTog KpEovTog tov ivi'iErtjpiKov dywva tuiv UvOiajf " tv (^ iv'iKa ArjfjioSoKOQ AaKwv, schol. Find. Pyth., p. 298, Bockh srfXftro ct 6 dyojv KaTapx^i fiiv Sid tvveeTtjpidog, fiiTtcjTr] ^s etc TiVTeTripida k.t.X., Censorin. de die nat., 18. 6, Delphis quoque ludi qui vocantur Pythia post annum octavum olim conficiebantur.
'^ Paus., 10. 7. 2, Strab., 421.
8 Strab., 421, Poll., 4. 84, schol. Pind. Pyth., p. 297, Bockh.
'^ Paus., 10. 24. 5.
