Eileithyia (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 edition. Excerpt: ...that almost every European collection has some examples. Sometimes they are almost lifesized and wear a pointed hood or pilos. Quite frequently they are 71 See Milchhoefer. in Mittheil. d. arch. Inst, in Athen, II. p. 432, no. 5. represented as lying in a cradle.TM In Greece the type is rarer. I am inclined to interpret the terra-cotta twins from Thebes, Olympia and Kyzikos in this manner, although I am aware that they are usually held to be the Dioscuri." And yet, as has been already intimated, children were dedicated to Eileithyia not only as a goddess of childbirth but also as a divine guardian. Professor Furtwangler calls attention to the fact that the statues of little girls at play, ranging from three to six years of age, found in Agrai had been presented to Eileithyia Eukoline as Kourotrophos." He describes them as follows: "Die zwei kleineren kauern am Boden in den fur die Kinder im Alterthume so beliebten Motiven; die zwei andern stehen, die eine mit einem Kaninchen, die andere mit einer Taube auf dem linken Arme. Alle vier sind in krauswolligen, langen Chiton gekleidet. Die Arbeit ist verschieden, doch nirgends alter als etwa drittes Jahrhundert." In Olympia a statue of the Roman period was found representing a boy clothed in the toga. He is playing with a goose. This is presumably a votive offering to Eileithyia Olympia conceived as a fosterer of children (see above, page 26). When figures of playing children are found such as those, TM Berlin Antiquarium, inv. nos. 7193-95 found at Curti. In the Dresden Museum (Archoologischer Anseiger, 1889, p. 163) are examples of such infants found presumably in Palestrina and NemL Babies in cradles found at Curti: Berlin Antiquarium, inv. nos. 17196, 7198 sqq.; British...