11-20-2009, 09:10 AM
Quote:
In Diodorus' Library of History (I.94.1-2) we find an account of lawgivers (?????????) claiming they received the law codes from gods so that they could persuade the masses to follow these laws. In Egypt Mneves claimed the divine source of his (written) laws is Hermes, in Crete Minos invoked Zeus, while in Sparta Lycurgus pretended his laws were revealed by Apollo. In such a list at some point we find Zalmoxis, among the Getae, claiming his laws were given by the common Hestia (??? ?????? ??????).
However we should be careful about this testimony, as from several dozens we have on Zalmoxis, to my knowledge this is the only one where we have a mention of the goddess Hestia. And a careful analysis of the text suggests another interpretation.
Diodorus calls the Getae "the ones making themselves immortals" which reminds me of a passage from Herodotus where we find the same observation (IV.93). But then in the same book we find the Scythians worshipping Hestia (IV.59) and swearing oaths on royal hearths (IV.68). So I think it's much more probable Diodorus conflated Scythians and Getae like many other ancient authors before and after him.
This only one intepretation from several similar ones suggesting most (if not all) those testimonies we have on Zalmoxis are directly or indirectly influenced by Herodotus. So we face a Greek literary topos, not a genuine ethnographic information. In Romanian you should read Zoe Petre's Practica Nemuririi. O lectur? critic? a izvoarelor grece?ti referitoare la ge?i (2004) and Dan Dana's Zalmoxis de la Herodot la Mircea Eliade (2008).
Also beware of interpretatio graeco-romana. You'll find Apollos and Dianas and Zeuses all over. In epigraphy also you'll find such gods but having differentiating epithets. Sometimes they are simply called heroes, gods or lords.
I see you know much more detailed the Diodor writing. From what i found, Zalmoxis is compared there just with other two, Zarathustra of persians, and Moise/Moses of jews. About the relation with godess Hestia, well, agree, is hard to know exactly if wasnt a mistake, or if wasnt just an interpretation of Diodor, of a autochtonous dacian godess (something like Mother Godess or so), which he related with Hestia of greco-roman world, dont know. However, i doubt that all writings about Zalmoxes and his teachings (like beliefes in imortality of dacians, or how they maked to be imortal) are based just on Herodotus writing. Dacians (and they religion) was well known by other writers/chronicars of ancient times, and i am sure if Herodotus writings wasnt real, they will said then another stuff about dacians. And i quote from memory (dont have time now for search the exact quote and translation), so its an aproximation, the writing of roman emperor Julian the Apostate about Dacians/Getae (he in fact quote there Traian, and i dont think he inspire just from Herodotus, or even if he knew what Herodotus writed about Getae/Dacians some centuries ago) : "I was only one who dared to go against the peoples north of Danube (Getae/Dacians), who was the most warlike/powerful peoples who ever lived, and this not just because of strenght of their bodies, but because of the teachings of their praised/blessed Zalmoxis, who told them that they dont die, just change their homes. So they like much more to go to a battle then make a trip/travel" (sorry if my translation isnt quite exact). Anyway, the point is that Zalmoxis and his teachings (regarding imortality for ex., or medical knowledges of his priests) to Dacians was know in greco-roman world, and wasnt based just on what Herodotus writed at some point, but was a reality. As well a reality was they share some common gods and believes with southern thracians (and even phrygians), and for sure they have a relation on language too (see the name "Daci-Dacus" presumly related with phrygian "daos" (with an even older indo-european root) which mean "wolf", an idea shared by Mircea Eliade too, which i consider the biggest authority in history of religion).
About the books you told me, thanks, i will try to read them sometime (when i have time and if i find them, since i try to find Eliade book, "From Zalmoxis to Genghis Khan", but unfortunately i didnt find, and this was first on my list), and i read some stuff from Dan Oltean (from "Religia dacilor" and "Burebista si Sarmisegetuza"), if you know them.
Razvan A.
