Page:Modern Greek folklore and ancient Greek religion - a study in survivals.djvu/285

 the victims are of various kinds and the forms in which a genius may appear equally various, the distinction between the two is as a rule kept clear; cases of a single species of animal serving for both genius and victim—of the genius for example appearing as a cock or of the chosen victim being a snake—are extremely rare.

Confusion of the two nevertheless does occur; the original genius of the site is sometimes forgotten, and the victim is conceived to be slain and buried in order that from the under-world it may exercise a guardianship over the building which is its tomb. Thus in one version of 'the Bridge of Arta,' inferior in many respects to that which I have translated, the complaint of the master-craftsman's wife contains the line

[Greek: treis aderphoulais eimastan, tais treis stoicheia mas balan] , 'Three sisters we, and all the three they took for guardian-demons.'

Probably the same confusion of thought was responsible for the representation of the genius of a church in Athens in the shape of a cock, which is the commonest kind of victim; and possibly too the bulls which are so frequently the guardians of churches were originally the victims considered most suitable for the foundation of such important edifices. This error of belief has undoubtedly been facilitated by the use of a word which in its mediaeval meanings has already been discussed—the verb [Greek: stoicheionô]. This, as I have pointed out, meant strictly 'to provide (a place or object) with a genius.' But in modern usage it can take an accusative of the victim devoted to a genius no less than of the place provided with a genius. In Zacynthos and Cephalonia, says Bernhard Schmidt, the phrase [Greek: stoicheionô arni], for example, meaning 'I devote a lamb' to the genius, is in regular use; and so too in the above rendering of 'the Bridge of Arta,' the phrase which I have translated 'an ye devote not human life' is in the Greek [Greek: an de stoicheiôset' anthrôpo]. Now verbs of this form are in both ancient and modern Greek usually causative. The ancient [Greek: dêloô] and modern [Greek: dêlonô] mean 'I make (an object) clear' ([Greek: dêlos]): the ancient [Greek: chrysoô] and modern [Greek: chrysonô] mean 'I make (an object) gold' ([Greek: chrysos]). Similarly [Greek: stoicheionô] is, [Greek: Syllogê dêmot. asmatôn], p. 28.]