Page:Modern Greek folklore and ancient Greek religion - a study in survivals.djvu/192

 The Lamiae are hideous monsters, shaped as gigantic and coarse-looking women for the most part, but, with strange deformities of the lower limbs such as Aristophanes attributed to a kindred being, the Empusa. Their feet are dissimilar and may be more than two in number; one is often of bronze, while others resemble those of animals—ox, ass, or goat. Tradition relates that one of these monsters was once shot by a peasant at Koropíon, a village in Attica, and was found to measure three fathoms in length; and her loathsome nature was attested by the fact that, when her body was thrown out in a desert plain, no grass would grow where her blood had dripped. The chief characteristics of the Lamiae, apart from their thirst for blood, are their uncleanliness, their gluttony, and their stupidity. The details of the first need not be named, but would still furnish a jest for Aristophanes in his coarser mood as they did of old. Their gluttony is clearly proved by their unwieldy corpulence. Their stupidity is best shown in their sorry management of their homes; for even the Lamiae have their domestic duties, being mated usually, according to the folk-tales, with dragons ([Greek: drakoi]), and making their abode in caverns and desert places. They ply the broom so poorly that 'the Lamia's sweeping' ([Greek: tês Lamias ta sarômata]) has become a proverb for untidiness ; they are so ignorant of bread-making that they put their dough into a cold oven and heap the fire on top of it ; they give their dogs hay to eat, and bones to their horses. But they have at least the redeeming virtue of sometimes showing gratitude to those Who help them out of the ill plight to which their ignorance has brought them.

Their stupidity also is regarded by the Greeks as a cause of honesty. Though they are often rich, as being the consorts of dragons whose chief function it is to keep guard over hidden treasure, they have not the wit to keep their wealth, but foolishly keep their word instead. Athenian tradition tells of a very rich Lamia (known by the name of [Greek: hê Mora], perhaps better written [Greek: Môra], a proper name formed from [Greek: môros], 'foolish'), who used to, [Greek: Hist. tôn Athên.] p. 224.]p. 193.], l.c.], l.c.]