The European Sky-god. 407
the priest of Apollo"^^ and being buried close by was wor- shipped with annual'-'*^^ sacrifices as a hero.^°^ Euripides~°^ in a well-known passage describes how single-handed and armed with the weapons of the god he had fought for his life against the joint attack of the Delphians — " a sword-bearing band shaded with laurel." Have we here a reminiscence of the priestly king killed at his hearth on the expiration of his term of office ?-°^ However that may be, Pindar, of whose enthronement at Delphi I have spoken, took rank with the Delphic heroes and was specially invited to the banquet of the god (deo^evta)"^^ — a distinction conferred on his descendants after him."^" Pindar, then, if any one, would be likely to know the true significance of the Hero'is held every eight years at Delphi. A fragment of his poetry preserved by Plato"^^ runs as follows :
" For from whomsoever Persephone hath accepted the atonement of ancient woe, their souls she sendeth up once more
notable coincidence he was himself slaughtered at Delphi beside the altar of Apollo. Hence to be treated as one has treated others is called the retribution of Neoptolemus." We are reminded of The priest who slew the slayer, and shall himself be slain.
^"^ He was struck by "a man with a knife" (^avt)p fiaxaipq-^ Find. Neni., 7. 61) usually called the " Knife-man " [yiayaipf-v^ Asclepiades ap. schol. Find. Nem. 7. 62, Strab. 421, Sophocles ap. Eustath. 1479, 13, Apollod. epitom. 6. 14). Another version made him slay himself with a knife (Fhere- cydes ap. schol. Eur. Or. 1654, eavrov Sk Kreivei (Jiaxaipa, if the text is sound). See further Roscher Lex., iii., 172 and 176.
-"* Heliodorus speaks of sacrifices paid to Neoptolemus every four years at the time of the Fythian contest : Aethiop. 2. 34, /) hi Qva'ia koX t) Qsiopia, TETpasTijpiSa TavT y, ore irtp koi 6 HvOiwv ayujv {eari Sk vvvi wq olcrda)
TTE/iTTODCrtV AlVEiaveq ^.CTTToXkfKl) T(p 'AxiWi(tiQ.
^"^ On Neoptolemus as the hero par excellence at Delphi see A. Mommsen Delphika, p. 225 ff.
^o' Eur. Andr., 1085 ff.
208 j_ Topffer, Beitrage, p. 132 f., suggests that Neoptolemus' death was sacri- ficial, and compares it with the human sacrifices to Apollo at the Athenian festival of the Thargelia.
-"9 Eustath. vit. Find., p. civ., 14 ff., W. Christ.
-'" Flut. de sera mt minis vindicta, 13.
-» Flat. Meno, 81 B f.
