Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, XI. 478
This hard-to-find-on-the-internet passage, which lists items that are taken from the shrine and distributed to initiates can be found at the link below.
This Loeb translation is, however, 1) slightly less than perfect and 2) leaves the metaphorical meaning unexplored.
I hope to correct those two things in this post.
Find here: http://books.google.com/books?id=Gt2La98uWbkC&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=he+takes+out+the+contents+of+the+shrine+and+distributes+them+to+all+who+have+brought+round+their+tray.+The+latter+is+an+earthenware+vessel&source=bl&ots=3RY2EIKq7B&sig=tsT-XSfdJw0slMhi8sht45bUMO0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UHHyUpzhNtPksASosYKYCQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=he%20takes%20out%20the%20contents%20of%20the%20shrine%20and%20distributes%20them%20to%20all%20who%20have%20brought%20round%20their%20tray.%20The%20latter%20is%20an%20earthenware%20vessel&f=false
The Loeb translation is below:
Kotylos speaks: “Polemon, in the treatise On the Sacred Fleece, says: ‘After these preliminaries (the priest) proceeds to the celebration of mystic rites; he takes out the contents of the shrine and distributes them to all who have brought round their tray. The latter is an earthenware vessel, holding within it a large number of small cups cemented together; and in them are sage (ὄρμινοι), white (λευκοί) poppy-seeds (μήκωνες), grains of wheat (πυροί) and barley (κριθαί), peas (πισοί), vetches (λάθυροι), okra-seeds (ὦχροι), lentils (φακοί), beans (κύαμοι), rice-wheat (ζειαί), oats (βρόμος), compressed fruit (παλάθιον), honey (μέλι), oil (ἓλαιον), wine (οἷνος), milk (γάλα), and sheep’s (ὄιον) wool (ἔριον) unwashed (ἄπλυτον).”
The list of items taken from the shrine and placed in the initiates’ multi-cupped tray, in Greek, are:
ὄρμινοι,
μήκωνες λευκοί,
πυροί,
κριθαί,
πισοί,
λάθυροι,
ὦχροι,
φακοί,
κύαμοι,
ζειαί,
βρόμος,
παλάθιον,
μέλι,
ἓλαιον,
οἷνος,
γάλα,
ὄιον ἔριον ἄπλυτον.
- 1. sage (ὄρμινοι)
- 2. white (λευκοί) opium/opium-poppy seeds (μήκωνες)
- 3. wheat (πυροί)
- 4. barley (κριθαί)
- 5. peas (?); more likely: pitch, tar, resin (πισοί)
- 6. vetches (λάθυροι)
- 7. okra-seeds (?); more likely: sweet-peas, Cyprus-vetch (ὦχροι)
- 8. lentils (φακοί)
- 9. beans (κύαμοι)
- 10. zea (ζειαί)
- 11. oats (βρόμος)
- 12. cakes of preserved fruit (παλάθιον)
- 13. honey (μέλι)
- 14. olive-oil (ἓλαιον)
- 15. wine (οἷνος)
- 16. milk (γάλα)
- 17. sheep’s (ὄιον) wool (ἔριον) unwashed (ἄπλυτον)
These food-items could be metaphors for other meanings:
- 1. ὄρμινοι: starting-point, stimulant
- 2. μήκωνες: lengthen, prolong, long, length
- 3. πυροί: fire, pure
- 4. κριθαί: decision, judgment
- 5. πισοί: trust, believe, put faith in
- 6. λάθυροι: secret
- 7. oὦχροι: pale, wan, pallor
- 8. φακοί: bearing (φα) + kore (κοί)
- 9. κύαμοι: pregnant
- 10. ζειαί: spark-of-life, male fertility principle
- 11. βρόμος: loud noise
- 12. παλάθιον: long-ago (παλά) + harvested/stopped-living/became mortal (θιον)
- 13. μέλι: sweet
- 14. ἓλαιον: loosening, release
- 15. οἷνος: entity/alone (οἷ) + tipping-point (νος)
- 16. γάλα: generative-release; earth/woman (γά) + release (λα)
- 17. ὄιον (lone/entity) + outflow (ἔριον) + Arising Above Pluton (ἄπλυτον)
This hard-to-find-on-the-internet passage, which lists items that are taken from the shrine and distributed to initiates can be found at the link below.
This Loeb translation is, however, 1) slightly less than perfect and 2) leaves the metaphorical meaning unexplored.
I hope to correct those two things in this post.
Find here: http://books.google.com/books?id=Gt2La98uWbkC&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=he+takes+out+the+contents+of+the+shrine+and+distributes+them+to+all+who+have+brought+round+their+tray.+The+latter+is+an+earthenware+vessel&source=bl&ots=3RY2EIKq7B&sig=tsT-XSfdJw0slMhi8sht45bUMO0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UHHyUpzhNtPksASosYKYCQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=he%20takes%20out%20the%20contents%20of%20the%20shrine%20and%20distributes%20them%20to%20all%20who%20have%20brought%20round%20their%20tray.%20The%20latter%20is%20an%20earthenware%20vessel&f=false
The Loeb translation is below:
Kotylos speaks: “Polemon, in the treatise On the Sacred Fleece, says: ‘After these preliminaries (the priest) proceeds to the celebration of mystic rites; he takes out the contents of the shrine and distributes them to all who have brought round their tray. The latter is an earthenware vessel, holding within it a large number of small cups cemented together; and in them are sage (ὄρμινοι), white (λευκοί) poppy-seeds (μήκωνες), grains of wheat (πυροί) and barley (κριθαί), peas (πισοί), vetches (λάθυροι), okra-seeds (ὦχροι), lentils (φακοί), beans (κύαμοι), rice-wheat (ζειαί), oats (βρόμος), compressed fruit (παλάθιον), honey (μέλι), oil (ἓλαιον), wine (οἷνος), milk (γάλα), and sheep’s (ὄιον) wool (ἔριον) unwashed (ἄπλυτον).”
The list of items taken from the shrine and placed in the initiates’ multi-cupped tray, in Greek, are:
ὄρμινοι,
μήκωνες λευκοί,
πυροί,
κριθαί,
πισοί,
λάθυροι,
ὦχροι,
φακοί,
κύαμοι,
ζειαί,
βρόμος,
παλάθιον,
μέλι,
ἓλαιον,
οἷνος,
γάλα,
ὄιον ἔριον ἄπλυτον.
- 1. sage (ὄρμινοι)
- 2. white (λευκοί) opium/opium-poppy seeds (μήκωνες)
- 3. wheat (πυροί)
- 4. barley (κριθαί)
- 5. peas (?); more likely: pitch, tar, resin (πισοί)
- 6. vetches (λάθυροι)
- 7. okra-seeds (?); more likely: sweet-peas, Cyprus-vetch (ὦχροι)
- 8. lentils (φακοί)
- 9. beans (κύαμοι)
- 10. zea (ζειαί)
- 11. oats (βρόμος)
- 12. cakes of preserved fruit (παλάθιον)
- 13. honey (μέλι)
- 14. olive-oil (ἓλαιον)
- 15. wine (οἷνος)
- 16. milk (γάλα)
- 17. sheep’s (ὄιον) wool (ἔριον) unwashed (ἄπλυτον)
These food-items could be metaphors for other meanings:
- 1. ὄρμινοι: starting-point, stimulant
- 2. μήκωνες: lengthen, prolong, long, length
- 3. πυροί: fire, pure
- 4. κριθαί: decision, judgment
- 5. πισοί: trust, believe, put faith in
- 6. λάθυροι: secret
- 7. oὦχροι: pale, wan, pallor
- 8. φακοί: bearing (φα) + kore (κοί)
- 9. κύαμοι: pregnant
- 10. ζειαί: spark-of-life, male fertility principle
- 11. βρόμος: loud noise
- 12. παλάθιον: long-ago (παλά) + harvested/stopped-living/became mortal (θιον)
- 13. μέλι: sweet
- 14. ἓλαιον: loosening, release
- 15. οἷνος: entity/alone (οἷ) + tipping-point (νος)
- 16. γάλα: generative-release; earth/woman (γά) + release (λα)
- 17. ὄιον (lone/entity) + outflow (ἔριον) + Arising Above Pluton (ἄπλυτον)
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